to him, Repeat.”
Jacob thrust out his hand. “This is ’cause you’re a rescue
hero,” he said when his brother elbowed him again. He
suddenly lifted his bright blue eyes, making direct contact
with Duncan’s as he boldly stepped closer. “Al heroes have
a bemlem … a embal … a badge to wear on their chests.
Mom helped me draw the evascater and cut it out, but I did
al the coloring and pasting.”
“The bolt of lightning was my idea,” Pete added as
Duncan took the badge, “because lightning tel s everyone
you’re fast and strong.”
Staring down at the paste-stiffened construction paper
covered with enough crayon to make the excavator nearly
invisible, Duncan tried to say something only to have to
clear his throat as he looked into Jacob’s apprehensive
eyes. “This is real y quite an honor, gentlemen,” he said
thickly, running his thumb over the badge. He smiled, giving
Jacob a nod. “I’m glad I could be of service.”
“You gotta put it on your chest,” Pete instructed. “Mom
stuck a pin on the back so you could.”
“Wait,” Mac said when Duncan turned the badge over. “I
do believe the lovely damsel whose child was saved must
do the honor of rewarding the brave hero.”
Tomorrow afternoon, Duncan decided as he shot Mac a
glare, he was going to shove the cocky bastard off the
mountain even if he had to go over with him.
“Oh yes, Peggy,” Olivia chimed in, waving her tumbler
of wine. “Go pin the badge on Duncan.” She stood up when
Peg didn’t move and hauled the scowling damsel up off her
log. “Just try to do it without stabbing him, okay?” she said,
dragging Peg around the fire.
“Aye,” Robbie said with a chuckle, nudging Duncan’s
arm just as he was taking another swig of ale to hide his
scowl at Peg’s obvious reluctance. “It would appear the
man’s lost more than enough blood already this week.”
“Yeah, Boss,” Alec drawled, nudging his other arm. “I
believe if ye spil too much more you’re going to find
yourself staggeringback to TarStone. Be gentle with him,
fair damsel,” he said with a chuckle. “He’s had a hard
week.”
Duncan scrambled to his feet when he saw Peg suddenly
break free of Olivia and stride toward him far too eagerly.
Dammit, he hadn’t done one thing to deserve this. Hel ,
he’d gone out of his way to be nice to the contrary woman.
“Yes, give me that,” she said far too sweetly as she
snatched the badge out of his hand. “I would love to do the
honors. And don’t worry, Alec; I’m sure your boss is stil
numb from his swim, so he won’t feel a thing if I accidental y
stab him.” She pul ed back her hands. “No, wait; shouldn’t
you be on your knees?”
“In your dreams,” he muttered just before gulping down
another kick-in-the-ass.
“Excuse me? Did you say something?”
“Mom,” Jacob whispered loudly, tugging on her
sweatshirt hard enough that she nearly stabbed herself on
the pin. “I gotta see ’cause I made it for him.”
Duncan sighed and was just about to drop to one knee
when Alec scrambled to his knees instead and held open
his arms. “How about if I lift you up, Jacob?”
Duncan sensed Peg go as stil as a stone, and he used
his eyes to motion to Robbie—who immediately pushed
away from his boulder and opened his arms to Pete.
“I could also give you a lift,” Robbie offered.
Pete immediately walked into his embrace; Jacob
stepping into Alec’s in the very next heartbeat so that both
men stood up with the boys in their arms. And Duncan
nearly did drop to his knees when he saw tears wel ing in
Peg’s eyes despite her grateful smile. She gently pressed
the badge to his shirt and careful y pinned it on him with
trembling fingers, then cleared her throat. “Um, this badge
is to honor Duncan MacKeage,” she said thickly, “for
rescuing Jacob Thompson.”
Duncan tried to say something but found he had to clear
his own throat again, so he patted the badge on his chest,
turned to Jacob, and smiled. “I wil treasure it always, Mr.
Thompson.”
“And you gotta wearit always,” Pete added. “So
everybody wil know you’re a rescue hero, like on TV.”
Wel , hel ; that was going to be a problem.
Peg gave a sputtered laugh and patted her son’s leg. “I
think Mr. MacKeage should carry it in his wal et just like the
policemen do on TV.” She turned to Alec to get Jacob’s
approval. “That way it won’t get torn or wrinkled, and he can
pul out his wal et and show it to anyone who needs
rescuing.”
“But I’l probably wait until afterI rescue them,” Duncan
offered. “Okay, Jacob? Pete?” he asked, turning to include
him.
“Okay,” Pete said. He looked down at the ground then at
Robbie, his deep blue eyes widening. “You’re even higher
than Uncle Galen.”
“Mom,” Isabel said, pushing her way inside the circle of
people to tug on the hem of Peg’s sweatshirt. “What’s the
big deal? Jacob swims like a fish, so he wouldn’t have
drowned. You cal al of us your little trout.”
“The deal is,” Peg said, taking Isabel’s hand and leading
her away, “Jacob fel in ice-cold seawater, not the warm
water of our old swimming hole.”
Alec started to lower Jacob to the ground, but
stopped when the boy suddenly reached his arms out to
Duncan. “I got som’fin else to give you,” he whispered,
darting a glance at his mother walking away, and then at
Pete, who was running after her when Robbie set him
down. Jacob wrapped an arm around Duncan’s neck when
Alec transferred him over before also wisely walking away.
“My mom gave it to me and I want to give it to you,”
Jacob said, opening his tiny fist to expose a smal rock. “It’s
a worry stone,” he explained reverently, the arm around
Duncan’s neck nudging him. “Go on, take it,” he instructed,
dropping the rock into Duncan’s palm when he held up his
hand. “You’re s’pose to carry it in your pocket, and when
you get worried or scared or sad, you take it out and rub it.”
He leaned his head closer. “But you gotta remember to
take it outto rub it, or people wil think you’re playing pocket pool. And Mama says only unservalized men do that.”
Fighting back laughter, Duncan stared down at the tiny
rock and nodded gravely. “I wil definitely remember to take
it out of my pocket first.” He ran his thumb across the stone.
“Are you sure you want to give this to me, Jacob, seeing
how your mama gave it to you? It must be very special.”
The boy folded Duncan’s finger over the stone. “No, you
keep it. Mom’s got a whole bowl on the counter ’cause I
keep losing them.” He pressed his tiny hand to the badge
pinned on Duncan’s chest. “Do you think if you didn’t catch
me this morning I coulda saved myself? Or if Pete was
drownding I coulda saved him?”
“I do,” Duncan said with a nod, “if you swim like a trout.”
“My daddy didn’t save hisself and Mama says he was big
and strong like I’m going to be when I grow up.”
Okay; apparently Jacob was over his shyness. Duncan
turned to look behind him and sat down on the nearest
boulder, then glanced across the fire to see Peg staring at
them, both her hands clutching her throat. “Wel , Jacob,” he
said slowly, trying to find the right words, “sometimes it’s
impossible to save ourselves, just like sometimes it’s
impossible to save someone else. And … wel , the way I
understand it, your dad found himself in an icy river that had
a very powerful current. It’s likely he hit his head and wasn’t