By the time Gabe started shouting, Kit and Aric were most of the way to Bull’s house.

Good grief, but the chief sounded just like those movies where some drill sergeant laid into a recruit who’d dropped his gun or something.

Safely on the deck, Kit sighed and watched her son. He was talking to Gryff and showing off the shiny rocks he’d picked up by the stream.

The dog wagged his tail for each new stone.

She could only smile. Her son hadn’t been traumatized by the battle…because Caz had carried him way back in the forest. The doc said the noise from the waterfall had drowned out most of the shooting. Guns didn’t upset Aric. In the compound, the men had always been shooting their weapons.

Really, her son was doing far better than she was.

But had Gabe’s yelling bothered him?

As they went inside, Kit said, “I know Gabe loves his brothers, but he probably shouldn’t shout at them.”

“Hawk says Gabe is bossy, an’ he yells when they don’t listen to him.” Aric giggled. “An’ he said Gabe can be a butthead.”

Kit blinked. “Oh. Well, then.” Guess that took care of that, although she and Hawk might have to discuss appropriate language one of these days.

“Here, why don’t you eat some peas while I check on something.” She pulled out the sugar snap peas she’d picked yesterday. Opening the pods would keep someone’s little fingers occupied.

While Aric had his snack, Kit went into their bedroom and opened the closet where Hawk had stowed the boxes of money. The first shoebox was filled with packets of $100-dollar bills. The other shoeboxes were full of $20 bills.

She just sat there for a while, staring at the money. Daydreaming a little.

“Kit.” Hawk’s rasping voice came down the hallway and set up a tingle deep inside her.

She walked out.

Hawk stood in the living area in clean clothes, hair still wet from a shower. “The helicopter goes back to McNally’s. Want to come?”

“Yes!” Aric bounced up and down beside Hawk. “Mama, can—”

“Yes. Yes, we’ll go.” The answer popped out before she even thought about it. She shouldn’t.

But oh, the feeling of being up in the air made her feel as if her spirits lifted too. The sheer beauty of the world so far below made her problems shrink to nothing.

Besides, she needed…activity. A way to avoid thinking about what had happened, about being shot at by three men.

Yes, Hawk was a man. He scared her now and then.