“She’s in your eyes, Conner. And in the way you love. You didn’t hesitate to take Mateo in, even if it meant losing me. You would sacrifice for a small boy you don’t even know. Her kindness lives in each of the people she touched, in you and hopefully in your brother.”

He brushed kisses along the corners of her mouth. “We’ll see to it.”

“You aren’t worried, are you, Conner?” she asked. “We’ll find him and we’ll bring him out safely.”

“I’ve never thought about being a parent. First I was worried that I might not measure up as a mate to you, and now I have to worry about what kind of father I’ll make.”

She snuggled against his chest. “I don’t think you have to worry. You had a great example in your mother and, although my father did many things very wrong, he was a good parent to me. He loved me and made me feel important to him. He made certain I had a good education and always felt loved. I might not have had a mother, but I did have a father. You didn’t have a father but you had a great mother. Between the two of us, we’re bound to have picked up a few things.”

Conner looked around him at the men and women who had established a retirement valley. They grew food on their farms and most still worked at their occupations, but were now committed to the good of the community. “We have a wealth of knowledge right here,” he whispered against her ear. “Look at them all. They’ve already fought their battles and learned their lessons. We’ll settle somewhere close to them. You can still work with your plants in the rain forest, we can raise Mateo and any children we have nearby.”

“What about your work?”

He shrugged. “It isn’t that difficult. Rio sends for us when we have a job.”

She scowled at him. “I don’t think I’m going to be so willing for you to seduce a woman after this. I’d like to say my leopard wouldn’t be jealous . . .”

He laughed softly. “Your leopard would be spitting jealous. She’ll turn ferocious if she finds her mate near any other woman. Don’t worry, I gladly give up my job to one of the others. When I go”—because she had to know this was his life’s work—“I’ll go as one of the team, not the front man.”