“Hey, behave, be—circumspect! All of you,” Kody told them.

  And ran out.

  It had never seemed more important to be with Brodie. And as she walked into their suite…

  Beautiful.

  She didn’t speak when they were alone. She was grateful for the fire Brodie had going in the hearth with its flames flickering in the colors of a gold-hued rainbow. She stood before it, casting her clothing aside, smiling as he watched her, walked to her, and slowly doffed his own clothing.

  How beautifully the firelight played over his shoulders and the bronze tone of his flesh.

  “Circumspect?” he teased.

  She shrugged and moved against him, relishing the feel of his body, the heat that radiated now from his flesh, so warmed by the fire.

  She curled her arms around his neck and warned him very seriously, “Last night to run away!”

  He pulled her close, grinning as he looked down at her. “Hm.”

  “Hm?” She demanded, frowning and giving him a punch on the arm.

  He laughed. “You don’t listen very well when it comes to that being careful thing.”

  “I am careful.”

  “That’s why a crazy doctor had you in her grip!”

  “I was careful—there were just events that unfolded in which I had no choice but to do as I did.”

  “Hopping on a snowmobile as a crazy rabbit takes flight?” Brodie asked.

  ‘It was really very sensible. And Brodie, we need to go back. You didn’t get to meet Lieutenant Duffy. I knew he was with us—I knew he planned something that would disable Kelly Shelbourne. And he did—he tripped her! And you trusted me!”

  “Of course, I trust you!”

  She looked into his eyes and read the love in them.

  No matter what the future held, if they’d been married here or in the Keys—in a crazy theater somewhere—it wouldn’t have mattered.

  She was simply glad suddenly for the season. Yes, he was Krewe, they were part of a very unique family. They’d often look at what was done out of greed, spite, or simple cruelty, but Brodie would always be trying to make the world better. He worked against the evil—for peace and kindness.

  “I am so in love with you,” she told him.

  “Excellent and now, my love, if you don’t mind...it’s our last night of wild, reckless, passionate abandon, before our wedding.”

  She laid a hand against his chest, pushing him backwards toward the bed.

  “It had best not be our last night of wild, reckless, passionate abandon!”

  He started to fall; he was only pretending. He dragged her down with him and rolled the two of them, so he pinned her down and straddled over her.

  “Never,” he promised. “Only as an unwed couple living in sin.”

  She smiled, reached up, pulled him down to her, and into a kiss that was as hot as the fire and deliciously wicked as the dance of the flames in the hearth, one that ignited all else…

  And a last unwed night of true abandon.

  ***

  By the next day, you’d have never known the wedding activities had been interrupted in any way by a large white rabbit in a gas mask and carrying a machete.

  Austin was fine by the morning; his wife was a good doctor. Julia was adding silver and white wedding streamers to the Christmas holly that lined the stairway.

  Throughout the day, more guests arrived. Jojo, Sonny, and Bill from Key West, and Colleen, who now managed the museum for Kody.

  Father Corey arrived, ready to perform the ceremony for them.

  The old tavern was beautiful with the fire burning in the hearth, the Christmas tree aglow and decorations abounding—Christmas decorations and little models of brides and grooms and white bows with announcements stating, “Congratulations!”

  Kody was busy with her sisters-in-law to be most of the day; she and Marnie and Sophie and several of her other friends were bowing to certain traditions—hair, nails, clothing, and whatever else.

  Brodie had time with his brothers and Jackson Crow who had arrived with Angela in the middle of the day.

  Angela was holed up with Kody and the others working on prep; Jackson listened with his usual quiet concentration as they went over everything that had happened.

  “I don’t know if they’ll shut the hospital down or not. If they do, it might be too bad. I think Hansom is really a good guy—and he wants to do the best he can for our servicemen and women,” Brodie said.

  “I’m sure Hansom will be all right; they’ll have to have new management with a great deal more oversight. Or maybe they will close it down and Hansom will work elsewhere,” Bryan said.

  “Well, it’s all in the hands of the local police now,” Jackson said. “What happens to the hospital and Dr. Hansom will be up to the Office of Veterans’ Affairs while the Commonwealth of Virginia will be dealing with the fates of your Dr. Shelbourne and her security people.”

  It was while they were speaking that Brodie happened to look to the window, and he saw Kody wasn’t with her girls. She was outside, and she seemed to be just standing there like a statue in the snow.

  He excused himself, hurried out and when he did, he discovered she wasn’t alone. She was with a gentleman.

  A dead one. He knew, of course, it was Lieutenant Duffy.

  “Sir,” he said, coming up behind Kody and setting an arm around her shoulders. “Thank you. Thank you so much for helping—you might have saved Kody’s life. Austin’s as well.”

  Lieutenant Duffy nodded gravely to him, then offered them a grimace. “I wish I’d been able to reach someone sooner...I’m afraid I’m just...well, learning. At first, I couldn’t quite do anything other than know I was...dead. Then, this lovely young woman…”

  His grimace became a smile as he indicated Kody. “She saw me; she heard me. I felt I must find a way to come here, and here I am. I had thought...I had thought I might move on. That I had done what I was supposed to do, but…”

  Brodie smiled at him. “There are many people here who might see you. Some who cannot, so we try not to look too crazy to those who can’t. But, sir, we’d be honored if you’d attend our wedding.”

  He smiled. “It would be a privilege,” Lieutenant Duffy said.

  “Five o’clock, in the tavern. Which is an hour,” Brodie said, glancing at his watch. “Kody, don’t you need to be doing...whatever it a bride does before the wedding?”

  She laughed at that. “Don’t you need to be doing whatever it is grooms do before their weddings?” She laughed softly and spoke to the ghost of Lieutenant Duffy again. “Please, come in. Captain Lynch is somewhere inside—flirting my friend Colleen, I believe. Oh! Brodie’s parents are here—loving the concept they may taunt one of us into a comment that will make people think we’ve lost it or talk to the walls or whatever. Seriously, my almost-in-laws are wonderful people. Come and enjoy some time with them!”

  “Sounds fun,” Lieutenant Duffy said. He frowned slightly. “McFadden. Were your parents the acting McFadden couple?”

  “That’s them.”

  “Killed onstage, what a pity!”

  “Yes, that’s them.”

  “I shall be fascinated to meet them!”

  “Great!” Brodie said.

  Lieutenant Duffy followed them into the old tavern. Kody ran up the stairs. When he saw her again, Brodie knew it would be when they exchanged their vows.

  In just an hour...

  He dressed in his tux and stood with Father Corey and his brothers and their assembled guests as he waited for Kody to come down the stairs. Charlene Moreau, Alexi Cromwell, and Clara Avery, wives of Krewe members and performers and artistic directors for Adam Harrison’s theater, had planned the music. They were incredible vocalists and he knew they had created a very unique arrangement, making use of traditional songs and several written by Kody’s father, Michael McCoy.

  Captain Lynch had quickly become friends with many of the Krewe. He stood with others, straight and apparently happy to be part of the ceremony.

  He was a proud and striking man—already a far cry from a crazy white rabbit in a gas mask with a machete.

  Bryan and Bruce stood at Brodie’s side, his groomsmen.

  His sisters-in-law acted as bridesmaids for Kody, lovely and smiling at they came down the stairs.

  And the music...

  Wow.

  Brodie had never met Michael McCoy, but from what he had learned about the man, he would have been very proud of his daughter, and delighted with the beautiful arrangement their friends and talented singers had created from his work.

  Brodie knew he loved Kody, and there would never be anyone like her. He’d thought a wedding was a formality, or a party, or both. He’d had no concept the actual service could awaken such emotion within him.

  His bride was beautiful, in appearance, in motion, in the way she looked at him, and in the way she spoke her vows.

  He hadn’t known ghosts could cry; he was sure his mother looked like a faucet.

  When Father Corey announced he could kiss his bride, it seemed the walls themselves shook from the cheers and applause. And when he kissed Kody, words meant something new to him.

  She was his wife. Wife.

  Soulmate, friend, lover.

  He found himself raising his eyes upward, and silently murmuring the words, “Thank you!”

  Even as a man who spoke to the dead, he didn’t have the answers. But he did know there was a higher power; he believed in his way, and others believed in different ways.

  But good men were walking in the same direction along different paths, and in his way...

  “Thank you!”

  Because he was certain there was no greater gift in the world than to have a woman like Kody become his wife.

  ***

  The reception was crazy; it was also Christmas Eve, so there was food and drink and best friends and a wonderful time. There were also many professional performers on the scene, and so there were a few guitars, and Austin and Brodie managed to maneuver a piano in from the back—and the strains of Christmas songs—some taken on as crystal-clear solos, some sung en mass—filled the tavern, along with the happiness and laughter that seemed to rule.

  So it was that Kody found herself running around, happily greeting friend after friend, trying to pitch in for Austin and Julia, and being shooed away to enjoy. She checked on the comfort and happiness of her family and friends up from Key West.

  When she finally had a moment to stop, she smiled, thinking of the beautiful job her friends had done with her dad’s songs. It wasn’t a surprise; the three had worked together now and then through the years before becoming involved in the incidents that had brought them to the D.C. area as wives of Krewe members.

  She found herself stepping outside, just for a moment to breathe. The air was cold, but it felt good and she looked out on the snow. A perfect day. She loved her mom, and Frank had been great, respectful, telling her how much he would have loved to have known her dad, before walking her down the stairs.

  Still, she wished with her whole heart she could have seen her father.

  She didn’t hear anyone coming behind her, just a voice speaking to her softly.

  “You’re thinking about your father,” Lieutenant Jordan Duffy said.

  She smiled and shrugged, turning around to look at him. “I just...well, I see you,” she said softly, “and I see so many others—trying to reach us or someone, or sometimes just those who remain, who stay for...whatever their reasons might be. I thought for my wedding, I just might see my dad. Just for a minute. Don’t get me wrong, while I adored him, I’m glad my mother remarried—he’s a great guy and my dad would have like him! I just thought that today, maybe…” She paused. “I think I saw my dad. Once...for a fleeting moment, but it was a beautiful moment.”

  In life, she thought, Lieutenant Jordan Duffy must have been a good man and a kind and giving man. She knew she couldn’t really feel a ghost’s touch, but near him, she didn’t feel cold. She felt warmth. Human warmth.

  “I’ve tried to figure it all, but I guess I’m still here for a reason—maybe I’m still needed to protect others who served with me. You and Captain Lynch and Brodie and his brothers—you all taught me a sense of real purpose. There are others I’ve come across as well, some hoping time will ease some nagging problem they left behind, maybe of earth-shattering importance, and maybe just something small and personal. Here’s the thing, Kody, you must be glad. Your father found life after he met your mother. He loved her, and she straightened out the world for him. He had a beautiful daughter, and he loved you, and he was proud of you. He was finished with all that mattered in his heart and soul. He didn’t want to die; he didn’t want to leave you. But he was able to die a happy man who had fought all his demons. He left knowing you and your mother would be okay. Now I think I’ve found some of the answers, but certainly not all the answers. There is one thing I believe with my whole heart. You couldn’t see your father, but I believe your father saw you. Today, you married a good man. Your father is happy, and he is proud. Love, I do know is eternal, and he loves you.”

  Kody smiled. She wanted to hold him in return, to hug him as if he were an old friend, even if they’d just met. All she could do was set an arm around his spectral shoulders, and then both arms, and it was, she hoped, as if she hugged the day—should anyone be watching.

  The ground was crystal with snow and ghosts were supposed to bring the cold, the coldness of death, but in trying to touch him, she felt warmth, and she believed he did, too.

  “Thank you!” she told him.

  “No, Kody, thank you. And Brodie...and all these good people. That’s the true point of the season, you know? Some people miss it, just as they miss what’s important in life. Any true religion teaches kindness, especially to those inflicted. Christmas, well, whatever your religion, it’s all about the teachings of a man who said to love your neighbors. He taught kindness, and we should help one another. Sometimes—when we’re at war with another country or in this case—up against those who obviously missed the message—it’s not easy. But we still need to learn the lesson. I was a fan of your dad’s music, and I read up a lot about him. He turned into one of the most giving men possible. I know he’s where his soul is at peace, and where he watches over you—and loves you.”

  “I am so, so glad to have met you!” she told him.

  He nodded and smiled. “Yeah? I’m so glad, too. You married a guy who is going to get a bit panicky if he doesn’t see you. I’m going to suggest you go back in—and enjoy your reception.” He winced and winked. “Besides, I see your new mother-in-law coming. Run! I’ll try to keep her occupied.”

  Kody laughed softly and ran in—she loved Maeve. But it might be good for Maeve and Lieutenant Duffy to get to know one another even better—maybe Maeve could help him.

  Back in the tavern area, she saw Brodie was speaking with friends of hers from Key West; he was also searching the crowd. For her.

  She smiled. And the night went on.

  Christmas Eve became Christmas; it was about one in the morning when they all began to head up—or out to their respective suites.

  It was Christmas when she was alone with Brodie, her husband now, at last.

  He held her for the longest time.

  They made love, and nothing could have ever been better, and yet it was.

  When Kody woke in the morning, he was already awake. He was on an elbow, watching her.

  “Best Christmas ever,” he told her.

  “Sex?” she teased.

  “Sure. No. You. In my life. Forever.”

  “Forever and beyond,” Kody said, and she told him, “The best gifts in life are people, always—the people we get to share this journey with...people…”

  “Am I the best Christmas present ever?” he asked her.

  “You bet!” she assured him.

  She kissed him, and they had just been married, and it was Christmas...

  So, they lingered in bed, loving their “presents.”

  It was later, quite a bit later, when they were up, dressing for the day. Brodie was at the window, looking out at the snow.

  He called her softly to come and stand with him.

  Out on the lawn was Lieutenant Duffy.

  He wasn’t alone; he was standing beside a man. Or, the ghost of a man.

  Kody gasped softly.

  Her father.

  “Now, there is a Christmas gift!” Brodie murmured softly.

  Michael McCoy lifted a hand, seeing Kody. He smiled.

  She hurriedly left their suite and ran down the stairs, Brodie behind her. She had to hurry; she was so afraid he would disappear.

  “I’ve just a second!” he whispered to her.

  And, for just a second, she felt him. Felt him. She knew she did; really. Felt his arms around her, felt his love and warmth and pride. Felt his lips brush the top of her head.

  She realized then he looked at Brodie, and Brodie looked at him. She saw Brodie mouth the words, “Thank you, sir.”

  And her father smiled.

  Then, he whispered he loved her, and said goodbye, he had to go. She nodded, and the image of her father faded away.

  She felt Brodie’s arms around her and she leaned again him.

  “Kody?” he said a little worriedly.

  “Best Christmas ever!” she assured him. “Lieutenant Duffy, I don’t know how you managed that, but... ”

  “Ah, couldn’t have done it without so fine a man as Michael McCoy—and a very great Higher Power—pleased with those who believe in kindness for all,” he assured her. “So, a very fine man your father, and a fine man for your husband. A mom and friends who love you, so...um, I have places to go, things to do...finding my own Christmas!”

  He indicated they should be getting into the tavern. Then, he too faded into the day, until there was nothing there but the whiteness of the snow.

  She turned into Brodie’s arms, kissed him lightly on the lips. She saw he was looking at her.

  She was going to speak, but the words came from his lips instead.

  “Best Christmas ever!” he said again. “We’d best get in; Father Corey’s friend, Rabbi Jenkins is here, we’re having a bit of non-denominational thank you, and then we’re bringing food to the shelter and Captain Lynch wants us to go to the hospital to assure the patients who are there they’re going to be all right.”