Texas Guardian, page 12
“I know,” he said, feeling only a little foolish about explaining himself to a dog. “But we can’t stay long today. We need to get back in case the baby needs something.”
Penny huffed, as if she found his excuse wanting. But she stayed by his side even when the stream came into view.
As they got closer to the water, Ridge noticed a figure standing on the bank of the stream. He almost didn’t notice her—her indigo jeans and dark green T-shirt allowed her to blend in well with the surrounding trees. But now that he saw her, there was something familiar about her...
The hairs on his arms stood on end as he studied the young woman, trying to place her. Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning to the chest.
“Josie?” Her name came out as a rasp, barely audible above the birdsong and the sound of the running water. Ridge stopped dead in his tracks, unable to believe it.
“Josie?” This time he practically shouted her name.
She lifted her head and for a split second he saw her face. Her expression was one of pain, as if the name brought up bad memories. She turned to glance at him and then was gone, moving quickly through the trees and out of sight.
Ridge started after her, but couldn’t move very fast without jostling the baby. He cursed the situation and half considered sending Penny after her to track the girl down. But that would be irresponsible. She hadn’t done anything wrong, and she didn’t deserve to be chased by his dog.
He stopped when he reached the bank of the stream and sat on a fallen log, trying to process what he’d just seen. Had she been real, or a hallucination brought on by his emotions? He’d just been thinking about Josie. Perhaps it was only his imagination that the young woman looked like his lost sister. Her hair had been completely different for one thing—Josie’s hair had always been long, whereas this woman’s was styled in a short bob.
She could have cut her hair, though, he thought. It was the quickest way to change your appearance, and if Josie really was on the run from someone or something that would be the first thing she’d do.
Be reasonable, he told himself. What were the odds he’d happen upon his youngest sister while out hiking in the woods? There was no way she was in Granite Gulch—if that was the case, he or one of his siblings would have run into her by now. The town simply wasn’t that big. No, Josie was long gone. He was just projecting his memories of her face onto another woman. It was the most reasonable explanation, but he still couldn’t shake the fact she had seemed familiar to him.
More importantly, though, why had the woman run from him? He wasn’t exactly a threatening presence, what with a baby strapped to his chest.
“I did yell, though,” he muttered. He’d been so convinced it was his sister he hadn’t been able to stop himself from calling out. Maybe the stranger had been spooked by the sight of a strange man yelling someone else’s name. Now that he thought about it, he had probably looked very much like a crazy person trudging out of the woods. The woman probably hadn’t stopped to really look at him before taking off, and he couldn’t blame her. With the Alphabet Killer still at large, it wasn’t smart for women to be alone right now.
Logically, that explanation made the most sense. But as Ridge watched a leaf float by on the ripples of the stream, he couldn’t shake the feeling he somehow knew that woman.
Was she Sara’s mother? He glanced down at the little one, trying to impose the young woman’s features onto the baby’s face. It was possible. The woman had disappeared after leaving Sara on his porch, which meant she had to know these woods fairly well. And given the speed with which the lady had vanished today, she might very well be the one they’d been looking for.
But if that was the case, why had she run? The note left on the baby indicated her mother was coming back. Wouldn’t she want to see her child, after having been apart from her for the past few days? Ridge hugged her close, an empty feeling opening up in his stomach at the thought of being away from the baby. He was attached to her already, even though he wasn’t related to her and had only known her for a couple of days. He could only imagine the ache of loss her mother must feel over their separation.
A rustle of leaves behind him made him jump. It was probably just the wind, but he was suddenly very aware he was alone with the baby out in the middle of the woods. What had seemed like a good idea before now struck him as profoundly stupid. Who brought a baby to a remote location with a killer at large and a mysterious man hell-bent on kidnapping her still loose in the area?
He stood, one hand on the baby to steady her. “Heel,” he said. Penny responded instantly, sticking to his side like furry glue as they made their way back home. Frustration welled in his chest as they approached the cabin. He was no closer to figuring things out, and if anything, the mysterious young woman in the woods had only made him feel more unsettled.
Sara opened her eyes as he climbed the steps of the back porch. She turned her head to face his chest and opened her mouth, clearly expecting him to put something in it. He smiled, marveling at the instinctive display. She was so young, and yet she knew exactly how to communicate her needs. He’d never been around babies before, and he was humbled by the way this little life trusted him completely and without reservation. It was almost like the bond he had with Penny, which surprised him. After Darcy had broken his heart, he’d thought he could never get close to someone again. But this baby had shattered that assumption. He was forced to admit that perhaps he’d stopped trying to connect with people out of fear, rather than because he was broken.
Sara let out a little cry and he picked up the pace, pushing his thoughts to the side. Time to get her a bottle before she became too upset.
At least he could handle that task.
* * *
“I need more time.”
“That’s not the way this works.” The woman on the other end of the line sounded annoyed, but he was too desperate to care. It was taking longer to take the baby than he’d anticipated, and he needed an extension. Better to be honest with them about it now. Otherwise, the delay might cause the people who’d hired him to think he was trying to double-cross them. And if that happened, there would be hell to pay.
“Please—I know where she is, but I’m having trouble getting her.”
“Why is that?” Her voice sharpened and he realized his mistake—if they thought he wasn’t capable, they’d cut ties and walk away. And he was under no illusions they would leave a loose end like him dangling in the wind...
“It’s not what you think,” he said hastily. “The mother is backpedaling a bit. I just need a little more time to convince her she’s doing the right thing.”
“I see.” There was a pause as the woman considered his words. He held his breath, hoping the excuse had sounded plausible. Please, please, please...
“All right,” she said finally. “You have an additional twenty-four hours to get the job done. Will that be enough?” Her tone made it clear that if it wasn’t, he was in for a world of hurt.
“That’s wonderful,” he said, trying to strike the appropriate balance between grateful and relieved. Too much in either direction would only further arouse her suspicions. “I’ll call you when it’s done.”
“One more thing,” she said, catching him just before he hung up. “Since you are changing the terms of our agreement, I am changing the terms of your payment. Twenty-four hours will cost you ten percent.”
He bit back a reflexive protest and silently cursed her. But there was nothing he could do. If he argued with her, she would only lower his payment more out of spite.
“Fair enough,” he gritted out. She laughed and he gripped the phone hard to keep from throwing it across the room.
“I look forward to your call,” she said, ending the conversation.
He forced himself to gently set the phone down, then gripped the edge of the table to stop his hands from shaking. He needed a drink, just a little something to take the edge off.
There was a half-empty bottle of whisky on the counter and he grabbed it, his fingers fumbling as he worked to unscrew the cap. It seemed to take forever, but he was finally able to get the bottle open. The pungent, eye-watering smell hit him and his muscles began to relax. He forced himself to wait a moment before taking a drink—he had self-control, after all. Then he took a healthy swig, not bothering with a glass. The burning liquid hit his stomach, sending tendrils of comforting warmth through his system.
He should have known better than to ask for a favor. Ten percent wasn’t a huge amount of money, but he needed every cent he could get. He wasn’t stupid—people didn’t exactly leave babies just lying around, so he was only going to be able to pull this off once. It was only fair he receive the maximum financial compensation for his efforts.
For a moment, he considered calling her back and arguing the point. But there was no use. She’d say something about 90 percent being better than 0 percent, and then she’d dock his pay even more. He was better off figuring out how to get the baby—perhaps if he was able to deliver her at the original agreed-upon time, he’d still get the full payment. No sense in making him pay for extra time he hadn’t used.
The alcohol was beginning to work its magic, clearing some of the cobwebs from his brain so he could think. If he was going to take the baby, he’d have to find a way to take Ridge Colton out of the picture. The man had obviously grown attached to the little one, and he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight. A frontal assault on the cabin hadn’t been successful, so he was going to have to come up with a different approach...
Most important, though, he had to make sure the baby didn’t get hurt. He wouldn’t get paid if he delivered damaged merchandise. That meant no guns. He couldn’t take a chance on a bullet missing Ridge and hitting her. The idea of a knife was appealing, but ultimately unpractical. Knives were a personal weapon—you had to get close to your victim to use them. He would prefer to keep Ridge at a distance. The man was strong, and he’d made the mistake of underestimating his fighting skills before.
What he needed was the element of surprise. But now that Ridge knew he was after the baby, it would be a lot harder for him to catch them unawares. Still, there had to be a way...
He tilted the bottle up for another sip, surprised to find it was almost empty. When had that happened? No matter. There was another one lying around here somewhere. One more drink, and then he’d head out again.
And this time, he wasn’t coming back without the baby.
Chapter 10
“You do know it’s not her, right?” Sam said.
Ridge nodded, forgetting Sam was on the other end of the phone and couldn’t see him.
“It’s not possible,” his brother continued, impatience creeping into his voice at what he thought was Ridge’s denial. “I know you miss Josie—we all do. But there is no way she’s running around in the woods on her own.”
“I know.” Ridge was beginning to regret having brought it up.
“Maybe you’re just sleep deprived from taking care of the baby. It’s got you seeing things.”
“That’s not it,” Ridge said, unable to keep the annoyance out of his tone. Bad enough he’d been second-guessing himself ever since they made it back to the cabin. The last thing he needed was for his brother to think he was going crazy, too.
“Well, whoever she was, she’s probably long gone by now.”
“Sure, but don’t you think it’s suspicious she was there in the first place?”
“How so?” Sam fired back. “People go hiking in the woods all the time. You know that better than anyone.”
“Fair enough. But I don’t run away when I encounter someone on the trail. That’s just strange.”
Sam snorted. “Have you seen yourself? You’re bigger and stronger than most people. You don’t know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of physical intimidation.”
Ridge was forced to admit his brother was right. He was usually the biggest guy in a room, a fact he normally took for granted. It had never occurred to him to consider how his size made people feel when they first met him. Perhaps he was a little scary, especially to people who didn’t know him.
“Maybe,” he said grudgingly. “But I can’t shake the feeling I know her somehow.”
Sam sighed. “Look, I appreciate what you’re saying. But the department is stretched pretty thin as it is. I can’t very well ask my captain to divert manpower from the Alphabet Killer case in order to track down a young woman in the woods who gives my brother the willies.”
“I know,” Ridge said. “I just thought it was strange, in light of everything that’s been going on around here lately.”
“Tell you what,” Sam said. “I’ll type up a description and pass it around. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks,” Ridge said, appreciating the gesture. “That’s good of you.”
“I’m a saint,” Sam quipped.
“Any news on your end?”
“No. The post office was a bust. We’ve still got people sitting there watching, but she hasn’t shown yet and isn’t going to.”
“You sound pretty confident about that,” Ridge observed.
“Call it a solid hunch. In the meantime, Annabel and I are checking out local restaurants, looking for any waitresses or staff matching our suspect description.”
“Good luck,” Ridge said. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Will do. Talk to you later.”
Ridge hung up and paced in front of the couch, feeling useless. He should be out there with his siblings, lending a hand in the investigation. Even though he wasn’t in law enforcement, there were still things he could do to help them search for the killer. Instead, he was stuck inside, practically sitting on his hands and doing nothing to contribute. It was enough to drive him nuts.
He glanced over at the crib and his impatience softened. It wasn’t Sara’s fault she’d wound up in his life. And it certainly wasn’t her fault she required round-the-clock care. Furthermore, he couldn’t very well be frustrated over his circumstances—he had volunteered for the job. Although truth be told, he hadn’t realized just how much work babies actually were. While he didn’t regret taking her home, he did wish there was a way to balance taking care of her needs with helping his siblings.
Maybe there was, he mused. He might be sitting at home, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use his brain. He dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed Trevor.
“What’s up?”
“Give me something I can do to help the investigation,” Ridge said, forgoing the usual conversational niceties.
“Hello to you, too,” his brother joked.
“Come on, man. I’m dying here.”
“Okay.” Trevor was quiet for a moment, thinking. “I’ve got something. But it’s not going to be fun,” he warned.
At this point, Ridge didn’t care if he was alphabetizing a spice rack—he just needed to do something productive. “Don’t care,” he said. “I want to help.”
“We’ve still got stacks of letters here that need to be examined.”
“What kind of letters?” he asked, but he already knew the answer.
“Matthew’s fan mail,” Trevor confirmed, his tone making it clear he found the existence of said correspondence just as distasteful as Ridge did. “Someone needs to comb through the mail and check for any connections to our killer.”
It was a job that sounded equal parts boring and disturbing. But it could be done anywhere, which meant Ridge could work from the cabin while taking care of Sara. “I’ll do it,” he said, his enthusiasm somewhat dimmed at the prospect of reading his father’s messages. “Can you drop them off at my place today?”
“Sure thing,” Trevor said. “Thanks for taking it on—it’ll be a huge help.”
That made Ridge feel a little bit better about the situation. “Glad I can be of service.”
“Will you be there in a few hours? I can gather everything up and drop it by on my way home.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
He hung up to find Penny watching him, her dark brown eyes patient. A pang of guilt speared him as he realized he hadn’t been able to spend as much quality time with her as he usually did. She hadn’t complained, but he could tell she was feeling a little neglected.
“Who’s a good girl?” he asked. She lifted her head and cocked an ear forward, and a steady thump sounded as her tail hit the floorboards. “Want a treat?” He took a step in the direction of the kitchen and a brown streak shot past his legs as she darted into the room ahead of him.
He found her sitting at the pantry door, excitement making her body quiver slightly while she waited for him to catch up. “Scooch over,” he told her, needing her to move so he could open the door. She complied, letting out a little whine of impatience at his slow pace. “I know,” he said. “I’m getting it.”
Just as he reached inside the pantry, a soft cry came from the living room. Sara was waking up, which meant he should get another bottle ready while he was in the kitchen. He tossed Penny a biscuit and she gobbled it up so fast an outside observer might think she was starving. She looked up at him, licking her mouth, hope burning bright in her eyes. “You know the rules,” he told her.
Sara cried out again as he pulled a bottle from the pantry shelf, but there was something different about this sound. There was a note in her voice he’d never heard before, and it made goose bumps pop out on his arms. Forgetting the bottle, he rushed back into the living room.
The baby let out a wail as he reached the crib. But unlike her normal cries, which grew in intensity the longer he made her wait, this cry seemed to grow weaker, as if Sara was too tired to carry on. He reached down to gather her up, and the moment he touched her skin he realized the problem.
