Colton Baby Homecoming
Lara Lacombe
A Baby to ProtectSomeone has left a baby on the porch of search-and-rescue expert Ridge Colton’s log cabin.Who? And why?A loner, Ridge knows nothing about caring for an infant. But when the woman who broke his heart years ago shows up to help, he’s reminded of everything he once almost had…From a wealthy family, Dr Darcy Marrow was dissuaded from loving the man whose name meant one thing in town: shame. But with a dangerous thug trying to kidnap the baby, Ridge discovers how far he’ll go to protect the little one, Darcy – and his long-guarded heart.
“Will you be okay on your own with the baby for a minute?” Darcy asked.
Ridge smiled wryly at her concern. “I haven’t broken the baby yet.”
She nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll be right back.”
Ridge waited until Darcy had left, then looked down at the baby in his arms. She slept peacefully, curled up like a little shrimp against his chest.
Her mouth turned up in an impossibly sweet smile, and he felt the weight of responsibility slam down on his shoulders. Even though he wasn’t related to this child and had no idea where she had come from, she was his now.
“I don’t know who left you on my doorstep,” he said softly. “But I promise, I will take care of you.”
It was his calling to take care of the lost—the reason he’d gone into search and rescue in the first place.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the soft hair on the top of the baby’s head. “I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered.
* * *
We hope you enjoy this dramatic series:
The Coltons of Texas: Finding love and buried family secrets in the Lone Star State …
Colton Baby Homecoming
Lara Lacombe
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
LARA LACOMBE earned a PhD in microbiology and immunology and worked in several labs across the country before moving into the classroom. Her day job as a college science professor gives her time to pursue her other love—writing fast-paced romantic suspense with smart, nerdy heroines and dangerously attractive heroes. She loves to hear from readers! Find her on the web or contact her at laralacombewriter@gmail.com (mailto:laralacombewriter@gmail.com).
For A—you are my heart.
Thank you for letting me write this book!
Contents
Cover (#uabce3ff8-26ec-5682-9295-9968637a7e83)
Introduction (#u302dded8-7c0b-50b3-ab06-f91094e69b6b)
Title Page (#ub3f7d6de-2185-5ba7-bc5d-73402806b9e7)
About the Author (#u1bf0de3a-e29b-5cc9-a491-bde9323056df)
Dedication (#ufb899740-a1a7-5f2c-8dc2-60ab5ea96065)
Chapter 1 (#ud5a1baaf-f00c-5820-9ac7-f19dd3a46a0a)
Chapter 2 (#ud240bc3a-773f-5c50-a726-c8066cc52929)
Chapter 3 (#uaaef3b3e-a199-543c-91d7-b629b31c42d0)
Chapter 4 (#u75f39419-6fa3-548d-8b50-7915221f03c2)
Chapter 5 (#uc2112690-8323-53e7-80f9-31e864e28e50)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#ulink_983a3ba5-42c9-51e0-b757-63bd11256582)
Ridge Colton climbed behind the wheel of his truck and tried to rub away the gritty, sandpaper feeling from his eyes. He’d been up and at it since before dawn, searching the woods around Granite Gulch with the rest of his team, courtesy of a middle-of-the-night phone call made by a resident. Archie Johansen, a retired school bus driver, had been woken by the sound of footsteps on his porch. A curmudgeon to his core, Archie had grabbed his shotgun and thrown open the door, determined to scare off whoever dared to trespass on his property. As Archie described it, the second he opened his door a dark figure scrambled off his porch and hightailed it for the nearby trees. The old man swore up and down the intruder was carrying a rifle, which had prompted his call to the police. The people of Granite Gulch were normally pretty tough, but with the Alphabet Killer still on the loose, suspicions were running high.
And so Ridge had been dragged from his nice warm bed to comb the area, looking for any signs of an armed and possibly dangerous person skulking around in the woods that surrounded the town.
They hadn’t found anyone, which wasn’t a huge surprise. Secretly, Ridge thought the older man had actually seen an animal snuffling about in search of dinner rather than an armed threat. After all, Archie hadn’t been wearing his glasses at the time, and he hadn’t bothered to turn on his porch light before flinging open the door to do battle. It was hard enough to see in the dark, and Ridge knew from experience that heightened emotions often made people see things that weren’t really there. Still, they couldn’t afford to take any chances. One of these days the Alphabet Killer was going to make a mistake and Ridge wanted to be there to bring him down.
I’ll have to fight the others for the privilege, though, he thought with a small smile. With the exception of his brother Ethan and his youngest sister, Josie, all his siblings had gone into law enforcement and were currently focused on this case. In a way, it was kind of nice they were all working together, even if the circumstances of their reunion were less than ideal. Normal families didn’t need the hunt for a serial killer to bring them together. But then again, their own father had been a serial killer, so normal wasn’t exactly a word that had ever applied to them.
With a sigh, Ridge pushed aside thoughts of his father. Matthew Colton had no place in his life, and he refused to waste energy thinking about the man. It had taken him years to move past his issues with his parentage, and dwelling on a fact that couldn’t be changed wouldn’t do him any good.
A gentle touch on his arm snagged his attention, and he turned to find his partner, Penny, staring up at him with her soulful, dark brown eyes. “I’m okay, girl,” he said, reaching over to scratch behind her ears. Penny, a chocolate Lab, was the best search and rescue dog on the team, and she was always very attuned to Ridge’s moods. In truth, Ridge often felt closer to her than to other people. She didn’t care who his father was, didn’t whisper behind his back or ask awkward questions. She just stayed by his side, a true and loyal friend. She’d melted his heart the moment he’d found her as a lost and abandoned puppy, and he’d do anything for her.
“Ready to head home?” he asked. It had been a long day for her, as well, but she never complained. She let out a soft “ruff” in response, and he started the truck. Keeping one hand on Penny’s head, he idly stroked the velvety softness of her ears as he drove. “How about a bath tonight?” After spending all day in the woods, they both smelled pretty bad, and he needed to check her over for ticks and other unfriendly critters. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
Her ears pricked forward at the word bath. True to her breed, Penny loved the water. While she’d much rather swim in the lake or splash through a stream, she tolerated a bath and its accompanying shampoo with the long-suffering patience of a martyr.
His mood lifted as he pondered the evening’s activities. First, cleanup for him and Penny. Then he’d build a nice fire so she could warm herself while he threw a steak on the grill. And after dinner, he’d get back to his book. Yes, that sounded like the perfect way to wrap up a disappointing day.
It took about twenty minutes before he turned down the long, single-lane road that led to his cabin. His older sister, Annabel, made no secret of the fact that she thought he was too isolated from everyone, but Ridge liked his solitude. It was peaceful out here with his cabin nestled up to the edge of the woods. And he much preferred the soothing sounds of the forest to the grating noise of town. Even though Granite Gulch wasn’t a huge metropolis like Houston, it was a growing city complete with traffic, construction and plenty of people. He knew it was only a matter of time before the urban sprawl began to creep into his oasis, but Ridge was determined to enjoy the quiet while he still could.
He pulled up next to the cabin and shut off the engine, then opened the door for Penny. She jumped out with a graceful leap, but Ridge could tell by the set of her ears and the look in her eyes she was just as tired as he. A nice, relaxing evening would do them both a world of good.
After grabbing his bag and locking up the truck, he started for the back door. It took him a few steps to realize Penny wasn’t with him. She’d stayed behind, her nose lifted as she sniffed the spring air.
Probably a raccoon, maybe a squirrel, he thought, pausing to watch her. Penny was a highly trained and very skilled search and rescue operator, but she was still a dog. When she was working, she maintained a laser-like, almost unshakable focus, but when she was off duty, she was just as susceptible to the taunting of small woodland creatures as any other dog. He’d give her a few minutes to enjoy herself outside, but then they really needed to get cleaned up.
He expected her to take a quick roll in the grass and rejoin him, but she kept her nose in the air. It was the same behavior she exhibited when she’d found the scent trail of a human, and Ridge felt the skin on the back of his neck tighten. Had someone been near his cabin lately? He had no neighbors for miles around, and there was no reason anyone should have come looking for him today. Why then was Penny acting as if she’d caught a trail?
After what seemed like an eternity, Penny dropped her head and met his gaze. She let out a short, sharp yip and cocked her ears forward, the signal she used to let him know she was on to something. Intrigued, Ridge gave her the command she wanted: “Find it.”
She took off, racing around the corner of the house. Ridge followed at a slightly slower pace, but he wasn’t worried about her running away. Penny would stay put once she’d found the source of her interest, and her bark would tell him exactly where she was.
As it turned out, he didn’t have to go far. He rounded the corner of the house just in time to see her jump onto the front porch. She headed straight for the wooden bench that sat overlooking the drive, plopped her butt down on the weathered boards, and began emitting her characteristic “I found it!” bark with all the gusto of an opera singer.
Ridge bounded up the steps and joined her, placing his hand on her head to let her know he was there and she could stop barking. She immediately quieted, but kept her gaze fixed on the floor behind the bench. Ridge leaned forward, squinting into the shadows. The front porch faced east, and the thunderclouds threatening overhead obscured the last rays of the setting sun, making it nearly impossible for him to determine what Penny had discovered. He dug a flashlight out of his bag and flicked on the light, then nearly dropped it when he realized what he was looking at.
“Oh my God,” he breathed, hardly daring to believe his eyes.
One of those big plastic carriers sat on his porch, the kind people used when driving around a baby. There was a blanket draped over the top, so he couldn’t tell if the seat was occupied. But Penny wouldn’t have signaled if the thing was empty...
Ridge reached forward, his heart in his throat. He pushed the covering aside and bit back a curse.
How in the world did a baby wind up on his front porch?
* * *
What the hell?
Ridge stared down at the infant, now safely inside and sleeping peacefully. The little one had stirred at the sound of Penny’s barking, but had drifted off again when Ridge had picked up the carrier and moved it into the cabin. He didn’t know much about infants, but it seemed odd that this one was so quiet. Weren’t babies supposed to cry a lot?
He glanced down at Penny, but she offered him no guidance. She looked from him to the baby and back again expectantly, and he realized he’d forgotten to reward her for her find. A spike of guilt pierced through his shock, and he moved quickly to dig her favorite toy out of his bag. “Good girl,” he crooned as he presented it, giving her some extra ear scratches. Search and rescue dogs were motivated by positive reinforcement, and he’d never before forgotten to treat her right away after she’d done her job.
Of course, he’d never encountered a baby on his front porch, either.
“Where did you come from?” he murmured.
There had been no signs of anyone around his cabin, so he had no way of knowing how long the baby had been out there. His stomach twisted at the thought of the helpless infant left to the mercy of the elements, and a flash of anger warmed his chest. Who in their right mind left a baby on a stranger’s porch? What kind of parent did that to a child? He glanced outside, noting the rotten-egg-green color of the sky. Bad weather was coming. A thunderstorm for sure, maybe even hail and a tornado. If he hadn’t made it home when he did...
He shuddered, refusing to consider the alternative. Fortunately, he had come home. And even better, Penny had been there. Ridge didn’t make it a habit to check his front porch, so there was no guarantee he would have found the child if not for his partner.
“Seems like your guardian angel is working overtime,” he said, shaking his head at all the things that could have gone wrong tonight.
Ridge reached out and peeled down the light green fleece blanket to reveal an impossibly small body strapped into the car seat. The baby sported a pink long-sleeved, footed outfit, complete with small mittens. “I guess this means you’re a girl,” he said softly.
It took him a second to figure out how to extract her from the harness, but after a few fumbling attempts he was able to gently lift her from the carrier. Her head lolled back at the movement and she emitted a small squeak of distress, which sent his heart racing. Had he hurt her? What if she was already injured—was he making things worse? Sweat broke out on his palms, and he feared she would slip right out of his hands and onto the floor.
“Don’t drop the baby,” he told himself, tightening his grip on the little torso. He could feel her heartbeat under his fingers, fast as a hummingbird’s wings. Was that normal? Maybe she was stressed or sick.
He brought her to his chest and held her against his heart, his large hand spanning her entire back and extending to her head. She squirmed a little against him, and he was gratified to feel the warmth of her body through his shirt. Not too cold then. That was something, at least.
Now that he’d taken her out of the carrier, he noticed a folded piece of paper that had been left behind. It was slightly wrinkled and a little damp from its stay under the baby, but the message was still legible. Please take care of her until I can come back.—F
Okay, then. It wasn’t much to go on, but at least it was something.
If the note was to be believed, the baby’s mother intended to come back for the child. So what kind of circumstances forced a woman to stash her baby on a stranger’s front porch? Why not take the little one to the police station, or the hospital? After all, there was no guarantee the baby would be found, so the mother had to be truly desperate to resort to such an action.
Based on the signature, if an initial could even count as a signature, the mother’s name started with the letter F. Was this woman worried she was the next target of the Alphabet Killer? Did she think she was in mortal danger, and had left the baby in a last-ditch attempt to save her?
It was possible, he mused. So far, the killer had targeted women in alphabetical order of their names. The latest victim’s name had started with E, which meant an F name was next on the list. Maybe this mother knew the killer and had good reason to suspect she was the next target.
The baby wriggled against him, and he brought his other hand up to secure his hold on her. He lifted her off his chest and was rewarded with the sight of two dark eyes squinting up at him. Her movements had knocked her cap askew, so he tugged it off her head to reveal a light dusting of dark brown hair.
Just like the Alphabet Killer’s previous victims.
A tingle raced from his fingertips to his chest. Was he holding a clue to the identity of the killer? If they could identify this baby and somehow find her mother, would that lead them to the Alphabet Killer? Maybe this was the break they’d all been waiting for.
“But why are you here?” he asked the baby. She smacked her lips together as if she was trying to respond, but otherwise gave no indication she’d heard him. Was her mother somehow connected to the mysterious armed subject he’d been hunting all day? Perhaps the Alphabet Killer had been playing hide-and-seek with the unknown F, and the mother had taken the first opportunity she’d found to get the baby to some kind of safety. That still didn’t explain why Archie Johansen had heard someone on his porch, but it would account for why the baby had been left on his property.
The little girl was now emitting an increasingly loud series of grunts and squeaks, and Ridge felt his heart begin to pound as he realized he had no idea what was wrong with the baby or what to do about it. Apparently dissatisfied with his response, or lack thereof, the baby opened her mouth to emit a piercing wail. Penny dropped her favorite toy and stared up at Ridge, her expression saying more than words ever could. Are you going to deal with this?
“Ah, it’s okay,” he said, awkwardly patting the baby’s little back in what he hoped was a comforting cadence. “Don’t cry. You’re fine.”
This did not have the desired effect. The baby settled into a rhythmic cry that made it clear she had needs and he was failing to meet them. She’s probably hungry, he realized belatedly. Who knows how long it’s been since her last meal?
But what did you feed a baby? There was definitely nothing in his pantry suitable for an infant. And he couldn’t very well run down to the grocery store for formula—he had no idea what kind to get, nor did he have any bottles. He was hopelessly out of his depth here. Time to bring in a professional.
He tucked her back into the car seat and carried her out to the truck, dodging the big fat raindrops beginning to fall from the sky. Not about to be left behind, Penny followed him and hopped onto the floorboard of the passenger seat, keeping a watchful eye on the now red-faced and squalling baby.
“So much for my quiet night,” he muttered to himself as he threw the truck into gear. “Hang in there, little one,” he said, a bit louder. “We’re going to get you checked out, and I’m pretty sure they have baby food at the hospital.” And maybe, just maybe, he’d get lucky and there would be a record of her birth there, too.
Stranger things had happened.
Chapter 2 (#ulink_fbe23ae0-b74c-55b6-8ef0-6c580cbf490e)
Doctor Darcy Marrow leaned forward and tied off the last stitch, then offered her patient a smile.
“You did a great job,” she assured the little boy.
He stared up at her, his blue eyes wide with amazement. “I didn’t feel a thing!” he exclaimed.
“That’s good,” she told him, pushing back from the bed and setting her tools on the nearby metal tray. “That means the medicine worked.”
“Am I going to have a scar?” He sounded hopeful about the possibility, which triggered a sigh from his mother.
Darcy hid a smile as she started gathering up empty wrappers and used instruments. “Maybe,” she said. “It’s important you keep the stitches clean and dry for now. And I can promise you, once the medicine starts to wear off, your arm is going to ache.”
“That’s so cool!”
She met his mother’s gaze and shrugged slightly. “You’ll want to take him to his pediatrician in a week, and they can remove the stitches. In the meantime, if he starts to run a fever or the wound looks infected, bring him back in.”
“Thank you,” the woman said. She was clearly exhausted, and no wonder. She’d come home from work and had started to cook dinner, only to be interrupted by the crash of the glass coffee table breaking into a million pieces. Apparently little Johnny had decided to practice his karate moves while waiting, a decision that was all the more mysterious seeing as how the boy hadn’t taken a single karate lesson in his life.
“No more kung fu movies for you,” his mother said as the pair shuffled out of the exam bay.
“But, Mom,” the boy protested, their voices growing softer as they walked away.
Darcy shook her head and silently wished them well. The injury itself hadn’t been too bad, but given the boy’s enthusiasm and appetite for adventure, it probably wouldn’t be his last scrape.
She pulled the curtain back and stepped out into the main bay of the emergency room. The facility was shaped like a giant U, with the exam rooms set up on the periphery to orbit a large central workstation where the nurses and doctors could order tests, access lab results or maybe even drink a cup of coffee when things were slow.
Like now.
One of the nurses gave her a friendly smile when she sat down. “I take it Johnny is all fixed up?”
Darcy nodded. “He’ll be back in action in no time, which I’m sure will drive his mother nuts.”
The woman laughed. “He is a handful.”
“Is it just the two of them?” She didn’t remember seeing a father’s name listed on the chart, but then again, she hadn’t really been focused on it.
“Yeah. Her husband took a job out in Odessa when the oil boom got started a couple of years ago. Called her up a few months later and said he wasn’t coming back. As far as I know, she hasn’t seen or heard from him since.”
“That’s terrible,” Darcy replied, feeling even more sorry for the beleaguered woman. No wonder she’d looked so tired! “Is there anything we can do to help her? Maybe some kind of babysitting program, or something like that?”
The nurse eyed her curiously. “She’s on a wait list for an after-school care center. But I have no idea how long it’ll take before Johnny’s name comes up.”
“Maybe I can call them and get it bumped up a little,” Darcy mused.
“Maybe you could,” the nurse agreed. “But I didn’t think you were sticking around long enough for things like that.”
Darcy felt her face heat at the observation. It was true, she was only filling in at the Granite Gulch Regional Medical Center for a few weeks as a favor to her father. He was the chief of staff at the hospital, and when he’d found out her position in New York didn’t start until May, he’d suggested she moonlight in Granite Gulch for the time being.
“To keep your skills sharp,” he’d said, his tone suggesting she was in real danger of forgetting everything she’d ever learned if she took a few weeks of vacation.
His implied criticism of her skills had stung, but she’d shrugged off his remarks. It wasn’t as if she had a warm, loving relationship with her parents. Growing up, her doctor father had been absent more often than not, and her socialite mother was always more interested in playing the part of the wealthy doctor’s wife, fluttering from one charity obligation to another with little regard to her daughter at home. As a consequence, family conversations were always rather formal, stilted affairs.
Especially after Darcy had started dating Ridge Colton. They’d met in high school, and she’d been immediately drawn to his quiet intensity. He projected a calm confidence that said he didn’t care what other people thought of him, and coming from a family obsessed with appearances, that attitude both intrigued and attracted her in equal parts. She’d known about his family’s past—everyone did—but his connection to the notorious Matthew Colton hadn’t bothered her. Ridge had a gentleness about him, and as she’d talked to him and gotten to know him, she realized the quiet air everyone mistook for an aloof arrogance was actually a defense against the pain of gossip and rejection. Ridge was so used to people judging him by his father’s deeds that he had stopped trying to reach out and connect with others. Once he’d decided to open up and trust Darcy, he’d let down those walls and his true, amazing personality had shone through.
Around her, at least.
Her parents had hit the roof when they’d found out about the relationship. It was the one time in her life Darcy could remember them taking an actual interest in her activities and friends. They had insisted she break up with Ridge right away, but Darcy had refused. Her obstinacy had led to a further cooling of their relationship, and even though she’d eventually walked away from Ridge, she and her parents had never really warmed to each other. It was part of why she’d chosen to take the temporary job in Granite Gulch. While she knew her parents would never really understand her choices, she didn’t want to start her life in New York without at least attempting to mend some fences here.
Shaking off those thoughts, Darcy returned her focus to the nurse. “I know I won’t be here for very long, but I do want to try to help while I can.”
The woman nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth as if Darcy had just confirmed one of her suspicions. “Give me just a minute—I’ll look up that number for you.”
“Thanks.” Darcy turned to the computer, pulling up the list of patients still waiting to be seen. They’d been triaged according to illness or severity of injury when they’d walked in the door, and since no one was in immediate danger of dying, she’d see them in the order in which they’d arrived.
She’d just pulled up the file on her next patient—a young woman with flu-like symptoms—when she heard the faint wail of a baby’s cry. “Someone’s not happy,” she murmured, pausing to listen. It was a regular, rhythmic cry of a hungry baby, not the piercing wail of pain or the heartbreakingly weak cry of illness, so she turned her attention back to the computer screen.
The sound of urgent voices drifted back from the waiting room, along with snippets of the conversation.
“Sir, you can’t—” said Carol, the receptionist, her distress plain.
“Not leaving her—” This was a low rumble of a voice, most likely the baby’s father. Who was he refusing to leave behind?
“Simply not allowed—” Carol was getting frustrated now, her tone becoming challenging. Darcy could picture the woman leaning forward, her glasses sliding down her nose as she glared up at the man who dared to defy her. Carol wasn’t much to look at physically, but she ran the front desk of the ER with a drill sergeant’s precision and she didn’t take crap from anyone. Whoever was out there was going to have to bend to Carol’s will, and the sooner he did it, the better.
“Service animal—” The words were clipped and formal, effectively ending the conversation.
Well, that was interesting. By law, they couldn’t refuse entry to a service animal—something Carol would already know. However, most service animals wore a distinctive harness or other clearly identifying gear that marked them as such. The fact that Carol had tried to jettison this one meant that the creature in question was likely out of uniform, so to speak. So was it a true service animal, or was the owner just trying to pass it off as such because they didn’t want to leave their pet in the car?
Her curiosity piqued, Darcy stood and started walking toward the triage room. It sounded as if Carol might need some backup, and she wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Furthermore, the baby’s cries had taken on an increasingly desperate tone, and she knew from experience that pediatric cases could escalate quickly.
The nurse shot her an inquisitive glance as she stepped into the triage exam room. Darcy offered a smile. “Just thought I’d come see what all the fuss is about...” The words died in her throat as she got her first look at her patient—or rather, her patient’s parent.
Ridge Colton.
The sight of him knocked the breath right out of her lungs, leaving her standing there gaping at him like some kind of slack-jawed yokel. On some level, she’d known it was only a matter of time before she would run into him. Granite Gulch was a growing town, but it still had a very local feel to it and everyone seemed to know everyone else’s business. Still, she had hoped their inevitable meeting would occur at a time and place of her choosing, not when she was eight hours deep into a twelve-hour shift and looking less than fresh.
“Ridge.” His name was barely more than a whisper, but it may as well have been a shout. He glanced over at her and recognition flared in his dark brown eyes, along with another flash of emotion she couldn’t decipher. Surprise? Anger? Disappointment? No matter. It was gone in the next heartbeat, and he’d already turned back to the baby, dismissing her.
The nurse continued her preliminary exam of the infant, rattling off information as she went. Darcy listened with half an ear and forced herself to look away from Ridge and focus on the baby in front of her. There would be time to stare at Ridge later, to look for signs of the boy she’d known in the man’s body now before her.
A quick physical exam revealed nothing unusual, nothing to suggest the need for a visit to the emergency room. She shot a questioning glance at Ridge. “What’s the problem here?”
Ridge met her eyes, then looked away again. “I’m not sure. I was worried about exposure.”
“Exposure?” Darcy frowned at him, certain she had misheard. “How long has she been outside?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Where’s her mother?” A small part of her heart tightened at the realization that her first love had moved on with his life, but she pushed the sting aside. Of course Ridge had married and started a family. Why wouldn’t he? It was foolish of her to think she’d be the only woman he would let inside his heart.
“I don’t know.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. Apparently the baby’s mother was a sore spot with him. Were they separated? Had she dropped the baby off and left without telling him? But what kind of mother would do that? The Ridge she had known was a good judge of character—surely he wouldn’t have a child with a woman who was so irresponsible?
“Can you call her? I need a little more information, please.”
“No.”
Darcy raised one eyebrow at his refusal. “No?”
He met her gaze then, his dark brown eyes inscrutable. “I told you, I don’t know where she is.” He practically spat the words out, as if they tasted bad in his mouth.
Okay, time to try a different tack. Darcy turned to the nurse. “Let’s do a full work-up, just to make sure we don’t miss anything. In the meantime, do we have a bottle?” The poor little one had been rooting around in vain since she had started the exam, and Darcy suspected most, if not all, of the ruckus was simply the sounds of a hungry baby who was getting angry at being denied dinner.
The nurse nodded and walked to the bank of cabinets on the far wall of the room. It took her only a moment to prepare a bottle, and Darcy scooped the baby up and began to feed her. The little one settled down immediately, her cries subsiding as she focused on eating, taking great, gulping draws from the bottle.
Ridge let out a sigh of relief, and Darcy saw his shoulders relax. There was an approving “ruff” from the floor, and she glanced down to see a dark brown dog staring up at her with surprisingly intelligent eyes. That must be the service animal.
“Nice dog,” she said, searching for something to say to get Ridge talking. It was clear her earlier line of questioning wasn’t getting her anywhere, and she needed to know more about the baby to better treat her.
Ridge glanced down absently, as if he’d forgotten the dog was there. “Oh. Thanks.” He sounded distracted, and no wonder. He clearly wasn’t used to handling a baby, and if the baby’s mother—his wife? Girlfriend?—had left with little to no warning, he was probably more focused on that than anything else.
“We normally don’t let animals back here,” she continued, trying to sound conversational.
“She’s a service dog,” he responded, sounding a little more engaged.
“Oh? Like a Seeing Eye dog?”
He shook his head, the ends of his dark hair brushing the collar of his shirt. “No. Search and rescue.” He leaned down and gave the dog a scratch behind the ears. “She’s the one that found the baby.”
Darcy’s head jerked up at that. “Found the baby? You mean she’s not yours?”
He gave her a puzzled look. “No, she’s not. I thought I made that clear.”
A strange sense of relief filled Darcy at the realization that Ridge had not moved on with his life, but she pushed it aside. Now was not the time to let her selfish emotions rule. As she fought to find her professional footing again, another, more sinister thought entered her mind.
“Ridge, where did this baby come from?” The young man she had known wasn’t capable of malice, but people could change. It had been years since she had seen him. Could she really say she still knew him? What if he had snapped and taken this baby from its mother, then concocted a story about “finding” her? But why would he do that?
“I didn’t steal her, if that’s what you’re implying,” he said coldly.
Darcy felt her face heat and looked away. Ten years ago, her father had accused Ridge of stealing an antique pocket watch from his desk drawer. Darcy hadn’t believed it but when Ridge had dumped out his backpack, the watch had spilled out. She’d begged him for an explanation—maybe the watch had fallen in his bag by mistake? Maybe he had taken the watch to look at it and had forgotten to return it? She’d been convinced Ridge had a reasonable story that would restore her faith in him and convince her father that Ridge wasn’t a bad guy. So she’d stood there, watching and silently pleading for him to explain it to them.
But Ridge hadn’t offered any kind of response. He’d just sat there, stone-faced and silent in the wake of her father’s accusations. He’d completely shut her out—he hadn’t even met her eyes or offered any sign of acknowledgment that she was in the room. And so Darcy had had no choice but to break up with him. It had shredded her heart to do it, but she couldn’t stay with someone who would steal from her family.
She’d never forgotten that horrible moment, and apparently Ridge hadn’t, either.
“I don’t think you stole her,” she said evenly, resisting the urge to snap back at him. He had no right to still be angry with her—he was the one who had done something wrong! But yelling at him wasn’t going to get her any closer to learning about this baby, and right now, that was the priority.
She took a deep breath. “It sounds like you have quite the story to tell,” she said, trying to sound pleasant. “Let’s just focus on the baby, shall we?”
Ridge pressed his lips together and nodded once.
“Okay,” she said, some of the tension leaving her muscles now that they were back on track. “So who does this baby belong to?”
* * *
Ridge clenched his jaw, biting back a sarcastic response. It had been a long day, and snapping at Darcy wasn’t going to solve any of his problems. Still, the way she was looking at him now, as if she thought he had done something horrible...it hurt. Once upon a time, they had meant something to each other. She’d been the only person who hadn’t held his paternity against him, who had actually tried to get to know him, the real him. They had had a few good years together, and he’d foolishly thought their young love would be enough to see them through any and everything life threw at them.
How wrong he’d been. In the end, she’d turned out to be just like everyone else—judging him for something he hadn’t done.
It had been years since he’d seen her. He’d known she was back in Granite Gulch, but he hadn’t thought to seek her out. She had made her choice, and he wasn’t the type to chase after a failed dream.
But seeing her now... She looked amazing. Her auburn hair was longer than he remembered, pulled back into a ponytail that served only to accentuate her slanted cheekbones. Her eyes were the same, though. Dark brown pools that pulled him in, made him feel as though he was drowning. But what a way to go!
Shaking his head, he returned his focus to the baby who was quickly emptying her bottle. A dull throb started in his chest as he stared at the woman he had once loved hold a baby in her arms. It was the very picture of an old dream come true, but it wasn’t real and never would be.
“I’ll tell you what happened,” he began. “But first, I need to call a few people.”
“Who?” The word was innocent enough, but he heard the subtle challenge in her voice.
“My brother and sister. Sam and Annabel are both cops. I’ve had a hell of a day, and I only want to tell this story once.”
Darcy pressed her lips together, and he recognized the expression—she had something to say, but she was holding her tongue. For now. She settled for a nod, and he pulled his phone out and dialed.
It took only a few minutes to reach Sam and Annabel, and fortunately his siblings didn’t press for details. Ridge hung up with a sigh and dropped into the chair by the hospital bed. Penny stepped over and sat at his feet, then laid her head on his lap in a gesture of support. He stroked her head absently, replaying the moments leading up to her finding the baby. Maybe there was something he’d overlooked in the chaos, some clue that would help identify this child and whoever had dropped her on his porch.
Try as he might, though, there wasn’t anything that jumped out in his memories. He hadn’t seen any tracks around his cabin, but then again, he hadn’t really been looking for any. He hadn’t smelled anything unusual, either—no heavy perfumes or colognes had lingered in the air. Of course, Penny would be much better at detecting that kind of thing. Not for the first time, he wished his dog could talk.
“Ridge?” He blinked and looked up to find Darcy staring at him. Her expression made it clear this wasn’t the first time she’d said his name, and he muttered an apology.
“Like I said, it’s been a long day.”
“It’s okay,” she replied. “But we need to move to an exam room while we wait for your brother and sister to arrive. We have to keep this room free for triage.”
“No problem.” He stood and stretched, working the aches and kinks out of his back and shoulders. It felt good to move, and now that the baby wasn’t crying, his muscles could actually relax and release the tension of the day.
He made a quick gesture with his hand and Penny stood as well, ready to follow him. Then he turned to face Darcy and she quickly looked away, a faint pink staining her cheeks. Interesting. Had she been watching him?
A small, petty part of him hoped she liked what she saw. It was silly, he knew, but just the thought that she might still find him attractive appealed to his ego. She had been the one to walk away all those years ago, leaving him to wonder what he could have said or done differently. It was nice to think he wasn’t the only one who harbored secret regrets over the way things had ended between them.
“Where to?” he asked, striving for a casual tone. The last thing he wanted was for her to realize how much he was affected by seeing her again. Her presence brought back too many memories, too many emotions. He didn’t have time for this right now—he had to focus on finding this baby’s parents and catching the Alphabet Killer before they claimed another victim.
Besides, he wasn’t stupid. Darcy had left him before. And even though the only option for them was friendship, he wasn’t going to let his guard down again for the sake of nostalgia. It just wasn’t worth it.
Darcy led him back into the main bay of the emergency room, then guided him to a room to the left of the main nurses’ station. “Why don’t you have a seat,” she said, indicating the chair with a nod. “I’m going to call in a bassinet for this little one.”
“Do you need me to hold her while we wait for it to arrive?”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Really?” She sounded doubtful, as if he was the last person she’d expect to hold a baby. Once again, he pushed back against the sting of her low expectations. Had she always thought so little of him and he’d just never noticed before? They did say love made a man blind...
“I don’t mind.” Truth be told, he was feeling a little protective. He didn’t know who this baby was or where she’d come from, but by some twist of fate she’d been dropped into his life. Now it was up to him to make sure she was safe until they could figure out her story.
Darcy walked over and gently transferred the baby into his arms. He tucked her against his chest, marveling at the warm weight of her small body. How could such a little thing put out so much heat? She let out a sigh and snuggled against him, and his heart did a funny little flip.
“Let me get you a blanket,” Darcy murmured. She returned a second later and tucked a swath of flannel over the baby, then stepped back and smiled down at him.
“This is a good look for you,” she said softly.
He met her gaze and for a split second, it was as though they were still together, still planning a future and sharing their hopes and dreams. The sense of déjà vu was so intense it made him a little dizzy, and he tightened his grip on the baby to make sure he didn’t drop her. Did Darcy feel it, too? Or did the fatigue of the day make him especially susceptible to such a ridiculous notion?
In any event, Penny chose that moment to let out a small, inquisitive noise, breaking the spell of the moment. She walked over to him and the baby and Darcy stepped back to give the dog better access.
It was just as well, he told himself. No use pining after what might have been.
Penny nosed the baby, then sniffed his leg. Apparently satisfied that everyone was who they should be, she walked a tight circle twice and settled down to curl up on the floor, closing her eyes with a sigh.
“She’s a really good dog,” Darcy observed.
“The best,” he replied.
“What’s her name?”
“Penny.”
“Interesting choice,” she replied. “She’s not really the color of a penny, though.”
He chuckled softly. “I named her that because she ate pennies.”
Darcy made a face. “Gross.”
“In her defense, she was pretty hungry.”
“She must have been, to stoop to eating change.”
He felt the smile slide off his face as he thought back to the day he’d found the dog. “I was taking a walk in the woods when I came across her. She was a puppy, barely old enough to be away from her mother. She was nothing more than two big eyes and four big paws, and some psychopath had tied her to a tree and left her.” He clenched his jaw, feeling his back teeth grind together. Even though it had been several years, just the thought of the cruelty was enough to send his blood pressure into the stratosphere.
Darcy gasped. “That’s horrible!”
He nodded. “It was a good thing I came along when I did. I don’t know how long she’d been out there, but she wasn’t going to last much longer. So I scooped her up, put her in the truck and headed into town to the vet’s office. She was clearly starving, and before I knew what was happening, she’d eaten the change right out of my console.”
“Poor thing. Very resourceful of her, though.” Darcy looked down at Penny, her expression a mixture of sympathy and amusement. “She’s lucky you found her before it was too late.”
“Turned out, we both got lucky that day.” He didn’t bother trying to explain how Penny had helped him as much as he’d helped her. How the dog had healed the cracks in his heart and turned out to be his best friend. It probably said something sad about him that he trusted his dog more than any person, but it was the truth.
Ridge shifted in the chair and glanced down at the baby, relieved to see his movements hadn’t disturbed her sleep. Poor little thing had had quite the day, but she seemed to be a survivor.
As if she could read his thoughts, Darcy spoke up. “She’s going to be okay.” Her words were soft and soothing, and just like that he was taken back to the days when he could tell this woman anything. How many conversations had they had, how many times had he opened his heart to her and shared parts of himself he’d never shown to anyone? He hated to admit it but despite the distance between them, Darcy still held him in her sway.
At least he was able to recognize it before he fell for her again.
His phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen. We’re here. Where are you?
“Sam and Annabel are here. What room are we in?”
“I’ll go get them,” Darcy volunteered. “Will you be okay on your own for a minute?”
He smiled wryly at her concern. “I haven’t broken the baby yet.”
She nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll be right back.”
Ridge waited until she had left, then looked down at the baby in his arms. She slept peacefully, curled up like a little shrimp against his chest. She was so small, her cherubic features the very picture of innocence. A range of expressions flitted across her face in rapid succession while she slept, as if she was trying each one on for size. While he watched, her mouth turned up in an impossibly sweet smile, and he felt the weight of responsibility slam down on his shoulders. Even though he wasn’t related to this child and had no idea where she had come from, she was his now.
“I don’t know who left you on my doorstep,” he said softly. “But I promise, I will take care of you.” It was his calling to take care of the lost—the reason he’d gone into search and rescue in the first place. His brother Trevor, an FBI profiler, had once told Ridge he was drawn to that work because he hadn’t been able to help their youngest sister, Josie. Ridge wasn’t sure he believed all that psychological mumbo jumbo, but he did know one thing: he took care of his own.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the soft hair on the top of the baby’s head. “I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered.
Chapter 3 (#ulink_a756f2b1-b230-5d17-b139-7ea06d763206)
Darcy stepped out of the exam room and took a deep breath, trying to center her thoughts. Her head was spinning from the events of the past half hour and she had a seemingly endless list of questions demanding to be answered. Where had that baby come from? Why had someone left her with Ridge? What had he been doing over the past decade since she’d seen him last? Had he truly moved on and found someone or was he still alone, as she was?
First things first, she told herself firmly. Solve the mystery of the baby. Everything else can wait.
Nerves fluttered in her stomach as she made her way back into the waiting area of the emergency room. She’d never met any of Ridge’s siblings before, since they had all been split up and raised in different foster homes. For reasons she didn’t care to examine too closely, she very much wanted to make a good first impression on these people. She knew Ridge was still angry with her for the way things had ended between them, but maybe if his siblings liked her he would soften a bit toward her. Even though there was no chance of them getting back together, it would be nice if they could have some kind of friendship. They’d meant too much to each other to have this bitterness between them persist.
It wasn’t hard to find Sam and Annabel, and not just because the waiting room was fairly quiet. She would have recognized them in the middle of a crowd, as they both had the same studious look as Ridge. It must be a common Colton expression, she decided—that sober, thoughtful gaze made it seem as though they were constantly assessing their environment.
Sam turned to face her as she approached. He had the same dark hair and eyes as his brother, but while Ridge was tall with the broad shoulders and muscular arms of a swimmer, Sam had a more rangy build that reminded her of a long-distance runner.
“Sam Colton?”
He nodded, his gaze assessing as he shook her hand.
Darcy turned to the woman standing beside him. “And you must be Annabel.”
Ridge’s sister offered her a tight smile that didn’t quite reach her blue eyes. “Where’s Ridge?”
“Right this way,” Darcy said, gesturing them forward. “Thanks for coming so quickly.”
“Ridge doesn’t cry wolf,” Sam observed quietly. “He wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important.”
Darcy rapped lightly on the door of the exam room, then opened it and gestured Sam and Annabel inside. The pair took a step into the room and drew up short as they both caught sight of their brother with a baby in his arms.
Sam recovered first. “Well,” he drawled. “I leave you alone for a few hours, and you go and get a baby.” There was an odd tone to his voice, as if he’d just been kicked in the gut. Was he upset? But why? Something tingled at the back of Darcy’s memory, but before she could really hone in on the thought, Sam cleared his throat and smiled, smoothing over the moment.
“Penny found her,” Ridge replied, the corner of his mouth curling up. At the mention of her name, Penny lifted her head and snorted in greeting. Annabel leaned down to give her a pat. “Doesn’t look like one of your usual strays,” she observed.
“Very funny,” Ridge said, shooting her a dry look.
“Want to fill us in on the details?” Sam asked.
Ridge glanced at Darcy and nodded at the door. She closed it quietly to give them some privacy.
It didn’t take long for him to tell the story of finding the baby, but Darcy had to bite her tongue to keep from interrupting him with questions. To their credit, Sam and Annabel merely listened quietly until he had finished talking. Once he was done, the siblings exchanged a glance.
“Where’s the note now?” Sam asked.
“I left it in the car,” Ridge responded. “I didn’t want more people touching it.”
“Good thinking,” Annabel said. “Where are your keys? I’ll collect it and take it in for fingerprint analysis.”
Ridge cocked his hip off the chair and dug into his pocket. “I’m parked in the lot just outside.”
Annabel caught the keys midair. “Saw your truck as we pulled in. I’ll be right back.”
After a moment of silence, Sam let out a sigh. “None of this makes sense,” he said, running a hand through his hair.
Ridge huffed out a laugh. “Tell me about it. I’m the last person who needs to be trusted with a baby.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Sam said, a sparkle of humor showing in his eyes. “You’ve taken pretty good care of that dog. How much harder can it be to take care of a baby?” Once again, his voice sounded forced, as if he was trying to make light of something that bothered him. All at once, Darcy remembered the gossip she’d heard about Sam Colton—how his former fiancée had pretended to be pregnant with his baby so she could con him into marrying her. He’d been about to make things official, but just before the wedding, the woman had been killed—one of the first victims of the Alphabet Killer.
Darcy eyed Sam with newfound respect and a touch of pity. Even though his former fiancée hadn’t really been pregnant, Sam had thought she was and had wanted to do right by his child. How sad for him to find out the truth, especially when he couldn’t confront the woman who had spun that web of lies in the first place.
Ridge offered him a sympathetic smile, and his brother nodded.
“So we have a baby with dark hair and a mother whose name presumably begins with the letter F,” Sam said, his tone making it clear he was thinking out loud. “Hell of a coincidence.”
“I thought so, too,” Ridge remarked.
“The killer has never gone after a woman with kids before.”
They must be talking about the Alphabet Killer, Darcy thought. Did they really think the baby’s mother was a target?
“There’s a first time for everything,” Ridge said. “Besides, we don’t really know how the victims are chosen. Aside from their physical similarities, that is.”
“True.”
The men were quiet for a moment, each one clearly lost in thought.
“And you didn’t find anyone out there today?” Sam asked.
Ridge shook his head. “No signs of Mr. Johansen’s early morning visitor. Or anyone else for that matter.”
“Since you didn’t find a body, we can assume the mother is still alive. For now, at least.”
“Either that, or the killer caught up to her and left her in the woods.”
Sam tilted his head in acknowledgment of the point. “That’s possible. But Penny stopped after finding the baby, right?”
The dog in question cocked an ear at the mention of her name, but didn’t bother to lift her head.
“That’s right,” Ridge confirmed.
“Wouldn’t she have kept going if there was a body around?”
It was a good question, and Darcy found she was curious to know the answer, as well. She’d never been around a search and rescue dog, and had no idea how they worked.
Ridge shrugged. “Presumably she would have indicated if there was another scent around. But she’s not trained as a cadaver dog—she goes after the living, not the dead.”
“We can send out a team to search the area around your cabin. But I don’t think they’re going to find anything.” Sam paced a few steps in the small room, his hands on his hips. “So where did the woman go after leaving the baby? People don’t just disappear.”
“Sure they do,” Ridge replied easily. “You know that as well as I do.”
What does he mean by that? Darcy wondered. Then it dawned on her—his sister, Josie, had vanished a few years ago. Her absence probably weighed heavily on him, since the pair had been close.
Sam frowned at his brother. “Now is not the time to get cute.”
“You know I can’t control it.” Ridge grinned, his dimples prominent even through the dark, heavy stubble on his cheeks. It was the same teasing expression he’d worn so often when they were alone together as teenagers, and it made Darcy’s heart tighten to see it now on the face of the man he’d become.
Sam shook his head, but Darcy saw the smile he tried to hide. “We’ve got to find this woman—she could be the key to unlocking the whole case.” He turned to face Darcy. “Let’s start with what we do know. Do you have any idea how old this baby is?”
Darcy tilted her head to the side, considering his question. “I’d say she’s about one to two weeks old,” she replied. “That range is consistent with her height, weight and reflex responses.”
“Okay,” Sam said. He gestured to the computer workstation in the exam room. “Can you pull up access to hospital birth records during that time frame?”
“I should be able to,” she said. It took a few moments, but she was able to gain access to the records system without much trouble. “It looks like there were nine total births during that period, four of which were female babies.”
Annabel slipped inside the room while Darcy searched. “Good thing you put the note in a plastic bag,” she commented, pushing wet tendrils of hair off her forehead. “It’s really coming down out there.”
“Washing away any traces of the person who left this baby on my porch,” Ridge commented sourly.
“Can you print off the list of parents?” Sam asked, ignoring his siblings.
Darcy slid him a glance. “I really shouldn’t,” she hedged. “It’s a massive patient privacy violation. I could lose my license.”
Sam fixed her with a look. “Do you understand what we’re trying to do here? This baby’s mother is likely the target of a killer. I need that information.”
“It might not even help,” Darcy hedged. “There’s no guarantee this baby was born here. She may have been born at a neighboring hospital, or possibly even at home.”
“Maybe,” Sam replied. “But I have to start somewhere.”
Darcy shook her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help, but if I do this and I’m caught it’ll wreck my career.”
“You’re wasting my time here.” Sam kept his voice down, but she heard the impatience in his words. He seemed like a man who was used to getting what he wanted and didn’t tolerate anything or anyone getting in his way. Darcy appreciated his determination, but she wasn’t about to be bullied into doing something she knew to be questionable. She was torn, though—what if her refusal to help cost this woman her life? Could she live with herself knowing a woman had died because she was more concerned about her job than doing the right thing?
“Sam.” Ridge’s calm tone cut through the growing tension in the room. “You know she’s right. Don’t ask her to compromise her professional ethics. How long can it take to get a warrant from a judge?”
“Too long,” Sam shot back. He scowled at them both, then shook his head. “But fine, we’ll play it your way.”
Darcy shot Ridge a grateful glance, but he didn’t acknowledge it. “Tell you what,” she said, pushing back from the desk. “I need to go find that bassinet for the baby. It’ll probably take me a moment to track it down.” She deliberately tilted the monitor around so it faced Sam. Recognizing the gesture as the olive branch it was, Sam offered her a tight smile.
“We’ll keep Ridge company until you get back.”
Darcy slipped out the door, her palms sweating. She’d never done anything like this before. Even though she knew giving Sam access to patient information was the right thing to do in this particular case, it still made her nervous.
“He’s a police officer, not some random stranger off the street,” she muttered. Besides, she knew a judge would grant him access to the records. She was just cutting through the red tape, she told herself, and hopefully shortening the time it would take to track down the baby’s mother. It’s the right thing to do. And it was. But Darcy had always been one to follow the rules and this departure from the norm made her feel jittery.
“Everything okay in there?” asked George, the other doctor on shift tonight. “I heard there was quite the ruckus earlier.”
Darcy tried to smile but it must have come across as more of a grimace, as George frowned slightly at her expression. Get it together, she chided herself. Stop acting strange! “We’re doing okay,” she told him. “Someone found an abandoned baby earlier tonight, so we have the police in there now.”
“Oh, man.” George shook his head. “Is the kid okay?”
“Yeah. We got lucky. I’m trying to track down a bassinet for her now.”
“I think I saw one floating around here earlier.” He tapped the desk as if he was trying to remember, then he snapped his fingers. “Yep. Give me just a second.” He trotted off and returned a moment later pushing a Plexiglas crib. “Here you go.”
“Thank you,” she said. This time, her smile was genuine.
“No problem. Want me to call CPS for you?”
“Ah, no. I’ll let the police handle that.”
George nodded. “Let me know if you need any help.”
She waved at him and headed back to the exam room, trying to pace herself so as to give Sam the time he needed to look at the patient records. Had she been gone long enough? Hopefully so—she didn’t want to have to do this again.
When she opened the door, three faces turned to greet her. Sam was standing next to Ridge, looking down at the baby. The computer monitor had been returned to its original position, and Sam offered her a nod of thanks. Annabel stood in the corner, her phone pressed to her ear. She offered an absent wave and moved to make room for the bassinet.
“How’s she doing?” Darcy asked quietly.
“Seems to be fine,” Ridge said, his voice low and soothing.
“Are you ready to put her in the crib?”
He glanced down at the baby, his expression softening. “I suppose so.”
Ridge stood and moved back and forth for a moment, instinctively falling into the comforting sway deployed by anyone holding a baby. Then, moving slowly and carefully, he deposited the sleeping bundle onto the mattress. He straightened back up but remained standing by the crib, apparently absorbed by the sight of the infant stretching in her sleep.
Once again, Darcy was struck by Ridge’s actions. To her knowledge, Ridge had never spent time around babies before. Yet here he was, stepping into the role of caregiver as if he’d been born to it. And for a stranger’s baby, no less.
Annabel snapped her phone shut and walked over to join her siblings by the bassinet. “We have a problem,” she said shortly.
Ridge raised one eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“CPS can’t get here tonight—the storms have washed out several of the roads leading into Granite Gulch.”
“Great,” Sam groaned. “So what are the options for tonight?”
“She’ll have to stay here,” Darcy replied. “I can admit her and have her sent to the nursery.”
“Will she be alone?” Ridge asked.
“Not really,” Darcy said, touched by his apparent concern. “The nursery is staffed 24/7, so she won’t be unattended. Just let me put in the order...” She logged back in to the system, but what she saw made her frown.
“What’s wrong?” Ridge asked. “Is there a problem?”
“The nursery is full,” she replied, peering at the screen as if she could change the information displayed there by staring at it long enough. “I don’t believe it.”
“How is that possible?” Sam said.
Darcy shook her head. “We’re short-staffed, which means we can only take on so many babies in the nursery. They’ve already got the maximum allowed number there now.”
“So what are our options for tonight?” Annabel said.
Ridge stared down at the baby, his expression calculating. “I’ll take her.”
“What?” The word erupted from Darcy, Sam and Annabel at the same time.
“You can’t be serious,” Sam said.
“You don’t know the first thing about babies,” Annabel protested.
Ridge looked from one sibling to the other, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Like you said earlier Sam, how hard can it be?”
Both Sam and Annabel turned to face Darcy, their expressions pleading with her to make their brother see reason. “Can you explain this to him?” Sam said.
“Uh, well,” she began, feeling suddenly pressured. “Babies are pretty demanding,” she started. “They need to be fed every couple of hours, which means you won’t get much sleep.”
“Sleep is overrated,” Ridge replied.
“You don’t have any supplies,” Annabel put in. “Formula, diapers, a place for her to sleep. You have none of the things babies need.”
“Be reasonable,” Sam added. “You’re way out of your depth here.”
“I can’t leave her,” Ridge said simply. The words took all the air out of his siblings and they both leaned back on their heels, staring at Ridge as if they’d never seen him before.
“I know it doesn’t make much sense,” Ridge went on. “But this baby is my responsibility now. I’m going to take care of her until we find her mother.”
Annabel turned to Sam. “Is this even legal?”
He pressed his lips together, considering. “I’m not sure. But given the circumstances, I don’t know that we have another choice.”
“So it’s decided then,” Ridge said, sounding determined. “I’ll take her home with me tonight. We can regroup in the morning.”
Sam and Annabel exchanged a glance, and Annabel shrugged slightly as if to say “There’s nothing we can do.”
“If you’re sure,” Sam said slowly.
“I am.” Ridge’s voice was firm, making it clear he would brook no further arguments.
“All right,” Sam said. He turned to Annabel. “I suppose we should get back to the station and get that note to forensics. We’ve got some work to do tonight.”
“Yeah. I think we should bring in Chris, as well—he can start looking for home births.”
Sam nodded. “I want Trevor involved, too. He has access to all the evidence the FBI has on our killer. He can go through the letters and hopefully find some clue that will help us identify the mother.”
Annabel walked over and gave Ridge a quick hug. “Good luck tonight,” she said, standing on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek.
“Thanks,” he said softly.
Sam clapped his brother on the back. “Call if you need anything,” he said. “We’ll be at the station.”
“Sounds good,” Ridge replied. “Thanks for your help.”
“Anytime, brother.”
Ridge waited until his siblings had left the room before turning to Darcy. “Well, I guess we should head home.”
“Are you sure about this?”
Ridge’s expression didn’t change, but a coolness entered his eyes and she kicked herself for asking the question. “It’s not that I doubt your capabilities,” she said, trying to smooth things over. “But a baby is a big deal.”
“I’m well aware of that,” he said. “And yes, I’m sure I can handle it.”
Darcy held his gaze for a moment, recognizing the glint of determination she saw in his dark brown eyes. Ridge had the strongest will she’d ever known, and if he’d made up his mind to do something, he would follow through regardless of the consequences.
Knowing she’d lost this battle, Darcy decided to do what she could to help. “At least let me send you home with some supplies.”
Ridge nodded, and she spent the next few moments gathering up all the spare diapers and formula bottles she could find. She returned to the room with her arms full of packages to find Ridge had already moved the baby from the crib to the car seat.
“It’s not a lot,” she said, setting everything on the exam bed. “But it should last a couple of days at least.”
“Thank you,” Ridge said. “I appreciate your help.”
“You’re welcome,” Darcy replied. Now that the moment was here, she was strangely reluctant to part from Ridge. Being around him again was unsettling, but a small part of her felt comforted by his presence. Don’t be silly, she told herself. You’re just tired.
“Do you need help getting out to your truck?”
Ridge shook his head and she fought off a swell of disappointment. “I’ve got it,” he said, scooping everything up. “Come on, Penny,” he said.
The dog got to her feet and stretched then looked up at Ridge expectantly, awaiting his next direction.
Ridge turned to face Darcy. “Thanks again,” he said. He took a step toward the door, then stopped and looked back. “It was nice to see you again, Darcy. You take care of yourself.”
“You, too,” she replied softly. She watched Ridge walk away, marveling at the way he seemed to take all the oxygen in the room with him. His absence made her feel both relieved and sad in equal parts. “It’s for the best,” she said to the empty room. “I’m leaving soon, and I don’t need a complication like Ridge taking up what little time I have here.”
It was the truth, but it didn’t help. Even though their relationship had ended years ago, she still felt as if there was unfinished business between them.
Darcy shook her head and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Seeing Ridge had been a shock, but she couldn’t dwell on the past forever.
Time to get back to work.
* * *
“I don’t understand what your problem is. The return policy is printed right there on the receipt—thirty days from the time of purchase. I bought this just last week.” Francine Gibbons arched a brow at the clerk and stared at her, daring her to argue the point.
“Yes, ma’am, I understand that. But the dress has what looks like a wine stain on the skirt. I’m afraid I can’t accept a return of damaged merchandise.” The clerk sounded apologetic, but Francine was not appeased. Did she really not know who she was talking to?
“I’m not going to argue with you about this. I want to speak to your manager.” It wasn’t her fault the dress was ruined—Ted always got a little handsy after a few drinks, and in his eagerness he’d managed to knock over her glass of red wine. The tablecloth at the restaurant had taken most of the damage, but enough of it had gotten on her dress that she wouldn’t be able to wear it again. Best to return it and get something new.
“Ma’am, it’s store policy,” the clerk began, but Francine cut her off.
“I thought I made myself clear. I told you I want to speak to your manager. Why are you still standing here?”
“Is there something I can help you with, Ms. Gibbons?” An older woman glided over, a smile pasted on her face.
Francine shot a triumphant glance at the clerk, who shrank back, looking miserable. “Yes. As I was saying, I want to return this dress. But your employee has been giving me attitude about it.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” the woman replied smoothly. “Let me take care of it for you.” She shot a warning glance at the clerk who had opened her mouth, presumably to defend herself.
“It’s just so hard to get good help these days,” Francine remarked, checking her phone for messages while the manager completed the transaction. Then, just for spite she added, “Did you see the new boutique that opened just off Main Street? They have such lovely clothes, and their service is impeccable.”
The manager pressed her lips together in a thin smile. “I haven’t had a chance to visit yet.”
“You really should,” Francine said. “It’s just the kind of store we need in Granite Gulch.”
“How nice,” the other woman murmured. She slid a receipt across the counter, along with a pen. “If you’ll just sign there, please. I’ve credited the dress back to your account.”
“Thank you,” Francine said archly. She scribbled her signature and pushed the paper back at the other woman.
“My pleasure. May I help you with anything else tonight?”
“No, that will be all.” She stuffed her phone back into her purse and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“Thank you for stopping by. We look forward to seeing you again.”
“Hmm. I might be willing to give you one more chance. But you should really educate your employees, especially when it comes to how store policy applies to a repeat customer like myself.” She shot a final glare at the clerk before turning and striding out of the store.
The nerve of those people! How dare they try to treat her like one of the masses, rather than the premier customer she was. She’d spent thousands of dollars at that store over the past few months. The least they could do was act as though they wanted her business.
Lightning streaked across the sky as she walked under the awnings that lined the storefronts. She frowned, trying to dodge the worst of the puddles so her suede Louboutins didn’t get too wet. She had meant to get home before the storm broke, but people were so incompetent these days and she’d been held up at every store she’d visited. It was almost enough to make her want to hire a personal shopper, but she didn’t trust anyone else to get things right.
“I should make them replace my shoes,” she muttered, still angry with the clerk for having tried to deny her return. “It’s the least they can do to make it up to me.”
She reached the end of the awning and paused to fish her umbrella out of her purse. The streetlamps that illuminated the parking lot were burned out, leaving the stretch of asphalt cloaked in darkness. “This place is really going downhill,” she grumbled, struggling to open her umbrella. “They can’t even be bothered to maintain the parking lot.” She would have to mention it to Jill Winthrop during their lunch next week—her husband was on the city council, and they needed to know this area of town required improvement.
She stepped out into the rain and headed in the direction of her car, peering into the gloom and wishing for a flashlight. A quick press of the unlock button on her key fob caused the lights of her Mercedes to flash, helping guide her through the darkness. The crunch of footsteps on gravel sounded behind her, but Francine was too focused on getting to her car to pay attention.
“Hey.”
She ignored the speaker and kept moving forward, intent on getting out of the rain.
“Hey!”
Francine ground her teeth together and rolled her eyes. She did not respond to such casual greetings, especially from a stranger.
“Francine!”
That was odd. She stopped and turned, trying to see who had called out to her.
A dark figure approached, the person’s body obscured by a large trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat. “Who are—” Before she could get the rest of the question out, the stranger lifted an arm and a loud pop split the air.
Something slammed into Francine’s chest, knocking her off her feet and onto her back. She lay there for a moment, stunned, trying to figure out what had happened. Then the pain hit, a white-hot agony radiating from her chest down through her limbs. “What?” she gasped.
The figure walked up and leaned over her, temporarily blocking out the rain. Francine blinked, trying to recognize the stranger. “Why?” she said, struggling to get the word out through lips that had gone numb.
The killer smiled cruelly. “Why not?”
Francine’s vision began to narrow, but she saw the stranger’s arm come up again. There was another earsplitting pop, and she surrendered to the darkness.
Chapter 4 (#ulink_0b62f5b9-42ff-5df5-ba81-ad52ece297b1)
Ridge paced in front of the bank of windows that overlooked the woods at the back of his cabin, patting the baby’s back with a steady thump.
“It’s really coming down out there,” he observed quietly to no one in particular. As if to punctuate his observation a flash of lightning split the sky, the brightness illuminating the ground and revealing the raging river his backyard had become. “I hope the barn is still standing,” he muttered.
Ridge enjoyed working with his hands, and had taken great pride in building his cabin from the ground up. But after he’d finished construction, he’d felt at loose ends. He was so used to having a job to complete that he’d decided to start working on a barn he could use as part garage, part hobby shed. The project was coming along nicely, but his progress had slowed recently as the hunt for the Alphabet Killer had picked up speed.
He glanced down into the face of the infant he held. “Are you the key to finding the killer?”
She yawned and his jaw ached to mimic her gesture. The day was really catching up to him, and he wanted nothing more than to lay the baby down and sleep for a bit. But every time he tried, she woke up and started crying. The only thing he’d found that calmed her down was for him to pace back and forth, an action that simultaneously kept him awake and made him even more tired.
He glanced over to the dog bed on the floor by the fireplace. Penny had gone to sleep hours ago and she looked totally relaxed, sprawled on her back with her paws in the air. “Lucky girl,” he muttered. If only the dog could help him watch the baby!
“We’ll find your mother,” he said softly. “I just wish she had left your name in the note. What am I supposed to call you?”
The baby in question shifted slightly and emitted a soft squeak, so he increased the frequency of his patting until she sank back into sleep.
“I think you look like a Sara,” he said, feeling his heart tighten a little. Saralee had been his mother’s name, and it seemed fitting that this lost little one be named after the woman who had been such an important part of his life.
Sara let out a soft sigh, and Ridge decided to try to lay her down again. Moving slowly, he walked over to the makeshift pallet he’d made out of several old quilts and gently set her down. Then he tucked a blanket over her and straightened up, trying to work the kinks out of his lower back. Please don’t wake up, he pleaded silently, watching the baby as if she were a live bomb about to explode.
She frowned, the expression looking adorably out of place on an infant’s face. Ridge held his breath, hoping against hope that this time Sara would remain asleep, now that she was in her bed.
It wasn’t to be. The baby wriggled experimentally, as if she was testing the boundaries of her new location. Apparently finding it unsatisfactory, she opened her mouth and let out a wail that woke Penny, who emitted a startled yelp.
Resigned to his fate, Ridge leaned down and picked her up. Once he brought her to his chest she quieted down again, her wails subsiding into small whimpers until she finally fell silent. Penny flopped back down on her bed with a sigh, and Ridge resumed his walk.
Maybe Darcy was right, he thought. Maybe he really had taken on too much. He hated to admit the possibility, especially because he knew she didn’t think he could handle this. But he’d be damned before he’d admit it to her face. No way was he going to show any kind of weakness in front of her. He’d made that mistake once. Never again.
A loud clap of thunder split the air, making both him and Sara jump. “That one was close,” he said to her, pitching his voice low so as not to fully wake her.
On the heels of the thunder came another pounding, this one at his front door. Ridge frowned. He didn’t get many visitors, and the people who did come to his cabin knew to enter through the back door. That meant whoever was out there was a stranger, and given the events of the day, he didn’t fancy answering the door with a baby in his arms.
“Who do you think it could be?” he asked softly. The baby’s mother, come to claim her child? Maybe she had gotten away from the killer and wanted her baby back. If so, she had a lot of explaining to do. Even though she hadn’t been in his life for very long, Ridge had grown attached to little Sara and he wasn’t about to just hand her over to the first person who came knocking.
There was another possibility, one that made him frown. What if his visitor wasn’t Sara’s mother, but the Alphabet Killer, come to tie up loose ends? It was a bold move, but his cabin was on the edge of the woods in a fairly isolated location. And with the weather being so bad it would be days before anyone wondered about him or would be able to check on him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized this was the perfect opportunity for the killer to strike.
He set Sara back down on her bed and tucked a blanket around her, hoping to stave off her cries for at least a few minutes. Then he grabbed the baseball bat propped up in the corner and headed for the door. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he wasn’t going to answer the door unprepared.
The pounding started up again with renewed vigor, as if his visitor was getting impatient. He flipped on the porch light and stopped to peek through the curtains at his front window, trying to identify who might be visiting. Unfortunately, the rain was still coming down hard and it obscured his vision of the porch—he could make out a dark shape, but he couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.
Only one way to find out. Taking a deep breath and tightening his grip on the bat, Ridge unlocked the door and opened it a crack.
“Ridge?”
“Darcy?” He couldn’t keep the shock out of his voice. She was the last person he’d expected to see, especially on a night like this.
“What are you doing here?”
“Can I come in?” She shivered slightly and pushed a wet tendril of hair off her face.
“Oh, of course. Sorry.” Ridge propped the bat next to the door frame and stepped back, gesturing Darcy inside. Sara chose that moment to let out a loud wail and Darcy smiled as she stepped across the threshold.
“How’s it going here?”
Ridge winced. “She doesn’t like it when I set her down.” He quickly closed the door, then crossed the room and scooped Sara up again. Just as before, she stopped crying once she was back in his arms. He resumed pacing and eyed Darcy, who was looking around the den with open curiosity.
“This is a great place,” she commented, slowly wandering from one side of the room to the other, taking in the pictures on the wall, the books on his shelves and the furniture arranged throughout. “I had no idea it was out here. How did you find it?”
“I built it,” he said simply. It felt strange to have her in his home. This was his sanctuary, his safe place. He’d actually never brought a woman here before, and to have Darcy of all people checking out his things made him feel exposed.
“You built this?” She didn’t bother to hide the incredulity in her voice. Then she shook her head and bit her lip. “I’m sorry—that’s the second time I’ve implied that you’re not capable of something.”
He blinked, surprised by her apology. “Uh, that’s okay,” he said. “Most people are shocked when they find out I built it.”
“How long did it take you?” She seemed genuinely interested and he felt that old familiar tug to engage with her, to share with her.
“Six months,” he replied. Darcy whistled softly, apparently impressed, and his cheeks warmed in the face of her approval.
“How did you find me?” Time to get this conversation back on track.
Darcy raised a brow. “You filled out paperwork at the hospital, remember?”
He nodded, kicking himself for having forgotten. “I didn’t realize that was an invitation,” he said coolly.
If Darcy noticed his tone, she didn’t react. “I thought I would stop by and check on you and the baby.”
“Because you don’t think I can take care of her properly?” The words were out before he could stop them, and he heard the bitterness in his own voice. Too bad. He was tired of people scrutinizing his every move, searching for signs of the father in the son before them. All his life, he’d felt as if he was under a microscope, subject to the judgment of others. Even though he’d dedicated his adult life to helping others, people still gave him a wide berth. They treated him like some kind of half-feral dog, one they wanted to like but didn’t fully trust not to attack when their backs were turned.
Darcy held his gaze for a moment, studying him. “No,” she said thoughtfully. “Because I thought you might like some company. Taking care of an infant can be isolating.”
Her reply took the wind out of his sails and the irritation drained out of him, leaving him feeling oddly empty. “Oh,” he said dumbly. How had she known that? Did she have experience caring for a baby, or was it just a lucky guess? Against his better judgment, he found himself wanting to know more about what she’d been up to in the years since they’d parted ways.
She held up a plastic bag. “Also, I come bearing gifts.” She set the bag on the coffee table and proceeded to pull out packages of diapers and wipes and several bottles of formula. “I was able to raid the nursery before I left tonight. I know I sent you home with some stuff, but I thought you could use some extra, just in case.”
“Thank you,” he said, feeling more foolish by the minute. Darcy was just trying to help, and he’d nearly bitten her head off for her troubles. He shook his head, trying to slough off his bad mood.
“I also brought a little something for you, as well,” she continued, reaching back into the bag. With a flourish, she withdrew a long candy bar bearing a familiar white wrap and sporting bold orange letters. “Here you go,” she said, extending the treat toward him. “I got you the biggest one I could find.”
Ridge could only stare down at her and the gift she offered, shocked that she had remembered.
Darcy’s expectant expression melted off her face. “You used to love these. Do you not like them anymore?”
He shook his head, not trusting his voice. After all these years, she still remembered his favorite candy bar. It shouldn’t have surprised him—he still remembered her favorite foods and the way she was so particular about the amount of ice in her drinks. But he hadn’t expected the recall to be mutual. Especially not after so much time had passed.
“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding contrite. “I shouldn’t have assumed you would still like the same things after ten years.” She dropped the candy bar back into the bag and set it aside.
“No,” he said, the word coming out a little hoarse. He cleared his throat and spoke again. “No, I mean I do still love them. I’m just surprised you remembered, that’s all.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks went a little pink and she fumbled in the bag for the candy bar, passing it to him with a shy smile. “Here you go then.”
“Thank you.”
She turned away and busied herself with folding the bag into a small square. “I figured you could use a little treat.”
Ridge used his teeth to unwrap the gift, then took a large bite. The combination of sweet caramel and salty peanuts hit his tongue, and he nearly moaned in pleasure. In all the ruckus of the early evening he’d skipped dinner, a fact that his stomach did not appreciate. And while a candy bar was not the most nutritionally sound choice, he could think of no finer meal at the moment. “Man, that’s good.”
Darcy grinned. “Glad you’re enjoying it. Would you like me to hold the baby so you can sit down?”
He started nodding before she could finish asking the question. “Yes, please.” His earlier resolve to stand strong and do this on his own crumbled at the thought of being able to sit still for a moment and refuel. Although he thought of himself as an independent man, he wasn’t stupid. He’d come to realize taking care of Sara was a marathon, not a sprint, and he’d be wise to take help when and where it was offered.
Darcy walked over to him, stopping when she was mere inches away. Moving carefully, Ridge transferred the little bundle into her arms, trying to ignore the little zings of sensation that arced through him every time they accidentally touched. He told himself to step back once she had a secure hold on Sara, but his feet wouldn’t obey his brain’s command. This was the closest they’d been to each other in years, and his body wanted to know if she would still feel the same against him.
Warmth radiated off her skin and he took a deep breath, trying to clear his head. It was a mistake. She smelled like the rain, and she’d brought the scent of the woods in with her. It was a comforting, familiar smell that made him want to get closer and he had to force himself to move away before he did something he’d regret.
Darcy looked up at him, her skin damp and shining in the light of the lamp. “She’s a beautiful baby,” she whispered with a smile.
“Yes, she is.”
“And she’s very lucky she found you.”
His chest warmed at the compliment, and the sensation climbed up his neck and into his earlobes, making them burn. Ridge cleared his throat and took a step back. “I think it was actually the other way around,” he said, needing to inject some levity into the moment. “Penny deserves all the credit.”
They both turned to look at the dog, who had fallen back asleep and was snoring softly, her paws twitching as she dreamed. A swell of affection filled Ridge’s heart, and not for the first time, he wondered what he would do without her.
“Why don’t you sit down?” Darcy suggested. “I can walk with her for a while.”
“Thanks,” Ridge said. He sank into the couch with a sigh, surrendering to the comforting support of the overstuffed cushions. Darcy started humming softly as she walked, a sweet melody that made him want to close his eyes and sleep for the next month. Shaking off the fatigue, he took another bite of dinner and focused on chewing.
“I think it’s finally easing up out there,” she observed.
She was right. Now that he was paying attention, he noticed the rain did seem to be slowing down. I should check the barn, he thought, stuffing the rest of the candy bar into his mouth.
Darcy glanced up when he stood. “Do you mind holding her for a few more minutes? I’m building a barn out back and I want to make sure it’s still standing after those storms.”
“No problem,” she said. “Take your time.”
He grabbed a flashlight and paused in the doorway, taking in the sight of Darcy holding Sara close. She was the very picture of maternal comfort and the pair of them seemed to give off a golden glow in the lamplight, lending the scene a dreamlike quality. It would be so easy to stand there and watch them forever, but he couldn’t let himself get trapped in this moment. Neither Darcy nor the baby were his, and he’d do well to remember it.
* * *
The rain was cold, and Ridge welcomed the splash of the fat drops against the skin of his face and neck. The shock of it helped to clear his head and refocus his mind. He’d come dangerously close to kissing Darcy, which was a mistake he couldn’t afford to make. We had our chance, he reminded himself firmly. And things hadn’t worked out between them. It was silly to think now would be any different.
He eyed the ground in front of him, trying to pick out the least treacherous path to the barn. His formerly green yard was now a lake of mud interspersed with large puddles of standing water, making the once familiar place look like an alien landscape. There was no help for it—he was just going to have to get dirty.
Resigned to his fate Ridge trudged forward, his boots squelching in the mud. They would be hell to clean, but he had to see if there was any damage that needed to be repaired. The barn was more than halfway complete, so he wasn’t worried about the walls falling in. But it would be good to see how the roof had held up under the onslaught.
He ducked inside and passed the beam of the light along the walls, pleased to find there were no damp spots that would indicate a leak between the boards. Then he checked the floor. Not so lucky here. There were several small puddles, which meant he was going to have a lot of patching to do on that roof once the sun came back out.
He glanced around the space one final time, imagining it as a completed barn. The mower would go in the left corner, along with his other yard equipment. There was space for his tools in the far right corner. And then there was some room left over, space he now thought could be used for a bicycle or two. He closed his eyes, picturing it—two large bikes and one small one parked and ready to be used on those lazy summer nights when the fireflies rose up from the grass like living sparks.
The yearning for a family hit him hard, and he leaned against the doorjamb for a moment, his hand to his chest. Where had that come from? Was it being around the baby that made him think this way? Or perhaps seeing Darcy again? Maybe both, he admitted to himself. Truth be told, Darcy was the only woman he’d dreamed of having a family with, and after she had dumped him he had given up on the dream ever becoming a reality.
But maybe it was time he took a second look. Holding Sara had rekindled the desire to have his own children. Over the years he had forgotten just how much he wanted a family of his own, one where his children would grow up with both parents and wouldn’t be subjected to the whims of the foster care system the way he and his siblings had. He pictured his youngest sister, Josie, and a fresh pang hit him as he recalled the last time he’d seen her, when she’d told him not to visit her again. She’d gone from a sweet girl to a distant, hardened young woman, all thanks to the system. He shook his head. Their lives would have been so much better if they had had someone—anyone—else as their father.
But life didn’t work that way.
The patter of raindrops began to change, the cadence becoming faster and louder as the rain picked up again. Time to go back inside and check on the girls and get himself dried off. His wet boots were starting to feel tight, and he knew from experience it was only going to get worse if he didn’t take them off soon. He cast one last look around the barn before closing things up, then put his head down and took off for the house, trying to dodge the worst of the puddles as he went.
He’d made it about halfway across the yard when a woman’s scream pierced the air and froze his blood.
Chapter 5 (#ulink_34637c8a-f8e5-58eb-a5ed-f0a8eb435ccf)
“No!”
Darcy took a step back, her heart in her throat as she faced down the masked intruder who had forced his way into Ridge’s home.
He lunged for her but she sidestepped, narrowly avoiding his grasp. He grunted in frustration and pressed forward, leaving her no choice but to back away.
“Give me the baby,” he demanded. His hands were everywhere, grabbing and grasping for any kind of hold. Darcy kicked out but he dodged the blow and kept coming.
Penny barked and growled, darting in to snap at the man and then pulling away again. She was doing a nice job distracting him, but it wasn’t in the dog’s nature to be vicious and she seemed reluctant to commit to a bite that might actually hurt him. The intruder seemed to sense her hesitation and lashed out, landing a solid punch to Penny’s shoulder. She yelped and skittered away but then darted back in to snap at his hands, trying her best to protect her master’s home.
Darcy took advantage of Penny’s antics to move farther away from the threat. The man was blocking her access to the door, so she darted to the other side of the room and set the baby on the recliner, freeing up her hands so she could better defend herself and the baby. Then she turned back to face the man, her eyes scanning the room for something, anything she could use as a weapon.
A baseball bat was propped up next to the front door, mocking her. It was too far away to be of any use, but maybe there was something else? She took a step forward, intending to draw the intruder away from the baby. Her foot landed on something hard, and she glanced down to find a large rawhide bone lying next to Penny’s bed. Darcy scooped it up and held it high, ready to strike. It wasn’t much, but it was solid and the edges had been gnawed down to a fine blade that she might be able to use as a type of knife. He’d have to get close for her to use it, but it was better than nothing.
Penny was trying her best to keep the man occupied, but he had made his way over to the other side of the room, closer to the baby. Darcy had to get him away from the little one, but how? A frontal attack wouldn’t work—he was too big for her to stand a chance. She would have to come in from the side and gain the upper hand by attacking from his blind spot. But that meant leaving the baby undefended.
Where is Ridge? She screamed out again, hoping he would hear her this time. She couldn’t hold him off forever, and unless Ridge got here soon, the intruder was going to overpower her and take the baby.
It was now or never. Moving as stealthily as she could Darcy crept up alongside the intruder, trying to stay out of his line of sight as she approached. One step, two, and then she was there, within striking distance.
She lifted her makeshift weapon above her head and started to swing, but before she could make contact, the man turned. She saw the glint of satisfaction in his eyes and realized her mistake—he’d known what she was doing all along!
He kicked out, his foot smashing into her left shin bone. Pain exploded at the site, a viscous, black thing composed of tendrils of agony that wrapped around her leg and threatened to take over her whole consciousness. She sucked in a deep breath and pushed back against the darkness. If she fell down, it was all over.
She swung wildly with the dog bone but missed him. To make matters worse, the gesture put her off balance and she listed dangerously to the side. Gravity took hold and she felt herself going down. Desperate to stay on her feet, she scrabbled for some kind of support. Her hand made contact with the back of a chair and she pulled herself up, but her leg wasn’t going to hold her weight much longer.
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