Heart of Texas Vol. 2 Page 10

  “Richard!” she called, thinking he might need help finding her.

  Nothing.

  It was getting so hot under the blanket that she took off the backpack. Soon her eyes grew heavy with sleep. She decided to put her head down on the sleeping bag, but just for a few minutes until Richard found her.

  Just until then.

  THIS WAS SO EASY it was embarrassing, Richard Weston told himself. The pickup, formerly owned by Grady—as he liked to think of it—sped down the road toward Bitter End. No one would think of looking for him there. No one would even guess.

  Luckily his brother’s head was in the clouds these days. Grady Weston in love—if it wasn’t so damn funny, it’d be sad. Grady had fallen in love—for the first time, Richard was sure—at the age of thirty-six—and it wasn’t a pretty sight. For a couple of weeks now he’d been walking around the house with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his eyes glazed over. It was a wonder he hadn’t tripped down the stairs and broken his damn neck.

  Actually Richard wouldn’t have minded doing the dirty deed with Miss Caroline himself. He’d bet that woman was some hot number in the sack. Still, he felt grateful to her for keeping Grady distracted. His block head of a brother didn’t have a clue what he, Richard, was up to. Before Grady figured it out, he’d be long gone. Yup, it was that easy.

  Richard laughed aloud. “Idiots.” He hated to say this about his own flesh and blood, but both Grady and Savannah were dolts. It was kind of sad that they’d be gullible enough to let him drive off with several months’ worth of supplies. He’d even managed to acquire a small gasoline-powered generator—one he’d put onto his brother’s business account, naturally. Of course Grady wouldn’t know anything about it for a couple of weeks.

  Richard almost wished he could be a fly on the wall when the bills started coming in. Grady would have a conniption. Richard felt a mild twinge of guilt about that, but hell, he didn’t have any choice. Not really. He had to eat, and while the portable television might seem an extravagance, it wasn’t. How would he know what was going on in the world without watching the evening news? It wasn’t like he was going to get cable in the old ghost town, either. All he had were rabbit ears. He’d be lucky to receive one station, possibly two, but that was probably just as well. Otherwise he’d be tempted to laze around and waste his whole supply of gasoline on running the TV.

  By the time he reached the turnoff to the dirt road that wound up the far side of the valley, he was lost in his thoughts.

  He knew himself well enough to realize he’d find it difficult to stay cooped up in Bitter End, with no companionship and few diversions. There were sure to be times when he’d welcome an excuse to venture into Promise, or any one of the other small towns that dotted the Texas Hill Country.

  He couldn’t do that, however. Grady was bound to report the truck as stolen, and sure as shootin’, Richard would have a lawman on his tail five minutes after he hit the highway. But a stolen vehicle was only a small part of Richard’s worries—just one more complication in his already complicated life.

  Hell, all the lawmen in three states would give their eye-teeth to get their hands on him. So the last thing he needed was to be pulled in for driving a stolen truck.

  A shiver raced down his spine. He didn’t want to think about that.

  The road grew bumpy and he slowed. For a moment he thought he heard a sound, a cry of some kind, but he strained his ears and didn’t hear it again.

  Imagination was a funny thing, he mused. Could be dangerous, too. On a recent visit to Bitter End, he’d had the impression that someone was watching him. Someone or something. A vague feeling, mildly uncomfortable.

  He blamed Ellie Frasier for that. She’d given him the willies the time he’d brought her to Bitter End. The minute they’d left the truck, she’d started making noises about this “feeling.” He hadn’t felt a damn thing, while she’d been practically crawling out of her skin. Naturally that was for the best, since he certainly didn’t want her coming back and bringing her friends along.

  Ellie hadn’t been able to get out fast enough. Whatever the feeling was, it had never bothered Richard—until that last visit. He’d probably just heard too much about this so-called sensation. He didn’t understand it, but he was counting it as a plus. The town’s reputation for eeriness meant that people would stay away. He’d have to control his own imagination, not let ghost stories and strange noises spook him.

  As he neared Bitter End, he reduced the truck’s speed. He’d found a spot in the ghost town where he could hide the pickup, so if anyone did happen to stumble in, they wouldn’t see it.

  He stopped in front of the wooden stable, which leaned heavily to one side. He’d say one thing for the folks who’d originally built this place. They’d been great crafts men. Most of the buildings still stood, despite their age.

  He drove the truck into the decrepit stable and jumped down from the cab. He was about to close the door when he caught a movement under the canvas tarp.

  He froze. Sure enough, he saw it move again. Believing in the element of surprise, he moved quietly to the back of the truck and firmly gripped the edge of the blanket. With no warning, he jerked it away from the bed.

  Maggie Daniels screamed and cowered in a corner. It took them both a moment to recover, but she was faster.

  “Richard!”

  “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.

  The smile on her face disappeared. “We were playing hide-and-seek, remember? I fell asleep….”

  Richard swore.

  Maggie’s eyes grew round. “If my mommy was here, she’d wash your mouth out with soap.”

  As far as he could see, Richard had few choices. He could dump the kid on the highway—but would she shut up about where she’d been? He could keep her in Bitter End. Or he could do away with her entirely. Kidnap and murder charges wouldn’t look good on his rap sheet. But he might not have any other options.

  Damn it, what was he going to do now?

  GRADY HAD NEVER been one to idle away time, nor had he been known to sit under a willow tree and soak in the beauty of a summer evening. Not for the past six years, at any rate. It’d taken him that long to get the ranch into the black. He’d earned a decent profit last year and would again this year, God willing. He finally felt good about his life and he didn’t want his happiness compromised now with talk of Maggie’s father. He tried to convince himself it didn’t matter—but it did. Caroline had wanted to tell him, and curious though he was, he’d persuaded her to wait. Grady recognized that his behavior was uncharacteristic; generally he faced problems head-on. But he knew why he didn’t want to hear what she had to say. Admitting it didn’t come easy, not by a long shot. Intuitively he feared that once she told him about Maggie’s father, nothing would be the same between them. Sitting with her in the shade of the willow tree, holding her close, loving her—these moments were far too special to invade with difficult truths. So he’d delayed the inevitable, hurled it into the future until he felt more ready to deal with it.

  Caroline lay down on the blanket beside him, her head resting against his thigh. Lazily he brushed the hair from her face. She was so damned beautiful he could barely manage not to stare at her. Barely manage not to kiss her again. They’d done plenty of that this afternoon. She’d tasted of wine and chocolate, and Grady thought he’d never sampled a more intoxicating combination. Sweet and potent at the same time.

  He’d as good as told her he was interested in marrying her. A man didn’t go courting otherwise. It was time for him to settle down. Glen was about to make the leap into marriage, and with Savannah married and she and Laredo building their own home, he’d soon be alone. But it wasn’t just the events in other people’s lives that had convinced him.

  It was Caroline and Maggie. Whenever he was with them, he didn’t want their time together to end. His life felt empty when they weren’t around.

  He tried to tell Caroline that, but he couldn’t mana
ge the words. He discovered it was damned hard to admit how much he needed someone else. He’d never felt this way before, and it frightened him.

  “I could almost go to sleep,” Caroline murmured. Her eyes remained closed and he ran his index finger down the side of her jaw. Her skin was soft and smooth. Lovely. She was lovely.

  Her lips eased into a smile. “You’re right.”

  “Well, I don’t know what I’m right about, but I like the sound of those words.”

  “Every man does,” she teased.

  “Flatter my ego and tell me why I’m right.”

  “This place,” she whispered. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so…content. So relaxed.”

  “Me, neither.” Today was the first time he’d spent more than ten minutes here in years, and already they’d been gone at least two hours.

  “I wonder…” she began wistfully.

  “What?” He bent forward to graze his lips across her brow.

  “If you have any other magic tricks up your sleeve.”

  “That’s Richard’s specialty, not mine.”

  Caroline frowned. “You provided a magical afternoon for me,” she said. “Wine and chocolates and this beautiful place.”

  “The kissing wasn’t half-bad, either.”

  Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at him with such longing he couldn’t possibly have resisted her.

  Caroline wrapped herself in his embrace the moment he reached for her. Grady was shocked by the intensity of his own craving. It felt as though he’d waited his entire life for this afternoon and this woman.

  His tongue danced with hers and he worked his fingers into her hair, loving the feel of it, clean and silky smooth. Fifty years of this, and he swore he’d never tire of her taste.

  “I suppose we’d better think about getting back,” he said reluctantly, feeling cheated that their magical time had come to an end.

  “How long have we been gone?” Caroline asked. Not waiting for a response, she glanced at her watch. She gasped and jumped to her feet. “Oh, my goodness, we’ve been away for over two hours!”

  “I know.”

  “But Maggie…”

  “She’s with Savannah.”

  “I had no idea we’d been gone this long.” She started cleaning up the area, her movements fast and jerky.

  “Caroline, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

  She turned slowly to face him, obviously com forted. “Thank you, Grady. I do know that. I’m just not used to…any of this.” She made a gesture that took in their surroundings, the remains of their picnic and Grady himself.

  He helped her mount—because he wanted to, not because she needed any assistance. They rode back to the ranch, joking and laughing, teasing each other the way lovers do.

  As the house came into view, his eyes were drawn to its silhouette against the darkening sky. Solid, secure, welcoming. His home had always seemed a natural part of the landscape to him. It belonged there. And for the first time in years, he felt that his life was what he wanted it to be.

  It wasn’t until they neared the corral that Grady noticed something was amiss. He saw Laredo, and the minute the other man caught sight of Grady and Caroline, he ran into the house, calling for Savannah. She rushed out onto the back porch.

  His sister’s face was red, her eyes puffy as though she’d been weeping. That wasn’t like her.

  “What is it?” he asked as he dismounted.

  “Oh, Caroline, I’m so sorry.” Savannah’s voice trembled and she covered her mouth.

  Confused, Caroline looked to Grady. “What’s wrong?”

  Grady walked around his gelding and helped Caroline down from her horse. Her hands trembled as she held his arms.

  “Where’s Maggie?” she asked, her voice oddly calm.

  “That’s the problem,” Laredo said, moving to stand next to his wife. He slid his arm around Savannah’s shoulders.

  “You don’t know where Maggie is?” Caroline asked, and again Grady heard that strange calm in her voice.

  “I… She went outside, and the last time I checked she was sitting on the porch,” Savannah cried. “I’ve looked everywhere, called for her until my voice was hoarse. I don’t know where she could have gone.”

  “Apparently she’d come out to look for me,” Laredo said.

  “Did you see her?” Grady demanded.

  “No.” Laredo shook his head.

  “Oh, Caroline,” Savannah wept, “I’m so sorry! I should never have let her leave the house.”

  Caroline’s fingers dug into Grady’s arm. Her eyes were wide and filled with terror when she looked at him, seeking re assurance.

  Grady’s heart felt like a lead weight in his chest. “We’ll find her,” he promised.

  CHAPTER 7

  THE CALLS LAWMEN DREADED MOST were domestic violence and missing children. Frank Hennessey was no exception. The report of a missing child made his blood run cold. He preferred dealing with a drunken belligerent husband any day of the week if it meant he didn’t have to see the face of a parent whose child couldn’t be found. Frank had never married, never had children, but he’d been a first hand witness to the agony parents endure when their child disappears. All his years of law enforcement had convinced him there was no deeper pain than the loss of a child.

  The call that Maggie Daniels had gone missing came minutes before Frank was due to go off duty. Grady Weston phoned it in. There’d only been one other time Frank had heard Grady sound the way he did this evening, and that was the day his parents had drowned in a flash flood.

  “Are you sure she hasn’t fallen asleep some where in the house?” Frank felt obliged to ask.

  “We’re sure, Frank.” Grady’s impatience crackled over the telephone line.

  “Was she upset about anything?”

  “No, she was excited about visiting the ranch,” Caroline answered, apparently from one of the extensions.

  “Maggie didn’t run away, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Grady told him angrily.

  In fact, Frank’s questions had been leading to that assumption. It was the most common scenario, even with kids this young. He sighed heavily. He hadn’t been around children much, but he’d taken a real liking to Caroline’s fatherless child. She was a sweetheart, and the thought of anything happening to her made his insides twist.

  “Are you coming out to take a report or not?” Grady demanded.

  “I’m on my way.” Frank replaced the receiver. Grady sounded as worried and frustrated as he would if he were the child’s father. In situations such as this the families were often impatient and angry, lashing out at authority because of their own helplessness. Frank had seen it before. Some of the cases he’d worked on came with happy endings. The lost child was found safe and promptly returned to the parents.

  The other cases, two in his career, would forever haunt him. Missing. He’d come to think of it as the ugliest word in the English language. The first child had turned up dead; the second was never seen again.

  Although the highway was deserted, Frank ran the lights on his patrol car as he sped toward the Yellow Rose Ranch. The entire forty minutes it took him to drive from town, he kept hoping against hope that by the time he arrived, Maggie would’ve been found. He wasn’t a superstitious man, nor did he believe in intuition, but his gut told him that wouldn’t be the case.

  He was right.

  No sooner had he pulled into the yard than the door opened and Grady hurried onto the porch. Caroline was with him, looking paler than he’d ever seen her. Grady’s eyes were dark with anxiety.

  “Thank you for coming,” Caroline said, her voice determined. She was a strong woman and Frank deeply admired her grit.

  Grady held the door open for him. “Savannah’s got coffee brewing,” he said, leading the way into the kitchen.

  Frank looked around at the small group assembled there. Laredo had his arm around Savannah, who seemed on the verge of collapse. Her eyes were red and swollen, te
stifying to the tears she’d already shed.

  “It’s my fault,” she said.

  “No one’s laying blame,” Grady told her, his eyes softening. He brought the coffeepot over to the table where a number of mugs had been set, and he filled each one.

  “But I was supposed to be watching her,” Savannah explained as Frank doctored his coffee with milk.

  “It doesn’t matter who was watching her,” Caroline said, her voice shaking slightly. “What matters is that we don’t know where Maggie is now.”

  “We’ll find her,” Wiley Rogers, the foreman, insisted. “Don’t you worry about that. Not a one of us will rest until Maggie’s found.”

  Frank had heard words like that before, and he’d watched as families invested every penny of their life’s savings in the effort. He’d watched them invest the very heart and soul of their existence in tracing a missing child, some times to the point that the entire family was destroyed. He’d assumed when he moved to Promise fifteen years ago that he’d never have to deal with this sort of agony again, but he’d been wrong. It was staring him in the face this very minute.

  “Savannah, since you were the last person to see Maggie, why don’t we start with you.” He withdrew a small notebook from his shirt pocket. “You were the last one to see her, right?”

  Savannah nodded and Laredo moved closer to his wife’s side as if to protect her. Frank pitied her, understood the grief and guilt she must feel. He glanced away and surveyed everyone else in the room.

  It was then that he noticed one family member was missing. “Where’s Richard?” he asked, interrupting Savannah.

  “In town, I suspect,” Grady said.

  “Driving what?”

  “My pickup’s missing, so I guess he has that.”

  Frank walked over to the telephone. “I want him here.”

  “Of course,” Savannah said.

  “You don’t think he’d take Maggie with him, do you?” Caroline asked, looking to Grady and Savannah for the answer. “I mean, we assumed he left earlier, before Maggie turned up missing, but…” She let the rest fade.