скачать книгу бесплатно
“I’m not claiming responsibility for her,” he clarified, and it was so cold outside she could see his breath. So much for the warmth.
* * *
WYATT STARED AT the woman who was walking so fast he had to hustle to keep pace. His judgment with people and especially women was normally spot-on, and he hadn’t pegged Meg Anderson as unstable or a gold digger.
In fact, she’d seemed like the most grounded, intelligent woman he’d been with in a long time, possibly ever. Her sharp mind was what he’d missed most about her. Since their tryst he’d compared every date to her and no one seemed to measure up. Even sex had been lacking, but that was a whole other story that made him think he might be losing his edge. So, he was even more shocked by her whipping out the baby card. Was there even a child? His child? This whole conversation left him scratching his head and an unsettled feeling gnawed at his gut.
He took off his coat and placed it around her arms, realizing she didn’t have any covering on her shoulders. She must’ve left her jacket on the chair back where he’d last seen it.
He didn’t have the heart to walk away while she was so distraught. Even though she’d shown him the pic of the cute infant on her phone, he couldn’t ignore the possibility that she’d jumped off the deep end. Maybe she’d been on mood-regulating drugs when they’d spent time together. Maybe she’d stopped taking them and this was the real her.
His logical mind wrestled against the possibility, but that could just be his pride unable to accept that he’d made such a wide turn with his judgment before. Wyatt had always considered himself more intelligent than that. As they said, the proof was in the pudding and this “pudding” was starting to unravel in front of his eyes.
When he really looked at her, he couldn’t ignore the changes in her body. Her hips had more pronounced curves, which were even sexier now. There were definite changes in her breasts. They’d been full before but not quite this generous.
Even tired, she was still one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. He told himself the only reason he was noticing any of the changes in her was because he was trying to determine if she needed to be driven to Kruger Belton Mental facility for evaluation and not because he cared or was still attracted to her. His heart had fisted a little bit when he’d first seen her. He did care, generally speaking.
The park was crowded. Holiday music filled the air. Families walked in clumps, smiling and singing along with Christmas carols. It was something out of a Norman Rockwell painting and definitely not Wyatt’s scene.
“They aren’t here.” Meg stopped and looked at him, clearly flustered. She had that panicked-mother look even though he wouldn’t know from personal experience. His had been too exhausted working to keep food on the table to get too emotional. He’d known his mother loved him and the fact he’d grown up in poverty was all the more reason to be proud of the successful taco franchise he’d built from a food truck.
Meg dug in her purse and pulled out a baby’s cloth with little owls on it.
“Was she supposed to bring the baby to the restaurant?” He had no idea of the protocol in dealing with a nearly hysterical woman, but he could see from the way she twisted the baby’s cloth in her hands that she was working herself up. Experience with women had taught him that this was not the time to tell her to calm down.
“Stephanie was supposed to text first.” Meg worked the cloth in her hands.
“Her battery could’ve died.” She winced at that last word.
“I guess.” That cloth in her hands was about to become pulp.
Wyatt reached out to touch her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her but was left with a sizzle on his fingertips. He almost pulled his hand back but decided to ignore the frissons of heat.
Hot or not, this one was off-limits, and especially with the bomb she’d dropped on him earlier.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. The child, real or imagined, was obviously very important to her. So much so that she was trembling.
And then she looked up at him with those blue eyes that he’d liked looking into right before he fell off the cliff during sex. Okay, not the time for that thought, Jackson.
“I can’t imagine how all this must look from your point of view. Thank you for the coat. I must’ve left mine in the restaurant. I was in such a hurry to catch you because I knew if you left it was over. I’d never have the courage to email again. You should know that I don’t want anything from you. I just thought you had a right to know about your daughter.”
Whether he believed her or not didn’t matter. She seemed vulnerable, and that pierced his armor. “We’ll figure this out.”
Her phone buzzed and her ringtone sounded, same ones as before. He should know. He’d been the one to program the song into her new phone when she couldn’t figure out how to change the basic sound.
A look of sheer relief flooded her tense expression as she checked the screen. “It’s Stephanie.”
Wyatt needed to clear his head so he could face the Butler family this afternoon. To say this day was throwing curveball after curveball was a lot like saying Texas highways were crowded. At least Meg had received the call she’d been waiting for and that was a relief.
His respite was short-lived as Meg dropped to her knees.
“Tell me where you are and I’ll be there in two seconds.” Her voice shook and panic radiated from her.
He offered a hand up, which she took. The color had drained from her face as she glanced around. “The Butler Fountain?” She paused. “I know exactly where that is.”
Whatever her friend was saying wasn’t good, and he figured this day was about to get even longer.
“Did you give the sheriff your statement?” She paused again. “Do it right now. Tell them everything you just told me. I’m almost there.”
Now his curiosity was getting the best of him as Meg broke into a run.
He followed, easily keeping pace even though Meg was still obviously in shape. She gripped her cell as she raced toward the planned site of the Mike Butler Memorial Fountain.
A small crowd had gathered, facing away from the tree. There was a woman on the ground, her legs curled up and her face scrunched in pain and panic.
“What’s going on?” he asked Meg as they neared the woman.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened,” the woman he presumed to be Stephanie said through sobs. “I was walking along fine and then I blacked out.” Her hand came up to the back of her head to rub. “Ouch...” She blinked in panic, tears welling. “I came to and she was gone. Someone took her. Someone kidnapped Aubrey. They must’ve taken everything, the stroller and the diaper bag. All I remember is blacking out.”
The most heartbreaking sound tore from Meg’s throat.
Wyatt’s head nearly exploded and an ache ripped through his chest. He couldn’t figure out why he’d have such a strong reaction to a child’s kidnapping when, first, he’d never even met the little tyke and, second, he still wasn’t convinced she belonged to him.
His heart didn’t seem to need confirmation one way or the other.
Chapter Three (#u44bc1709-5adc-598a-b538-5369751a2076)
“Did you call the sheriff?” Meg asked, looking like her world had just tipped on its axis in the same way Wyatt’s just had. But there was no way he could care this much about a child he’d never met. He chalked his feelings up to sympathy for the mother and the heartbreaking situation.
“I did.” A woman stepped forward. She was young, mid-twenties, and clutching a small child’s hand. The little boy couldn’t be more than three or four years old. “I wish I’d seen more. I heard someone scream and ran over to see what happened. I was too late.”
Meg thanked her.
“He’s on his way.” Stephanie glanced around at the gathering crowd, looking bewildered. “There was a guy—he was wearing one of those forest green park-maintenance uniforms—and he said he saw everything before taking off in that direction.” She pointed east. “Said he’d be right back.”
Meg looked on the verge of crumpling. The more people who gathered around the less likely it would be for him or Meg to see someone escaping with the stroller. Wyatt glanced at Meg.
“What color stroller am I looking for?” he asked.
“Red with big wheels to take it jogging.” She glanced from him to Stephanie with the most sorrowful look on her face.
Wyatt glanced around at the small crowd. “Did any of you see anything unusual or anyone hurrying out of this area with a red stroller?” The odds were slim anyone would notice details like that, but it was worth asking.
Heads shook.
“There was a lot going on and the music was too loud. I was afraid to wake her, so I stayed back here by the benches. I was worried that Meg would text and I would miss it.” Stephanie sobbed.
“You did the right thing.” Wyatt had no idea what to say, but he wished he could make the situation okay for both of them. Stephanie seemed like a nice person and he already knew Meg was. At least she hadn’t been lying about there being a child. Obviously, there was. No one would go through this much trouble to set up a lie.
“Go. Look for her. I’m fine,” Stephanie said, trying to push to her feet. She wobbled and a Good Samaritan steadied her by grabbing her arm in time before she landed on her bottom. She thanked him.
“We’ll stay with her,” the woman with the child said.
“Did you see anything?” Wyatt asked Stephanie.
“No. I was walking with the stroller before I felt something hard hit the back of my head and then I blacked out. Next thing I knew the park worker was beside me asking if I was okay and I had a blinding headache.” She touched a spot behind her left ear.
Meg hopped onto a nearby bench and scanned the area.
“See anything up there?” Wyatt asked. He tried to convince himself that he’d feel this panicked whether the child might be his or not. An infant had been kidnapped, and he could admit that he still had residual feelings for the baby’s mother. The little girl didn’t have to belong to him for his heart to go out to Meg. If he could help her find her baby he would. And if she kept on insisting the baby was his, he’d ask for a DNA test before he got too worked up. Keeping a level head in challenging times had earned Wyatt his solid reputation in the business world and helped him expand to twenty-five locations. This was no different.
He joined Meg on the park bench. There were too many people spreading in all different directions. The ceremony had ended, which was the perfect time to execute this kind of crime because there was chaos while families exited the park area and spilled into the parking lot.
There was no way he was going to find the person responsible at this rate. He couldn’t justify standing around and watching all this heartbreak, either.
“Text me and let me know what the sheriff says. I have to do something,” Meg shouted to her friend, and he completely understood the sentiment. He was having the same conversation in his head.
Meg was on the verge of tears as she turned to look at him. “I don’t see any sign of her.”
“If I was going to commit the crime, I’d park in the closest spot.” He pointed to the nearest parking lot, which was slowly emptying. There was a line to exit, and the park’s location in the center of town off the main square caused traffic to move slowly. “Maybe we can spot your daughter in a car on the way out of the lot.”
“It’s worth a try.” Meg sounded hopeless as he held out his hand. She took it. A simple gesture really, but when their hands made contact a fire bolt shot straight up his arm. He ignored it as best he could and took off running. With their hands linked, Meg kept pace and he was pretty sure it was from pure adrenaline.
“Maybe there,” she said through gulps of air as they darted toward the light that regulated the exit. “I see the handle of a stroller in the back window and it’s red.”
Wyatt let her hand loose so he could push forward and catch the white minivan before the light turned and the vehicle disappeared. From this angle, he couldn’t get a good look at the plate. He pushed his legs harder, leaving Meg several strides behind. If he could get to the minivan in time maybe he could put this whole ordeal to rest.
The minivan was close, but the light could turn at any second. Wyatt pushed harder until his thighs burned and his lungs threatened to burst. He could see there was only a driver and the figure was large enough to be male.
“Hold on,” he shouted to the van’s driver. The window was up and the man didn’t so much as flinch.
As the light changed, Wyatt closed in on the van. He was so close. Dammit. There were three cars ahead of the minivan, not close enough for Wyatt to catch. The cars moved and the minivan turned left, which was the opposite side of Wyatt. What an unlucky break.
Wyatt shot in between two cars. One of the drivers laid on his horn and shouted a few terse words. Wyatt had no idea where Meg was and he didn’t risk turning back to look. The minivan was going at least thirty-five miles an hour. If he could catch a break and the light at the corner turned to red... Scratch that. Wyatt had never been lucky and that’s how he’d learned to work hard for everything he’d built.
Brake lights renewed his hope as he turned on the speed he’d known as a runner in high school. Although that had been a long time ago, he worked out and kept in shape.
The van disappeared around the corner before the light changed.
“Wyatt.” Meg’s voice rippled through him. There was a mix of hope and relief in the sound of her tone. “I got her.”
He immediately turned tail and saw a man in a forest green uniform standing next to Meg, who was holding a baby. He made a beeline toward the trio, driven by something deep inside. Was it a primal need to see if her child belonged to him? Would he even be able to tell by looking at her one time?
Meg stood there, baby pressed to her chest and her face awash with relief. She was gently rocking the crying infant. An odd thought hit: No one had better get close to her or the baby. He was struck with something else that felt a lot like longing, but Wyatt didn’t go there. He’d missed Meg. He could own up to it. That’s as far as his feelings went, he reminded himself.
“I’m Wyatt Jackson.” He stuck out his hand to the park worker. “And I can’t thank you enough for what you did.”
The man bent forward, panting as he took the outstretched hand. “Name’s Cecil. And I’m just—” he paused to take a breath “—glad I was there to help.” Cecil grabbed at his right side. “He got away, ditched the stroller by pushing it toward traffic. I had to make a choice to save her or catch him.” He paused long enough to take in another breath. “His back was to me the whole time. I couldn’t get a good look at his face.”
“You did the right thing, Cecil.” Relief washed over Wyatt. This morning had been right up there with... He didn’t want to think about the other depressing event that came with the holidays.
The baby was in her mother’s arms, safe. Crisis averted. That was all he would allow himself to focus on.
“Are you okay to walk?” he asked Cecil.
The man nodded.
The crime scene had been cordoned off, and a deputy was asking people to go back to work or home. Stephanie flew toward Meg and the baby; tears streamed down both women’s faces.
A man by the name of Clarence Sawmill introduced himself as the sheriff. Cecil recounted his story to Sawmill, who shook his head as he recorded details. His lips formed a grim line. Middle-aged, his eyes had the white outline of sunglasses on otherwise tanned skin. Deep grooves in his forehead and hard brackets around his mouth outlined the man’s stress levels. He was on high alert and, from the looks of him, had been since news broke of Maverick Mike’s death five months ago.
“Our family-oriented town doesn’t usually see much of a spike in crime.” Sawmill shook his head. For a split second his gaze stopped on Wyatt and he seemed to be sizing him up. The sheriff looked like he hadn’t slept in as many months and he probably hadn’t, considering Mike Butler’s murder still hadn’t been solved. Sawmill seemed like the kind of guy who would take his citizens’ welfare to heart.
The sheriff was holding an evidence bag.
“What did you find?” Wyatt asked.
“A child’s hair ribbon. It’s probably not connected. More than likely came out of a little girl’s hair while she was attending the tree lighting.” Sawmill pinched the bridge of his nose like he was trying to stem a raging headache. “My deputies will process the scene and we’ll keep you posted if anything relevant turns up.”
Meg thanked the sheriff as she gently bounced the baby, who had settled down in her mother’s comforting arms. He had to admit Meg seemed content with the job of mother.
The sheriff asked Meg a few routine-sounding questions. Her body language tensed when she spoke to Sawmill, but Wyatt figured it was justifiable under the circumstances. She was being asked if there was a reason anyone she knew would try to kidnap her infant child.
“We have a potential witness already on his way to the station to work with a sketch artist while the details are still fresh,” Sawmill said. “We’ll want you to come in and take a look as soon as we have an image in case you can identify him.”
Given the person had tried to take the baby while she was with Stephanie, Wyatt doubted that was likely.
Even so, he planned to reschedule his meeting with the Butler family lawyer. This day had taken unexpected turn after unexpected turn and, after getting a good look at Meg’s daughter, he had a feeling the day wasn’t done with him yet.
* * *
DINNER WAS HOURS away and yet all Meg wished for was a hot bath, a warm bed and sleep. Wyatt had said he’d been called away to a meeting, but Meg figured he needed air after the day’s events. Meg and Stephanie returned to the office since it was closer to the sheriff’s office and Aubrey had a pack-and-play crib there.
Stephanie had insisted on sticking around even though Meg had begged her friend to go to the ER instead. The most she would agree to was allowing an EMT to check her out at the scene.
“How’s your head?” Meg asked her friend.
“It’s been worse,” Stephanie said with a crooked smile.
“I still think we should swing by the hospital,” Meg said.
“My name is Stephanie Gable. It’s three weeks until Christmas. I live at 1212 Farm Road 236. With you, who should learn to relax a little more and stop washing every dish before it hits the sink, by the way.” She made eyes at Meg. “How’s that?”
“I think you took a bigger hit than we first thought,” she quipped, and they both smiled. Meg’s died on her lips the minute her cell rang.
A glance at the screen said it was the sheriff’s office. She took the call.
“We have an image to work with but, to be honest, it isn’t much to go on,” he said. Any hope this case could be sewn up and a criminal taken off the streets soon died.
