Operation Cowboy Daddy (9 page)

She was almost to the funnel cake booth when she was jerked backward and Joey’s weight shifted abruptly. In horror, she dropped the bag of hot dogs and whirled around.

A dark-haired man with an ugly snarl on his face stood inches in front of her. “Give Joey to me,” he demanded.

“What?” She stared at him blankly. Surely she had misunderstood him.

He pulled a gun from his jacket pocket. “Give him to me now. He’s mine.”

Fear froze her in place. The crowd around them melted away as she stared into the man’s dark and dangerous eyes. Her brain couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Who was this man?

“Give him to me now,” he repeated and raised the barrel of his gun to point at her chest.

In the space of her frantic heartbeat a million thoughts flew through her head. How did he know Joey’s name? Why did he want Joey? What did he mean that Joey was his?

If he shot his gun right now, he’d risk the possibility of hurting the baby. If he shot her, he also risked immediate capture.

There were dozens of armed cowboys in the area, men who would instantly respond to a damsel in distress. With this thought in mind, she did the only thing she knew to do.

She screamed.

The scream pierced through the laughter and sliced through the happy conversations of the people nearby. “Help me! Somebody please help me, he’s trying to take my baby from me,” she cried.

“Hey, what’s going on over there?” a deep voice called from somewhere on their left.

“What’s wrong with you, man? Leave her alone,” another man called out.

The dark-haired man took several steps back from her, slid his gun back into his pocket and then turned and ran, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Mary released a sob at the same time Joey began to wail.

“Mary?” Tony appeared out of the crowd and raced toward her. “Mary, what happened? Are you all right?”

“I’m all right. Get Joey,” she said and turned her back so he could get the crying baby out of the backpack. She turned back around and took Joey into her arms.

“What’s going on?” Tony asked, his eyes narrowed as she hugged Joey close to her chest.

The people who had gathered around her began to drift away as Tony threw an arm around her shoulders. For a moment the fear of what had almost occurred made it impossible for her to speak.

“Call Dillon,” she finally choked out. “A man just tried to kidnap Joey.”

Tony gasped and pulled her closer against his side. “Let’s get you back to the tent.”

Neither of them spoke as they hurried toward the relative safety of the tent. Mary’s thoughts continued to fly in a million different directions, each one more chilling than the last.

When they reached the tent, Halena took one look at them both and then jumped up from her chair. “What’s happened?”

“A man tried to kidnap Joey.” A shiver stole up Mary’s spine. “He had a gun and he said that Joey was his.” She hugged Joey tighter against her as she held Tony’s gaze. “Amy told you to protect him from evil. I know in my soul I just met her evil.”

Chapter 7

T
ony stood at the front entrance of the tent with his hand on the butt of his gun. He’d called Dillon and as he awaited the arrival of the chief of police, his heart beat anxiously and his blood ran cold.

Ben Taylor stood on the outside of the back of the tent, on guard to make sure that nobody tried to come into the interior that way.

Joey was napping in Mary’s arms and Halena sat next to Mary, her expression grim. For right now the business was closed and Tony kept any potential buyers and lookers out.

Who was the man who had accosted Mary? He’d obviously tried to use the crowd and the activity to his advantage. Thank God it hadn’t worked.

He’d told Mary the baby was his and he’d known Joey’s name.
Oh, Amy, what kind of a web of lies have you put us in?
Tension tightened his stomach.

Had Amy told this man he was Joey’s father? And if so, then what kind of a father pulled a gun and pointed it at a defenseless woman? What kind of a father tried to kidnap a baby?

His blood chilled even more as a new thought sprang into his head. Had the break-in that had occurred at Mary’s house really been a thief trying to steal Native American items to sell, or had it been this man attempting to get to Joey?

What in the hell was going on and what drama had Amy cast them all into?

He released a small sigh of relief as he saw Dillon approaching with Officer Juan Ramirez. He had no idea what the lawman might be able to do, but he felt better already knowing that a report would be made.

“Tony.” Dillon greeted him with a grim smile. He glanced into the interior of the tent and indicated for Tony to follow him inside. “Juan will keep people out while I speak to you all.”

Tony nodded and followed Dillon to the back of the tent, where he greeted Mary and Halena with the same tight expression. He pulled a pad and pen from his pocket. “Tell me exactly what happened,” he said to Mary.

Tony’s blood chilled once again as she explained that she believed the man had first tried to grab Joey from the backpack. Thank God Joey had been buckled into the canvas seat. When she told Dillon that the man had then drawn a gun and demanded she give up the child, Dillon’s features tightened even more.

“What did he look like?” he asked when she finished her story with the man disappearing into the crowd.

“He was maybe about six feet tall and had a slim build.” She frowned and her lower lip began to tremble.

Tony fought the impulse to pull her up from the chair and take her into his arms, to somehow try to shield her from the fear that had entered her eyes.

“His hair was black and neatly cut and his eyes... His eyes were dark and wild-looking.”

Once again Tony’s stomach clenched with tension as she gave Dillon a description of the man’s clothing. Tony was certain the man was no longer in the area. What worried him was that if what he was thinking was correct, then the man had made two attempts to steal Joey away.

“Maybe this evening after you close up here you could come down to the station and look at some mug shots,” Dillon said as he tucked the pen and pad back into his pocket. “Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and the man has a rap sheet.”

Mary nodded. “We close up here at nine. Is that too late?”

Dillon smiled ruefully. “Not at all. Long nights have become a habit for me.”

“If this man is really Joey’s father, and it’s obvious he knows Mary has Joey, then why didn’t he just come to the front door to get his son?” Halena asked. “Why point a gun and try to kidnap him?”

Nobody had an answer for her. “One thing is for certain,” Tony said to Dillon. “There’s no way I’m giving up Joey to any man who pulled a gun on Mary.”

“I should have shot him the night when he tried to break in,” Halena exclaimed. She looked at Dillon. “You know it had to have been him. I’m just giving you a heads-up—if he tries to break in again, I will shoot him through his black heart.”

“We don’t know for certain that he was the person who tried to break into your house,” Dillon protested.

“I know,” Halena replied. “The leaves on the trees have whispered to me and told me he’s the heartless tin man I dreamed about. At first I thought the tin man was Tony, but now I see more clearly.”

Tony had no idea what the old woman was talking about. All he knew for certain was that he had to step up and make sure that Joey, Mary and Halena remained safe until this whole mess was straightened out.

“I’ll keep Juan here on guard for the rest of the evening,” Dillon said as he walked with Tony toward the front of the tent.

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Tony replied. “But I don’t intend to let Mary or the baby out of my sight until we get to the bottom of all this.”

“You realize the odds of me finding this guy based solely on Mary’s description of him is slim. We have a lot of dark-haired strangers wearing jeans and a jacket in town this weekend for the fair.”

Tony frowned. “Whoever he is, he’s got to be tied to Amy.”

“And Mick hasn’t been able to find out anything for you where she’s concerned?”

“Nothing. It’s like she disappeared into thin air.” Tony couldn’t help but worry about the woman he’d once shared a brief relationship with. Although he hadn’t been in love with her, he had cared about her.

“It would help if Mary could pick this guy out of a mug-shot book,” Dillon replied.

“I’ll make sure she’s there right after she closes down things here.”

“Then I’ll see you all later.” With that Dillon turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Halena walked over to where Tony remained at the front of the tent. “I’ll deal with the customers. You go sit with my granddaughter. I think she needs you more than me right now.”

That was exactly where Tony wanted to be—next to Mary and the little boy who might or might not be his son. He was still horrified by what had happened and the expression of fear that lingered on Mary’s features.

He sat in the chair next to her and gestured toward the sleeping Joey. “Why don’t you let me take him for a little while,” he said. “He must be getting heavy.”

“He’s fine.” She released a shuddery sigh and gazed down at him. A smile curved Joey’s lips, as if his dreams were happy ones. Thank goodness he was safe and sound.

“I’m sorry, Mary.”

She looked at him in surprise. “Why are you sorry? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I brought danger to your doorstep.”

“You didn’t know this was going to happen,” she replied.

“But now I know.” He sighed. “Tonight after we go to the police station, I’ll pack up Joey’s things and take him back to the bunkhouse with me. It’s the right thing to do. I can’t have you and Halena in danger because of me and Joey.”

“No, there has to be another way.” She tightened her arms around the boy.

“I can’t allow you to be involved in this any longer,” he protested.

Her gaze held his steadily. “But I’m already involved. There has to be another way of handling this without suddenly uprooting Joey. We have him on a good routine. He’s thriving right now.”

Tony frowned thoughtfully. “The only other thing I can think of is if I take off work for a couple of weeks and move in with you and Halena.”

Her eyes widened slightly and then she looked down at Joey. She swept a finger across one of his cherub cheeks and then gazed at Tony once again. “Then that’s what we’ll do. Three people guarding him is definitely better than one.”

“Are you sure? We know now that there’s a crazy man out there who wants him.” He couldn’t believe that she’d agreed to such a plan. If he was in her position, he would have run for the hills.

“I’m positive,” she replied firmly. Her eyes shone with an inner strength and with complete commitment.

He stood. “Then I’ll just call Cassie and make some arrangements. Maybe while you’re in the station with Dillon I can run to the ranch and pick up a few things I’ll need.”

She nodded. “The most important thing is that we keep Joey safe from that man, no matter what it takes.”

For the next couple of hours he worried about their decision. Was he doing the right thing, or was he putting two women he cared about at risk? Both of them understood there was risk and yet appeared determined to take it on.

The rest of the evening passed quickly and by the time they loaded up the merchandise into the truck for safe-keeping through the night, it was almost nine thirty.

They all got into Tony’s truck and headed toward the police station on Main Street. It was a silent ride. Even Halena was quiet, as if the events of the day weighed heavily on her.

Tony had few illusions that Mary would be able to identify the man from any mug shots Dillon might have. If the man had been a Bitterroot native, then the odds were good that Mary would have known him when he’d attempted the kidnapping, but she hadn’t known him.

Since Amy had moved to Oklahoma City, the man was probably from there as well. If that was the case, then it was doubtful that he’d ever gotten arrested in Bitterroot. Still, it was worth a shot.

Dillon greeted them in the small lobby area and took them into a conference room, where two large binders were on the long table. “Mary, while you go through those, I’m going to head to the ranch,” Tony said. “I’ll be back in less than an hour.”

“It’s going to take her at least that long to go through all the photos,” Dillon replied. “Since this afternoon I tried to update the mug shots from what I could get from Oklahoma City.”

Mary settled in at a chair at the table with Halena seated across from her. She looked small and vulnerable as she began to look at the mug shots. Tony watched her for a moment and then he left the building.

Minutes later he was back in his truck and headed for the ranch. A tension headache pounded at the base of his skull. He’d called Cassie earlier and explained to her what was going on. She’d told him to take what time he needed, as he’d known she would. More than once since she’d taken over the ranch she’d stepped up to help people in need.

He was still surprised that Mary had agreed to this new arrangement and that she hadn’t sent him and Joey packing immediately. He was nervous about what the future might bring, but he couldn’t help the fact that having Mary and her grandmother on his side was oddly comforting.

He had no idea what to expect. How could he keep them all safe when he didn’t know his enemy? How did he fight against an unknown entity? Somehow he had to make sure that he was on his guard for any hint of trouble.

If what he believed was right, then the man had already made two attempts to get Joey, and Tony had no question in his mind that a third attempt would happen sooner rather than later.

One thing was certain—danger was coming hard and fast.

* * *

Mary shifted positions on the hard chair and turned another page in the binder. Tony had returned and sat next to her while Halena sat across the table with Joey in her lap.

Dillon stood near the door. He’d been patient in the last hour while she’d gazed at face after face, seeking the man who had tried to attack her.

She was frustrated not only with the whole situation, but also with herself. She should have let them go, both Joey and Tony. He’d offered to take Joey and walk out of her life, but she’d protested.

There was no happy ending for her here. She was a fool to prolong the goodbyes that would inevitably occur. Joey wasn’t her child and Tony wasn’t her man. They were just passing ships that had brought her momentary happiness. And now there was another kind of danger.

But when push came to shove, she just wasn’t ready to let them go. Besides, Joey wouldn’t be as safe in day care as he was with her. With Tony in the house, she wasn’t afraid. She knew he’d do everything in his power to keep them all safe. The decision they’d made was the best one for Joey and that brought her some comfort.

She frowned and focused once again on the photos. She’d been shocked by how many there were. She’d always considered Bitterroot a safe little town, but it apparently wasn’t without criminals.

She flipped the page and suddenly froze. He stared up at her from the notebook, his eyes dark and evil and his thin lips twisted with a sneer.

“It’s him.” She stabbed her finger just below his neck. “This is the man.” She fought against an inner shiver that threatened to overtake her.

Tony leaned closer and Dillon came around the table to stand behind her. “You’re positive?” Dillon asked.

“One hundred percent.” She looked up at Dillon. “Who is he?”

Dillon’s gray eyes narrowed and his shoulders straightened. “He’s bad news. His name is Ash Moreland. That mug shot is from a year ago when he was arrested in Oklahoma City on a petty drug charge that was eventually dismissed.”

“Doesn’t sound that bad to me,” Tony replied.

“I’m not finished,” Dillon replied. “Moreland is suspected to be a fairly powerful drug lord in Oklahoma City. He’s also a prime suspect in three murders over the past year, but so far the authorities haven’t been able to get enough evidence to make an arrest.”

Mary’s heart felt as if it stopped beating. A drug lord? A murderer? Dear God, what had Amy gotten involved in? What had she gotten
them
involved in? A deep chill shuddered through her as she gazed at the innocent little boy in Halena’s arms.

“You’re positive that’s the man?” Dillon asked her.

She stared down at the photo in front of her and then looked up at him. “I’m a hundred-percent positive.”

“Then I’ll contact the Oklahoma City authorities and let them know what’s going on here,” Dillon continued. “If we get lucky, they might be able to arrest him at his home before the night is over.”

“You’ll keep us informed?” Tony asked.

“Absolutely,” Dillon replied.

Mary stared down at the picture once again.
Protect him from evil.
That was what Amy had said to Tony. There was no question in Mary’s mind that Ash Moreland was the evil Amy had feared.

Was it possible Ash was Tony’s biological father? God help Joey if that was the case. And where was Amy? Was she someplace in hiding, or had Ash done something to her?