Protecting Her Daughter (Wrangler's Corner) (10 page)

“Hi, Zoe.” Aaron’s voice rumbled sweetly in her ear. “Just thought I’d let you know that baby girl Starke is here. When she decided it was time to enter the world, she did it fast, kicking and screaming. Nothing wrong with that kid’s lungs, that’s for sure.”

“Oh, that’s so great! And everyone is doing well?”

“Just perfect.”

She smiled at the excitement in his voice. He’d be a great uncle. “What’s baby girl’s first name?”

“They haven’t decided yet. Apparently that’s been up for discussion for a few weeks.” He cleared his throat. “Lance came by, and he and Parker are going to Knoxville to talk to your sister-in-law tomorrow.”

“Tell them I want to go.”

“I really think you need to stay here under protection with Sophia and Ginny and Joy.”

She considered his words. She was touched that he was so concerned. The deep caring in his voice made her heart flutter and anxiety bit her. She was going to break his heart if she wasn’t careful. Or vice versa.

But he might be right. If her sister-in-law and her husband were behind the attempts on her life, did she really want to face them? But what if they weren’t responsible? What if she left Sophia and something happened? “All right, I’ll stay here.”

“Good. I think that’s a wise decision.”

She heard him gasp.

“What is it?” she asked.

“My sister, Amber, just walked in.”

“Oh! Tell her I said hello.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up and leaned her head against the wall and tried to calm her racing heart. She was thrilled for Clay and Sabrina and the Starke family. A baby was a beautiful thing. Sophia came back into the den with her peanut-butter sandwich and settled herself on the couch beside Zoe. Zoe ran a hand over her child’s hair and Sophia snuggled into her side. Yes, a baby was a beautiful thing. And so was her nine-year-old daughter that someone wanted to kidnap. Her throat tightened. And the prayer slipped out.
Please, God, keep us safe.

ELEVEN

A
aron clapped Clay on the back. “Congratulations, big brother.”

“Thanks. I have to say that was the most amazing thing ever. Well, second to Sabrina agreeing to marry me. Actually, they’re neck and neck.”

Aaron grinned then moved aside to let his sister take her turn at hugging Clay and admiring their new niece. When she stepped back, he caught her hand. “You’ve missed too many family milestones. Glad you could make it for this one.”

Her mouth smiled, but her eyes remained shuttered. “I am, too, Aaron. I don’t miss them because I want to.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on with your job?”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head. “Are you really a travel writer?”

“Of course.”

The lack of expression made him wonder, but he didn’t have time to get into it with her.

Lance waved Aaron over, and he gave his sister one last hug just in case she took off without saying goodbye as she’d been known to do.

He joined Lance who led him outside of the room. “What is it?”

“Just wanted to let you know we did a little digging into Zoe’s in-laws and biological family.”

“What did you find?”

Lance referred to his phone. “When we dug into the Bishops, Zoe’s in-laws, red flags started waving.”

“What’d you find?”

“You know how Zoe said they weren’t hurting for money? That they had no reason to harm her or try to get Sophia?”

“Yes.”

“Turns out that’s not quite true.”

Aaron stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“Seems they’ve fallen on rough times financially.”

“Meaning what exactly?”

“They’re not in bankruptcy or anything, but they’re in debt and obviously struggling. The creditors are going to start lining up pretty soon.”

Aaron blew out a low breath. “So that gives them some motive for wanting to get their hands on the horse.”

“That’s the way I see it. They know Zoe isn’t worth much. The only real money she has is tied up in that horse.”

“So if they get rid of her, they get Sophia and the horse. They sell the horse for a quarter million and keep the money. That would pay quite a few bills.”

Lance rubbed the back of his head. “That’s what I’m thinking. We’re still investigating, but it’s not looking good for the Bishops.”

“What about her biological family? Were you able to track them down?” Aaron glanced through the open door at his parents. There were completely enamored with the baby girl as were Clay and a beaming Sabrina. He wanted to be in the midst of them, but he just couldn’t let this go. He needed to help Zoe figure this out.

Lance nodded. “There could be some motive there, but their contact with each other has been so sporadic over the years, it’s hard to tell. Here’s what I do know. Her dad is a real winner. He was an accountant for a large firm in Nashville. He was caught embezzling from the company funds and was arrested when Zoe was thirteen years old. He spent three years in prison. When he got out, he came home to divorce papers, but didn’t actually move out until about a year after that.”

“Nowhere to go?”

“Or didn’t want to go and refused to.”

“What about Zoe’s mother? She let him stay there?”

“Not sure he gave her a choice. The divorce wasn’t final for a long time so he may have just refused to sign the papers. I could track down the lawyer and find out if we need to. It’s weird. Zoe disappeared without a trace for about a year shortly after he got out and went home, then resurfaced to get her GED. She went on to college and excelled. She got her degree in zoology and worked in a local zoo for a while before she married her husband. After that, she was a stay-at-home mom and now a widow.”

Aaron sucked in a deep breath then let it out slowly. “A widow on the run from a killer.”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t know where she was for that year?”

“Nothing came up on the original search, but there are other ways to find out stuff like that. It may take me a while, but I can do it.”

“What about her brother?”

“His name is Tobias Potter,” Clay said. “He fell off the grid around the age of twenty-one, and there’s nothing I can find on him.”

“Does he have a record?”

“Nope.”

Aaron rubbed a hand across his chin as he processed the information. “Weird that both of them disappeared.”

Clay nodded. “Are you going to ask her about it?”

“Yes.”

“Want me to look into it?” Amber asked.

Aaron jumped. “Still sneaky, aren’t you, sis?”

She lifted a brow, innocence radiating from her. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. But what do
you
mean that you could look into it?”

She shrugged. “I do a lot of travel articles, you know that. I also do some investigative pieces every once in a while. As a result I’ve got contacts in...um...some influential places. I can make a few calls.”

“You were roommates. Why would you have to make some calls?”

Amber flushed. “Yes, we were roommates, but we weren’t superclose friends.” She held up a hand. “And before you start casting blame on me, Zoe was very tightfisted with her past.” She shrugged. “And I didn’t push it. We talked mostly about things in the present, and she didn’t share much about her past at all. Now. Do you want me to make the calls or not?”

Aaron cocked his head, fighting to keep his skepticism from showing. “What kind of calls?”

“Productive ones. Yes or no?”

“Yes,” Aaron said, still watching her eyes. They gave nothing away.

She nodded and walked away.

Aaron looked back at Lance. “Do you ever get the feeling there’s more to her than meets the eye?”

“What do you mean?”

Aaron shook his head “Some things just don’t add up with her.” He grimaced. He didn’t have time to dwell on his quirky sister right now. “Whatever. Maybe she can come up with something. I’m going to head back to the office then I hope to swing by Zoe’s before going home.”

“Ginny and Joy are there. Ginny has to leave, but Joy will be there all night.”

“Good.” Aaron waved at his mother who had the baby snuggled up against her. “And let me know if they come up with a name, will you?”

“Of course.”

Aaron sent a text to Zoe letting her know his plans and checking with her. She responded:
Everything is quiet here. Plan to stay for dinner with us if you like. See you soon.

* * *

While Sophia watched a video in the den, Zoe put the finishing touches on the dinner. Aaron would arrive at any moment and her heart wouldn’t stop fluttering like a butterfly trapped in her chest. On the one hand, she’d almost forgotten how wonderful it felt to anticipate the attention of a man, an admirer. On the other hand, she really had to quit thinking about him as a potential boyfriend. He’d made his interest clear, but her life was too crazy to commit to anything right now, even dating. And Aaron deserved more than a “maybe.”

Still...he was coming to her house, and she was excited to see him. Every minute they spent together drew them closer, and she was selfish enough to admit she didn’t want to give that up.

She checked in on Sophia who looked up from the television. “Is Doctor Aaron going to be here soon?”

“Soon.”

Sophia smiled, and her eyes twinkled their eagerness to see her friend. Zoe went back to the kitchen. Aaron had completely captured her child’s heart, and she wasn’t far behind. She gulped and stirred the mashed potatoes, checked the rolls and opened the oven to poke the chicken. Almost ready. And nothing left to do with her hands. She clasped them in front of her and tried to imagine a life without fear, without danger—without Aaron. The last part hurt, and she knew she was in trouble. Not just the physical kind, but the emotional kind. So what was she going to do?

“Something smells good in here.”

She turned to find Ginny in the doorway. “Thanks. I made enough for you and Joy, too.”

Ginny’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Wow, that’s so nice of you, but Joy is going to stay the night and I’m going to be back first thing in the morning. Do you think I could get a to-go plate?”

Zoe laughed. “Of course.”

“Could I ask you a question?”

Zoe tilted her head. “Of course.”

“You’ve shared a little about your family with me and I understand that you’re estranged, but is there no one that you could have turned to during this time? To help protect you, I mean? No other friends?”

Zoe sighed and stirred the beans—that didn’t need stirring—while she tried to decide how she wanted to answer that. “No, not really. Like I’ve explained, my family isn’t close. And quite frankly, I haven’t wanted to take a chance on putting anyone else in danger.”

“What about your in-laws? Nina and Gregory or your father-in-law?”

Zoe stared at the deputy. Ginny gave a little laugh. “Sorry, but Sophia’s quite a talker. I feel like I know each member of the Collier and Bishop families very well.”

Zoe blew out a little breath and laughed as she pulled a paper plate and some tin foil from the pantry. “Sophia is definitely a talker.” She rubbed her nose and considered her words. “I suppose I could have asked my father-in-law,” she finally said. “He’s a hard man to get to know, but I like him. He’s always been very generous to me. Even after Trevor died.” She shrugged and spooned the food onto the plate then covered it with the foil. “And I know he loves Sophia but like I said, I didn’t feel like I could put him and the others in danger, you know?”

“So he offered to help?”

“Yes. And truthfully, maybe I should have accepted it, but I just didn’t want anyone to know where we were until I could figure out what to do. If we’d stayed with him or even my sister-in-law and her husband, whoever was after Sophia would still know where she was. I didn’t want that.”

“Why don’t you call him and ask him to help you now?”

Zoe frowned. “For the same reasons. I don’t want to bring this trouble, this danger, into their lives. I’ve thought about it many times, but am trying to be patient and let Clay and Lance and all of you do your job.” She rubbed her forehead. “Or maybe I should just go to him. It sure would make things easier on you guys, wouldn’t it?”

“Maybe. It sounds like he would do anything to protect you.”

“He would.”

Ginny shrugged. “So why not call him?”

Zoe stared out the window. “No. Not yet. I’m not ready to do that yet.”

“I understand.” Ginny smiled. “Thanks for letting me be nosey.”

“Any time.” Zoe handed Ginny the plate, and the deputy grinned.

“Thanks,” Ginny said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I’ll be here.”

Joy stuck her head in the kitchen. “I think there’s someone snooping around outside. I’m going to take a look. Ginny, you stay with her, all right?”

And there it was. The reminder that not all was well in her world. Zoe stiffened and watched Ginny instantly go from wide-eyed hungry woman to a trained professional. Ginny practically threw the plate onto the counter then went after her coworker.

“Wait!” Zoe called and made it into the foyer in time to find Joy halfway out the door and Ginny standing with her hand on her weapon. “Aaron’s on his way over. He should be here any minute.” She pulled her phone from her pocket. “I’ll try to reach him and let him know what’s going on, but just watch for him.”

“I’ll be careful. Lock the door behind me,” Joy said. And then she was gone, shutting the door behind her. Zoe dialed Aaron’s number with one hand and locked the door with her other. She felt her nerves rise to the surface of her skin. His phone rang four times then went to voice mail. “Aaron, if you get this, be careful around my house. Someone was outside, and Joy is looking for him.” She hung up and dialed again.

“Mom?”

She turned, phone pressed to her ear, to see Sophia watching them, a frown on her face and worry drawing her brows together. “Yes?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing I hope.” Again the call went to voice mail.

Sophia scampered over to her, and Zoe drew the child to her side. Ginny stood near the edge of the window and peered out, careful to stay out of the line of fire. Zoe hit the lights and sent the room into darkness. Light from the kitchen filtered through the foyer and into the den.

She moved and kept Sophia right beside her. A thud sounded behind her coming from the kitchen. She whirled and Sophia gasped, but stayed right with her. Ginny stood there, the moonlight filtering through the blinds with enough light for Zoe to see her finger to her lips. In her other hand, she held her weapon.

Zoe pressed her lips together.

A knock on the door startled them all. “Aaron,” she breathed. Where was Joy? The tension curling in her belly formed into a hard ball. Ginny moved to the door.

“Zoe?” Aaron called. “What’s going on? Are you all right?”

Ginny opened the door and pulled him inside and shut and relocked the door. “Someone’s outside. Did you see Joy?”

His frown deepened. “No.”

Her lips tightened and Zoe’s fear level doubled. “She could be hurt,” Zoe said. “I tried to call you but you didn’t answer.”

He checked his phone and grimaced. “It’s on silent.” He flipped the button. “Want me to check on Joy?”

Ginny paced from the window to the door. “She could have caught the guy,” Ginny said. She checked her radio then looked at Aaron. “Joy, come in, are you there?” Zoe noted that she didn’t use the police lingo. The two women were friends, coworkers. And Ginny was worried. Zoe’s fear surged and she sent up a silent prayer. She had to.

“Joy didn’t call for backup,” Ginny said, hesitating. She was clearly torn between staying with Zoe and Sophia and going outside to find her fellow officer. “I’m calling for backup,” she said, dialing her phone. Zoe thought she heard Lance’s voice saying he was on the way.

“Go find her,” Zoe said.

“Go,” Aaron echoed. “I’ll stay here with Zoe and Sophia.”

“I can’t,” Ginny whispered. “I can’t leave you.” She paced to the door then the window. “The floodlights are on. Someone tripped them.”

“I’ll check the back of the house,” Aaron said. He disappeared through the foyer into the main area, bypassed the kitchen and went to the back door off the living room. Zoe’s gaze darted between Aaron and Ginny.