Rancher Rescue (4 page)

Katherine had clearly been through hell. An unexpected death and a kidnapping within a week?

Before he could get too deep into that thought, the screen door creaked open and Matt walked out.

“Tough situation in there,” he said, nodding toward the house.

“You believe her now?”

“Hard to dispute the evidence.” He held his toothpick up to the light. “I didn’t mean to insult her before. I didn’t know what to believe.”

“Can’t say I wouldn’t be suspicious, too, if I hadn’t seen her moments after the fact.”

“I know you’re planning to help, and it’s the right thing to do, but is there something going on between you two?”

He clamped his mouth shut. Shock momentarily robbed his voice.

“No. Of course not. I met her five minutes ago. What makes you think otherwise?”

“You have a history of getting involved with women in crisis.”

“I’d help anyone who needed it.”

“True.”

Matt didn’t have to remind him of what he already knew. He had a knack for attracting women in trouble. Did he feel an attraction to Katherine? Yes. Was she beautiful? Yes. But he knew better than to act on it. The last time he’d rescued a woman, she’d returned the favor by breaking his heart. She’d let him help her, but then deserted him. He needed to keep his defenses up and not get involved with Katherine the way he did with the others. Period.

That being said, he wouldn’t turn away a woman in trouble. Did this have something to do with his twisted-up childhood? He was pretty damn sure Freud would think so.

Tension tightened Matt’s face. “Just be careful. When the last one walked out, she took a piece of you with her. You haven’t been the same since.”

“Not going to happen again.”

Matt arched his brow. “If I’m honest, I’m also bothered by the fact there’s a kid involved.”

Figured. Caleb knew exactly what his friend was talking about. “My ex and her little girl have nothing to do with this.”

“No? You sure about that?”

“I don’t see how Katherine’s nephew being kidnapped has anything to do with my past,” Caleb said. Impatience edged his tone.

“A woman shows up at your door with a kid in crisis and you can’t see anything familiar about it? I’ve known you a long time—”

“You don’t have to remind me.”

“Then you realize I wouldn’t come out of the blue with something. I think your judgment’s clouded.” Matt’s earnest eyes stared into Caleb. His buddy had had a ringside seat to the pain Cissy had caused when she’d walked out, taking Savannah with her. Matt’s intentions were pure gold, if not his reasoning.

“I disagree.” He couldn’t deny or explain his attraction to Katherine. It was more than helping out a random person in need. He could be honest with himself. He probably felt a certain amount of pull toward her because of the child involved. No doubt, the situation tugged at his heart. But he’d only just met her. He’d help her. She’d leave. Whether she was wearing his favorite color on her underwear or not, they’d both move on. He had no intention of finding out if the pale blue lace circled her tiny waist. He was stubborn, not stupid. “Nothing else matters until we find that little guy.”

“Saw the sheriff earlier.” Matt’s hands clenched. “Heard about the boy having a medical condition. What kind of person would snatch a little kid like that?”

Matt didn’t use the word
monster,
but Caleb knew his buddy well enough to know he thought it.

“That’s what I plan to find out.”

“You know I’ll help in any way I can. Then she can go home, and you can get on with your life.”

Caleb chewed on a toothpick. “How are the men taking everything?”

“Hard. Especially with Jimmy’s situation. He’s still out searching.”

“Meant to ask how his little girl’s doing when I saw him tonight.”

Matt shook his head. “Not good.”

Damn. “Send ’em home. They need to be with their families.”

“I think most of them want to be here to keep searching. Jimmy made up flyers. A few men headed into town to put the word out. Everyone wants to help with the search. They’re working out shifts to sleep.”

“Tell ’em how much I appreciate their efforts. We’ll do everything we can to make sure this boy comes home safe. And we won’t stop looking for him until we do.”

Matt nodded, his solemn expression intensifying when he said, “You be careful with yourself, too.”

“This is not like the others.”

“You don’t know that yet,” Matt said, deadpan.

Caleb bit back his response. Matt’s heart was in the right place. “Tell Gus I can’t meet tomorrow. I know the buyer wants to stop by, but I can’t.”

“This is the third time he’s set up a meeting. You haven’t liked anyone he’s found so far.”

“Can’t dump my mare on the first person that strolls in.”

“Or the second...or third apparently. Every time we breed her, the same thing happens. It’s been three years and not one of her foals has lived.”

“Which is exactly the reason I don’t want to sell her. What will end up happening to her when they realize she can’t produce? Besides, she’s useful around here.”

“How so? The men use four-wheelers so it won’t do any good to assign her to one of them. I have my horse and you have yours.”

“I’ll find more for her to do. Dawn’s getting older. I’ll use both. Not all lost causes are lost causes.”

Matt’s eyebrow rose as he turned toward the barn. “We’ll see.”

* * *

C
ALEB
HAD
BEEN
buried in paperwork for a couple hours when Katherine appeared in his office doorway, leaning on the crutch.

“Mind some company?”

She wore an oversize sleep shirt and loose-fitting shorts cinched above the hips. Even clothes two sizes too big couldn’t cloak her sexy figure. Her soft curves would certainly get a man fantasizing about what was beneath those thin threads.

“Sure. Where’d you get the clothes?”

“Margaret put these on the bed with a note saying they belonged to her daughter. Even said I could borrow them as long as I needed to. I managed to clean up without getting my leg wet. I took a nap. I’m feeling much better.”

Katherine sat in the oversize leather chair Caleb loved. It was big enough for two. Claws hopped up a second later, curling in her lap.

“Any word from the sheriff yet?”

“No. I put in a call to him. Should hear back any minute. If your leg is feeling better in the morning, I thought we could head to Austin.”

“I want to stay here and search for my phone.”

“We’ll look first. Then we’ll head out. Any chance you have a copy of your sister’s keys?”

“Afraid not.”

“We’ll get in anyway.”

She cocked her head and pursed her lips. “Tell me not to ask why you know how to break in someone’s house.”

Caleb cracked a smile as he rubbed his temples. “Misspent youth. Besides, some secrets a man takes to his grave.” He chuckled. “I’ve been thinking. You have any idea if Noah’s father knew about him?”

Katherine heaved a sigh, twirling her fingers through Claws’s fur. “I should but don’t. My sister’s relationships were complicated. Especially ours.”

“Families can be tricky,” Caleb agreed.

“When our parents got in the car crash my freshman year of college, I resented having to come home to take care of her.” Katherine dropped her gaze. “I probably made everything worse. Did everything wrong.”

“Not an easy situation to be thrown into.”

Katherine’s lips trembled but no tears came.

“Leann had always been something of a free spirit. Her life was lived without a care in the world. I was the one who stressed over grades and stayed home on Friday nights to study or to help out around the house. My parents owned a small business and worked long hours. I was used to being alone. Leann, on the other hand, was always out with friends. The two of us couldn’t have been more opposite. Sometimes I wished I could have been more like her. Instead, I came down on her hard. Tried to force her to be more like me.”

“You had no choice but to be serious. Sounds like you were the one who had to grow up.” She was a survivor who coped the best way she could.

“What about your parents?” She turned the tables.

“My mom was a saint. The man who donated sperm? A jerk. Dad, if you can call him that, didn’t treat my mother very well before he decided to run out.” Caleb’s story was the same one being played out in every honky-tonk from there to the border. “I rebelled. I was angry at her for allowing him to hurt her when he was here. Angry with myself for not jumping in to save her. Mom worked herself too hard to pay the bills. Didn’t have insurance. Didn’t take care of her diabetes. Died when I was fifteen.” The familiar stab of anger and regret punctured him.

“Did you blame yourself?”

“I know a thing or two about feeling like you let someone down. Only hurt yourself with that kind of thinking, though. I found the past is better left there. Best to focus on the here and now. Do that well and the future will take care of itself.”

“Is that your way of saying I should let go?”

“I did plenty of things wrong when I was a child. You could say I was a handful. Dwelling on it doesn’t change what was.”

She studied the room. “Looks like you’re making up for it now.”

Pride filled his chest. “Never felt like I belonged anywhere before here.” He’d been restless lately though. Matt had said Caleb missed having little feet running around. The wounds were still raw from Cissy leaving. Another reason he should keep a safe distance from the woman curled up on his favorite chair. She looked as though she belonged there. “TorJake is a great home.”

“I love the name. How’d you come up with it?”

“My first big sale was a beautiful paint horse. The man who’d sold him to me when he was a pony said he tore up the ground like no other. He’d been calling him Speedy Jake. I joked that I should enter him over at Lone Star Park as ToreUpTheEarthJake. Somehow, his nickname got shortened to TorJake, and it stuck. Had to geld him early on to keep his temperament under control. He had the most interesting, well-defined markings I’ve ever seen. Sold him to a bigwig movie producer in Hollywood to use filming a Western. The sale allowed me to buy neighboring farms and eventually expand to what I have now.”

“Was it always your dream to own a horse ranch?”

“I figured I’d end up in jail or worse. When I landed a job at my first working ranch, I fell in love. A fellow by the name of Hank was an old pro working there. He taught me the ropes. Said he saw something in me. He never had kids of his own. Told me he went to war instead. Became a damn good marine. Special ops. He taught me everything I know about horse ranches and keeping myself out of trouble.”

“Where is he now?”

“He passed away last year.”

“I’m so sorry.” Her moment of distraction faded too fast, and he knew what she was thinking based on the change in her expression. “You don’t think they’ll hurt him, do you?”

He ground his back teeth. “I hope not. I don’t like this situation for more than the obvious reasons. This whole thing feels off. Your sister dies a week ago. Now this with Noah. Could the two be connected somehow?”

Katherine gasped. Her hand came up to cover her mouth. “I didn’t think about how odd the timing is.”

“Maybe she got in a fight with Noah’s father. Was about to reveal who he was. He could be someone prominent. Most missing children are taken by family members or acquaintances, once you rule out runaways, according to the sheriff.”

“Then what about the file?”

“I was thinking about that. Could be a paternity test.”

“If his father took him, at least Noah will be safe, right?” Katherine threaded her fingers through her hair, pulling it off her face.

“It’s possible. I don’t mean any disrespect. Do you think it’s possible your sister was blackmailing him?”

“He didn’t pay child support. That much I know. I paid her tuition. She enrolled in a social program to help with Noah’s care. Got him into a great daycare. I was planning to move to Austin in a few months to be closer. I work for a multinational software company scheduling appointments for our trainers to visit customer sites, so it doesn’t matter where I live. I wanted to be close so I could help out more. I can’t help wondering what kind of person would hurt the mother of his child.”

“I’m probably grasping at straws. We’ll start with trying to figure out who he is. See what happens there.”

“She was reckless before Noah. I thought her life was on track since his diagnosis. She got a part-time job at a coffee shop and enrolled in community college. She reconnected with me.”

His ring tone cut into the conversation. “It’s Matt.” He brought the phone to his ear. “What’s the word?”

“Jimmy found two things out at the Reynolds’ place. A stuffed rabbit and a cell. I told him to meet me at your place.”

“I appreciate the news. We’ll keep watch for you.”

Caleb hit End and told Katherine what his ranch hand had found.

“I hope I got a shot of someone. They wore dark sunglasses, so their faces might be hard to make out, but maybe I captured someone else involved. Like the man who distracted me.”

“Either way, we’ll know in a minute.” Wouldn’t do any good to set false expectations. And yet, hope was all she had.

Looking into her violet eyes, damned if he wasn’t the one who wanted to put it there.

A knock at the door had him to his feet faster than he could tack a horse, and tossing a throw blanket toward Katherine.

Caleb led Jimmy and Matt into the study. After a quick introduction, Jimmy advanced toward Katherine, carrying a phone. “Found this along the tree line by the Reynolds’ place. Look familiar?”

“Yes, thank you. That looks like mine.” Katherine’s eyes sparkled with the first sign of optimism since Caleb had found her in the woods. She checked the screen. “Seven missed calls and a voice mail.”

Another knock sounded at the door. Caleb walked Sheriff Coleman into the study a moment later, before moving to her side. The hope in her eyes was another hint of light in the middle of darkness and blackness, and every worst fear realized.

“Put it on speaker.”