Time to Heal (Harlequin Heartwarming) (23 page)

Jake stepped protectively in front of his sons, his revolver drawn, and braced himself. Rounding the corner, the dog stopped, confused when Mike and Scotty both lunged for him.

“I’ll chain him up!” Mike said.

Nodding, Jake holstered his weapon and swept Scotty up in his arms. Obviously the dog recognized the boys.

“Don’t forget Todd.”

Everyone turned, gaping as Rachel stepped out of the shadows into the light.

“Rachel—”

“Mommy!”

“Wow, it’s Miss Rachel.”

Frank grinned. “I’ll go rescue Todd. By my reckoning, he’s the only one left in the house except the two kids.”

“Bring them, too, just to be safe,” Rachel told him, then holding out her arms, she burst into tears as Jake handed Scotty over. Crushing him to her, whispering his name over and over, she buried her face in his grubby, precious little neck.

R
ACHEL WAS NOT SLEEPING
. She lay quietly on her side, snuggled against Jake in their bed as the clock solemnly chimed the hour, and watched the intermittent flicker of lightning outside.

Three o’clock.

A second storm front had followed on the heels of the first, and now more rain and wind lashed at the windows. Strong gusts whipped the palms just outside, sending leaves and loose debris flying. She squirmed a little, fitting her back to Jake’s front, smiling at the warm bulk of him. He groaned sleepily, tightening his arms around her, then relaxed again almost immediately.

How could he sleep? she wondered. Her thoughts were chasing around in her brain like the wind-tossed debris outside. Her children were home!

Scotty.
She closed her eyes in fervent thanksgiving.

Michael.
Her throat tightened.

Thank you, God.

The facts surrounding Scotty’s kidnapping were still murky, but Michael had given them a
pretty good idea of what happened. It had been so uncomplicated. On the day of his disappearance, there had been a moving van in the next block. In the original investigation, Jake had questioned the driver, but there seemed nothing to connect him to the kidnapping. There was nothing irregular about the job, nothing to arouse his suspicion. The company was a large national one, the driver bonded and reputable, the laborers local. That was the connection. Willard Biggs was one of the laborers.

For a long time Biggs had nursed a grudge against the law in Kinard County, where he’d served time for a crime he still claimed he didn’t commit. When Biggs realized one of the children watching the van loading up that day was the son of Sheriff Jake McAdam, he had seized his chance to retaliate against the whole system and the sheriff in particular. He had hidden Scotty, bound and gagged, in the back of the eighteen-wheeler without the driver’s knowledge, then taken him to his property in the swamp, where he’d turned him loose to survive as best he could with his own neglected children. It was an act of meanness and sheer spite. If he’d been older, Scotty might have had a chance to get away, but he’d been intimidated by the swampy surroundings and Biggs’s frequent threats. In six months, Scotty had not
traveled more than twenty yards from Biggs’s back porch.

Suddenly needing to see him, to touch him, Rachel slipped quietly from the bed, trying not to disturb Jake. She still trembled thinking of everything that could have gone wrong in the rescue. When the shooting started, her heart had stopped. Biggs and his cohorts as well as Ramirez’s men had scattered in the chaos that followed. Jake and Frank had not wasted the opportunity. Jake had swept up his family, using Rachel’s car to get away. Frank had returned to rescue Todd and the two Biggs children. Both were now in Jacky Kendall’s custody at Juvenile Hall. Frank took Todd home with him. Jake had been startled when Rachel suggested that Frank Cordoba would be an excellent foster parent for Todd. She still thought it was a great idea. Frank was already half-convinced. He had bragged to everyone who would listen about Todd’s role in the rescue.

She donned a robe quickly, then left the bedroom. The hall was lit with a dim glow, probably Scotty’s night-light. He’d been a little anxious when she’d finally settled him in his bed, and she would have taken him in with her and Jake, but he refused when he found out Mike wasn’t going. He already had a world-class case of hero worship for his big brother.

She went into his room and stopped short. It
was empty. Her heart thumping, she started to tell Jake when she noticed the greenish glow from the door of Michael’s room. The aquarium, of course. Looking inside, she relaxed against the doorframe. Scotty lay curled up beside Michael.

Moving silently, she went to the bed. Both boys were sleeping, lulled by the bubble and gurgle of the fish tank. With a faint smile, she saw that Michael had given up his cherished spot closest to the aquarium to make room for Scotty. Her eyes stinging, Rachel bent and gently moved his small outflung leg and sat down. Already the covers were kicked away. She smoothed the tangled sheet, touched him on his cheek, brushed his bangs aside. He’d have to have a haircut, she thought, rejoicing quietly that she had that small motherly task to handle once again. He stirred and mumbled something. She bent closer and with a catch in her chest made out the words.

“Mike… Go home…”

His new big brother dominated even his dreams, she thought with a soft smile. Then, sifting the silky blond hair through her fingers, she wondered about his dreams. Were they about his captivity? Michael’s arrival to save him? The chaotic rescue? Would he be tormented forever by his ordeal? According to Michael, Scotty had been hungry and cold sometimes. A few times, he’d been callously shut in the shed, but only when Michael appeared
had he been chained. Leaning close, she kissed his baby-soft cheek, thankful that he hadn’t suffered other abuse, the kind that might have destroyed his life or left him with deep-seated problems he could never overcome.

Stroking the small hand thrown innocently above his head, she vowed that, as a family, they’d overcome the nightmare that had nearly destroyed them. She was so thankful her family was whole again. She felt a new faith in herself, in her marriage, a new joy in her life. With one last caress of Scotty’s silky blond head, she stood up. Then she tiptoed to the other side of the bed and sat down.

Michael wore the T-shirt Jake had given him that first night. Unable to resist, she touched his dark hair. Studying him in the shadowy glow, she realized she no longer thought of Michael’s resemblance to Jake. The likeness was still there, but now he was just…Michael.

He stirred and she realized he was awake.

“Hi, Miss Rachel.” His voice was soft and sleep-husky.

“I’m sorry, Michael. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That’s okay. I guess you were worried about Scotty.”

“Only until I found him.”

“He was still a little scared. The swamp and all. He’ll get over it in a little while—you’ll see.”

She smiled. “You’re probably right. In the meantime, do you mind?”

“Nah. He’s fine. He was out like a light once he started watching the fish.”

She laughed softly. “We certainly understand that, don’t we?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She touched his jaw, cradling it in her palm. “You should be asleep, too, you know.”

At her touch, his eyes fell. “I guess all the excitement and everything…” Without seeming aware of it, he lifted his shoulder as though to capture her caress and hold it. She reached for his hand, and when their fingers met, both squeezed tight.

“I’m so glad to have you back home, Michael,” she whispered.

He didn’t say anything, just looked at her with wide, serious eyes. His hand stayed intertwined with hers.

“I don’t ever want you to leave again. No matter what happens. No matter what you see or think you see. We’re a family, Michael. You, me, Jake and Scotty. Nobody can just take off.” Her voice blended with the soft gurgle of the water. “Because when someone you love is missing, nothing can fill that hole in your heart.”

He looked away quickly, but not before she saw the glint of his tears.

“Promise me, Michael.”

“Okay.” It came out a croak.

She brought their clasped hands to the V of her shoulder and neck and squeezed. “Thank you for going to Scotty. Thank you for protecting him, for being there and helping him handle his fears. But even if you hadn’t found him, Michael, I would still want you as my son.”

Manfully, he tried to blink back his tears, but they spilled over anyway. Rachel smiled through tears of her own. “Now, are you too old or can I please have a hug?”

He went into the haven of her arms as though it were the most natural thing in the world to do. And it was.

T
RYING NOT TO MAKE
a sound, Rachel eased back into bed beside Jake. With a sleepy grunt, he pulled her close until they fit like spoons. She relaxed, loving the feel of him. His breath stirred the hair at her nape and she felt safe and happy. She thought he’d fallen back to sleep when he spoke softly.

“Where have you been?”

“Checking on our children.”

“Mmm. They okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

His hand caressed her shoulder. “How about you?”

She didn’t reply right away. After a moment, she turned onto her back and rested her head on his arm. “I guess I’ve got to be the luckiest woman in the world tonight, Jake.”

“Counting your blessings, hmm?”

“Miracles, Jake. It’s been a day of miracles.”

“I know, sweetheart.”

“So many things could have gone wrong.”

“But they didn’t.”

“I thought I would die when Biggs came out on the porch and that dog with him. Thank heaven Todd was there.”

“Yeah.” Jake shifted so he could look at her. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. Do you realize what a crazy stunt it was following us out to Biggs’s place like that? And bringing Todd with you.” He shook his head. “He could have been hurt, Rachel. Both of you could have been hurt.”

“I thought he was going to wait for me in the car,” she said lamely, knowing he had every right to scold. Not because she’d felt compelled to help in the rescue of her children, but for endangering Todd. “As for myself, I felt I had to be there. And it’s a good thing I was. Don’t forget we used my car to get everyone out of there safely. If you had tried to get back to yours, someone might have been shot.”

He grunted. “Speaking of which, Rick Streeter was really ticked off when the shooting started.”

“What happened? I thought it was understood you needed time to get Scotty and Michael out before they began the bust.”

“He’s got a leak somewhere. And because of it, the bust wasn’t as successful as it would have been. They confiscated a substantial amount of cocaine and marijuana, and they destroyed a laboratory where Ramirez was manufacturing designer drugs, but unfortunately Ramirez had time to organize his men. As soon as his lookouts spotted the Feds, they began shooting and managed to salvage some of his inventory.”

“But how?”

“They hauled it out in pirogues, the same type of boat Frank and I used. Silent and quick. Impossible to trace.” He lifted a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. “They probably made a connection somewhere deep in the swamp and are airborne to St. Louis by now. Or Detroit. Or New York.”

She sighed. “So it goes on.”

Jake settled back again, pulling her close and entwining her legs with his. “I’m afraid so. Not in Kinard County, but the cartel will simply find someplace else. As long as there is a demand for illegal drugs, there will be people like Ramirez to supply them. But at least we’ve destroyed the
pipeline into our town and our schools. That’s something.”

“Why did he do it, Jake?”

“Who, Ramirez?”

“No, Biggs. Why would he take a little boy away from his parents? How was he able to watch Scotty’s bewilderment and fear and do nothing? He must have been so scared, Jake. What would make a man so…so vile?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart, but he’ll have a long, long time to think about it.”

Rachel shivered. “Jail seems almost too kind for a person like that. He won’t ever be hungry or cold or ch-chained like…”

His arms tightened around her. “No, he won’t.”

Both lay silent, struggling to banish the ugly pictures that would probably be with them forever. But it was a small price to pay to have Scotty safe at last and home where he belonged.

“Aren’t you proud of Michael?” she asked, wanting to ease Jake’s tension.

“Yeah.” She didn’t see it, but she felt him smile.

“Me, too.”

He stroked her jaw with his thumb. “I sorta sensed that.”

“I guess his vocation is pretty much a sure thing.”

Jake’s hand stilled. “Did you hear what he said
about ‘deep cover’? I didn’t even know he knew what deep cover meant.”

Rachel giggled. “You’re going to have to cut the hours he spends at the department, Jake. You really are. He has to finish high school and college before becoming a cop.” She sobered then. “But between you and me, I was pretty impressed by what he discovered while he was supposedly Biggs’s prisoner.”

“Yeah, but Biggs’s stupidity is the really amazing thing. The man was running a whole network of kids from middle school to Tidewater High. Naturally, Mike recognized a bunch of them.”

“James Moody, the preacher’s kid, for one.”

“It was monumentally stupid to conduct business right in front of Mike.”

“The sheriff’s son, no less,” Rachel said, stroking the sheriff’s chest. “And in case there was any doubt before, I think it’s a sure thing you will continue to be the sheriff as long as you want it.”

Jake chuckled softly, bringing her hand to his mouth. “Such confidence.”

“You bet.”

“But about Mike…I don’t think even my most seasoned undercover man could have done a better job than he did while he was kidnapped.”

Rachel curled into his warmth. “Must be something in the genes.”

Soft male laughter rumbled from his chest.

Suddenly serious again, Jake looked into her eyes. “I love you, Rachel.”

“I love you, Jake.”

Smiling, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding on, feeling pure joy and pleasure. Celebration. Commitment. Renewal. She felt it all. And gloried in it.

Outside, the storm had quieted to soft rain. Thunder still rumbled, but it was distant and moving farther and farther away.

No one noticed.