LITMIR.BIZ

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weren’t there. Had they gone inside without Gina seeing them?

      She walked through the garden again. It was a quarter of an acre, so there was some space to cover.

      She called their names. The back gate was open. Her heart fluttered. Her girls knew better than to take off away from the house without adult permission.

      But they had new friends to impress. Standing outside the garden, she called all their names. There was a path that went to the barns. Maybe they had gone to play with the goats.

      Her dog was missing, too. That made her feel a little better. That dog would be barking like crazy if anything was wrong. Jogging to the goat barn, she rushed through the doors, calling their names. Nothing.

      Don’t panic. They’re here somewhere. The chickens. Kids found chicks irresistible. Deep breaths and long strides got her to the large chicken coop. No kids.

      It was time to call for help. Elijah wouldn’t be too far out, and she needed to call Quinn. Maybe the kids had gone to the cabin.

      On the way back to the house, she called her brother. He immediately turned around. Then she called Quinn. She’d promised him his kids would be safe with her. She wanted to throw up.

      Gina was still in the rocker. Her chin was down as if she was sleeping.

      “Gina.” Belle shook her gently on the shoulder.

      Sitting straight up, the older woman blinked to clear her eyes. “Everything all right?”

      “The kids left the garden. I went to the barns, but they weren’t there. They might have gone to the cabin. Elijah’s on his way, and I left a message for Quinn. I’m going to walk to your cabin on the back path. My girls would have known about the path connecting the house to the cabins. You stay here and keep an eye out. Tell Elijah and Quinn where I am. One of them should drive to the cabin. The other can follow me on the path. Okay?”

      Oh, no. Tears were forming in Gina’s eyes. “I thought they’d be okay in the garden.” She stood. “Let me help find them.”

      “I need you to stay here. Elijah and Quinn are coming here, and I might miss the kids if they come back to the house. So, stay here.”

      Gina walked to the railing and scanned the area. “Okay.”

      Jumping off the porch, Belle dashed to the back of the garden and slowly started tracking the path they’d have taken if they’d gone to the cabin.

      Cassie was old enough to understand the dangers. What had led them to leave the garden? Something moved behind her. Heart pounding, she turned. Someone was walking through the thicket. Someone larger than a child.

      Belle crouched, putting herself in a better position to run or charge depending on what was needed. She had her knife on her belt, but no gun.

      The thicket was pushed back, and she saw a black cowboy hat. Clear blue eyes met hers. Quinn.

      She stood and sighed. “I’m so happy to see you. You got here really fast.”

      His mouth was tight. “I was pulling up to the house when you left the message. My phone is off while I’m driving. Gina sent me this way. Have you seen the kids? How long have they been missing?”

      Returning to the trail, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Less than forty-five minutes, longer than thirty.” Her phone vibrated. “Elijah sent a message. He’s driving straight to the cabin. If they’re not there, he’ll get Damian and Xavier on horseback, and they’ll cover more ground. But I think we’ll find them between here and the cabin.” She pointed to some of the shrubs. “The branches are broken, and grass is trampled here.”

      She stopped. The thicket was pushed back. “It looks like someone went off-trail.” Crouching, she pushed her way through the smaller area. She was too big for this.

      “Did you find something?” He was right behind her.

      “Cassie,” she called. Her heart raced.

      “Mama. Shhh. You’ll scare them.” Cassie’s voice came from deep in the underbrush, somewhere to the left of her. Belle’s faithful dog, Frog, was flat on her belly, pressed against Cassie. Her brown and blue eyes shifted, then looked away, guilty.

      “Cassandra De La Rosa Perez!” She wanted to cry in relief and yell in anger all at the same time.

      One of the twins came out of the thicket, her dark blue eyes shining with excitement. “We’ve been tracking kittens. They’re lost and hungry. But every time we get close, they run again.” She put her fingers to her lips. “They’re getting tired. One keeps falling. We want to help them, but they’re scared of us.”

      “Sweetheart, you know to leave animals alone. Their mother is probably looking for them. We were scared because you said you’d stay in the garden, but you didn’t. Baba is scared and worried. I was worried. We have Cassie and Lucy’s uncles looking for you.”

      The other twin came out holding her brother’s hand. “Daddy, when you see them, you’ll understand. They don’t have a mother. They’re super skinny, and they look sick and beat-up. They need help and we were the only ones around.”

      He groaned and tilted his head. “Even more of a reason not to follow them. You should have told Baba and waited for us.” He went around Belle and knelt in front of his children. “You are in major trouble, and we will figure out a consequence. First, apologize to Ms. De La Rosa.”

      All three turned to her and said they were sorry for scaring her and leaving the garden.

      “Where are these orphaned kittens?” she asked.

      They turned and crouched to get through the thick undergrowth. Belle crawled through the little tunnel they had made to follow the kittens. Cassie was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest. Lucy was flat on her stomach. Her arms stretched out in front of her, reaching farther into an area Belle couldn’t see due to the branches and plants.

      “Lucy! What are you doing? There could be snakes or all sorts of things that could hurt y’all.”

      Cassie looked up at her. Big tears hovered in her gray-green De La Rosa eyes. “Mama. They’re hurt and sick. Lucy’s letting them get used to her so she can get close enough to grab them. Please, Mama. I know we should have told you, but they were running away, and if we didn’t follow, we’d lose them.” The tears fell. Her baby had the biggest heart.

      Crawling her way to them, Belle grimaced, sure she was tearing and staining her clothes past repair as she made her way through the thick bush. “Where are they?”

      Cassie pointed, and Belle looked through the branches of the shrubs. In a bed of dried leaves, two spotted kittens were curled around each other. The girls were right. They didn’t look like they’d make it much longer.

      Quinn was at her shoulder. A strange noise escaped his throat. “Oh, sweetheart. Those aren’t domestic kittens. It looks like you found a pair of ocelots.”

      Turning, eyes wide, Belle looked at him. “Here? But they’re endangered.”

      He leaned closer. “Yeah, just a handful left in the wild, and they like to hide. The girls are right. These guys have been orphaned.”

      Lucy wiggled closer. “I touched one,” she whispered.

      “Easy, baby.” Belle put her hand on her youngest daughter’s shoulder. “These are wild animals.”

      “But I can reach it now.” Her voice hushed as she focused on the small cats.

      After taking off his long-sleeved button-up, Quinn stretched out beside her. That was a major accomplishment. The space was small, and he wasn’t. The undergrowth was cutting at his now bare arms. His cotton T-shirt didn’t provide much protection.

      “Can you slowly pull the cub closer to me?”

      Lucy nodded, and with her tongue out in concentration, she

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