LITMIR.BIZ

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ago. He rushed over to the bed. “You’re supposed to be resting, princess.”

      “I can’t—” she ran her tongue over her lips “—with Brady gone.”

      “Do you want water?”

      “Yes,” Michelle said, her eyelids slowly closing.

      Dallas snatched up the pitcher and quickly filled a plastic cup that held a straw. When he swiveled his attention back to her, her eyes eased open again. He helped her to sit up, then held the cup while she slowly sipped through the straw.

      After he carefully laid her back against the bed, she said, “Find him. Please...for me.” Then she surrendered to sleep again.

      Still holding the plastic cup, he dropped his head, torn, wishing he could be in two places at once.

      * * *

      Rachel was moved at the exchange between Dallas and Michelle. With her head still pounding from the punches she’d taken, she rose slowly, crossed the hospital room and stood next to him, her hand brushing against his. “I’m so sorry this happened to your daughter.”

      Lines creased his forehead as he looked down at her. Sadness shadowed his eyes. “Call a deputy. When my mom gets here, I’ll go with you to help, at least with Lenora. I’m really worried about her. She lost two babies before Brady and was on bed rest the last month of her pregnancy with him. The doctor hasn’t encouraged her to have another child.”

      She could only imagine the grief and pain Lenora was going through right now. “I’ll make a call.” She pulled out her cell phone, walking away a few feet. Although Michelle was asleep, Rachel didn’t want the teen to hear about placing a deputy outside her room.

      When Rachel reached the dispatcher, she lowered her voice. “Maddy, send a deputy to the regional hospital to room 208. Have him knock on the door.”

      “Will do. Deputy Ellis just came in.”

      “Thanks. Any calls concerning the kidnapping?”

      “Yeah, I’m keeping a log. Most are wondering what’s going on. I told them what you said about having a press conference tomorrow morning.”

      “Great, Maddy. Thanks.”

      Rachel hit the off button and turned toward Dallas at the same time the door flew open and a petite, dark-haired woman made a beeline for the hospital bed and him.

      His mother’s hand covered her mouth while she shook her head. “She looks so lost in that bed.” The older woman stood next to Dallas. “What’s wrong with the world that someone would do this?”

      “I wish I could answer that.” His gaze connected with Rachel’s while he held his mother against him. “I feel so much better having you here. Your nurse’s training will come in handy.”

      His mother leaned back. “I may be retired, but I still know what I’m doing. You have nothing to worry about. I talked with Paul. Lenora was still sleeping.” She glanced over her shoulder and slipped from her son’s loose embrace. “I’m Dottie Sanders. You must be Bill’s daughter. I voted for you.”

      “Thanks for the vote, Mrs. Sanders. I have Deputy Ellis coming to stand guard outside the door. If you need anything, let him know.”

      “I will. But we’ll be perfectly fine. Just find my grandson,” she pleaded.

      As Rachel nodded, a light knock at the door sounded. “That’s probably him. I’ll be out in the hall when you’re ready, Dallas.”

      In the corridor, Rachel filled Deputy Ellis in on what she wanted him to do. “The teen who was hurt is our only witness to the two people who stole the baby. Keep her safe.”

      “Yes, ma’am.”

      Dallas joined them in the hallway, shaking hands with Deputy Ellis. “I appreciate you guarding my daughter. My mom—Dottie Sanders—is in there with her.”

      “Thanks for letting me know.”

      Rachel made her way to the stairs with Dallas right next to her. Her head still hurt, but the ringing in her ears and the dizziness had faded. “I have a favor to ask. Deputy Jones brought me to the hospital, but I had him go back to your sister’s house after taking the evidence to headquarters. I told him I’d call him when I needed a ride, and I wondered if you—”

      He chuckled. “If this is your roundabout way of asking for a ride, then yes, I can give you one to my sister’s. Is that where your car is?”

      She nodded. “My ears were ringing after I was punched. Deputy Jones didn’t think I should drive myself, and I can’t argue with one of my dad’s friends.”

      “I have a lot of respect for your father. I worked a case with him about eight months ago that extended over several counties.” Dallas held the door open for Rachel.

      “I was surprised he retired. He’d been sheriff for twenty-five years, and it was his life. Now he and my mom watch my daughter. Actually, she has to fight him to get her chance to take care of Katie. He’s always busy around the property, and Katie, who is nearly one, is getting a good lesson in how to run a ranch. Or, at least, Dad’s trying to teach her.”

      “How does your husband feel about you being the sheriff?” Again Dallas opened a door for her.

      “I’m a widow. My husband died over fifteen months ago.” She slid into the front passenger seat.

      “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

      She had no words to reply, so she nodded.

      As Dallas rounded the front of his SUV, memories inundated Rachel. How could she forgive Justin for having an affair that she didn’t even know about until after he had died in a motorcycle race? The man she married wasn’t who she’d thought he was. He’d said he wanted a child, and yet, in a text to his mistress that she discovered on his phone, he had said otherwise. And there she’d been, nearly two months pregnant with no husband. Never again. She wouldn’t let herself be fooled like that again.

      When Dallas climbed behind the steering wheel and started the car, a heavy silence fell between them, which was fine with Rachel because she didn’t want to talk about her deceased husband. All her focus needed to be on the case.

      “Tell me a little about your sister. Even though Paul assured me otherwise, could someone be after your sister or her husband—someone who would kidnap their baby to get back at them?”

      “Lenora volunteers at church and through a woman’s club. Paul is a CPA who works for Remington Industries in San Antonio. I don’t think so.”

      “An accountant with possible access to financial records?”

      Dallas stopped at the red light. “The work he does is routine. He’s only been working for the company for two years. He says he’s low on the totem pole. They’ve never indicated having a problem with anyone. They get along with their neighbors, but I don’t know about everything they do during the day. My gut tells me it isn’t that.”

      “You go by your gut a lot?”

      “I never dismiss hunches. I understand you were a police sergeant for the Austin Police Department. Did you ever go on a hunch?”

      “Sure.”

      “It’s the same thing. The more we can read people, the better we are about figuring out a clue, motive or case. Take the fact a guy in a hoodie fled from the crime scene and punched you out. What was he doing there? Was he tied to the kidnappers or my sister and Paul?” The light turned green, and Dallas drove across the intersection.

      “I caught him looking in the window.”

      “Yes, I know, but why was he doing that? Was he a reporter? Talk about fast on the scene and bold.” Dallas shrugged.

      “Why would a reporter punch me? Maybe he’s a snooping neighbor checking out what was going

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