Lone Star Christmas Rescue

At least she had three hundred dollars. But the money without having ID was strange. Had she been faking not knowing who she was? Was the baby hers? The locket indicated she knew the child somehow. He hoped he would hear soon about the latent prints he took off the inside door handle of the storage closet. He couldn’t shake the sense of urgency he felt, as though someone was homing in on Kay and the child—someone she’d been fleeing when he found her?

* * *

Kay shrank farther into the shadows of the dimly lit café, the ambience more for couples looking for a night of romance than a woman with a baby. She’d cased the place for an hour before she’d come inside to get off the street and order something to eat. Kaleb was finally asleep, strapped against her chest. The only other place she’d gone after leaving the hospital was a store where she’d used the money she’d found in her jeans pocket to buy necessary items for Kaleb and a clean shirt that didn’t look like she’d rolled around in the dirt. She used less than a hundred to equip herself and Kaleb to disappear somewhere in the area until she decided on her next move.

She had no idea who was after her, but deep inside she knew someone was hunting her. She didn’t have to remember how she ended up on the canyon floor with a head wound or who she was. That man’s appearance earlier sent every alarm bell ringing in her head.

The waitress put the hamburger in front of Kay. “Anything else, miss?”

“Please keep the water glass filled. That’s all.”

“Be thankful it’s not as hot as it was in early fall. I’m looking forward to the holidays and colder days.”

What had her previous Christmases been like? As usual when she tried to remember, nothing came to mind.

Kay gave the waitress a smile, then took a bite of the hamburger, thick and juicy. Although she ate as fast as she could because she didn’t want to stay too long, she savored the delicious flavors of her meal, especially the onion rings, while trying to figure out where she would sleep tonight. If she got a motel room, her three hundred dollars wouldn’t last long. She needed to lie low until she figured out who she was. Maybe she could go to a shelter. Earlier she’d seen one while walking here, across the street from a church.

When she finished her dinner, she relaxed, stroking Kaleb’s back. For the past half hour, she’d been able to forget she was totally alone. In the hospital room, she’d contemplated staying and waiting for Drake to return, but as time passed and he hadn’t come back, she’d realized she really could only depend on herself. But he was a Texas Ranger. A good guy. Surely she could rely on him to help her.

At the moment, she didn’t know whom to believe. Good men had turned bad.

Where did that come from?

Did she have firsthand experience with that?

Her head still throbbing, she retrieved a couple of over-the-counter pain relievers and took them with a gulp of water.

The café door opened, and a large party entered, followed by a single man. Nothing about him seemed familiar, but the more people who came into the restaurant, the more she took a risk—why did she feel that way? Overriding every confusing feeling bombarding her, she knew she couldn’t sit here any longer. She needed to find a place for the night—even if that meant backtracking into the more populated part of Cactus Grove—and come up with a plan.

She put ten dollars on the table on top of her bill and made her way to the restroom. Inside the family one, she locked the door, laid the blanket on the changing table and put Kaleb on it. He’d been sleeping for the past hour. His eyes slid open, and he began to screw his mouth into a frown.

“I’m here, sweetie.” Kay splayed her hand over Kaleb’s chest and gently patted him as his eyes closed again. “I won’t leave you.” As she said those words, she meant every one of them. She didn’t need to know officially that Kaleb was her child. Every time she looked at the little boy she saw glimpses of herself in Kaleb’s face. Kay’s heart swelled with an overwhelming love.

Carefully so Kaleb didn’t wake up again, Kay changed the baby’s diaper. It was nice being in a room where she didn’t have to be constantly vigilant for anyone who could be after her. The café, on the outskirts of town, was getting crowded. She couldn’t put off looking for a place to stay any longer.

She strapped Kaleb against her chest, swung the backpack she’d bought for their belongings over her shoulder, then shoved her hand into her pocket to make sure her money was there. Her fingers grazed a card—the Texas Ranger’s.

Call him. He said he would help.

I did, and he didn’t call back. Where could he have gone that he’d be out of cell reception that long?

Okay, maybe she hadn’t given him that much time to call her back before she left the hospital. But when she’d cracked open the door, peeked into the hallway and seen the stranger who’d come into her room sneaking out of a storage closet, she’d known her decision to leave was the correct one. Something wasn’t right. He’d gone to the elevator. She’d used the stairs after she was sure the stranger wouldn’t return.

No, she couldn’t depend on anyone. Someone close to her had recently said that to her. Who?

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine who it had been. Nothing materialized.

Lord, I need more than a brief glimpse. Help me.

When nothing came to mind, she covered the remaining distance to the door and inched it open. The short hallway was empty. She left the family restroom and crept toward the large room, which held more diners than earlier. All she needed to do was cross the expanse and get outside without drawing attention. She scanned the café, filled with couples and families.

It was now or never. She took a step forward. The main entrance opened, and the stranger from the hospital entered.

Kay froze.

* * *

Drake pulled up to his family ranch house, needing to catch some shut-eye, but he didn’t think he could sleep. Not when he couldn’t find Kay and the baby. Amy Grafton had only confirmed what he suspected. The stranger who had barged into Kay’s room didn’t have any ties to Mrs. Grafton. So why had the guy been on the second floor? The latent prints he’d taken off the storage closet doorknob had all belonged to people who worked there, except one. It was a partial that didn’t match anyone in the database.

Before coming home, he’d gone to his office and grabbed the satellite phone, since there was no cell reception at the ranch—only a landline—because it was too far out of town. He’d wished he’d thought to do that earlier today—then maybe he would have received Kay’s call for help. When he’d worked in Fort Worth, he hadn’t had to worry about so many dead zones.

The police were looking for Kay and the baby and would call him if she was found. Even knowing that, he’d driven around the area surrounding the hospital in search of the two for the past hour. He’d be back out there tomorrow morning. In his gut, he felt Kay was in danger. From where—or whom—he didn’t know. Between working on the Moore murders and the task force, he knew he needed to find Kay.

He climbed from his black SUV and stood next to it, staring up at the clear sky with stars scattered across the darkness as if they had been tossed haphazardly. The light breeze blew across the flat land, the temperature dropping into the forties.

Would Kay and the baby be warm enough?

Why had she run?

Why hadn’t she called him?

“Son, is something wrong?” his father’s deep gravelly voice called out.

Drake pivoted toward the front porch. “A long day.” He hated bringing his work home. The only reprieve he had from his job was when he came to the ranch at the end of the day.

“Anna saved dinner for you.”

Anna Torres had been with the family for years as a housekeeper and cook. She’d often declared taking care of three men was more than a full-time job. “That sounds great. I forgot to eat lunch.” Because he’d been driving back to Big Bend. He’d totally let it slip his mind until his stomach began to rumble about an hour ago.

“She fixed a plate of double portions before going to bed.”

Drake mounted the steps to the wraparound porch that faced south and east. “I sure missed her cooking when I lived in Fort Worth. That was one of the reasons I changed to Company E—I was dwindling down to nothing.” He’d certainly taken into account being back where he grew up and living with his dad, but the main reason he had taken this assignment was to be part of the human trafficking task force.

Chuckling, his father patted him on the back. “You didn’t take long adding a few pounds to your frame.”

“I blame that all on Anna.” Drake opened the front door and waited for his dad to go first.

In the kitchen, his father pulled a plate out of the refrigerator and stuck it in the microwave to heat up. “I thought you were going to ask the young woman you rescued yesterday to stay here while she recovered.”

When they’d spoken last night, Drake had mentioned he might ask her, especially if no one came forward to help her. “I didn’t get a chance to ask her. She left the hospital before I returned to her room.”

“Why would she do that? Didn’t you say she couldn’t remember who she was? Did that change?”

Had it, while he was investigating Clarence and Susan’s murders? Was that why she was gone? “I don’t know, and I don’t have a good feeling about this. I think someone is after her and is possibly willing to kill to find her.” The more he thought of the couple’s murder and the fact a stranger had come into her room, the more he felt Kay was in trouble. When he left her, she hadn’t given any indication she would flee. In fact, she’d seemed to appreciate his presence—a familiar face.

The microwave beeped at the same time the back door opened, and his younger brother, Frank, came into the kitchen, plopping his cowboy hat on the peg by the door. “I see you arrived about the same time I finished unloading the hay.”

Drake grinned. “Yep, I parked by the gate and waited until you were through. Why do you think I have a pair of high-powered binoculars in my car?”

His brother tossed back his head and laughed. “I always thought because you were a Texas Ranger you needed them for your job, but now I know the truth. Next time I’ll keep the barn doors shut so you can’t see in.”

Drake took his plate out of the microwave and sat at the table. “How’s Blue Bonnet?” The mare had been his mother’s horse, and ever since their mom died two years ago, Frank had taken extra care of the pinto their mother had loved.

“She fractured her leg and the vet had to set it, but she should heal all right. She has many years ahead of her.”

“Sons, I’m heading to bed.” Their dad strolled from the kitchen, cradling his mug.

“I didn’t even mention Mom.” Drake cut his roast beef into smaller pieces.

“I know. He still can’t talk about her death. I hope one day when I find the right woman, I have their kind of marriage.”

Drake had had that with Shanna—until someone killed her. His family had been there for him when his wife had died five years ago, but no one could erase the pain. He knew what his father was going through. Time had helped, but it couldn’t make him forget the devastating loss. “Dad will come around.”

“You haven’t.”

Drake started to reply, but his cell phone rang. Maybe it was news about Kay. He quickly answered the unknown number. “Drake Jackson here.”

“This is Kay. I’m in trouble.”

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