Sugar Baby

“Ma’am? Nobody noticed a policeman.” He wore the familiar Star-Mart name tag and was handing Claire’s purse to her. Then he looked at Danny. “Can you describe him, son?”

Danny took a breath. “He was big! He was pulling me real hard, tryin’ to make me go with him. He had a gun!”

The employee managed to hide the quirk of his mouth. “A gun, you say?”

“Uh-huh. I mean, yes, sir.”

“A gun right here in the store?”

“Are you sure, Danny?” Claire gave him a stern look.

“Not here. I mean he had a gun at the hotel, not here.”

Claire caught his hand and squeezed it meaningfully. “I’m sorry about this, Mr…Taylor?” she said, reading the man’s name tag.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m the assistant manager.”

Assistant manager. She tried to think. Oh, God, she was so scared. “Um, yes. Mr. Taylor, my son says somebody—a man—tried to approach him, but apparently he’s gone now.”

“He can’t have gone far,” Taylor said firmly. “I’ll just call security and—”

“No.”

“Pardon me?”

She managed a weak smile. “We’ve caused enough commotion this afternoon, Mr. Taylor. I’m not sure what happened, but…” She shrugged. “I just realized that we’re late for an appointment. Come on, Danny.”

“But Mommy—”

“Come on, Danny.”

“Are you sure, ma’am?” Taylor trailed after her. “If something actually did happen, we really should let the police—”

“No, no. It’s okay. It’s fine.”

They were hurrying past the checkouts when somebody called Danny’s name.

“Hey, Jeremy,” Danny said, waving at his new friend. He tugged at Claire’s hand. “It’s Jeremy, Mommy. Now you’ll believe me, ‘cause he was there and he saw that man try to get me!”

She gave Jeremy’s mother a harassed look. “Did Jeremy see what happened?”

The young woman nodded. “He said a man tried to take your little boy out of the store.” She pulled Jeremy a little closer. “I can’t believe something like that happened in full view of dozens of people. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” Biting her lip, Claire studied the sidewalks and parking area. She shivered, feeling unseen eyes.

“Have you called the police?” the woman asked.

“No. I—”

“Surely you’re going to report what happened?”

Should she? Or should she take Danny and go while she could? “I’m not sure,” she said.

The woman lifted the infant from the cart carrier. “Look, my husband is an auxiliary policeman. I can call him and—”

And what if he’s a friend of the “bad policeman?” The crazy thought darted through Claire’s mind. Crazy or not, she could not take the chance. “Thanks,” she said, summoning a smile, “but we’re late for an appointment, as it is. I’ll take care of it later.”

“Well, if you’re sure.” Nudging her son, the young mother hoisted the baby onto her shoulder and stepped off the curb, heading for her car.

“Where’s our ‘pointment, Mommy?” Danny asked, squinting up at her in the sun.

“At the McMolleres, honey.”

“Is it time?”

“Not quite.”

Claire gazed uneasily at the cars and people milling around in the parking lot. What next? She couldn’t go back to the hotel. Not yet. Not until she knew for certain that he wouldn’t be waiting for them. Whoever he was.

What was she going to do?

“What’s wrong, Mommy? Did you forget where we parked?”

Her gaze went to the car parked at the most distant edge of the lot. It was nearing dinnertime and some of the crowd was clearing out. Walking to her vehicle was a chance she didn’t want to take. What if he was waiting nearby? He knew her car, but she didn’t know his.

She looked around, terror welling up inside her. Her eyes fell on a pair of pay phones just outside the store entrance. She walked over and deposited a coin.

“Whatcha’ doin’, Mommy? Who you callin’?”

“Your uncle Mack, sweetheart.”

Danny’s eyes got big. “Really?”

“Yes. He wanted to drive us to Sugarland. Now’s his chance to do just that.”

CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_52a56b91-ed03-55a4-8bec-4df8dc552219)

EVEN BEFORE Mack pulled into Star-Mart’s crowded parking lot, he was scanning the store entrance for a glimpse of Claire Woodson, but there was no tall redhead with a little boy anywhere he looked. He followed behind a slow-moving Suburban, his thumbs drumming with impatience on the wheel, his blue eyes sharp beneath the brim of his Stetson. Where was she?

He’d hung up after her S.O.S. totally baffled him. Why had she changed her mind? Why did she now want him to pick her up, when not an hour before she’d acted as though riding with him was second only to a touch of ptomaine? He’d been left with the definite feeling he wouldn’t hear from her again until she arrived at Sugarland with Danny. Had he only imagined a hint of panic in her voice?

Pulling the Jeep Cherokee to a stop at the front door, he scrutinized every departing customer, but still no Claire. Hell, he might not even recognize her. It had been five…no, more like six years since he’d seen her and then it had been for only a few minutes. But as much as he’d resisted it all these years, the picture he had of her was pretty clear in his mind. And God knows, he had resisted it.

A small boy darted through the automatic doors and behind him was a woman in a long denim dress. Mack knew her instantly. Six years, and not much had changed, he thought, feeling a little kick in his gut. She was a tad slimmer. And maybe slightly taller than he recalled. Her hairstyle was different, too. Pulled back tight like that, she must be trying to look like a librarian, he decided. But its rich auburn color was exactly as he remembered, as was the disconcertingly candid look of her wide gray eyes as she stared right at him.

There was no warmth in that look.

She hurriedly opened the back door of the Jeep Cherokee before he could get out and hustled the boy inside. Mack beat her to the passenger side only because his legs were six inches longer than hers. Hers, however, were extremely interesting from what he could see when she stepped to get into his Jeep. They were long and shapely. God, yes, he remembered Claire Woodson.