Ranger's Baby Rescue

by Lara Lacombe

  “Do you really think that’s a possibility?” Babysitting a stubborn, misguided woman wasn’t exactly high on Matt’s list of desirable activities, nor did it fit his job description.

  “It’s worth considering, especially since she’s already there. Can you do it?”

  “I suppose,” Matt said. “I’ll have to clear it with my supervisor, though.” It wasn’t unheard of for park rangers to assist law enforcement investigations, but the rangers in question usually worked directly with the officers involved. There had been such a case recently, when a ranger had teamed up with an FBI profiler to catch a serial killer who had been using the park as his hunting ground. In this situation however, he’d be working with the victim, with no clear search plans in place. How long was he supposed to help her? Unless he missed his guess, Emma was determined to comb every inch of this park. She probably wouldn’t be willing to leave until her baby was found, either here or in El Paso. He couldn’t help her indefinitely, that much was certain.

  “Patch me through to him and I’ll put in the formal request,” Randall said. “I really appreciate you helping out like this,” he added.

  Matt sighed, wondering how in the hell he’d gotten into this situation. I never should have made eye contact, he told himself. I should have turned around and let another ranger handle her. But it was too late for that now.

  “All right,” he agreed. “I’ll be in touch, but don’t expect us to find anything.”

  Randall let out a short laugh. “I don’t, but at least now I know we’re truly covering all the bases. One of us is bound to get lucky.”

  It won’t be me, Matt thought sourly. He didn’t have the greatest track record where babies were involved.

  Jennifer’s face flashed in his mind, the image of her accompanied by the familiar feelings of betrayal and pain. Three years ago, he’d shipped out with his army unit for a quick overseas tour and had come back to find his fiancée holding a baby. She’d sworn it was his, but even though the math just barely worked out, Matt had taken one look at the infant and known in his soul he wasn’t the father. The child was adorable, though, and he’d felt a tugging at his heart like he’d never experienced before. It would have been so easy to fall in love with the little one, even though the boy wasn’t his flesh and blood. But while he might have been willing to raise another man’s child, Matt wasn’t willing to forgive Jennifer for her deception. She’d cheated on him and spun a web of lies, trying to trick him into staying with her. He simply couldn’t spend the rest of his life with someone he couldn’t trust. After a paternity test confirmed his suspicions, Matt had packed his things and moved out.

  He’d been worried about the baby, but Jennifer hadn’t wasted any time. The door had barely shut behind him before she started seeing the baby’s real father again. Last he’d heard, they were a cozy family of three, living the American dream in the suburbs. Matt felt a pang of jealousy every time he thought about them. That should have been his life; he’d signed up for the wife, the child, the dog, the house. Hell, he’d even looked forward to driving the standard-issue minivan. It was a vision that had kept him going throughout his time in the army, and coming home to find out Jennifer had lied to him had ripped the rug right out from under his feet. Seeing her holding a baby had been like a dream come true. Realizing the boy wasn’t his child had been a kick in the gut. It had shaken him to the core, and he was still trying to recover.

  Matt ran a hand through his hair and sighed, trying to brush off the shadow of his memories. He heard the faint sounds of his supervisor speaking, and based on the snatches of conversation he was able to make out, Paul Anderson, the chief ranger in the office, was only too happy to have Matt cooperate with the police. It seemed he was going to have a new focus, at least for the foreseeable future.

  Time to go give Ms. Foster the good news.

  Chapter 2

  Emma wandered over to a poster mounted on the wall and stopped, staring at the glossy pictures of animals without really registering what she was seeing. He has to help me. The thought circled round in her brain, drowning out everything else. If she kept repeating it to herself, it would have to be true, right? There simply wasn’t another possibility. She couldn’t search the park alone, and she didn’t have the money to hire a private guide. The ranger was her only hope, and if he refused, she didn’t know what she was going to do.

  He didn’t believe her story, that much was clear. She’d seen the skepticism in his eyes and known he was writing her off as crazy. But Detective Randall would vouch for her, and then the ranger would have to understand. After discovering she was the real deal, surely he couldn’t refuse to help her find Christina, even though that wasn’t something a park ranger normally did.

  She still couldn’t believe Joseph had taken her baby. He’d called a few weeks ago, asking for money to pay off some debts. When Emma had told him she didn’t have any cash to spare, he’d simply said, “Okay.” She figured that had been the end of it.

  But when she’d found Christina’s empty crib, she’d called the police and then her brother. She’d wanted him to tell their mother what was going on—Emma hadn’t had the emotional energy to break the news to anyone else.

  Joseph had sounded unconcerned at hearing his niece was missing. “She’s fine, Em.”

  “How can you say that? You don’t know where she is!”

  “Actually, I do. She’s with me.”

  Joe’s confession had turned Emma’s blood to ice. She’d begged and pleaded with him to return her daughter, but her brother had refused.

  “I told you, I need money.” He’d sounded exasperated, as if he was tired of repeating himself.

  “And I told you, I don’t have it.”

  “We both know that’s not true. You got a fat settlement after Chris’s death.”

  “It wasn’t a lump sum,” she’d protested. “I don’t have a pile of money gathering dust in my bank account.”

  “Anyway,” he’d said, ignoring her. “Christina and I will be fine. You can have her back once you get me what I need.”

  He’d hung up then, leaving Emma feeling even more distraught. The police had tried to trace his phone, but to no avail.

  “He probably dumped it already,” one of the detectives had told her.

  The police and the FBI thought Joseph would stay in El Paso, figuring it was his home base and he wouldn’t want to stray far from the familiar. But Emma wasn’t so sure. The two of them had spent a lot of time in Big Bend as children, camping with their parents. Joseph had used the park as an escape before, when he’d needed to clear his head or take a break. It was a long shot, but Emma thought he might have run here again.

  The thought of her baby girl out there in the wilderness sent a shiver down her spine. Big Bend was a huge park; God only knew where Joe had taken her. But the little one was here. Emma felt it in her bones, a tingling of her mother’s intuition that gave her a sense of certainty despite everyone else’s overwhelming doubt. And even though she was looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, Emma wasn’t leaving until she had her daughter in her arms once again.

  Fortunately, the hospital had been understanding about her need for a leave of absence. There was a pool of nurses happy to step in and take her ER shifts while she focused on finding Christina.

  “Take as long as you need,” her supervisor had said.

  With that worry taken care of, Emma had been free to focus solely on the search for her baby.

  She wouldn’t have picked this ranger had there been another option. But he’d been the only one in the lobby when she’d walked in, so she hadn’t had much of a choice. He seemed competent enough—tall, with broad shoulders and lean, muscled arms. She had no doubts he could handle the physical aspects of the search with ease. But there was a hardness about him that gave her pause. It was as if he wore an invisible suit of armor. She’d seen a glimmer
of wariness in his blue eyes, even before she’d told him about Christina. Maybe she was mistaken, but he seemed to regard the world with a hint of suspicion. It was this air of reserve that worried her now. Would he be sensitive to the dangers facing her little girl, or would he decide she was too much trouble and send her back home?

  “He can try,” she muttered. But if he thought she’d simply turn around and walk away, he was sorely mistaken.

  Resolve stiffened her spine. If he refused to help, she’d ask another ranger. And another and another, if need be. She’d go through the whole damn roster of them until she found one who would search with her. And if that didn’t work, she’d call a reporter. Not that she knew anyone in the media, but it couldn’t be that hard to find somebody who worked at a news station or wrote for a paper. She’d raise holy hell until she got the help she needed. Beg, borrow or steal—Emma didn’t care what she had to do at this point. She had no pride left. All that mattered was bringing Christina home safely.

  Indignation bubbled in her chest, the leash on her temper growing shorter with every passing minute. What was taking so long? It shouldn’t be that difficult for him to call Detective Randall. He wouldn’t be happy to learn she was here—he’d encouraged her to stay in El Paso while they searched for Christina, but Emma couldn’t sit in her empty apartment twiddling her thumbs while her baby was missing. Despite what the detective thought, Joseph would feel comfortable in Big Bend, and more importantly, he probably figured no one would think to look for him so far from home.

  “But I know,” she whispered to herself. “And I will find you.”

  The clop of boot heels on tile sounded in the otherwise quiet lobby. She turned to find the ranger emerging from the back offices, his expression inscrutable. As he approached, she saw that a hint of worry had replaced the skeptical glint in his blue eyes.

  Good, she noted with satisfaction. He believes me now.

  “Ms. Foster,” he said, his deep voice reminding her of tires on gravel. “I spoke with Detective Randall. I’m so sorry for your situation.”

  She nodded, appreciating the comment. Under normal circumstances she would have let her manners dictate her response, but she had little patience for the expected niceties at the moment. “Will you help me?”

  He hesitated, sending her heart plummeting to her toes. Her fear must have shown on her face, for he reached out and placed a hand on her arm. “It’s okay,” he said kindly. “I’m going to do my best, but I can’t promise anything.”

  A wave of relief washed over her, making her feel a little light-headed. “I know,” she said. “But I need to try.”

  He nodded as if he understood. “Why don’t we start from the beginning? Detective Randall told me some of the details, but I’d like to hear your side of the story.”

  “That’s fine,” Emma said. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t know his name. “Uh, we haven’t actually been introduced yet. You know my name. What’s yours?”

  Twin pink spots appeared high on his cheeks, making him look suddenly boyish. “Matt,” he said. “Matt Thompson. I’m sorry I failed to introduce myself before.”

  She shrugged off the apology. “Is there someplace we can talk?” The lobby of the ranger station was nice enough, but she’d prefer to sit for this conversation.

  Matt ushered her past the desk into the back room, which housed several desks and chairs. The far wall sported a large map of the park and a whiteboard full of text, but Emma didn’t bother to read any of it. He led her to a counter that ran under the board and gestured to the coffee maker. “Need a cup?”

  “Yes, please.” Emma normally didn’t drink coffee, but she’d learned over the last few days that it helped to have something to hold on to while she told her story over and over again.

  Matt poured two cups, adding cream and sugar at her nod. Then he guided her to a desk and chair and sat, gesturing for her to do the same. He pushed the mug across the desk and looked at her expectantly.

  Emma wrapped her hands around the cup, appreciating the warmth leaching through the porcelain. A familiar heavy weight settled over her as she gathered her thoughts. Talking about the night she had discovered Christina was missing never got any easier. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d repeated the story to the police and the FBI. Unfortunately, the repetition didn’t dull her emotions or help her process what had happened. Her heart still pounded the way it had when she’d realized the crib was empty; her stomach still cramped as she relived the horror, as fresh as the first time.

  Matt nudged a box of tissues toward her, as if sensing she might need them. She sent him a grateful smile and took a deep breath. “Three nights ago, I woke up at one thirty in the morning because I felt like something was wrong.” She told him about searching the apartment but finding no signs of anything amiss, and how she’d nearly gone back to bed. “But I had to check on Christina. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep until I made sure she was okay.”

  He nodded, his blue eyes full of understanding. Emma appreciated the fact that he was simply listening and not bombarding her the way the police and FBI had done. She’d barely been able to get a sentence out before an officer had fired another question at her, which had made it difficult to get through the telling. But Matt remained quiet, apparently content to hear what she had to say before talking himself.

  His silence was oddly encouraging, and she felt her shoulders relax. “That’s when I discovered my baby was gone.” Her throat tightened on the last word, and she felt the familiar prickle of tears. She blinked hard, dismissing them before they had a chance to fall.

  “I called the police immediately,” she continued. “They thought that since there were no signs of forced entry into the apartment, whoever took her must have a key. My brother, Joseph, is the only one with a spare, but I didn’t think he would ever take Christina.” Disappointment and anger swirled in her chest as she recalled her naive assertion that her brother would never kidnap her child. How wrong she’d been!

  “Then I called Joseph, and he actually answered. At first, I was relieved. I figured if he had taken Christina, he wouldn’t have answered the phone.”

  Matt lifted one eyebrow. “He didn’t try to hide the fact that he’d kidnapped your daughter?”

  Emma shook her head. “I think he was preparing to call me himself, to let me know she was safe.”

  “Why did he take her?”

  “Money,” she said simply. “Joseph has a gambling problem. It’s something that developed over the last several years. I’d helped him once before with a small debt, but told him never again. He agreed, and for a while I thought he had stopped gambling. But he’d just been hiding it. Now he owes some bad people a lot of money, and he’d come to me about a week ago asking for help. I told him I didn’t have anything, but he didn’t believe me.”

  Matt tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing a bit. “Why would he think you’re lying?”

  The question hit close to home. Emma shifted in her chair, not really wanting to get into the details of Chris’s death and the subsequent lawsuit. “I was involved in a lawsuit about two years ago that resulted in a settlement. Joseph thinks I have a lot of money. He doesn’t understand I haven’t seen a dime. He accused me of holding out on him, of deliberately abandoning him.”

  “So he took your baby to try to force your hand,” Matt said. The words dripped with disgust, as if he couldn’t believe anyone would stoop so low.

  Emma nodded. “Exactly. But I still don’t have the money. And I don’t know what he’s going to do once he realizes that.” Fear bubbled up in her chest as she wondered again how her brother would respond when he discovered there was no ransom coming his way. Joseph wasn’t normally a violent person, but Emma felt like she no longer knew her own brother. Three days ago, she would have sworn he’d never kidnap a baby. Now she had no idea what he was capable of do
ing. He was plainly desperate, and she could only hope that desperation didn’t override his basic humanity where her daughter was concerned.

  “Did he give you a deadline?” Matt’s voice was calm, as if he dealt with this sort of thing every day. For a second, Emma allowed herself to believe he could fix things. That he could find her baby before anything bad happened. And perhaps he could. Weren’t park rangers good at tracking?

  “Three days,” she said, a lump forming in her throat. She glanced down, swirling the mug a bit to stir the coffee within. “He wants half a million dollars three days from now to pay off his debts.”

  “And you don’t have it.”

  “No.” She jerked her head up, glaring at Matt. “My God, do you think I’d be here if I did? Do you think I care about money? I’d give him ten times that amount if it meant getting Christina back safely! I’d do anything to hold her again.” Her arms ached with the memory of her baby, warm and soft against her body. Would she ever feel that sweet weight again?

  Matt held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I’m sorry.”

  Her temper cooled quickly, leaving despair in its wake. “I don’t have the money. The only way I can get that kind of money is by robbing a bank. And even then, I doubt they keep half a million in cash on hand these days.”

  “Probably not,” Matt said. His voice was soothing now, as if he were trying to calm a wounded animal.

  “This is my only option,” she said. Her shoulders dropped, her energy starting to flag as the hopelessness of the situation took hold once again. The past few days she’d vacillated between a burning sense of urgency and a feeling of total defeat. It was growing more and more difficult to beat back the darkness trying to claim her spirit, but she had to keep trying. The police and FBI were doing all they could to find Christina, but at the end of the day, this was just another job to them. Christina was her life. She’d never stop looking for her daughter, never rest until she found her.