Ranger's Baby Rescue

by Lara Lacombe

  An hour later, he carried Christina into a small grocery store in Terlingua. He waved absently at the cashier’s welcome and made a beeline for the baby aisle, scanning the shelves for what he needed.

  It wasn’t a great selection—certainly nothing like the variety he’d found in El Paso. But the essentials were there, and that would have to be enough. He grabbed a pack of diapers and wipes, and after a quick glance at Christina, threw a second pack into the cart. She probably wouldn’t go through that many diapers, but better safe than sorry. He didn’t want to have to make this trip again.

  After filling the cart with baby food pouches, he wheeled over to the beverage aisle. Might as well restock on water and sports drinks while he was here. Two men looked over as he approached. They both sported beards and tans, and one wore a hat that said Guide. Likely tour guides in the park, Joseph figured. Several tour companies were based out of the small towns on the edges of the park, with the guides often living in the area year-round.

  The men nodded at him. “Cute kid,” said the one with the hat.

  “Thanks,” Joseph replied. He turned to study the shelf, acutely aware of the fact that neither he nor Christina had bathed in days. He sniffed at her head, trying to be casual about it. No doubt about it—they both smelled. One more reason to get out of here quickly.

  He grabbed a few bottles, trying to ignore the men murmuring a few feet away. From the corner of his eye, he saw them consulting a ragged piece of paper. The guy without the hat noticed him looking over and quickly folded the paper, stuffing it back into his pocket.

  Huh. That’s odd.

  But Joseph didn’t have time to dwell on the men’s behavior. Christina chose that moment to emit a loud fart, and the accompanying stench left no doubt as to the state of her diaper.

  “Oh, man,” he muttered. He wheeled the cart toward the back of the store and rolled open one of the diaper packs. Grabbing her and the wipes, Joseph stepped into the restroom.

  He had just laid her down on the changing table when the door opened and the two men from the beverage aisle walked in. The hair stood up on the back of Joseph’s neck as they flanked him and planted their feet.

  “Can I help you?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but he was shaking inside. Why were they here? What did they want?

  “What’s your name?” asked the guy in the hat.

  Joseph kept his eyes on Christina and his hand on her belly to keep her from rolling off the table. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Just answer the question, please,” said Hatless.

  Joseph’s mind raced as he changed the baby’s diaper. “Chris,” he lied.

  “Uh-huh,” said Hat. It was clear he didn’t believe it. But what was he going to do about it?

  “And the baby?” said Hatless. “What’s her name?”

  “Chr—uh, Emma,” Joseph said. He could have bitten his own tongue off for the mistake, but it was too late now.

  He decided to go on the offensive. He picked up Christina and held her, then turned to face the men. “What’s this about? Why all the interest in my baby?”

  The two men exchanged a glance. “The thing is, mister, we don’t think she’s yours.”

  A chill skittered down Joseph’s back, and it was all he could do to keep from running out of the room.

  He tried to laugh off the accusation, but all that came out was a strangled sound. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Is it?” asked Hatless. He pulled out a piece of paper, and Joseph recognized it as the one the men had been studying in the beverage aisle.

  It was a “missing” flyer, sporting a few pictures of Christina and a couple of him. His stomach twisted as he scanned the page, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a plausible way to dismiss the proof in his hands.

  He decided to bluff. “You think this is me?” He scoffed as he passed the page back. “Please. I look nothing like this guy.”

  “I disagree,” said Hat. “I’d say you look exactly like him. And that’s definitely the baby.”

  “Whatever,” Joseph said dismissively. “All babies look alike at this age. Or don’t you know that?”

  The men blinked, as if they hadn’t considered that point. Joseph tightened his grip on Christina and took a step forward.

  “I can see why you guys were concerned, but there’s no need. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

  He made it another step before Hat stepped in front of him. “Not so fast.”

  Joseph narrowed his eyes at the man. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “I can’t let you leave here. Not with the baby.”

  He sucked in a breath, hoping his fear didn’t show on his face. “I’m telling you, everything is fine. Now let me by.”

  “Not until we get this straightened out,” said Hatless. “The police are on their way now and should be here any minute.”

  A cold sweat broke out over Joseph’s body, and he felt the blood drain from his head. He couldn’t let the police find him—the prisons were full of men willing to do Karnov’s bidding in exchange for his approval. Out here, he at least had a chance. In prison, he’d be a sitting duck.

  He swallowed, debating. He might be able to make a break for it, but not while holding the baby. She would only slow him down. But she was his bargaining chip. Could he afford to give her up?

  He heard Hatless shift behind him and knew his moment was up. If he let the men get their hands on him, he was done for.

  There was only one thing he could do. “Here.” He thrust Christina forward against Hat’s chest, then let go so the man was forced to catch her. Ignoring Hat’s startled cry, Joseph pushed past him and ran for the exit.

  Footsteps pounded after him, but Joseph didn’t risk looking back. He practically dived into the driver’s seat of his car, slamming the lock on the door behind him. As he cranked the engine, he saw Hatless closing in on him fast.

  Joseph stood on the gas pedal and tore out of the parking lot, passing a black-and-white that had just pulled in, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

  He turned onto the main road, the truck bed fishtailing a bit thanks to his speed. His hands were slick on the wheel and his breathing labored as he kept glancing in the rearview mirror, expecting to see the red gleam of sirens in pursuit. But the view was blessedly clear.

  His heart rate began to slow, and he eased off the gas—no sense drawing attention to himself now. If he played his cards right, he could get out of town before the cops even knew to look for him.

  But where should he go? Not back to the park—there was no reason to stay in Big Bend now. His apartment was in El Paso, but the police were likely watching it.

  “Traitorous bitch,” he mumbled, anger rising in his chest as he recalled the flyer. Why had Emma done such a thing? He’d made it clear he was keeping Christina safe, and that she’d get her daughter back soon. Why hadn’t she believed him? He didn’t blame her for calling the police before she knew he had the baby, but once he’d explained the situation, she should have trusted him. Instead, she’d created flyers that made him look like a baby-stealing monster, someone who was dangerous and not to be trusted. Her betrayal stung, and given the fact that she’d already lied to him about the money, Joseph was rapidly losing any affection he’d ever had for her.

  How in the hell had those flyers made it down here anyway? Terlingua was hours away from El Paso. Were the police actually searching in this area, or had Emma come down here on a hunch?

  He cursed softly. It seemed he wasn’t as slick as he’d thought if his sister had thought to look for him here. Had she remembered their childhood camping trips as well, or had she just gotten lucky?

  Doesn’t matter, he thought as he drove past the city limits sign. Even if she was here, she still hadn’t found him. And now that she was getting her baby back, she wouldn’t continue to look fo
r him. He had a small window of opportunity to find a new place to hide, and he was going to take advantage of it.

  And as for the money? He’d figure that out, too. Emma might not want to help him, but he wasn’t going to let her get away with what she’d done. She thought it was acceptable to treat him like a hardened criminal? He was going to show her just how sinister he could be.

  Chapter 5

  Emma sat in the dirt in front of the tent, holding the peanut butter sandwich in her lap. She knew she needed to eat so she and Matt could pack up and head out, but her limbs felt heavy, and her mind wandered.

  It was getting harder to hold out hope. Yesterday’s discovery of the empty yogurt pouch had made her think they were getting closer to finding Christina, but as the hours had passed, her initial enthusiasm had waned. She’d spent most of last night staring at the roof of the tent, her brain helpfully supplying all the reasons why the pouch had nothing to do with her daughter. Now, in the light of a fresh morning, Emma had to admit it seemed to be nothing more than a coincidence.

  Her daily call to Detective Randall hadn’t helped her mood, either. He wanted her to come back to El Paso, even though they didn’t have any new leads there. The lack of progress on the case was troubling, but what bothered her most was the way he’d spoken to her—very carefully, his tone especially gentle. She got the feeling he was trying to prepare her for the news that the search had gone cold. With no positive developments and no new clues, it was only a matter of time before the investigation shifted focus, the hunt for her daughter giving way to the search for her tiny body.

  For one black moment, Emma pondered which would be worse: never finding her daughter, or knowing for certain she was dead? Being able to bury her would provide some small measure of closure, but Emma decided she’d rather not know. At least if Christina remained missing she could hold out hope that her baby was alive, somewhere out there. The thought of a world without her daughter in it was simply too terrible to even consider.

  “It won’t come to that,” she whispered under her breath. “I won’t let it.”

  As if she had any control over the situation. But somehow saying the words made her feel a little better, like her voice had imbued them with the weight of truth.

  She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, digging deep for energy. The physical fatigue didn’t bother her—as a nurse and a mother, she was used to that. It was the emotional intensity of the situation that she found so draining. She couldn’t relax, couldn’t for one minute forget about her baby being gone. Her adrenaline was high nonstop, and it was taking its toll on her body and mind. There was a breakdown coming, but she didn’t know how much time she had left until her body simply stopped functioning. Hopefully they would find Christina before Emma hit the wall.

  She slid sunglasses on, adjusting them carefully on the bridge of her nose. It didn’t hurt as much as yesterday, but the tissue was definitely sore. Still, as she’d told Matt at the time, it could have been worse.

  The corner of her mouth curved in a small smile as she recalled his reaction to her injury. He’d been so apologetic, so worried. It had been cute, really, the way such a big, strong man had seemed to shrink before her eyes when he realized he’d accidentally hurt her. His reaction had been sweet and, to be honest, a bit unexpected. Matt seemed so serious and regimented that his show of emotion had surprised her. Once more, Emma wished she’d met him under different circumstances so she could justify her desire to get to know him better. Maybe, when this was all over—

  She cut off the thought before it had a chance to take root in her mind. When this was all over, she was taking her baby girl and going home, back to El Paso and to her job. Matt lived near the park—his life, his work, was here, several hours away from her home. While the thought of getting close to him was appealing, it could never be a reality. She was busy enough, between her shifts at the hospital and taking care of Christina. Making sure her brother was brought to justice for what he’d done was likely going to take time, as well. There simply wasn’t room in her schedule for a relationship, particularly one of the long-distance variety. So while she found Matt intriguing, he was going to have to remain a mystery.

  That settled, she took a bite of sandwich and turned her thoughts to the day ahead. Matt rounded the bend of the trail, looking disgustingly well-rested even though he hadn’t crawled inside the tent until quite late. She reached up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear, wondering if she looked as bad as she felt.

  He smiled as he walked forward to meet her. “Hi,” he said simply. “Doing okay this morning?”

  Just like that, his greeting chased away the worst of her bad mood, and Emma felt herself smiling back. “I’ve been better, but I’ve been worse, too.”

  He nodded, his clear blue eyes zeroing in on her nose. “Still hurting?” he said, nodding toward the feature in question.

  “A little.” She resisted the urge to touch it self-consciously, knowing that would only make it ache more. “But I’ll survive.”

  “Of that, I have no doubt.” He knelt and grabbed a radio from his bag. “I’m going to check in with the team, find out if anyone has seen or found anything that might be connected to your brother.”

  A glimmer of hope broke through the dark clouds of her thoughts. Emma had forgotten they weren’t the only ones in the park looking for Christina. It was possible one of the other rangers had gotten lucky, or would do so today.

  “Do you think anyone has news?”

  Matt hesitated a second, then shook his head. “I probably would have heard about it already if someone had seen or heard anything of interest. But it won’t hurt for me to double-check, and to remind everyone to keep their eyes and ears open.”

  Emma nodded, trying not to feel disappointed. “Can I fix you a sandwich?” She actually wished they had coffee this morning—she’d welcome caffeine in any form right about now.

  “I’m good, thanks.” Matt rested his hand on her shoulder. “Be right back,” he said, squeezing gently.

  Emma looked down, busying herself with the bread and peanut butter so she wouldn’t stare at him while he contacted the ranger station. Even though Matt didn’t think his fellow rangers had noticed anything amiss in the park, she had to believe it was only a matter of time until someone saw something.

  He returned a few minutes later, and she could tell by the look on his face there was nothing to report. He really is kind, she thought as she watched him struggle to find a way to let her down gently. Even from the beginning, when he’d clearly thought she had a screw loose, he’d treated her with respect and been nice to her. It was a point in his favor, one more thing she appreciated but didn’t know how or even if she should tell him.

  “It’s okay,” she said, sparing him the effort. “As long as they keep looking.”

  He looked mildly relieved by her reaction. “They will,” he said. “They’re a good group of people. They’re worried about Christina, too.”

  “Are you ready to start looking again?”

  “Just as soon as we break camp,” he replied. “Do you want to keep going forward, or try a different direction?”

  Emma shook her head. “No, let’s stay on this trail. If they really were here before, they might not have moved far.”

  “Let’s hope,” Matt said. Working quietly, they packed up their gear. Emma strapped her bag on her back and forced her aching legs to start moving.

  They hadn’t gone far when she felt a buzz in her pocket. Emma pulled out her phone and saw from the display that Detective Randall was calling. A chill skittered over her, followed immediately by a wave of heat that made her feel dizzy.

  Matt glanced over and placed his hand on her arm to brace her. “You okay?”

  She nodded, her finger fumbling for the screen so she could accept the call. “Hello?” Please, let her be alive. She put the phone on speaker, so Matt co
uld hear what the detective had to say.

  “Emma, where are you?”

  “I’m in Big Bend.” What? What is it? She wanted to scream the words, but managed to stay calm.

  Before she could say anything else, Detective Randall spoke again. “Good. I need you to get to the Big Bend Regional Medical Center.”

  “What? Why?” She glanced at Matt, who frowned and shook his head slightly.

  Randall’s next words made her heart stop.

  “They’ve found Christina.”

  * * *

  “Can you go any faster?” Emma’s voice was tight, her expression pinched as she sat next to him, her body drawn taut as a bowstring.

  He knew she was eager to get to the hospital. Even though Detective Randall had assured Emma that Christina was fine, he could tell she wouldn’t believe it until she saw the little one for herself.

  “I’m doing my best,” he said, swerving around another slow-moving car. It was difficult to stay focused on driving when he had so many unanswered questions swirling through his mind. Who had found the baby? Where was Emma’s brother? How had the two of them been separated? Detective Randall had been maddeningly short on details, which only added to Matt’s curiosity. And he was just an outsider looking in on the situation; he could only imagine how Emma must feel at this moment.

  The Big Bend Regional Medical Center was located in Alpine, a good-sized town not far from the park. Matt and many of the other park rangers lived in Alpine, so he was familiar with the terrain. He exited the freeway as soon as possible and took a few side streets to avoid the worst of the traffic. It still took longer than he would have liked, but soon enough he pulled into the parking lot of the main hospital.

  Emma had her hand on the door handle as he rolled to a stop outside the emergency room entrance. She leaped from the truck without even a backward glance. “I’ll meet you inside,” he called after her, but she was already halfway inside the place, and he wasn’t sure she’d heard him. It was clear the rest of the world had ceased to exist for her—it was all about her daughter now.