The Baby Trail (Baby Bonds #2)

by Karen Rose Smith

  “Maybe you’re an adrenaline junkie and enjoy the thrill of chasing down a lead,” Garrett offered, suppressing a smile.

  “Maybe. Or maybe I just enjoyed your company,” she admitted.

  Quiet for a few moments, he finally responded, “What company is that? Most of our drive both ways was silent.”

  That was true. She thought about the long conversations she’d had with Mark…usually about their work. Yet she’d never felt as connected to Mark as she felt to Garrett. “Two people don’t have to talk to enjoy being with each other.”

  “They sure as hell don’t,” he muttered leaning closer, lacing his fingers in her hair. With his other hand, he unfastened her seat belt.

  Maybe Garrett believed they were safe now since they weren’t near a bedroom, but she knew better. As soon as his lips crushed hers, as soon as his tongue slid into her mouth, as soon as his hand angled her head, she knew the two of them weren’t safe no matter where they went. The chemistry between them was explosive. A word, a touch, a smile could land them in each other’s arms.

  She was flirting with the unknown, risking her heart, stirring up her life. Wasn’t all of that reckless and so unlike her?

  In Garrett’s arms, she was a woman she didn’t know—a woman who could dream again…a woman who could find satisfaction with a man…a woman who knew how to give pleasure and receive it.

  After Garrett broke the kiss, he looked deep into her eyes, then kissed her all over again. This time his hands were as busy as his lips and tongue. They slid under her sweater, up her back and released her bra. Thoughts tumbled about in her head but she couldn’t grab one. She could only feel.

  Garrett’s large callused hands on her back sent shivers through her and lit up sexual yearnings she’d never acknowledged. Mindlessly she reached for him, too. He’d worn the white T-shirt she’d bought him and now she frantically pulled it from his jeans. It was good to be in physical contact, to experience more of the toe-curling pleasure. Garrett might be a loner, but he was an experienced loner and knew how to kiss and how to touch.

  He was a man who liked touching. She could tell just from the way he brought his hands around to her stomach, the way he gently dragged his fingers up her midriff to her breasts. When he cupped her, when he thumbed her nipples, tears came to her eyes from the sheer pleasure of it. The heat of his chest under his curling hair was scorching and she made a small circle with her hand, sliding over his tight abdominal muscles, letting her palm flatten to absorb as much about Garrett as she could from that simple touch.

  Suddenly she felt the shift. She felt the change. She felt all of it ending. His hands dropped away from her and although his lips clung to hers for a few long moments, she knew he was going to pull away.

  After he did, he leaned against his seat back and closed his eyes. His fingers wound about the steering wheel and then he gradually released it.

  “This is broad daylight,” he said gruffly.

  “Would anything be different if we were in the dark?”

  After he glanced at her, he smiled and shook his head. “You sure know the questions to ask, don’t you? In the dark, I might not have stopped. In the dark, I might have convinced you to crawl into the backseat. In the dark—”

  “You could forget who you were and who I was and just go with the flow?” She didn’t want to think that, but maybe Garrett wasn’t so different from other men she’d met.

  Now he leaned forward and looked at her again. “I could never forget who you are.”

  Her breathing coming more evenly now, she responded, “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not.”

  “I’m not sure, either,” he grumbled.

  She reached up under her sweater and refastened her bra, feeling a bit embarrassed now, maybe even a little used. Garrett had already told her he didn’t want a relationship. He’d already told her he’d never marry again. What was she doing? Deep down she knew that for her marriage had to be the final destination of a relationship.

  The bag with the supplies she’d bought sat at her feet. She reached for it and the rustle of the plastic was loud in the car.

  Garrett reached one long arm into the backseat and plucked up her jacket. When he handed it to her, his expression was unreadable. She wondered how long he’d had to practice not letting any emotion show—months…years? Had he begun practicing when his parents divorced?

  “You’ll let me know if you find anything else about Amy’s mother?” she had to ask because a dead end might mean the end of the road, both for finding the baby’s mother and for them.

  “I’ll let you know what happens with the sketch. I’ll give Lily Reynolds a call when I get home.”

  Their time together had ended. The mission was finished for now. But she didn’t want to get out of his SUV. And even though it went against everything she knew was right for her, she wanted to invite him inside.

  She felt as shaken as she had the first day she’d laid eyes on Garrett Maxwell.

  Opening her door, she climbed out. “I’ll see you when I see you,” she said flippantly. “Good luck with the sketch.”

  After she hurried up the walk to her front door and unlocked it, he backed out of her driveway and drove away.

  Inside, the stillness and emptiness of the house caused a hollow feeling in her chest.

  Maybe she needed to find a cat.

  Garrett came home from his trip with Gwen a restless man. He never spilled his guts. He didn’t confide in anyone. When he’d been married to Cheryl, she often accused him of being closemouthed, secretive, unwilling to share. He’d blamed his job and so had she.

  The truth was, however, that he’d been self-sufficient and needed no one for as long as he could remember. His parents’ bitter fights, the emotional darts they’d tossed at each other, the hurtful arrows they’d carefully aimed had taught him not to give personal information to anyone who could use it against him. Their divorce and then his chosen career had reinforced the fact. Ever since he’d returned to Wild Horse Junction, he’d kept his own counsel and liked it that way. Yet since he’d met Gwen, sometimes thoughts leaked out he never intended to voice. Her intuitive, yet probing questions nudged open doors he’d always thought were better kept closed.

  Climbing the stairs to his loft, intending to add to the notes he’d inputted on the Baby Amy case, he opened the door to his office. It was an absolute mess. Several months of receipts lay scattered to the right of his computer monitor. Every day he expected to record them, but he hadn’t found the time. Stacked file folders—about a foot of them—tilted precariously on a chair. The airplane mobile above them caught his eye and his gaze strayed and settled on the original 1983 Return of the Jedi poster on the wall. It didn’t fit with the decor of the rest of the house any more than the mobile did, but he’d dragged it with him from his youth. Trying to hold on to the kid he’d been? Trying to remember more carefree days?

  Focusing again on Baby Amy and the new information he’d learned, he switched on the computer, suddenly realizing he’d forgotten to check his messages. He kept the machine in the kitchen since that was most convenient. He never forgot to check his messages. But Gwen was on his mind…not someone who might want to hire him to ensure the security of their computer network.

  A few minutes later, he stood at the kitchen counter and pushed the play button on the answering machine. The first message startled him. “Hey, Garrett. It’s Cheryl. Give me a call when you can.” She rattled off a number.

  Cheryl? Now? Why? What could they possibly have to say to each other? They hadn’t spoken in years!

  Still wondering why she’d phoned, he listened to the second message. It was from Gwen’s father. “Mr. Maxwell, it’s Russ Langworthy. I stopped by your place, hoping to talk to you. Can you call me?” He gave Garrett his phone number then added, “I have an idea that could benefit us both.”

  Cheryl’s voice still playing in his head, Garrett called the number his ex-wife had left. It was different from t
he one in his address book. Had she simply called to tell him she moved?

  Cheryl never did anything “simply.”

  After her phone rang a few times, her voice mail clicked on. He didn’t leave a message. If she had caller ID, she’d know he called. If she didn’t…

  They’d connect eventually.

  Garrett dialed Russ Langworthy’s number, not liking the tightness in his chest caused by thinking about Cheryl—too much history that brought up guilt and sadness.

  Gwen’s father picked up on the first ring.

  “Mr. Langworthy, this is Garrett Maxwell. You tried to get hold of me?”

  “Yes, I did. I went out to the hangar where you keep your plane. Nice Skyhawk you’ve got there.”

  Now what was Russ doing around his plane? “You got inside the hangar?” The doors were locked except when he or Dave Johnson, a mechanic he used, were working on the plane.

  “Your mechanic was there. Friendly fellow. He was glad to give me a quick look before he left.”

  “Is there a reason you went to the hangar?”

  “I was curious about your plane. As I told you at the barn dance, I flew in Nam.”

  Russ had generally spoken about manning a copter.

  “When was the last time you flew?”

  “Early seventies,” Russ answered. “When I got home I wanted to forget about what happened over there. I got my CPA’s license, met my wife, got married, and we adopted Gwen. After my wife left and I was drinking, I never considered flying again. Did Gwen tell you about any of that?”

  “Some.”

  “Did she tell you I’ve been sober for three years now?”

  “Congratulations.”

  “I didn’t call you for a pat on the back. I called you because…” He hesitated. “Because I thought maybe you could use some help.”

  “What kind of help?” Garrett asked warily.

  “I got a hole in my life that needs filled, and I have experience you might find handy. I’ve also got twenty-twenty vision and on a search-and-rescue gig, that can be important. I’d like to volunteer to go with you.”

  Usually someone from the search team went up with Garrett to act as a spotter. However someone with spotting experience from the air wasn’t always available. Distance perspective from the air was different than on the ground. Russ Langworthy had a trained eye for finding landing sights, signals, the enemy as well as the wounded. Still… “I don’t know, Mr. Langworthy.”

  “It’s Russ. I know this isn’t something you want to make a snap decision on. In fact, my guess is, you want to say no. But before you do, just think about it. Think about an experienced pair of eyes with binoculars helping you search. Think about maybe spotting a kid a little faster.”

  Russ was right that Garrett wanted to say “no” but something held him back from doing that. “What makes you think this will fill up the hole in your life?”

  “I don’t know for sure. Maybe it won’t. I still go to meetings. But I need to do something that doesn’t have a payoff for me. You know what I mean?”

  “There’s a payoff. You’ll be in the air again. You’ll get an adrenaline rush from the search.”

  “Maybe so, but I’ve got to start somewhere and this just seems like a good place. Why do you do it?”

  He did it because every time he found a child, he was making up for the one he’d lost. He was making up for his part in his marriage failing. He knew what he did wasn’t altruistic because he was still assuaging his guilt.

  “I do it for lots of reasons.” He thought about Russ’s suggestion again. “As you said, I can’t make a snap decision on this. I never imagined having a partner.”

  “We could just try it once or twice. You could see how it goes. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll join a crew on Habitat for Humanity or something.”

  A smile crept onto Garrett’s lips. “You know how to build houses?”

  “Nope, but I can learn.” After a pause he reminded Garrett, “I’ll be waiting to hear from you and if the answer’s no, don’t worry about hurting my feelings. You just give it to me straight. And something else, Mr. Maxwell.”

  “It’s Garrett.”

  “Okay, Garrett. This has nothing to do with Gwen.”

  “She doesn’t know you’re talking to me about this?”

  “She doesn’t know. I’d rather just keep it that way.”

  “If I decide to take you up with me even once, I wouldn’t keep it from her. You shouldn’t, either.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

  When Garrett hung up the phone, he wasn’t pleased to have yet another complication in his life. He’d been living a solitary existence that had suited him just fine.

  Now he’d have to consider whether he wanted to change his life.

  Or not.

  On Tuesday, Gwen sat in her office recording the last of her patient notes when the receptionist buzzed her.

  “Yes, Agnes,” she answered absentmindedly, her attention on the notes on her desk.

  “There’s a man here to see you. Said his name is Garrett Maxwell.”

  Agnes suddenly had all of Gwen’s attention. Garrett? Here? “Send him back, Agnes.”

  Mere seconds later, there was a rap on Gwen’s door. She hurried to answer it and Garrett filled the doorway. She backed up so he could step inside.

  As he did, he took up all the space in her cubbyhole of an office in his black windbreaker, black jeans and white T-shirt. Sometimes his sheer male presence took her breath away.

  Most of the time.

  “Has something happened?” She couldn’t imagine why else he would be here.

  “Yes, it has.” He glanced down at something in his hand. It looked like a menu. “Mandy at The Silver Dollar called me. She was talking to another waitress on her break and the woman remembered our young couple. She also recalled the guy was doodling on the menu. The two of them searched through all of them and this is what she found.”

  He handed the menu to Gwen, back side up, and she studied it. It was a map of the area—of Wyoming’s border into Montana. Someone had used a pen and drawn a circle around Little Creek.

  “You think this is where they were headed?”

  “It’s a long shot, but it’s a possibility. If flight conditions are suitable, I’m going to fly up. I can be there in an hour. I didn’t know if you might want to come along.”

  Gwen glanced at the charts on her desk she was going to study for her next-day patients.

  “I had two patients cancel this afternoon, so I’m free relatively speaking. If we leave now, it’ll be dark when we fly back.”

  Garrett’s eyes twinkled with some amusement. “Planes fly in the dark.”

  “I know, but isn’t it more dangerous in a small plane?”

  “I have my instrument rating, Gwen. My plane’s in A-1 condition and I know what I’m doing. If you don’t want to go, that’s fine. I’ll nose around on my own.”

  “I want to go.”

  “But?”

  “I’ve never been up in a small plane before.”

  “There’s a first time for everything,” he commented sardonically, and her head was suddenly filled with visions other than of plane rides.

  A first time making love with Garrett.

  Would he be intense and focused as a lover? Could he be playful? Would he let his guard down? Would the hunger for each other take over and nothing else matter?

  Gwen told herself not to go there. She was considering a plane ride, not tangling the sheets with Garrett. But the two experiences seemed to have exciting somersault-sensation similarities.

  She made an impulsive decision before her courage deserted her. “Let me get the medical bag I use for home visits and I’ll be ready.” One look at Garrett and she knew what he was going to say.

  “I know we might not find her. I know this could be a disappointing ride. But I like to be prepared.”

  After a long steady look, he said, “I’ll meet y
ou at the airport.”

  An hour and a half later, it was almost dark when they touched down on the landing field in Little Creek, Montana. Gwen had been nervous before they’d taken off, but she’d soon realized Garrett was an experienced pilot and knew exactly what he was doing. His conversation with the mechanic at the hangar, his methodical preflight check had eased her into the idea of flying with him. In the air the views had been magnificent, and although they could communicate with headsets, they’d flown most of the trip in silence.

  As soon as the plane was secured, a Blazer came barreling out to it. When Garrett opened the passenger door, the man in the driver’s seat, who had to be at least seventy and out in the sun most of his life, grinned widely. “Hey, Garrett. It’s been a while.”

  “A couple of years. Thanks for meeting us.”

  “No problem. I owe you.” To Gwen he explained, “Garrett came up here to look for my grandson, even though he’d just run after a jackrabbit to our ranch’s north fork.”

  Garrett made quick introductions and Gwen liked Ed Randolph right away. She learned he owned a ranch a few miles out of town and Garrett had called him before he’d left Wild Horse.

  As Garrett let her ride in the front seat beside Ed, she followed the conversation of the two men catching up.

  Five minutes later, Ed parked in front of a run-down motel. “You think the girl you’re looking for is here?” he asked Garrett as he wrinkled his nose at the place.

  “I called around this afternoon. The motel owner said a guy rented the room a week ago. He had his girlfriend with him but she didn’t go in or out. Three days ago he left a hundred and fifty dollars with the clerk. The owner suspects she doesn’t have any more money and tomorrow’s her last day. Since she doesn’t have a car, and her boyfriend didn’t say he’d be back, he’s glad someone’s inquiring about her. She’s in room three.”

  Garrett had given Gwen this information soon after they’d taken off.

  “I’ll wait here,” Ed told them as they climbed out.

  At the door to number three, Garrett took hold of Gwen’s elbow and she could feel the imprint of his hand all the way down to her toes.