Suddenly so much made sense—her protectiveness about Gabi, the vagueness about their past life together, those few times when Becca had seemed completely out of her element when it came to child-rearing.
“You were surprised to see your mother,” he said. He had a thousand questions but that thought seemed to take precedence. “Surprised and not pleased.”
“An understatement.” Becca rubbed a hand over her face. “A few months ago, she dumped Gabi on me in Arizona and took off without a word. I had no idea where she was or how to reach her, which is usually the way I prefer the situation. But here she is again, out of the blue, and she wants to take Gabi away. We have to stop her.”
He felt as if he had missed a step somewhere. There had to be more to this story than a difficult relationship with her mother. He was able to key in on the legalities, however. “You said she’s the girl’s mother. How can you stop her from taking her? Do you have official guardianship of Gabi?”
“No. I told you, she just dumped her on me. I have no formal custody whatsoever, which is why I thought it would be easier when we moved here to just say she was my daughter.” She glanced at her watch. “Custody or not, I have to do something. Gabi doesn’t want to go with Monica. She’s finally got a home and security, friends at school. She’s happy here. If Monica takes her, she’ll …” Her voice trailed off and he sensed this was the crux of the whole situation, though he didn’t know what led him to that conclusion.
“She’ll what?”
She said nothing, looking at the floor, the other customers, the counter—anywhere but at him.
“Help me understand, Becca. What’s so terrible about a mother wanting to be with her own daughter?”
“Monica doesn’t want Gabi.” Bitterness seeped from her words. “She only wants to use her in whatever scheme she’s cooking up now.”
“Scheme?”
She sighed and finally met his gaze, and he saw a lifetime of hurt there. “My mother is a con artist and a thief. She has spent her entire life using everyone around her. I became an emancipated minor when I was sixteen and severed all ties with her because I couldn’t deal with the manipulation and lies anymore. I didn’t even know about Gabi until a few months ago when my mother showed up in Phoenix with her. I hate myself when I think that. Because I refused to have anything to do with Monica, Gabi spent nine years with her. If I’d known, I might have been able to do something to help her get away years earlier.”
She released a long breath. “I wasn’t there for all that time, Trace. But I’m here now and I’ve promised Gabi I won’t let Monica take her. Please, can you help me?”
He couldn’t see a clear way to accomplish that particular job given the legal parameters of his position, but he wasn’t prepared to admit that to her yet. “Can you prove your mother—Monica—is up to something in Pine Gulch?”
“No. Gabi said she’s going to California.” She frowned. “I think she was involved in a job here once. Years ago. She said something about everything going wrong. I don’t see how that can help us, though.”
She checked her watch again. “We have to hurry, Trace. She could be driving away right now. Please, will you help me stop her?”
He had rarely felt so helpless as he considered the best course of action. “Without evidence of wrongdoing, I can’t just storm in and take your sister away from her mother. I wish it were that simple.”
“So you’re not going to help me. She’s going to destroy Gabi’s childhood just like she did …”
“Yours?”
In one short, tense conversation, so many things about Becca seemed vividly clear to him now. She was a series of layers, complex and mysterious. A challenge he found eminently intriguing.
At the core, though, was a woman trying to do the right thing for a young girl. If he could, he vowed he would figure out a way to help her.
“I can stall her,” he finally said. “Maybe take her in for questioning on some open cases we have here while we bring in CPD. You said she was involved in something around here years ago?”
“She wouldn’t talk much about it, only to say it turned violent unexpectedly and she left when she could. She said her part was small. I will say this for my mother, amoral she might be but she abhors violence. Says it’s unnecessary and messy.”
He frowned, a little niggle of unease lodging in his gut. “How long ago?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. I had nothing to do with her for the last dozen years. She did say she was pregnant with Gabi, so that would have been about a decade ago. Somewhere in there. Her job was reconnaissance.”
Was it possible that Becca’s mother had been involved with the men who had killed his parents? He and the local authorities had been convinced more people had been involved than just the two men Caidy had seen shoot his parents and the woman who had been sent to distract him from coming home in the middle of the robbery.
He felt a little stir of anticipation at the possibility of a break in the case, a link to the people who had killed his parents. At the same time, he didn’t miss the irony—he was in love with a woman who just might be the daughter of someone involved in that heinous crime.
He wouldn’t worry about that right now, until he met the woman and had a chance to assess the situation.
“I need to go. I can’t just stand here.” Becca twisted her hands together. “Gabi said Monica is packing her things.”
“Grab your coat. Let’s go.”
Her eyes widened with a dazed sort of shock as if she hadn’t let herself believe he would truly help her. This only served to reinforce his belief that she had known very few people she could count on in her life. It made him sad, made him want to tuck her against his heart and promise her he would always be there when she needed him.
“I have to tell Donna.”
“I heard, darlin’.” The older woman stood a few feet away.
“All of it?” Becca looked worried, probably certain she would face censure for lying, but Donna stepped forward and squeezed her hands. “You go do what you have to in order to protect that little girl. We’ll be fine. I can handle things here.”
Eyes brimming with tears she didn’t shed, Becca hugged her employer tightly for a moment, then left the room to grab her coat.
“I mean it,” Donna said to him when Becca was out of earshot. “You do whatever you have to, Trace. She loves that girl, daughter or not. It sounds like this mother is a real piece of work. You teach her that in Pine Gulch, we take care of our own.”
Oh, no pressure. Trace sighed. He would do what he could. But right now his options when it came to keeping a mother away from her child seemed pitifully inadequate.
He was helping her. Some part of her almost couldn’t believe this wasn’t some kind of trick, that he wasn’t going to just take her to the police station and charge her with lying to a police officer or obstruction of justice.
Across the width of the vehicle, Trace watched the road and the tiny snowflakes fluttering down in front of the vehicle. He looked grim and dangerous, his jaw firm and his mouth hard—definitely not a man she would want to mess with under other circumstances. For an instant, she almost felt sorry for Monica for being oblivious as to what havoc was going to rain down on her in a very short time.
She was suddenly very grateful to have Trace Bowman on her side.
He was on her side. He had been from the beginning.
She had been so stupid not to trust him from the moment she showed up in Pine Gulch. Most of the time she liked to tell herself her tumultuous childhood hadn’t left any lasting damage. But once in a while she saw with stark clarity how stunted she was in certain areas. A willingness to allow herself to rely on others was right there at the top of the list. She had been on her own for so long—even before she officially severed ties with Monica—that she had a difficult time giving others any opportunity to see past her defenses in order to help her.
She hadn’t expected this sweet, healing relief at knowing
someone else was in her corner, helping her fight her own particular dragon.
On impulse, she reached out and touched his arm, feeling the heat and the strength through the thickness of his coat.
“Trace, I shouldn’t have lied to you and everyone else about Gabi being my daughter. I’m sorry. When I tried to register her at school, I realized I didn’t have a birth certificate or anything. It … seemed easier to say I was her mother than to try to explain the whole messy situation and have to admit I wasn’t technically her legal guardian. I was worried the school would have to open an investigation with child protective services. I couldn’t bear to think of her being taken away, going into foster care, not when I’m trying my best to give her a comfortable life. Foster care would have been horrible for her.”
She’d had a few short bouts in foster care during those times Monica had been arrested and she wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially not the sister she loved.
“I wish you had trusted me.”
Her life the last few months would have been so much less stressful if only she hadn’t been so stubbornly independent. “I should have.”
He sent her a quick look across the vehicle, then turned his attention back to the road as they turned onto the street they shared. “Is that the reason you pushed me away? Because I’m a cop and you were afraid to spend more time with me for fear I would figure it out and take Gabi away?”
“I was raised from an infant not to attract the attention of the police. It’s a little hard to break the habit. But yes, that’s the main reason.”
He said nothing but she thought she saw a glint of something unreadable in his green eyes and then they were at her grandfather’s house.
In the driveway, Monica was placing a box in the trunk of her car, which was tricked out with every available luxury.
Trace pulled into the driveway behind her, effectively blocking her escape route. Nicely done, Becca thought, and she watched her mother’s features dissolve into a wild, thwarted fury for only an instant before she wiped them clean again.
By the time they climbed out of the patrol vehicle and headed toward Monica in the cold December air, her mother had turned on what Becca always considered her Distressed Maiden persona.
She was very good at what she did. It was always a bit of a surprise to watch the transformation. In the thirty seconds it took them to exit Trace’s patrol vehicle, Monica had somehow managed to mess her hair a little like someone flustered and mussed, and transform her features so she looked somehow older, frightened.
“Officer. I’m so glad you’re here. You must help me.”
Trace raised an eyebrow, looking singularly unmoved. “Must I?”
“Yes. My child is being held here against her will.” Her fingers trembled slightly as she pointed at Becca. “She took her away from me and ran off with her. You wouldn’t believe how frantic I’ve been.”
“No doubt.”
“I’ve been looking for her for months and now I’ve finally found her. I’ve just been waiting for my chance to take her.”
“How terrifying for you.”
She studied him, apparently trying to decide if he was sarcastic or not but Trace wore no expression.
“Yes, well, I’ve found her now. We’re together again.” She offered up a quivery sort of smile. “I don’t want to press charges or anything. I just want to take my child and leave your lovely little town.”
“Why?”
That single word seemed to stymie Monica. She stared at him for a moment. “Why?”
“Yes. Why? We police types tend to look for motive. It’s a bad habit.” He gave a self-deprecating little smile that still sent chills down Becca’s spine.
In official cop mode, Trace was nothing short of terrifying. Who would have expected the nice man he seemed to be most of the time to be able to come off as such a badass?
“What reason would Ms. Parsons have to take your daughter away from you and move here to Pine Gulch?”
“Spite. Vengeance. She was angry at me because of … some unfortunate real-estate investments and she struck out at me the one way she knew would hurt the most, by keeping my child away from me.”
Trace nodded as if he sympathized with her, even accepted the hypothesis. For an instant, Becca felt a clutch of fear. What if he bought Monica’s lies? She was extraordinarily good at the con.
No. She reined in the panic. Trace knew her. They were friends—and possibly more. He would never believe she would take Gabi out of spite. She had to trust him.
“Why don’t we all go inside out of the cold and talk about this?” Trace spoke in a calm-the-situation voice. “Where is Gabi now?”
“Inside packing her things. She can’t wait to leave.”
Becca stared at her mother, shocked at such a fervent and blatant lie that would be ridiculously easy to disprove simply by asking Gabi. It was not the sort of mistake Monica would normally make, unless she was completely certain Gabi would back up her story. She wouldn’t, would she? Gabi had called her, begging her to prevent Monica from taking her.
When they walked inside the house, Gabi was sitting on the floor next to the Christmas tree Trace had brought them. Though it was only midmorning, all the lights on the tree were blazing here in the overcast gloom. Her sister’s gaze instantly found Becca’s. Instead of her usual cool reserve, Gabi looked frightened.
Becca instantly went to her and pulled her into a hug. This was one of those cherished moments when Gabi didn’t resist; she just threw her arms around her sister.
“Doesn’t look to me as if she can’t wait to leave,” Trace commented.
A hint of fury sparked in Monica’s eyes again but she maintained her Distressed Maiden act. “Tell the police officer, Gabrielle. How Rebecca took you away from me and I couldn’t find you for months. She brought you here and you’ve been miserable and can’t wait to leave. You called me and begged me to come rescue you. Go ahead and tell him.”
Becca felt her sister’s withdrawal. Gabi sat up and moved away from her, her thin features pinched. “I called her,” she whispered.
Her heart sank. What hold did Monica have on Gabi, beyond the helpless love of a child for her mother? Oh, sweetheart.
Trace didn’t reveal a hint of his thoughts in his eyes or his expression and she felt that clutch of fear again. With Gabi’s apparent corroboration, would he believe that she had taken her sister without Monica’s permission?
“Gabi, this is important. I need to know the truth. Do you want to go with your mother?” Trace asked.
The girl’s gaze flickered from him to their homespun Christmas tree then to her mother. She completely avoided looking at Becca. She didn’t speak, however, merely gave a tiny nod that seared through Becca like acid.
Monica must have convinced her to lie somehow. She remembered Gabi’s frightened voice on the phone. I don’t want to go, Becca. I like it here with you.
Triumph flashed in Monica’s perfectly made-up eyes. She smiled at Gabi, who looked even more frightened. “See? I told you! She’s been miserable here. Poor thing. It’s been a nightmare for the girl. She can’t wait to leave!”
She turned on Becca. “I hope you’re ashamed of yourself, trying to keep a child away from her loving mother. I can’t imagine how a child I raised could possibly be so heartless. Now if you don’t mind moving your vehicle, sir, we’ll just be on our way. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us. I’m sure you understand.”
“I do. I believe I understand perfectly.” He smiled and those chills skittered down Becca’s spine again. “I’m afraid I can’t allow you to leave town just yet. I need to make a few phone calls first. I’m sure you understand. Just procedure.”
Monica shifted and her careful mask began to slip. “I don’t understand. What sort of phone calls?”
“Just technicalities. There’s still the matter of your abandonment of your daughter in Arizona.”
“Abandonment? I didn’t abandon anyone. She took her and left town
. How was I supposed to find her?”
“You’ll have to forgive me but that’s the point I’m unclear about. Gabi, how long were you with your sister in Phoenix before you moved here?”
Gabi frowned in confusion. “I don’t know. A month, maybe.”
“A month. I see. And where was your mother during that time?”
Gabi looked at Becca then at Monica before meeting Trace’s gaze. “I don’t know. She didn’t say. We were staying with Becca in Arizona. And one morning when I woke up, my mom wasn’t there. She didn’t say anything to me before she left. I waited and waited for her to come back but she never did.”
Her sister sounded forlorn, abject. Becca might have thought it was an act, just another masquerade, but she remembered how torn up Gabi had been after Monica left.
“And Becca.” Trace directed his attention to her. “Did you have any idea where your mother was during that time?”
She felt a tiny glimmer of hope, like a pale sunbeam just barely piercing through clouds. She understood exactly where he was going with this and she couldn’t see at all how Monica could wriggle out. “None whatsoever,” she said firmly. “She didn’t leave a note or email or try to contact us in any way. The only thing she left was a mountain of debts I ended up having to pay. It took me a month to sell my town house and liquidate what was left of my assets in order for us to move here to the house my grandfather gave me.”
Trace gave Monica a long, slow look of appraisal. “Sounds like a fairly cut-and-dried case of child abandonment to me.”
Shock held Monica speechless for a long moment. She looked at the three of them as if trying to figure out just where the game had gone wrong. When she spoke, Distressed Maiden had been kicked to the curb. Monica’s voice was hard, angry. “Well, I’m here now and I want my child. She said herself she wants to go with me.”
“With apologies to Gabi here, I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way, ma’am. I’m going to have to take you down to the station with me. We don’t deal with this sort of thing very often, so I’m going to have to contact the authorities in Arizona about their particular laws and ordinances. With it being Christmas Eve, that might take longer than normal.” He shrugged, just a Good Old Boy frustrated with the system. Apparently the Parsons women weren’t the only con artists around.
Christmas in Cold Creek Page 16
