“All right.” Robin swallowed hard to clear her throat.
“How were they this morning?”
“Cranky.” She gripped his hands. “They didn’t want to leave today.”
Chad squeezed back. “You put them down for a nap? When?”
“It was just a little after noon when Mr. Slade got here. They were asleep. I swear they were!” Robin closed her eyes, dread like a rock against her breast, guilt choking her.
Chad lifted one hand and rubbed her cheek. The warm, steady stroke made her open her eyes and stare into his. “Robbie, I’m not accusing. I’m just trying to figure out how long they may have been gone.”
“I was distracted with Mr. Slade and I didn’t check again, but I’d say it was around noon or twelve thirty when they went to sleep.”
Chad checked his watched. “Let’s check the house and see if anything is out of order.”
“What are you thinking?”
Chad studied her face for a long, silent moment.
“Tell me.” Robin gripped his hands.
“Well, we do have a burglar in the neighborhood.”
Robin sucked in a breath. “Oh, God.”
“He or they haven’t hurt anyone, but…”
“They’re so little.” Robin gripped his hands tighter. The warmth and safety there helped her calm down. A knock on the back door startled both of them.
“Come on in, Hank,” Chad called.
The man stepped into the house and lifted off his cap. “I’ve checked. No sign of them, although didn’t you buy them a red wagon?”
Chad rose. “Yes.”
“It isn’t in the yard.”
Chad frowned and walked to the door, checking himself. “Where’s Bessie?”
Robin rose, joining Chad at the door. Studying the yard, she saw Rover herding the puppies, but no Bessie. “I don’t see her.”
“You don’t suppose they ran away?” Hank quiet words ricocheted in the room.
“Ran…” Robin stared at the older man.
Robin turned to Chad. His shocked expression matched her thoughts.
Hank shrugged. “Well, you did say they weren’t happy about going home.”
“I’m calling Tom.” Chad reached for the phone.
“I’ll get Trudy and drive around the fields some,” Hank offered. “I’ll see what we can find, but this is a big farm. If they’ve been gone for awhile, they could be anywhere.” Hank exited.
The slam of the door grated on Robin’s jumpy nerves. She stood in the middle of the kitchen, shell shocked and watched Chad pick up his cell phone. When he reached for her, she sagged at his side, wrapping her arms around his waist, wanting to sink into him.
“We’ll find them.” His lips at her temple were her only solace.
Laying her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes, trying to chase away the nightmare.
Her children had abandoned her just like everyone else!
Chad pulled Robin tighter in his embrace and listened to the ring on the other end. A sick feeling pooled in his gut.
“Applegate.”
“Tom?”
“Yeah, Chad. What’s up?”
“The girls are missing.”
His brother’s sharp intake of breath was all he heard for a moment. “How long?”
“As near as we can tell, maybe two hours. Robin thought they were sleeping.”
Robin’s warm tears soaked through his shirt.
“We’ll find them, baby.” He stroked his arm down her back and continued with Tom. “Their wagon is gone and so is Bessie.”
“Hold on.” Tom’s siren sounded. “Search the house. See if anything else is missing. I’ll be right there.”
Chad hung up and forced Robin to look at him.
“We can’t fall apart. This is a big farm. We need to do everything we can in a logical order. Let me call Grandma. She’ll alert the family and we’ll search the house to see if they took anything else.”
Fifteen minutes later, Tom’s patrol car sat in the driveway. The lights from the bar flashed in the fading afternoon light.
Chad described all the girls took.
Tom shook his head. “Well, they prepared themselves.”
“Yeah. Hank and Trudy searched and found some wagon prints, two sets of kids footprints and dog prints in the mud at the edge of that field down by the market. It’s a muddy mess out there. The tracks quit, but may pick up further on. They are looking now.”
“Good. We have a direction. What’s out that way?”
“Pumpkin fields, more pumpkin fields, other farm land, irrigation trenches, a ravine, several wooded areas. We’re going to need some help aren’t we?”
Tom nodded. “We’ll get it.”
Robin wrung her hands. “We’re just going to stand here and wait?”
Tom reached for her, took her shoulders in his hands and bent to look her right in the eye. “We stand a better chance of success if we mobilize correctly, get people in place to scour all sections, not just us doing little bits at a time. It’ll take a little time to organize, but will save lots of time on the search side. Understand?”
Chad slipped an arm around her. Robin chewed her lip and said nothing.
“It’s the right thing, I promise.” Tom let her go.
Chad turned her into his arms and held tight, waiting.
A second patrol car pulled into the driveway. Tom hurried outside to the driver of the car. Chad recognized the officer as Bret Cara, a co-worker and friend of Tom’s.
“Let’s make some coffee. By the time it’s done, Tom will have organized a search.”
Robin shadowed him. He kept one hand on her as he put together the coffee.
“I’m scared.” She shivered.
“Me, too.”
“From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I wanted the baby. I was shocked when I found out it was twins. I was scared, but my feelings didn’t change. The wanting didn’t stop. I couldn’t wait to hold them and love them like nobody had me.”
Moisture flooded his eyes. He put the carafe of water on the counter and pulled Robin against him again, needing her comfort as much as she needed his. “I wanted them, too. From the moment I fell in the mud beside your car and I thought they were fairies.”
Robin smiled through her tears. “You stared at my breasts.”
Chad blushed. “Yes I did.”
She made a sad attempt at a smile. “Scum.”
“No, ma’am. Healthy male. And I didn’t organize the wet T-shirt contest. God did.” Chad poured water in the coffee maker and turned it on.
The back door slammed and his grandmother was there. Chad released Robbie to her outstretched arms.
“How long have they been gone?” Olivia’s arms cradled Robin, soft shoulders absorbing her sobs.
Chad had to clear his throat before he could find a voice to reply. “About three hours now, we think.”
“The whole family is on their way. Meg just got out of school. She’ll be a little late, but she’ll be here. We’ll start looking and we won’t quit until we find them safe and sound.”
Tom entered the house. With Robin in good hands, Chad went to his brother to talk about the search plan.
Robin pulled away from Olivia and went to the bedroom to blow her nose.
Olivia followed her, walking in behind her. “Don’t worry. We will find them.” She rubbed Robin’s back, the warmth of her hand soothing.
Overwhelmed by the affectionate gesture, Robin broke away. She walked to the window to stare out at the fields. Were her daughters out there somewhere, alone and afraid? “Olivia, what have I done?”
Olivia sank into the rocking chair. “What are you talking about, child?”
“They ran away from home. Because of me.” Robin turned, gripping her hands together in front of her, words tumbling out unplanned. “They wanted to stay here with Chad.”
“You belong here with Chad.” Her faith in that statement shook Robin to the core.
Robin bit her lip. Her insides churned, her worry coated with a heavy layers of temper, guilt and doubt. “Does that justify what they did?”
“Of course not and you know it.” Olivia leaned forward in the chair, her hands gripping the arms of the rocker. “What you are afraid of, child? Why isn’t staying with Chad possible?”
The loving command in her voice made Robin stumbled over her words. “Being left, it’s what people do to me. He’ll leave me like all the rest. When he does the girls will be devastated. I have to protect them.”
“Poppycock.” Olivia rose and took Robin’s shoulders, giving her a firm shake. “You’re protecting yourself. Look at what’s in front of you, honey. Chad adores those children and they feel the same about him. He’s just as upset about their running away as you are. Besides, aren’t you already forcing them to leave someone they love, devastating them? Isn’t that much the same way it was for you?”
Robin stared at Olivia, stunned by the thought of what she was forcing on the girls with her decision. Tears gathered in her throat, frustration choking her. She was making them leave Chad, but she had to, didn’t she? While they still had good memories, not bitterness? Before he let them down? Would he let them down? Robin cataloged everything she’d seen of Chad over the last six weeks and all her careful reasoning fell apart.
Olivia gripped her hands, her eyes locked to Robin’s. “I’ve never seen Chad like this. Even over Gwynne. He loves you. His roots are on this farm and in this community. He isn’t going anywhere.”
Robin opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
Olivia smiled and hugged her, the affection obvious. “I love you, too. And I’m certainly not going anywhere. This whole family cares about you. Look at Tom. He came as fast as he could when he heard there was trouble.”
“He came because of Chad.”
“He came because he knows Chad loves you and we’ve all accepted that and you.” She smiled. “We love your girls, too.”
Robin drew back, Olivia’s comments tumbling through her head—the sense of belonging so foreign she couldn’t grasp it. Confusion raced with her fears, neither finding ease.
Olivia sighed, dropping her hands and walking to the bed. Turning around, she fired another question. “Did you ever consider that you were better off without your mother? That she didn’t deserve you?”
Robin shook her head. Memories of her mother hurt. “No. She was my mother.”
Olivia snorted. “Well, the title ‘mother’ doesn’t make a woman a saint. Look at her from what you know now. Some adults do all the wrong things, for all the wrong reasons. From everything you’ve said, you were better off without her.” She walked to Robin and took her hands again, squeezing them tight. “You are stronger than her, smarter than her. You’ve proven that with your girls.”
“Olivia…” Robin bit her lip, not sure what she wanted to say. She’d never thought of herself as better than her mother.
“You’re not your mother, Robin. You have wonderful children and you’ve got a strong heart. All you have to do is let go of the fears and listen to your head. You love him, don’t you?”
Robin nodded, biting her lip to contain the sobs.
“And you’re strong, tough enough to take care of yourself, right?”
“I’ve had to.”
“Then you could do it again, if the worst happened. Don’t tell me you couldn’t. You won’t have to, though.” Olivia waggled a finger. “That boy won’t give up on you. You can’t protect yourself from love for the rest of your life. The girls will grow up and go their way, regardless of what you do and you’ll be alone. Then what?”
The thought swiped at her. They’d left her alone here and now, too. “I don’t know.”
“You’re listening to the emotions from your past, not what your heart is telling you, not what your head is telling you. Wouldn’t you rather give them a strong foundation with two parents who love them?”
Robin nodded, pulling a tissue from the box on the nightstand and wiping her eyes.
“Chad has chosen you. All of you.”
Robin’s forehead puckered. Olivia’s comments pricked at her most tender spots. Hope sparked.
“Why would the girls do this, Olivia?”
“They didn’t know how else to make you understand.”
“They’ve never been out alone like this.”
“Yeah, but they are tough and smart like their mother. They’ll be fine until we find them and we will find them.”
From the kitchen, Chad yelled for her. “Robin!”
“Think about what I said.” Olivia hugged her.
Robin ran down the hall to the kitchen. Olivia followed. Chad reached for her. She slid her hand into his, studying his face. The lines around his eyes were tight with stress and worry, confirming Olivia’s comments. He clasped her hand as if he needed the contact, as if she’d been away too long.
Tom snapped his cell phone shut. “We’ve got a search pattern laid out. Bret has gone to put out the word to your neighbors. As soon as the rest of the family gets here, we’ll divide up. We’re going to start the most likely places. Pulling a wagon loaded with stuff, I figure they could not have gotten to the boundary of your land. So unless we run into some other complication, we should find them quickly.”
Chad cleared his throat. “A complication like what? Your burglars?”
Tom looked out the window. “And the weather. Front moving in. Possibility of snow tonight.”
Chad’s face paled. “Great.”
“Oh, no.” Fear congealed in Robin’s stomach. Tom turned to his grandmother. “Grandma, I want you to stay here in case they come back. Mom and Meg can help you when they get here. The rest of us are going to search.”
“Done.” His grandmother fastened on an apron, preparing to make coffee, cocoa and sandwiches for the searchers.
Tom cell phone rang and he answered it.
With nothing to do, Robin and Chad listened to Tom’s end of the conversation. The back door slammed. Bill, Helen and Rick entered through the laundry room. They all still wore their suits from work.
Helen went straight to Robin, pulling her into a tight embrace. “We’ll find them, dear. Don’t worry. They’re tough like their mother.”
Robin nodded, stunned by the sentiment. “Thank you.”
“You have different coats we can both wear, Chad?” Bill dumped his suit jacket at the kitchen table.
“Yeah, Dad. In the closet in the laundry room. Take your pick.”
Rick followed with the same intent.
The toot of a horn signaled the arrival of more people.
Tom straightened his cap. “Let’s get started. With that storm rolling in, we’re losing light fast. Keep the coffee hot, Grandma.”
~~CHAPTER TWELVE~~
Chad stood on the front porch, overwhelmed at all the vehicles crowding his driveway. Bret must have notified every neighbor in a five-mile radius. Twenty men and women, friends and neighbors, stood in his driveway.
Hank and Trudy were talking with Bret by his truck, back from their task of looking for more tracks. Clamping down on his impatience, he moved through the group and greeted everyone while Tom explained what he wanted done. The back door banged shut and Chad returned to the porch. Robin stood poised at the back step, staring at all the people.
“Chad, all these people…” Robin put her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes.
“This is what you wanted in a smaller town, honey. Family, neighbors, community—that’s what it’s all about.” Chad cupped her face. “We will find them. They can’t have gone that far.”
“It’s going to snow.” Her eyes searched the sky. She shivered and zipped her coat all the way to her throat.
“I promise you they are holed up somewhere, snug as bugs.” He touched her nose with his.
“For how long?”
“For as long as it takes.” He kissed her. Her lips clung like they belonged.
He threaded his f
ingers through hers and walked to his truck. When he opened the door for her, she slid into the middle. Tom joined them. His Dad, Rick, Bret, Hank and Trudy split up among the neighbors. The puppies tumbled around the yard, howling at the fence, obviously missing Bessie. Walking to the gate, Chad yelled for Rover.
The dog trotted to the gate and he let him through. “Come on, buddy.” The shepherd mix jumped into the bed of the truck.
“You think he might be able to track Bessie?” Tom pulled his gloves tighter.
“Maybe. It’s worth a try.” Chad climbed in and slammed the door. He turned the vehicle down the road and into the fields along a bumpy path.
Robin looked across the land, squinting in the fading light. Olivia’s words echoed through her in tandem with her fear for the girls. She looked over at Chad and then Tom—two men unlike anyone she’d ever met and they were here for her and for her girls. Robin shook her head, trying to comprehend all that implied. Chad’s hand reached down and clasped hers. She held her breath for a moment, then tightened her hold.
Angry gray clouds tumbled across the sky, the wind whipping through the trees. The temperature was dropping, the front moving in. An hour passed.
They’d stopped every few minutes and yelled for the girls, carefully searching each area in their grid.
Every time Tom’s cell phone rang, her heart pounded against her ribs. With every second that passed without them being found, her fear grew until she thought she wouldn’t be able to breathe. She thought she knew fear, thought she had an intimate relationship with it.
She was wrong.
Lindy woke to the dark and started to cry.
Reaching for the flashlight, she fumbled with the switch. Her fingers wouldn’t bend they were so cold. The light finally on, she rolled over against Bessie and looked at Boo.
“Wake up, Boo. It’s dark. I’m scared.”
Boo woke and sat straight up, shaking with fright. Grabbing Lindy, she strangle-hugged her over Bessie.
“I want to go home, Boo. I don’t like it out here.”
Boo let loose of Lindy. “I can’t find our way in the dark. I don’t know which way to go.”
Pumpkins, Cowboys & Guitars Page 18
