Ever Hopeful

by Lori Ryan

  This brought more laughter rumbling forth from Cade’s chest. “I wouldn’t tease you like that. Horses love mints. I promise. I probably shouldn’t feed them as many as I do, but I can’t help it. I’m a pushover.” He stepped aside, giving Laura more space. She watched his face for signs that he was teasing, but he seemed to be telling the truth.

  She reluctantly stepped forward and eyed the mint sitting on Cade’s open palm. Laura reached forward and took the mint from his hand, then watched as Cade rubbed the palm of his hand on the white marking on the horse’s face. The horse leaned in for the rubbing, seeming to enjoy the contact.

  She was mesmerized watching him stroke the large horse. Cade’s hands had never hit a woman—of that Laura was absolutely sure. His were hands that were strong and certain, but they were gentle at the same time. They healed and loved and taught, but they didn’t hurt.

  Laura took a step toward the horse, but faltered when he turned his head. He reached his nose toward her hand with lips working furiously to try to reach the mint.

  “His mouth is huge,” Laura said, and pulled her hand back.

  “He won’t hurt you. Just hold it flat on your hand and he’ll do the rest. You won’t even feel his teeth, I promise.” Cade slipped his hand under hers, cushioning it as she reached forward with the candy.

  Cade was right. The horse’s mouth was velvet on her palm and the mint disappeared with a satisfying crunch that lured a laugh from Laura, despite herself.

  “What’s his name?” she asked as she placed her hand on the flat of the horse’s face as Cade had done and was rewarded when the horse leaned in to let her rub.

  “Cayenne’s Pride was his racing name. The Cayenne tells you what stable he was out of. He came from Cayenne Jackson’s place. I can’t decide if I want to call him Cayenne or Pride or come up with something totally different. Time will tell,” Cade said.

  “He’s yours? I thought all the horses here came to be rehabbed and then rehomed.”

  “Most do, but I’m keeping him. My horse had to be put down about a year ago. Had bone cancer. I’ve been waiting for another horse to come along that spoke to me. This guy’s it. I knew it the minute I saw him.” Cade looked at the horse with a reverent love and respect that Laura figured was what made him so good at what he did. It took her breath away to see the relationship between the two.

  “Why did he retire?” Laura asked.

  “Hock injury. He’s been on stall rest but I’m rehabbing him gradually. He’ll be sound again soon. His injury wasn’t serious enough to cause him to be lame for life, it just isn’t something a racehorse owner wants to deal with. There was a time when they would’ve put him down, but nowadays there are people like me who take them and work with them.”

  Cayenne’s Pride flipped his head with a neigh and drew back into the stall to pull hay from a bracket on the wall.

  “I guess we’ve been dismissed,” Cade said with a smile. “Come on, I’ll show you Millie. She’ll have a fit if we don’t visit her.”

  They turned toward the other end of the barn, but footsteps behind them made Laura whirl. It had only been a day since her arrival, and she still felt as if the Kensingtons would show up any minute to take her back.

  Laura took a steadying breath as she saw it was only Shane coming around the corner into the barn. He still made her jumpy, but she’d rather see him than the Kensingtons. She knew Cade watched her closely, aware of her attempt to regulate her breathing. The man saw way too much. No doubt he had read every line of tension before she’d seen Shane and had questions about what caused her to tense up, but she wasn’t ready to answer anyone’s questions yet.

  “Hey, Cade, Laura.”

  “What brings you here two days in a row, Shane?” Cade taunted. “You rethinking that career in town? I have stalls you can muck out if you’re looking for a change.”

  Shane laughed and shook his head. “You can keep your horse sh—” He glanced at Laura, amending his sentence. “I’ll let you handle the pitchfork.” The brothers smiled at each other and Laura began to relax, but the feeling was short lived.

  Shane’s face became serious as he looked at Laura. “I actually came out to talk to you, Laura. It seems you’ve made the news.”

  She couldn’t have controlled the intake of breath if she tried. She felt Cade move closer to her but he didn’t touch her. Shane handed her a printout from The New York Times online, and she immediately recognized the picture of her standing next to Patrick on the front page. It had been taken at last year’s Christmas party for Patrick’s business. She’d had to wear the high-collared navy blue dress to hide the marks that marred her neck.

  A headline above the picture read: Laura Kensington Missing. Laura let her eyes drop to the print and scanned the text: Unstable, emotionally distraught after husband’s death, pregnant, danger to herself or child.

  The irony of it all was that Patrick and his family wouldn’t have known about the baby if he’d died a week earlier.

  Laura shivered as she remembered Patrick standing over her as she sat on the toilet when he made her take a pregnancy test. She’d already known the outcome—had for weeks. She had tried to hide it from him, but he didn’t buy her excuses when she’d been vomiting daily for over two weeks.

  If he hadn’t caught on, if he hadn’t made her take that test and then called his family to brag about the son he was sure he would have, the family would have gladly let her walk away after his death. They would be relieved to be rid of the trash Patrick had brought home.

  Laura took a step back. The paper fell from her hands, as one hand landed on her stomach. She looked at Cade and Shane, shaking her head and moving away from them as if by sheer will she could somehow make this go away.

  “It’s all right, Laura,” Shane said. “You don’t have to leave. If there’s a reason you can’t go back there, the ranch is the safest place for you to be.”

  “No.” Laura shook her head again. She was nothing if not persistent, but it still did nothing to erase the fact that they now knew her secret. “I have to go. I have to leave. People have seen me here.” She backpedaled further, then realized she’d worked herself into a corner. Would the Bishops question her stability now, or wonder if she’d hurt her baby after reading those lies?

  Laura’s mind raced to the people in town that had seen her get off the bus, to Tom Jansen and Seth who would surely recognize her. She’d need to change her appearance and get hold of another fake identity. She had to get far away from anyone who had seen her until she could change the way she looked. She needed to be sure no one could force her and her baby back to the Kensingtons.

  “Laura,” Cade said, quietly and calmly, stepping in front of her and leaning down to catch her gaze without touching her. “Shane didn’t tell you because we want you to leave. He told you so we could help. You need to trust us, Laura. This is the safest place for you to be. Even if anyone other than Shane happens to read The New York Times,” Cade threw a wry glance over his shoulder at Shane before looking back to Laura, “no one that’s seen you will tell anyone where you are. People around here are loyal to a fault to Mama. She’s helped all of them, one way or another, and sent half the damn kids around here to college or trade school or something. If people know May Bishop is protecting you, you’re as safe as you can be. I promise.”

  Shane stepped up behind Cade. “He’s right, Laura. No one’s going to tell anyone you’re here. And with Cade here, no one’s going to be able to get on the grounds and get to you without him knowing it. If you run, you’ll be out there on your own.”

  Laura didn’t need him to tell her that. She knew better than anyone that if she ran from the ranch she was heading out into nothing, with no one to support her. Still, what choice did she have?

  “Laura, no.” Cade’s voice was quiet with the command. She felt Red press against her legs as if she too had something to say about the situation. Cade’s voice changed to a plea. “Let’s go on up and talk to Mama.”r />
  “You don’t have to go back to the house,” came May’s voice from behind the men. “I’m here. Joelle called and told me she saw the article in the paper. She read me the whole thing.” May rolled her wheelchair further into the barn and Laura let her gaze meet the woman’s sharp eyes. “Unstable my foot. What a load of nonsense. You’d think a reputable newspaper like that would have the decency to check some facts before printing rubbish. Now then, when the baby gets here, you’ll need a little more room. Cade, let’s move Laura’s things into the room at the back of the house. There’s a small bedroom that connects to it through a shared bathroom, Laura. When the baby comes, you’ll be nice and close but still have plenty of space to yourself.”

  The fact that Laura hadn’t told them, wasn’t even showing yet, and the baby wouldn’t be arriving for months, didn’t seem to faze May. Laura looked back at Cade and Shane and shook her head.

  “I can’t stay, May. If they find me, they’ll take the baby. Martha Kensington won’t let me raise what she sees as her family, her blood.”

  May didn’t answer. She spoke to her sons instead. “Boys, go on up to the house and get the other room ready. Laura and I are going to talk.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Cade said as he and Shane walked toward the house.

  May wheeled herself to a stack of hay bales and patted one. “Sit, Laura.”

  Laura wasn’t sure what had just happened. May’s force seemed undeniable. When she rolled into the barn and started giving orders, it was hard not to follow them. She walked to the hay bale and sat, eyeing May with a wary gaze. Part of her wanted May and the boys to be right—to convince her that staying at the ranch would keep her safe.

  “Tell me, Laura. Do you have anyone you can go to? Any family to help or friends you can call to stay with?”

  Laura squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She opened her eyes and let her gaze meet May’s. “I need to keep moving. Change my appearance. Use a different name.”

  How could I have been so stupid to tell people my name was Laura? I didn’t even try to hide my appearance. How will I take care of a child if I’m not even smart enough to disguise myself the right way?

  May’s eyes fell to Laura’s hands, once again on her stomach. It was odd really. At this stage of her pregnancy, Laura wasn’t showing and she couldn't even feel the baby yet. She had nothing physical to go on other than the word of her doctor and the constant exhaustion and nausea she felt every day. Yet, somehow, she felt the need to cradle and protect it even though she couldn’t feel or see it. The baby was as real to her already as if she held it in her hands.

  May nodded slowly, as if she were thinking. “I thought that might be the case. Seth’s going to bring Joelle over in the morning. She hasn’t worked in years, but she was a damn good hairdresser once upon a time. She’ll give you a haircut, and she says she has a hair dye that’ll darken your hair to a light brown but is safe for the baby.”

  Laura’s hand flew to her hair. “I’m not allowed to—” She clamped her mouth shut as she realized what she’d been about to say. She had never been allowed to cut her hair. Patrick liked it long.

  May didn’t miss a beat. Just pretended the statement had never been made. “She’ll be here in the morning. After that, you can decide if you want to keep moving. But, I’ll tell you this, Laura. I think you need to take a chance on us. I think you need to stay and let us keep you safe here.”

  May patted the handles of her wheelchair. “Now, push me back on up the walk and we’ll get lunch on the table. My arms get real tired pushing this chair back, even with the paved walk. That hill is brutal.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Alec opened the door and let the two private investigators into the foyer. He’d already received a phone report from them, and knew they hadn’t found any sign of Laura Kensington. It was the lack of any clues to her whereabouts that prompted the call to the press to get the word out about her disappearance. It had been his stroke of genius to include the information about her tenuous mental state and her pregnancy. She’d be brought home quickly once people found out she was desperately in need of care and assistance. That’s the kind of thing people did for the Kensingtons. The national papers had picked up the story and run with it faster than he’d even imagined they would.

  The investigators followed Alec into the sitting room where Martha and Justin waited. Alec still hadn’t figured out if Justin would be an asset or not in this whole screwed up situation. Alec knew Justin and Patrick weren’t very close, but even so, Justin seemed to want to find Laura. That desire could prove helpful.

  “Martha, Justin, these are the two investigators I told you about. Mark Sanders and Paul Cummings. They’ve run checks on Laura’s credit cards and she hasn’t used them at all. They’ve talked to the hospital staff but they’re being extremely tight-lipped so far. The doctor you spoke with told us she refused to be checked in. She said her sister would pick her up and she left. We can officially report Laura missing today and get the police involved, but I’d still like to keep Mark and Paul on the payroll so we have our own men looking for her,” Alec said.

  “Can’t you just get videos or whatever from the hospital and see who picked her up? Which way she went? Who she was with? Little hussy was probably having an affair.” Martha sniffed as though just talking about her daughter-in-law were distasteful to her.

  “We’re using inside connections to see if we can get video footage at the hospital, ma’am, but it’s not easy. The privacy regulations in place nowadays make it hard for us to get things like that. What we need from you right now—” Alec cringed as Mark continued to talk. Calling Martha Kensington ‘ma’am’ was one strike against him. Telling her what to do would be a second strike. But Mark just continued on as though he didn’t see the pinched expression on Martha’s face.

  “What we need from both you and your son right now are as many details about Laura as you can tell us. Who are her friends? What are her hobbies? Where does she spend time during the day? Does she belong to any clubs or organizations? Go to any meetings or classes or social events routinely? Who would she contact if she wanted someone to console her?” Mark asked.

  Paul stood behind Mark, pen in hand, ready to take notes. He’d be waiting a long time. Alec was willing to bet Laura didn’t have any friends here, and even if she did, Martha probably hadn’t deigned to pay attention to her life. He’d also bet Justin wasn’t around often enough to know a damned thing.

  “I’m not really sure who she spent time with. Laura spent a lot of her time keeping my brother’s calendar for him. I know that. She was very good at it. I’m not sure what she did when she wasn’t taking care of the house or Patrick.” Justin looked at his mother for a lifeline.

  She didn’t provide one.

  “Gentlemen, I am not my daughter-in-law’s keeper. I don’t know what she did with her time,” Martha said with that cold tone creeping into her voice to let the men know her patience was waning.

  Mark’s eyes flicked to Alec’s for a second. “Can you think of any friends she had that we can talk to? Any bit of information right now would be helpful.”

  “She didn’t have any friends that I ever met. She was very quiet; kept to herself. That’s all I can tell you. But that doesn’t change anything. That girl has no right taking my grandchild away from me, and she’s sadly mistaken if she thinks she’s going to raise that baby. That baby is a Kensington and it will be raised by Kensingtons.”

  “Mom, that’s a ridiculously archaic view. It’s her baby as much as it was Patrick’s,” Justin said. Martha shrugged as though she didn’t intend to listen to him at all.

  “Mark, Paul, why don’t you wait outside for me. I’ll just be a few more minutes,” Alec said and waited until the investigators left before continuing.

  “Martha, I’m not sure you’ll be able to get custody of the baby even if we do find Laura.” Alec needed to find out exactly what Martha planned and decide how to use that to his advantage. �
�Getting custody may be extremely difficult.”

  If looks could kill.... Martha clearly didn’t appreciate his take on things.

  “Money buys anything, Alec.” Martha shot a look to Justin as she spoke, shutting down whatever he had been about to say to her as well. “I’ve got nothing but money and influence, and I intend to use it. That woman will not raise a Kensington.” Justin cursed as Martha walked out of the room as calmly as if she’d simply told the help what she wanted served for dinner that evening.

  “Sorry, Alec. I’m fairly sure she thinks this is the nineteen fifties, and she’ll be able to have Laura hidden away in a hospital or something while she keeps the baby. Either that or she plans to pay off a judge. I’m hoping we can find Laura and talk her into coming back to have the baby here. Maybe if she’s nearby, I can keep my mother from doing something insane.”

  Alec cleared his throat. “I’ll need the key to Patrick’s house. We need to look and see if she left any clues that might lead to her whereabouts.” And search for any evidence that needs to be destroyed along with Laura Kensington.

  “Yeah, sure; I’ll get it for you.” Justin stood and began to leave the room only to turn back. “Look, Alec, I know she comes off as a hard-ass,” he said, looking in the direction his mother had gone, “but losing Patrick is killing her. And, to have Laura run off with his baby is just too much.”

  Alec nodded. He didn’t really believe there was a damn thing that could hurt Martha Kensington. She wanted that baby because she saw it as a possession, a pawn in some bizarre game she was playing—nothing more. But, he’d play along. He’d use the considerable sway and resources of the Kensington family to track down Laura. But he’d be damned if that baby was ever going to be born. He’d see to it that Laura had a tragic accident or decided to take her own life as soon as she was found. There wasn’t any other way to be sure his secrets were never revealed.

  Chapter Twelve