“Hi, I saw her headed toward the pool. Since I didn’t see an adult, I…”
Deanne looked at him suspiciously. “I went to the bathroom for a second—” She cursed and stepped toward Sam with outstretched arms. “I’ll take her now.”
Sam backed away, seeing Becky and the agent pulling their weapons. “Deanne Jones, you’re under arrest. Put your hands on your head,” the FBI agent said.
Deanne recognized Sam now, and started running. Sam took cover behind the adobe wall with Amy in his arms, glad to let the others take off after Deanne. He took several deep breaths, trying to regain a normal tone for Amy’s sake. “Hi, Amy. Where’s your bear?”
“Boo.” She produced it from in-between them. Funny how he hadn’t noticed her even carrying it. She hugged the ratty bear to her chest and looked as if she could squeeze the stuffing out the toes.
He brushed the hair from her face. “Are you okay?”
She scrunched her face and growled. “No, no, Amy,” she muttered, along with a long story that sounded like a record playing in fast speed. She wrapped her arms around Sam’s neck and held tight. “Not-ee Dee.”
“Deanne was naughty, wasn’t she.” He heard shots fired, and pulled Amy closer. “Want to go see Mommy?” Surely Becky would know where to find them.
Amy jumped in his arms and her eyes brightened from beneath her brown bangs. “Mama, Mama,” she chanted, wiggling with excitement.
Hopefully this was the end of a very long ordeal for Jessica and Amy, and right now he prayed that Jessica didn’t hear those gunshots over the air-conditioning.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sam opened the door, surprised to find Jessica asleep on the bed. Amy smiled. “Shhh, Mommy’s sleeping.”
“Yes, she is.” His heart swelled. She had trusted him, not once, or twice, but three times now to care for her daughter, whom she loved more than anyone. He kissed Amy’s cheek and knelt on the floor. “Go give Mommy a kiss. Be careful of her back remember.”
Amy nodded. “Owie.” She handed Sam her bear, then climbed onto the bed next to Jessica and laid her head on the pillow. “Mommy, owie.” She gently touched the bandage on Jessica’s forehead, then kissed it. Laying nose to nose, Amy patted Jessica’s cheek. “Mommy tired.”
“Yes, she is. You can take a nap with her if you’d like to.” Amy reached her chubby little hand and motioned “some.” Sam realized he was holding her bear and handed it to her. She tucked it between them and closed her eyes.
Sam inched the door open and stepped outside to call Becky. If she could, she’d answer. If not, this wasn’t over despite the sirens wailing closer. He dialed and waited. On the fifth ring, Becky answered. “Hey there.”
“Becky? Are you okay?”
“It’s just a scratch on the head.”
“She shot you in the head?”
Becky laughed. “Not a chance. I shot her, then ran into a hanging pot of flowers. The paperwork is going to take a while on this one. She’ll make it, but it’s going to be a while before she’s on her feet again.”
“If you need help, maybe the FBI can help. I’m going to have my hands full here.”
“How are they? Is Jessica crying yet?”
“She took her pain medicine, and it’s finally knocked her out. Amy—” Sam’s voice gave out and tears blurred his vision.
“I never thought I’d hear Sam Vance choked up.”
“You’d better keep it to yourself, or the entire department will be hearing about the long-haired narc that you were cozy undercover with.”
She laughed. “Well, you know, not everyone can get away with long hair like he can. He probably even looks good with short hair. When Jessica wakes up, give me a call. I’ll have a car pick you up. In the meantime, get some rest and enjoy your new family.”
“Who said anything about that?”
“You didn’t have to say a word, it’s written all over both of you.” Sam heard the sirens warble to a halt. “Hey, my ride’s here, I’ll catch you later.”
Sam stepped inside, relieved to find both Mathers females sleeping soundly. He looked at the other bed, tempted to take a nap himself. Finding nowhere to lock up his weapon, he opted for ordering dinner instead. When room service knocked on the door, Jessica stirred. “Amy,” she mumbled. Her hand landed on Amy’s fine strands of hair and she woke up instantly. “Oh God, thank you, God.”
“Mommy,” Amy wrapped her arms around Jessica’s neck. They snuggled and kissed.
“Oh, Amy.”
Sam found chairs to pull up to the table and uncovered the plates. “Hey ladies, dinner’s on.”
Jessica looked at Sam with tears in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Any time.” All the time, he should have said. He wasn’t about to leave their safety to anyone else. “We have a lot to do tonight, paperwork, interviews with the news…”
She and Amy washed up for dinner and sat down. “You’ll be there with us, right?”
“Yeah, Colleen Montgomery called with her congratulations. She wants an exclusive interview tomorrow. I think we’d better tell her to take my name off the bachelor auction.”
Jessica looked at him, puzzled. “Why?”
“I’m no longer available.”
She smiled. “You really think you can take us for another month?”
“I was thinking a lifetime.”
The smile softened. “I think we should give it some time. You know how I feel about statistics.”
“And you know how I feel about beating the odds. Take all the time you need to answer, but regardless—”
Jessica stepped next to him and gave him an unforgettable kiss, stopping his words.
He continued. “There are a few arrangements I’d like you to consider.”
Amy climbed into the chair and into Sam’s arms. “My daddy?”
Jessica laughed. “That didn’t take long.”
Sam gave her his best smile, hugging Amy’s face next to his. “Surely you couldn’t turn us both down.”
She took both of them into her arms and kissed each one. “I love you two more than I ever thought imaginable. But I’m not sure a woman on medication should make life-altering decisions. Why don’t we say a prayer before she devours everything?” They all sat down and Jessica showed Amy how to fold her hands to pray. Jessica started the prayer with praise, and Sam ended with thanks.
Sam realized that it had been almost ten hours since he and Jessica had eaten, and who knows how long since Amy had.
Jessica’s cell phone rang, and she dug through her purse to answer it. “Hi, Mom. Where are you?”
Sam set Amy in her own chair and they both started eating. Jessica paced the suite, glancing at them every few minutes. She had a healthy glow back, along with that beautiful twinkle in her gray eyes. And this time, it wasn’t tears. She smiled, then bit her lower lip.
“Sam, my dad wants to talk to you.”
He looked at her surprised. “Me?” he whispered. “Why?”
She nodded. “They want to thank their future son-in-law.”
He’d never understood women, and Jessica topped the list. One minute she wanted to wait, the next, she was ready to get married.
She tucked the phone behind her back and leaned close. “They don’t know about us yet. You might want to ask them to meet us for dinner tomorrow night.”
“From Italy?”
“They’re in Colorado Springs. They just heard the news that we found Amy. Nothing would make them happier than to see Amy and I in such caring hands.”
Sam paused to give Jessica a thorough kiss as he tried to pry the phone from her hands. “What’s your dad’s name?” Jessica simply smiled and bit into her chicken. “Hello, sir. This is Sam Vance.”
“Donald Owens, Jessica’s father. I understand you’ve found our granddaughter again. I’m also told that you’ve been taking care of Jessi through this ordeal.” His voice gave out. “We can’t thank you enough, Detective. We worry so much about Jessica. We
couldn’t take it another day, not knowing how they were doing.”
Sam listened with closed eyes, trying to imagine what her parents would look like. He already liked her dad. Who couldn’t like a dad who would fly all the way from Italy to take care of his daughter? “I can’t take credit for actually finding Amy this time, Mr. Owens. But I couldn’t be happier that we have a happy ending.” They talked for a while longer, until Jessica’s phone beeped, indicating a low battery. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jessica and Amy had finished eating, and waited at the table patiently for Sam to eat. “So, are we getting together tomorrow?”
Sam wondered for a moment if he should listen to Jessica, and give life a chance to settle down before pushing for marriage.
Jessica mentioned calling a real-estate agent while her parents were here to look at houses and help her with Amy. “I’ve probably missed the one we were waiting on, but surely it’s not the only town house available in our price range. Maybe you could look at them with me, tell me if it’s a good neighborhood for Amy.”
“Why are you looking at houses if we’re talking about marriage? Unless you didn’t like my house. In which case, we can find something together.”
She looked startled. “My landlord sold the house, and the new owner doesn’t want renters. I have to be out next month. I missed the one town house because of the kidnapping, which may be a blessing, but I’ll need someplace to live until we get married, even if it’s a rental.”
He nodded, thinking about how ridiculous it was for her to move twice. “Why don’t you and Amy live in my house, and I’ll stay with my parents? Or I’m sure Travis wouldn’t mind if I stayed in his basement for a few weeks.”
“Weeks? Mom and Dad probably can’t come back again before summer. If then. Finding substitutes in Italy who can teach American students isn’t very easy.” She explained the ordeal they had gone through to find suitable replacements for their short visit.
“How long were you planning to wait to get married?”
“Well, I was thinking July, until Mom and Dad showed up. Now, I’m not sure.”
Sam shook his head. “Jessi,” he looked at Amy and smiled. “What do you think about moving it up a few months? Amy’s just gone through such a traumatic experience, and you need to move, and your parents are already here, and I’ve already admitted that I’m not terribly patient when I know what I want.”
She looked at him, startled. “But, you know so little about me, and I just think you should give it more time.”
“I notice you don’t seem concerned with knowing so little about me. Why does that not concern you?” He leaned across the table and smiled. “Or should I ask my mother that question?”
Jessica laughed, and Amy imitated her. “I know that Pastor Gabriel told us that another person can’t fulfill us, but I question that. I can’t explain how much different I feel when I’m with you, Sam. Even when I’ve been mad at you, I have no doubts that you’re listening to more than just my words. You aren’t like the other men I’ve met since Tim died. I have no doubts about my feelings for you, but I want you to be sure…”
“I’m absolutely certain about my feelings, Jessica. I dated Becky for almost three years, and never felt the kind of connection we have. Before Becky, there were a few steady girlfriends. I’m old enough to know what I’m feeling, and that I don’t want to look anywhere else. God has answered my prayers over and over. I want you and Amy in my life forever.”
“It was only a few hours ago that I told you about my marriage, Sam. You haven’t even had a chance to think about it. How about if we sleep on the idea this week? We’ll keep it kind of quiet, see each other when we can, and talk about it later.”
Sam knew a week wouldn’t make any difference to him, but figured it would ease Jessica’s insecurities. She’d rushed into marriage with Tim and regretted it. If a few more days would convince her that his feelings weren’t going to change, he’d go along with it.
The week hadn’t gone at all as planned. He and Jessica had met with her parents for dinner, but other than that, they hadn’t had a minute together. He called Saturday morning to arrange to pick Jessica up for the Darling-Montgomery wedding. Her parents had already made other plans for the day.
Jessica had spent all morning curling Amy’s hair for the occasion. Monday afternoon her hairdresser had been able to get Amy’s hair color back to her normal blond. She wanted Amy to look like herself, not the victim Deanne had taken. Between doctor’s appointments for herself and Amy, she’d gone to work very little. Her parents had taken care of Amy while she was out, and enjoyed every minute of it.
It had been a long week without seeing Sam or his family, and Jessica was surprised to feel the butterflies in her stomach at the thought. They had taken such good care of her, yet she was no longer the emotional mess she had been. Would they like the real Jessica Mathers?
Sam looked like a prince in the black tuxedo. Amy, who still wasn’t up to speed with most three-year-old conversationalists, looked at him and said, “Pretty Daddy.” Jessica laughed. “Sam looks very handsome, doesn’t he? Boys look handsome, girls look pretty,” she reminded her daughter. Sam kissed Jessica hungrily and then picked Amy up.
“And you girls look even more than pretty. You both look beautiful.”
Jessica and Amy sat with the Vance family. She loved listening to and watching Sam play the keyboard. It was like a concert of love songs, and she imagined he was singing every one to her.
Kate made a stunning bride, and Adam didn’t let a moment go by without noticing that fact. Every detail of the wedding had been perfect from the twinkle lights to the peach-colored rose petals scattered down the aisle. After the ceremony, they all drove across town to the Broadmoor Hotel. The pink stucco resort looked as majestic and regal as always. Jessica found herself paying attention to little details that a month ago had gone totally unnoticed. Things like how Kate’s earrings matched her necklace, and the sparkles in the hotel’s granite driveway glistened almost as much as the bride’s diamond. She and Adam beamed.
Jessica realized that they, too, had had a whirlwind romance, and a short-notice wedding. What was it about this group of friends? Had they simply realized their clocks were ticking? Had God opened their eyes to the beauty of love? Or was it something about the state of society that had all of them impatient to get to the altar?
Sam took Jessica into his embrace and swayed to the violin music. “Are you gathering ideas?”
She blushed. “Maybe, though I’m sure the Broadmoor is out of the question for us.”
“That’s fine with me. Just so we’re married at the end of our wedding day, it doesn’t matter if the wedding is large or small, fancy or simple. What would you like?”
“Would you mind something small? Just close friends and family? These fancy weddings are gorgeous, but I’m not very comfortable with all this glitz.”
“I’m fine if you just want to have Judge Warren meet us in his quarters.”
She and Sam walked hand in hand, visiting about their own wedding, as if the subject were public knowledge. Jessica watched Amy carefully, giving her only as much freedom as possible, seeing as they’d only recovered her five days ago.
“The fall colors are so pretty, what would you think of an outdoor wedding?”
“Fall, as in next month, or next year?”
“Mom and Dad’s return flight is September twelfth. Think we could fit it into our schedules before then? Unless you’ve decided I’m not quite what you had in mind after all?” Sam’s tasty answer soundly denied that he’d changed his mind. She felt the heat into the pit of her stomach.
His kisses still left her light-headed. “Does that answer your ridiculous question?” He released Jessica, and she smiled, then noticed Amy.
“Amy, get back up here. You don’t want to get your pretty dress dirty.”
“Me go fwiming.”
Jessica watched in horror as her meticulously primped daughter di
pped her patent leather shoe into the pond. “No, Amy! Get up here, right now.”
“She won’t do it, will she?” Sam asked as Jessica rushed across the grass to the lake.
Amy dropped to her hands and knees and backed right into the water. Jessica stepped to the edge of the shore and reached in after her. Amy floated away, showing off her newly learned swimming skills. “Amy!” Jessica slipped off her own shoes and stepped into the pond after her, walking almost four feet from the shore before she was able to latch on to her slippery fingers and pull Amy to shore. “Amy, why did you do that? You’re not dressed for swimming.”
One of the hotel staff arrived with several towels. “Is she okay?”
“Yes, she’s fine, just wanted to go swimming. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” Jessica turned bright pink. “Oh, Sam, I’m so sorry. How embarrassing.”
“Amy fwim,” she said, stubbornly trying to enunciate, while backing away from Jessica’s embrace. She wasn’t supposed to lift anything over twenty pounds yet, and Amy far exceeded that.
“Nope, Amy’s going home and straight to her room.” Jessica insisted before realizing she’d ridden here with Sam and his parents. Sam wrapped her in a towel and lifted her into his arms.
“Amy,” he said gently but firmly. He waited until she stopped fighting him. “Swimming in your pretty dresses is a no-no. And you need to listen when your Mommy tells you no.”
“No,” she said, sticking her chin out.
Jessica could have died. She wanted nothing more than to go home to her tiny apartment with child locks on the cabinets and door locks six feet off the floor. Sam would surely change his mind now. Not only did his future stepchild look like a ragamuffin, but so did his fiancée. She had mud up to her knees, and the bottom three inches of her dress dripped steadily.
Sam carried Amy to a secluded corner away from the party and held her as she cried herself to sleep. Jessica carried the extra towels in one hand and her sandals in the other. “Her schedule is still off,” Jessica said as she joined Sam and sat down.
“No one deserves this more than Sam,” Lidia said with a laugh, coming up from behind them. “We brought the kids here for the fireworks one year, and he and Jake Montgomery both ended up in Cheyenne Lake.”
Finding Amy Page 19
