A Piece of Texas Trilogy

by Peggy Moreland

  Stephanie choked out a laugh as the irony of the bequest set in. “No, Bud would never have mentioned Wade’s name to me.”

  Banks leaned forward, his face creased with sympathy. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you all this,” he said with real regret. “I can only imagine how upsetting it must be for you. But I assure you, Bud was in sound mind when he made the change. I would never have done what he asked if I hadn’t been absolutely sure he was sane.”

  Stephanie offered Banks a soft smile, hoping to ease his concern. “You needn’t worry. I have no intention of contesting Bud’s will. He knew that I wasn’t interested in the land or in returning to Georgetown. Giving the land to Wade was his way of seeing that his ranch remained intact and wasn’t cut up into a subdivision.”

  “He did mention that he feared that was what would happen to the place if it were ever put up for sale.”

  Rising, Stephanie extended her hand. “Thank you, Mr. Banks. I appreciate your concern for me. I truly do. But you can rest assured that I will honor Bud’s wishes and will do nothing to stand in the way of Wade obtaining the deed to my father’s ranch.”

  Late that night, unable to sleep, Stephanie sat on the front porch swing, slowly swaying back and forth, thinking over what Bud had done. Mr. Banks had been right when he’d assumed that Stephanie would be shocked by the discovery. She was more than shocked. She was stunned.

  But that had lasted only a moment or two. She knew better than anyone how much Bud had loved his ranch, and it made perfect sense to her that he would want someone to have it who would love it as much as he had. Not that Stephanie didn’t have strong feelings about the home where she was raised. She did. But she’d never made a secret of the fact that she had no desire to ever live there again. The truth was, she’d avoided coming home most of her adult life. Even though that must have hurt Bud, he had never held it against her. He’d loved her unconditionally throughout his life and, after his death, had generously left her with everything that was his, with the exception of his land.

  Wade was the natural choice to receive the ranch. He would honor the gift and care for the land as much—if not more than—Bud had, and certainly more than Stephanie ever would. He’d already proved his dependability by taking care of things for Bud when Bud’s health had declined, making it difficult, if not impossible, for him to do his chores himself. The gift to Wade was a large one, the value of the land alone worth probably close to a million dollars. But Wade would never sell the land to get the money it would bring. He had plenty of his own.

  Closing her eyes, Stephanie examined her heart, searching for any signs of resentment or bitterness toward Wade for receiving something that by all rights should have been hers. Oddly she felt nothing but a swell of pride that Bud had thought enough of Wade to give him something that had meant so much to him.

  Sighing, she laid her head back and pushed a bare toe against the floor of the porch, setting the swing into motion again. Tomorrow the movers would come, she reminded herself, and she would be returning to Dallas and her own home.

  She remembered when she’d first arrived to clean out her parents’ house, she’d been anxious to close this chapter of her life once and for all and return to Dallas and her home there.

  Now the mere thought of leaving made her want to cry.

  Eight

  Runt’s sharp bark all but snatched Stephanie from a deep sleep and into a sitting position on the bed. Her heart thumping, she looked around.

  “What is it, Runt?” she whispered.

  He barked again, then trotted to the bedroom door.

  Stephanie swung her legs over the side of the bed and grabbed her robe, pulling it on. Just as she reached the door, she heard a loud pounding.

  “Steph? Open up! It’s me. Wade.”

  Fully awake now, she flung open her bedroom door and ran down the hall, dodging boxes as she passed through the den. When she reached the front door, she fumbled the lock open, then flipped on the porch light as she swung the door wide, sure that he had come to reconcile with her.

  Seeing the worry that etched his face, she wrapped her robe more tightly around her and stepped outside. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

  “It’s Meghan. She’s gone. She was in bed asleep not more than four hours ago and now she’s gone.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure,” he shouted impatiently. “I’ve searched the house, the barn, and there’s no sign of her anywhere. I thought maybe she had come over here.”

  “Here?” she repeated, stunned that he would think Meghan would run away to her house.

  Dragging a hand over his hair, he paced in front of her. “She likes you. Was mad when I wouldn’t let her come back over and help you pack.”

  Stephanie gulped, unaware that Meghan had felt anything toward her, much less affection. Gathering the collar of her robe to her neck, she shook her head. “I haven’t seen her. Have you called any of her friends.”

  “No. I hated to wake people up in the middle of the night until I was sure she was missing. I was so sure I’d find her here.” He stopped and dropped his head back. “Oh, God,” he moaned, his face contorted with what looked like pain. “She’s gone to Angela’s. I know she has.”

  Stephanie shuddered at the very suggestion, understanding Wade’s concern, then set her jaw, knowing one of them had to remain calm. “You don’t know that she has. Have you called Angela? Maybe she’s talked to Meghan, knows where she is.”

  “I tried. She didn’t answer, which doesn’t surprise me.” He scowled. “She was mad at me when she left the other day.”

  “How she feels about you isn’t important right now,” Stephanie reminded him firmly. “Meghan’s safety is what you need to focus on. Now think. Where would she go? Who would she call?”

  Wade tossed up his hands. “Hell, I don’t know! When she’s threatened to run away in the past, it’s always been to her mother’s. There isn’t any other place I can think of where she’d go.”

  “Houston is almost three hours from here,” Stephanie said, trying to think things out. “She couldn’t very well walk there.” Her eyes sharpened. “The bus station,” she said and grabbed Wade’s arm, shoving him toward his truck. “She’d probably catch a bus. Check there. Show her picture around. See if anyone remembers seeing her.”

  Wade dug in his heels. “But she’d have to get to town first.”

  Stephanie yanked open the door of his truck. “She could’ve walked. Hitchhiked. How she got there isn’t important, and the more time you waste, the colder her trail is going to grow.” She gave him a push. “Go! Find her and bring her home.”

  His expression grim, Wade started the ignition. “If she shows up here or contacts you—”

  “I’ll call you on your cell,” she said, cutting him off. “And you call me if you find her.”

  Nodding, he slammed the door and gunned the engine and drove off with a squeal of tires.

  Hugging her arms around her waist, Stephanie moved to stand in the middle of the drive and watched until his taillights disappeared from sight.

  Drawing a deep breath, she turned for the house, knowing she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep until she knew Meghan was safe and praying that Meghan was with one of her girlfriends and not on her way to Houston and Angela’s house.

  Her eyes burning from lack of sleep and her nerves tingling with worry, Stephanie walked through the house, directing the movers as they loaded the furniture and the boxes she’d marked as keepers.

  Wade had called around four o’clock that morning to let her know that Meghan had bought a bus ticket for Houston and he was on his way there, hoping to intercept her before she reached Angela’s. Since then, the phone had remained frustratingly silent.

  She wanted desperately to call him, but each time she reached for the phone, she pulled her hand back, telling herself that he would contact her if there was any news.

  Her nerves shot, she watched the movers load th
e last piece of furniture into the van. “I gave you the address of the storage facility, right?” she asked.

  The driver patted his pocket. “Yes, ma’am. Got it right here.”

  She forced a smile. “Okay, then. I guess you’re all set.”

  He lifted a hand in acknowledgment, then climbed behind the wheel while his partner hopped up onto the passenger seat on the opposite side.

  With nothing left for her to do, Stephanie returned to the house and closed the front door behind her. The sound echoed hollowly in the empty house. She looked around, unsure what to do. One of the local charities had sent a truck by earlier in the day to pick up the items she had opted to donate. All that remained to signify the passing of her parents’ lives was the huge pile of trash bags out back, and that, too, would be gone by morning, as she’d made arrangements with a garbage company to have it hauled off.

  She’d originally planned to leave right after the moving van pulled out. Her bag was already packed and propped by the back door. But she couldn’t leave now. Not with Meghan still missing. Worried that the phone company had misunderstood her instructions and shut off the phone today, rather than next week as she’d requested, she hurried to the kitchen and picked up the phone to make sure it was still working. Hearing the buzz of the dial tone, she replaced the receiver quickly, fearing she’d miss Wade’s call.

  “No news is good news,” she reminded herself. Finding no consolation in the old adage, she began to pace—and nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone rang.

  Leaping for it, she snatched the receiver to her ear. “Hello?”

  “She’s not at Angela’s. Nobody is.”

  She pressed her fingers to her lips, her heart breaking at the defeat she heard in Wade’s voice. “What are you going to do now?”

  “I’m staying here. I know a couple of Angela’s old hangouts, people she used to run around with. I’m going to make the rounds, find out if anybody has seen her.”

  “But what if Meghan comes back home? If you’re gone, she might leave again.”

  “I was hoping you would go over there. Keep her there until I could get back.”

  “Of course I will.”

  “There’s a key under the mat at the back door.”

  “I’ll find it.”

  She started to hang up, but Wade’s voice stopped her.

  “Steph?”

  She pressed the phone back to her ear. “Yes?”

  “Thanks.”

  Tears filled her eyes, but before she could respond, the dial tone buzzed in her ear, letting her know that he’d broken the connection.

  Stephanie felt odd being in Wade’s house. She was familiar with his home’s layout, as she’d spent a lot of time there the summer they’d dated, but she chose to remain in the kitchen and near the phone hanging on the wall.

  She made a pot of coffee to keep herself awake and drained cup after cup while sitting at the table. The clock on the oven recorded a digital time of 10:00 p.m., reminding Stephanie that she’d been at his house for over four hours.

  The phone rang, startling her, and she lunged for it, catching it on the second ring.

  “Hello?” she said breathlessly.

  “Wade Parker, please.”

  Disappointed that it wasn’t Wade calling, she brushed the hair back from her face. “I’m sorry, but he isn’t in right now. Can I take a message?”

  “No, I need to speak with him directly.”

  She frowned, wondering at the insistency in the man’s voice. “I have his cell number. Would you like to try that?”

  “I’ve already tried his cell. The call went straight to his voice mail. Hang on a second.”

  Her frown deepening, she listened, trying to make out what was being said, but whoever was on the other end of the line had covered the mouthpiece with his hand.

  “Who am I talking to?”

  Surprised by the question, she said, “Stephanie Calloway. I’m a neighbor.”

  “Just a sec.”

  Again the man covered the mouthpiece. Stephanie tightened her hand on the receiver, wondering if the call had something to do with Meghan.

  “There’s a young girl here who wants to speak to you,” the man said.

  The next voice Stephanie heard was Meghan’s.

  “Stephanie?” she said and sniffed. “Do you know where my daddy is?”

  Fearing Meghan would hang up before Stephanie found out where she was, she said, “Where are you, Meghan? Your father is worried sick.”

  Meghan sniffed again, then said tearfully, “At the police station. In Austin.”

  Stephanie’s eyes shot wide. A thousand questions crowded her tongue, but she couldn’t ask them. Now was not the time. “Sweetheart, your daddy is in Houston looking for you.”

  Meghan burst into tears, and Stephanie had to swallow hard to keep from crying, too. “Meghan, listen to me,” she said firmly. “Is the man with you a police officer?”

  “Y-yes, ma’am.”

  “Let me speak to him.”

  “Okay. Stephanie?”

  “Yes, sweetheart?”

  “Will you come and get me?”

  “Oh, honey,” Stephanie moaned, her heart breaking at the pleading in the girl’s voice. “I don’t know if they’ll release you to me. I’m not family.”

  “Please,” Meghan begged and began to cry again. “I’m so scared.”

  “I’m on my way,” Stephanie said quickly, having to raise her voice to be heard over Meghan’s sobbing. “Give the phone back to the police officer so he can give me directions.”

  It was Stephanie’s first visit to a police station…and she prayed it was her last. She supposed it could be the lateness of the hour that made the place appear so spooky, but she wouldn’t bet on it. People—hoodlums, judging by their appearance—lounged outside the building and stood in loose groups in the hallway inside. Hugging her purse to her side for fear one of the thugs eyeing her would snatch it, she approached the desk.

  “I’m here to see Meghan Parker,” she told the officer on duty.

  He looked at her, his expression bored. “You family?”

  “No. A friend.”

  He shook his head. “We can only release her to a family member.”

  She bit down on her temper. “I’m aware of that, but she’s just a child and she’s frightened. I only want to stay with her until her father can get here.”

  He lifted a brow. “He’s on his way? Last I heard, he couldn’t be reached.”

  Anxious to see Meghan, she balled her hands to keep herself from throttling the man. “That’s true, but I’ve left him a message on his cell phone and I’m sure as soon as he receives it he’ll get here as quickly as he can. Now may I please see Meghan?”

  With a shrug he stood and motioned her to follow him. He led her down a long hall and stopped before a door marked Interview and gave her a warning look. “Don’t try sneaking her out. You’ll only get yourself thrown in jail. She’s a minor and can only be released to a family member.”

  She burned him with a look. “You needn’t worry. I have an aversion to jails and have no intention of staying here a second longer than is necessary.” Pushing past him, she opened the door.

  Meghan was stretched out on a grouping of chairs, her face buried in the crook of her arm. She looked so small lying there. So incredibly young.

  “Meghan?” Stephanie called softly.

  Meghan sat up, blinked. Her eyes rounded when she saw Stephanie, then she shot off the chairs and into Stephanie’s arms.

  “Oh, Stephanie,” she sobbed. “I was so scared you wouldn’t come.”

  “Shh,” Stephanie soothed. “There’s no need to cry. I’m here and I’m going to stay with you until your dad arrives. Now why don’t you tell me what happened? Why did you run away?”

  Meghan’s sobs grew louder. “Mom said Daddy didn’t want me anymore. That I wasn’t his. She told me to go to the bus station and buy a ticket to Houston. I did, but then she came to th
e station and got me. Said the ticket was just to fool dad. She took me to Austin and to a friend of her’s house. It was awful,” she cried and clung tighter to Stephanie. “People were snorting coke and doing all kinds of bad things.

  “I begged her to leave. Take me somewhere else. But she wouldn’t. She told me to shut up and have some fun for a change. I was so scared. These men kept looking at me all weirdlike. So I went into the bathroom and locked the door.”

  Stephanie stroked a hand down Meghan’s hair, horrified to think of what might have happened to Meghan, the danger her mother had placed her in. “That was a very smart thing for you to do.”

  “I thought so, too. But then the police came and started beating on the door. Only I didn’t know it was the police. I was crying and screaming for them to go away, and they beat the door down. I tried to tell the cop that I didn’t want to be there, that my mother had brought me and made me stay. But he wouldn’t listen. Said I had to go with him, that he couldn’t leave me there alone. He made me get into the back of a police car with a couple of other people and brought me here.”

  Stephanie tried to block the awful images that rose in her mind. The kind of people that Meghan would’ve been sequestered with. The things she’d seen at that house. What might’ve happened to her if the police hadn’t arrived when they had. Squeezing her eyes shut, she made herself focus on what Meghan was saying.

  “When we got here, this woman cop brought me to this room. I gave them Daddy’s name and number. She called him, but he wasn’t home. So I gave them his cell number, but he didn’t answer it either.”

  “I tried to call him, too, sweetheart,” Stephanie told her. “His battery must be dead or he’s out of range.” Gathering Meghan beneath her arm, she moved her toward the chairs. “But he’ll come as soon as he gets the message.”

  Meghan sat, her eyes round with fear and fixed on Stephanie. “What if he doesn’t?” Tears welled in her eyes. “Maybe he doesn’t want me anymore. Mom said he didn’t.”