by Sommer Smith
“Oh. Okay, good idea. And what happens after that? Will he leave?” She sounded a little breathless.
“Probably not. We’ll figure it out.” He tried to sound confident but wasn’t fully convinced himself. Sure, they would do something. He just wasn’t entirely sure what that something would be.
“Um, Grayson? I think he might be onto your plan.”
He turned his attention to his rearview mirror just in time to see what she meant. The van was closing in. He tried to floor it but was too late. The van rammed into the back of the SUV. Hard. Jolting them both forward.
Lily’s cries erupted into the confines of the SUV once more.
TWO
Lauren fought the urge to scream right along with the newborn. She knew that Marshal Thorpe—Grayson—was doing everything he could, but the situation was like nothing she had ever experienced. And she had been through a lot.
“Hold on, Lauren.” Grayson’s full lips pressed together in concentration as he worked to keep control of the huge vehicle. He punched the gas once more and tried to keep ahead of the van. It worked for a little bit, but it wasn’t long before the other vehicle advanced on them again, ramming into the rear bumper once more. The SUV fishtailed as Grayson struggled to maintain control.
The back-and-forth continued for far too long, so Lauren prayed for relief. Occasionally, Grayson would glance back at her in concern, but he did a remarkable job of remaining calm and keeping them on the road.
Lauren had just about given up hope that they might lose the van when lights and sirens approached from a distance. The white van shot around the SUV and took off.
Relief filled her when the county patrol car followed the van and they were finally able to slow down and catch their breath. “That was way too close.”
Grayson compressed his lips as he glanced at her in the rearview mirror. She wondered what that tight-lipped expression meant. Was he just wondering how long they would be safe? Or did he already regret bringing her along? Lily, having calmed, was on the verge of falling asleep.
“We would have made it to town before he could have done any real damage.” Grayson adjusted the vent.
Was he really so self-assured? That had been terrifying. Maybe not so new to him, but still horrible.
Lauren bit back a retort, thinking that it wouldn’t help anything. Maybe he was trying to reassure her. She didn’t know much about him, but it struck her as self-assurance—maybe a little too much confidence in his abilities. Or maybe she had just experienced too much of the same from men in her past and was assuming that.
She studied what she could see of his profile. Sure, he was handsome. But Lauren knew better than to be fooled by an attractive face. Most men who looked like Grayson Thorpe tended to be quite aware of it and used their good looks to their advantage. Her late husband had been proof of that.
“So, what now? Do we go into town or to the safe house?” She wanted to distract herself from her own thoughts as much as she wanted to know the plan.
“Going into town would only put us at risk of gaining another tail. There’s no reason to.”
She cringed. She was pretty bad at this—whatever this was. Running from bad guys? Hanging out with a US marshal?
“Of course. I just thought you’d need to speak to the local police.” She snapped out the words, but he didn’t seem to take any notice of her sharp tone. Lauren told herself there was no reason to turn defensive. But she was embarrassed. She was glad he at least couldn’t see how red her face was right now.
“Nope. I’ll report to the US Marshals Service. They will take care of the rest.” He glanced at his mirrors again, but Lauren suspected it was more out of habit than of any real concern. He almost looked bored.
With Lily sleeping, the silence began to stretch into an uncomfortable awkwardness. The fact that she was alone with a stranger began to sink in, and Lauren had to breathe deeply for a moment. The reality of what she had agreed to was overwhelming. She focused on the baby’s tiny face, trying to ignore the sensation of panic about to overtake her. This precious baby needed her. Protection from her would-be abductor would mean nothing if she had complications from her premature birth. Grayson might have a big job keeping the bad guys from kidnapping her, but Lauren knew that keeping Lily alive and healthy might be just as difficult if complications arose.
“Everything still okay back there?”
Grayson’s voice startled her. “Um. Yeah. We’re good.”
He watched her for a minute as their eyes held in the rearview mirror. She knew he was only gauging her response, but something was happening to her pulse. You know better than to react to men like him, she chastised herself. In her experience, men like Grayson Thorpe—handsome, self-assured and persuasive—always hurt people like her.
“I’m good.” She knew she was repeating herself, but she feared he might read her thoughts.
Her conscience pricked at her. She didn’t know Grayson well enough to make such assumptions about him. She needed to let go of the past and to stop allowing it to color her views of other people. She breathed a quick prayer for guidance.
“Good.” He finally broke the visual hold. “Let me know if you need anything. We have a long drive ahead.”
“Where are we going?” She didn’t like the sound of this.
“Out of state. Hopefully somewhere the kidnappers won’t find us.” He glanced at a GPS map on his SUV’s display screen.
“Out of state...where?” Lauren wasn’t about to settle for such a vague response.
“Somewhere south. I haven’t received the exact location yet.” He didn’t seem in any mood to comply with her demands.
“South. Like Florida? Georgia? Tennessee?” She could only think of a few of those good ol’ Southern states at the moment.
“Maybe. Could be anywhere. Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana.” His tone said he really didn’t feel like explaining himself to her.
Still vague and even more disconcerting. Those states were a long way from Birchfield, DC, and from where her family lived. Her stomach clenched. She had never been far out of DC. It seemed like a whole other world in those unfamiliar states.
Lily needs you. Lily needs you. She chanted the words silently to calm her nerves. She wouldn’t let this stranger see how terrified she was of the situation. Her father’s words came back to her from so long ago. Be brave, little one. You’ll never know how far you can go until you get there.
His memory had gotten her through many difficult times, even though she didn’t have that many recollections. Almost too young to remember when he died, she did know that he would see her through this situation, as well.
Lauren looked up to find Marshal Thorpe watching her in the mirror again. “Is something wrong?”
The question sounded a bit sharp to her ears, but he only shrugged. “Nah. Just wondering how much trouble you’re going to be.”
Her face reddened in anger. “How much—? You, Marshal Thorpe, are a rude man!”
To her consternation, he laughed. “I thought we already agreed to first names, Lauren.”
She huffed. “Whatever.”
He was wearing a cocky grin, but at least he was focused on the road again and not her reflection in the rearview mirror. She didn’t dare contemplate why his scrutiny made her squirm.
“Are you, though?” He looked up at her once again.
“Am I what?” She didn’t have a clue what he was asking.
“Are you going to be a lot of trouble?” The cocky grin was back.
She just scowled at him. Was he teasing her? She had no idea how to respond to his questions.
“No, really. I need to know what to be prepared for here.”
Lauren straightened her shoulders. “I have never been a moment’s trouble to anyone a day in my life. I take care of myself.”
“Good.” Hi
s grin slid away. “Then we should get along just fine.”
* * *
Grayson knew he probably wasn’t coming off as the most charming man to Lauren. He wanted to tease her and to see her smile, and he was allowing that, somewhat, though he knew he enjoyed her response to his teasing a little more than he should. He had to keep some distance between them, despite his personal wishes. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted having to bring her along. The truth was, though, he hadn’t really had a choice. The baby needed protection, and she also needed constant care—all the better if it were given by a trained medical professional. He was far from qualified to provide both. The first wasn’t a big deal, but the latter... He didn’t have the first inkling of how to take care of a newborn baby—and definitely not a premature one.
It bothered him, though, how pale and nervous Lauren looked. He didn’t doubt for an instant that this situation was new to her. It couldn’t be easy, either. He just didn’t have any idea how to help her with any of it.
So he responded the only way he knew how. And she probably thought he was a self-assured jerk.
It wasn’t that he disliked her or didn’t care about her feelings. The truth was, he didn’t have a lot of patience for drama, and he was especially leery of giving someone his trust. He hoped she would prove to be trustworthy, because he didn’t know if he was ready to deal with a situation like Rebecca’s again.
True, Lauren was probably stronger than she looked. But you never knew how well you could trust someone until they were put in a situation that required it.
Looking at her reflection now, though, he wasn’t sure why he felt so off-kilter. Something about her made his confidence waver. It wasn’t about trust, really. He knew he could do his job whether he could trust her or not, but for some reason, she brought out a desire to prove himself. The funny thing for Grayson was that no matter how rattled she might look, she somehow still seemed to be in complete control while his emotions were in a flux. The woman was an enigma.
Growing up with nothing but brothers had taught Grayson to respond with witty remarks and competition to establish pecking order. But he had no need to compete with Lauren and she wasn’t responding well to his witty remarks.
And that brought him right back to the question of how to deal with Lauren Beck.
“Do you need anything?” He couldn’t think of another way to find out.
Lauren shook her head. “Just keep driving while the baby’s sleeping. She’ll be demanding things soon enough.”
It occurred to him that although he had remembered the car seat, he was unprepared for the rest of the child’s needs. He had picked up a package of preemie diapers before going to the hospital, but the huge selection of formula and bottles had left him baffled. He hoped Lauren could help him out on that score. As for anything else, he didn’t have a clue what a baby would need.
Lauren seemed to know what he was thinking. “I have a couple of bottles of formula that I brought from the hospital, but she will need more soon. If we could get her a couple of little sleepers, a blanket or two and some diapers, along with the formula, we should make it okay for a couple of days. If it’s longer, the list will grow, I’m afraid.”
That didn’t sound too promising. “Grow? Like how? What else could something that tiny need?”
Lauren laughed. “You’d be surprised. But we will worry about that when—if—the time comes.”
His gut clenched. He hadn’t really considered what all would be involved in this assignment. The thought of spending a prolonged period of time with an attractive woman and a baby scared him more than facing down Arnold Romine and his whole gang.
He would just have to see to it that that didn’t happen.
If all went well, they would catch the kidnapper by this time tomorrow and Lily would be reunited with her mother. At least, he hoped he could find her by then. If she had been kidnapped, that would be a whole other problem.
He only wanted to go back to his happy, solitary bachelor life. Wouldn’t his brothers have fun with this assignment the next time he went home? Of course, he would tolerate it, because most of the time he was helping do the same for one of his brothers. It was just something they did.
Lauren had stilled and quieted. He couldn’t help but notice that it was taking her a little longer than usual to blink. “You should get some rest while the baby is asleep. We are likely in for at least a day or two of driving.”
She took in the cloudy morning outside the window, not even blinking at his pronouncement. “I’m used to being awake at odd hours. I usually work second or third shift in the NICU. And I usually work twelve-hour shifts.”
“And how many hours has it been since you went in?” He couldn’t look at her now, but he still felt the weight of his own question between them. He sensed her checking the time on her watch, saw the rotation of her wrist out of the corner of his eye.
“About fourteen hours, I guess.” She sounded weary, though he didn’t doubt she meant it to be nonchalance.
He glanced at the dash clock. “Hmm. More time has passed than I thought.”
She didn’t respond, only stared through the window. Was she trying to think of a way out of this? If so, that would make two of them.
“You really should sleep. I can promise you right now I’ll be worse than useless at taking care of a baby.” He wasn’t even going to waste time being embarrassed about it. She might as well know now. She would figure it out soon enough anyway.
“It can’t be that bad. Haven’t you ever been around a baby before?” Her voice held a hint of laughter.
He ignored it. “Nope.”
“Not even a little? Like, no nieces, nephews, cousins, anything?” Now she sounded a little shocked.
“I’ve always kept my distance from any newborns that came along.” He was sounding like a jerk again. But it was true. Mainly because he was half-scared of newborns. Or any child under the age of twelve, for that matter.
She was quiet for a moment. “They don’t bite, you know. They don’t even have any teeth.”
The chuckle escaped before he could stop it. She saw through him far too easily, but her stoically delivered comment hit him right in the funny bone.
“I guess you would know.” He laughed again, glancing in the mirror to see that her expression had eased, and she could possibly be fighting a grin.
“I won’t leave you alone with her until we are both confident you can handle her.”
“Sounds like a deal. But you can sleep while she sleeps.” He let one side of his mouth relax, hoping a silly, crooked grin would put her at ease.
Her smile faded in the mirror. “Grayson?”
Uh-oh. He didn’t like her tone. “What?”
“How had you planned to take care of the baby if you hadn’t brought me along?” One eyebrow quirked slightly.
He looked away, not sure how to explain things to her. “I was supposed to have a colleague meet me when I left the hospital. I wasn’t sure I would be taking the baby with me right away, but when someone tried to kidnap her, it seemed the only logical solution. I didn’t want to risk the safety of more of the hospital staff.”
“So why me? Wouldn’t you rather have chosen an older, more experienced nurse? Maybe someone who could handle this situation better?” Her voice warbled a bit on the admission. She didn’t like the weakness but knew it was there.
He wanted to reassure her that she was more than capable.
“I wouldn’t say I chose, exactly. If you recall, that was your doctor friend. But I would have chosen you, regardless, to be honest.”
She fought a pleased grin. “Why is that?”
“You looked ready to do battle over that tiny baby. I needed a partner in this situation. Someone who would help me protect this child. I can’t imagine anyone better for the task.”
* * *
&
nbsp; Lauren was a little shaken by this man and his crooked grin. He was easier not to like when he was wearing a growl. Liking him was something she hoped to avoid, considering she wasn’t ready for another relationship. But Grayson Thorpe was more likable than she’d first thought, and the compliment he had just thrown her way was not one she took lightly. It kind of softened her insides a little more where he was concerned. No, that wasn’t exactly true. His sweet words had almost turned her to mush.
So now she was curious about what the original plan had been, before the kidnapper had come along.
Now wasn’t the time to press for details, though, so she decided to take his advice and try to sleep. Try was about all she could do. Her eyelids might have been heavy, but her mind was going full-out with at least a thousand thoughts per minute. Like, how long would it take to catch Romine? What should she tell her family? How much would her normal life be disrupted by this? And how was this imposed duty going to affect her job at the hospital?
Lauren had been seeking a promotion to a better shift, so she hoped that her cooperation would find her in a favorable light with her supervisor. She hadn’t been working in the NICU for long, but she truly loved her job. Keeping it was most important. Lauren had an ill sibling to help her mother care for, and any raise in pay, no matter how slight, would make a difference.
But Britlan would want Lauren to take care of Lily. In fact, her little sister was so fond of babies that she had declared a desire to follow in Lauren’s footsteps. Of course, Lauren knew it would have much to do with how healthy the fourteen-year-old remained, and that depended entirely on them getting her adequate treatment. Britlan’s rapidly worsening cystic fibrosis meant she would need a transplant soon, though a new lung had not yet been located. She was on the waiting list, but for Britlan to stay on it meant Lauren needed to make enough money to keep her sister in good medical care. She had to be healthy enough for the transplant and Lauren had to remain employed to afford the cost of the procedure. Her mother certainly couldn’t handle it on her own.