by Sommer Smith
“Um, yeah. I think I’m just tired from the drive.” She smiled at him, but it felt weak.
She was thankful to be distracted by the interior of the home as Grayson swung open the door. The interior was just as charming as the exterior, cozy and neat. The descriptor “hygge” came to mind as she took in the comfy furnishings, fuzzy throws, pillows and soft rugs. The back of the house was primarily composed of windows that looked out over the sparkling lake, letting in a flood of light, even on a cloudy day.
“We’ll have to work something out for Lily on a room. I realize the baby needs a safe place to sleep.”
She nodded, trying to neutralize her expression. “Of course. So have you been in this house before? Do you know where we will put her?”
The impact began to sink in of the permanence of the situation. She realized they could be here indefinitely. He confirmed it with his response.
“I haven’t been here before, so I thought we could decide together. I assume you’ll want to put her bed in your room?” He directed her up the stairs and down a short hallway.
“Of course. I’d prefer to stay close to her at all times.” The carrier shook a bit in her hand, and she looked down to see the blanket moving where Lily stirred beneath it. A tiny fist poked out. “It doesn’t look like she’s going to be patient much longer on her next feeding, though.”
They began to look into each of the bedrooms. They were peeking into the last room when Lily began to fuss.
“This one will be the safest.” His tone implied a final decision.
Lauren didn’t like the fact that he didn’t consult her. She tried to let it go but hated feeling controlled. It brought back too many unpleasant memories of her last relationship.
“Is there a problem with this room?” He must have read her hesitation.
She picked up on his slightly defensive tone. “I...want to be sure it is the best possible option. You said it’s the safest. Why?”
He took a deep breath before he answered her. “It’s farthest from the entrance, has the fewest windows and is accessible from the room across the hall, which is where I’ll be.”
“Hmm.” She didn’t say anything else, simply walked around the room, shushing Lily as she took in the details.
“What are you looking for?” He was frowning at her and held his arms crossed over his chest.
“Little things, actually. Just trying to decide if it’s the best place for the baby. Where is the smoke alarm? The carbon monoxide detector? Do they work properly? It’s a long way from the kitchen and living area downstairs. It might get to be a long trek for frequent bottle warmings.”
“Those are all valid questions. I can check all the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors tonight and make sure they are working. Hopefully, a baby monitor system can give you a little freedom. I purchased one when I bought the diapers. But I’d for sure like you to remain close to her at night.” He was helping her scan the room now. “Is the distance to the kitchen a problem? I guess you’re right. There will be a lot of bottles to warm.”
“We can make do. If you believe this is the best possible option, we will be fine here.” She settled the baby carrier on the bed and began to unfasten Lily from it. “I just wondered if that other room might be a better option. But it will work.”
“Is there a problem with this room?” He crossed his arms over his chest once again.
“We can always make adjustments if we need to.” She pulled out a diaper from the bag and began to change Lily, turning away from him. She could feel his stare against her back, though. She was weary from the endless hours of travel and the stress of the continual danger surrounding Lily. The energy to argue her point with him eluded her.
As Lily began to cry, he spoke. “I’ll go see about warming a bottle.”
“Thank you.” She glanced over her shoulder at him.
Why was he so determined to put her in this room? Couldn’t he at least ask for her input? Or did he just want control? The thought didn’t exactly thrill her.
She had Lily swaddled and was rocking her back and forth while she waited on Grayson’s return. It seemed to take him a long time. Restless, she wandered out of the room.
The room across the hall was slightly smaller, but it had a door leading to the bedroom beside it. She opened the door to the room next to what would be Grayson’s, rocking Lily gently as she looked inside.
Lauren was still standing there, staring into the room, when Grayson walked down the hall. “What are you doing in here?” he asked from the doorway.
She turned to him. “Just looking around. Did you know these two rooms are adjoined?”
“No.” He came into the room and handed her the warm bottle as he peered over her shoulder. “That could be pretty useful.”
“Yes, but I’m sure it would have pitfalls, as well.” She moved away from the door to feed the baby.
“True, but it would be helpful to be able to hear you and Lily, and to know if you needed help. You could leave the door cracked and...” He paused and looked at her. “I guess I should have considered this one before choosing the other one.”
“I just thought we should weigh our options. If there is a reason the other room would be a more secure place for Lily, I can work with it.” She watched Lily work at the bottle, making little gulping noises as she drank the formula.
He frowned. “From the outside, it seemed a better location because of the angle of the security cameras and the outdoor lights. Those are easily adjusted, if it makes you both more comfortable. I should have considered that this isn’t a typical case. You and Lily need protection, but your comfort should have been a factor in my decision, as well. I guess I have a tendency just to take charge.” He looked contrite as he cleared his throat. “Well, if you take the corner room, I’ll take this adjoining room. The corner room has another window, but I’ll adjust the security on that end of the house. Besides, it’s on the second story. And it already has a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “That will be fine.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” He nodded and ducked out of the room.
Lily gave a little coo, mouth full and eyes wide. “Oh, I know. I’m sure he will warm up to us both.” Lauren giggled.
When Lily made another noise, Lauren nodded at her. “Yes, you’ll have him charmed in no time. And we will just have to make the best of it until then.”
As the baby finished the bottle, she began to drift off. Lauren continued to hold her as she walked to the window. The view was barely visible through the slightly open blinds. Even though outside it remained cloudy and dreary, the lake was a beautiful sight. Through the trees, she could see the blue water rippling in the bright sunshine. It was peaceful and calm. Lauren sighed as she twisted the rod on the blinds to tighten them closed all the way. She would rather have opened them to see out.
Under different circumstances, she would love being here. Growing up, her parents had always left her with her grandparents when they traveled. She had often dreamed of going camping when she was a child, but her mother and stepfather only vacationed in Europe or on the Caribbean islands—without her. When her sister was born, they’d stopped traveling altogether.
But she had let that go a long time ago, right? She had given it over to God. It was all in the past, and that was where she should leave it.
Lauren pushed away the hurt. Her parents must have had good reasons for doing what they had. Please, Lord, help me to let it go.
One thing was sure, she thought as she looked down at Lily. If she were ever a mother, she would never do anything to make her child feel like an unwanted nuisance. When her baby sister had come along, after Lauren had turned fourteen, she had been unhappy at first. She’d enjoyed being an only child. But as she’d gotten older, things had changed. When she’d moved out of the famil
y home, she had vowed to make sure Britlan never felt left out, even if it were just the two of them. If anything ever happened now, she would take on Britlan’s care herself. But even if that never occurred, she would be there for her as much as she could.
Her thoughts led her to wonder about Lily’s mother. Savannah knew she was in danger, but hadn’t she realized the baby would be, as well? Lauren couldn’t imagine how afraid for her Savannah must be, being kidnapped, leaving her child in the protection of strangers. It also seemed strange to her that someone had been able to get the drop on the marshal protecting her. It just didn’t seem possible, considering no one should have known of her “early” delivery so quickly. Something about the scenario just didn’t make sense.
She thought back to the conversation Grayson had had with Savannah Reid’s father. Why wouldn’t the Marshals Service have informed him of Savannah’s kidnapping? Were they trying to keep from angering him, hoping they would find her before they had to do so? Or was there something more? And what about Savannah herself? Was no one looking for her?
Lauren heard footsteps and turned toward the door at Grayson’s approach. “The view here is just amazing.”
He nodded but seemed uninterested in small talk. “I thought you might be hungry. I can keep an eye on Lily if you want to eat. I made some pasta and garlic bread.”
Lauren’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Had she been standing around daydreaming so long? And he had cooked? “She’s asleep. Maybe we could make her a pallet on the living room floor and eat together?”
He appeared stunned for just a moment. “Um. Okay. I’ll make her a pallet.”
What was that about? Lauren had the unsettling feeling that he didn’t want to be alone with her. She didn’t especially want to be alone with him, either. Maybe that was just her projecting her own reservations onto him. But they were going to have to coexist for a little while, in spite of how uncomfortable they made each other. It would benefit them both to learn to get along.
Lauren had never felt comfortable around strangers, and men were even more of a complication for her. Since her stepfather had never played much of an active role in her life, she had been a little slow at picking up on communication skills with the opposite sex. Her late husband had often made her feel inferior about it. She later realized that he hadn’t been all that good at communication himself. But that hadn’t improved her confidence any, regardless.
And the fact that Grayson was handsome enough to make any girl’s heart quicken complicated matters.
She followed Grayson into the living room and watched him stretch blankets out into a square pallet. He smoothed it carefully, checking to see that it was cushiony enough. It was sweet how much care he was taking, and she wondered if he even knew he was doing it.
“Will this be okay?” He looked up at her from where he was kneeling beside the blankets.
“Of course. It’s perfect.” She knelt beside him, but he reached for Lily. The baby grunted slightly as her weight shifted.
Grayson situated her carefully on the little bed he had made, and Lauren couldn’t help but notice how tiny the baby looked in his large hands. Lily was swaddled in a thin blanket Lauren had brought from the hospital, and Grayson tucked it in on the edge gently. Lily gave a little sigh.
“Shall we eat? I’m ready for some real food.” Lauren rose from the floor and waited for him.
Grayson looked at the sleeping baby for a moment longer. “It just doesn’t make sense, does it?”
She cocked her head sideways. “What doesn’t?”
“Risking the life of a baby like this. She’s so helpless.” Something a little angry—fierce, even—took over his expression.
“Yes. It’s hard to understand how Savannah could do it. I would have done everything possible to make sure Lily was protected in case something happened to me, had I been in Savannah’s situation.” Lauren spoke softly, and not only because of the sleeping baby. “But I’m sure she must’ve had her reasons. Reasons I know nothing about, or she wouldn’t have been in such a situation to begin with.”
He gave her an odd look as he stood. “Yeah. They always do. But that doesn’t help Lily.”
* * *
Grayson really didn’t understand why Lauren was defending Lily’s mother, but it made him feel a little guilty, and he didn’t like it.
Yeah, maybe Savannah Reid had things going on he didn’t know about or understand, but if he considered that, he might have to weigh the reasons other people made some of the choices they did. Like his own mother, for instance. If he considered any other reasons, things might not be as black-and-white anymore. In his career, things had to be clear-cut and right or wrong.
“Is everything okay?” Lauren’s gentle question brought him back to the current situation.
“Yeah. Yeah, fine. Let’s go eat.” He didn’t quite look her in the eye as they made their way to the kitchen.
Grayson had set the small table beside the window with simple place settings, and he motioned for her to sit. She did, and he brought the creamy pasta to the table.
They ate without a lot of conversation, and when they were almost finished their meal, Grayson noticed Lauren staring out the window into the trees.
“What are you looking at?” He asked the question casually, but her expression pushed him to reconsider the nonchalance. He followed her gaze.
“Um...hopefully nothing.” She had paled a bit and continued to stare out the window. “I thought something moved over in those trees.”
About the same moment she finished the words, he saw the shadow.
“Lock the door and stay close to Lily.” Grayson was already moving.
His hand was on his Glock before he hit the back door. He was sprinting by the time his feet hit the threshold. “Don’t move!” He called out the words before he made the edge of the lawn.
He heard the crack of gunfire but still headed toward the shadow in the trees. He crouched slightly and began to return fire. The fact that the shadow was moving had Grayson wondering if he was trying to draw him away. He would need to proceed with caution in case this guy wasn’t working alone.
He broke into the tree line and had to slow down when the heavy brush began to pull at his ankles. “Hey! I said stop!”
The shadowed figure was still moving away from him, but either Grayson had gotten a good head start on the guy or the guy was really slow. He could make out a short, stocky figure shifting through the trees.
Grayson fired again, throwing up some dirt and leaves near the man’s feet. The guy let out a yelp and ran faster—as much as the crippling brush along the ground would allow, anyway. There was no path, just roots, brush and vines combined in a tangle of ground cover.
It wasn’t long before Grayson lost the man in the heavy trees. He kept on for a little ways in the direction he had last seen the guy, but when the adrenaline began to subside, he realized that Lauren and Lily were vulnerable without him. Admitting defeat, he turned back.
Lauren was waiting at the door, her expression anxious.
“What are you doing out here? You should be inside with Lily.” He sounded gruff, even to his own ears.
She held up one hand and showed him the video monitor picture of Lily sleeping in the living room. “She’s fine. Just right behind me. What did you find?”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “Nothing. I didn’t get close enough to the guy to learn anything other than he was stocky and on the small side.”
“Not much to go on.” She shook her head. “Another hired gun?”
“No doubt. The kidnapper’s going to try anything before coming for the baby himself.” He held the door for her to go back inside.
“But they know where we are. Will we be safe?” Lauren’s forehead scrunched a little in concern.
“As safe as we have been so far. I have backup on the way.” He hoped
that might reassure her. “We can post someone on watch when they arrive.”
Honestly, he would be glad when the others arrived. Cane had taken care of that little detail for him on the drive out here, as well. He had requested someone be assigned to the team who had experience with babies, hoping to give Lauren a little help because he didn’t have much to offer.
They checked on Lily, and Lauren did her best to make things comfortable with Grayson, though he wished she would leave the silence alone for a while instead of trying to fill it with chatter. She tried once or twice to offer her appreciation for dinner and his help with caring for the baby, but Grayson only responded with a polite reply. His thoughts were elsewhere. Soon Lily began to demand attention with her mewling newborn cries. He was glad for the temporary diversion but found he and Lauren were far too alone for comfort again.
He tried to keep himself distracted by having Lauren show him how to change a diaper, so he could help her more. But he felt like his hands were too big, too clumsy, with such a tiny baby. Warming bottles was about the only childcare skill he seemed to have acquired.
They returned to the kitchen to clean up once Lily was settled, and Lauren tried again for conversation. This time he decided he should probably humor her.
“The pasta was delicious. Thank you for making it for us. Where did you learn to cook so well?” Lauren posed the question as she rinsed a plate in the sink.
“It was just me, my dad and my brothers. We all learned to cook.” He left it at that, hoping she wouldn’t question him further. He didn’t like talking about the reasons his mom hadn’t been around.
“Oh. Well, I never learned to cook anything fancier than a frozen pizza. I kinda wish I had, now that I’m on my own.” She looked down at the sink.
“You don’t have a roommate? No boyfriend to cook dinner for you?” He meant it teasingly, but when she swallowed hard and frowned, he realized his mistake.
“No. It’s just me.” She said no more, so he let it go for now.