“I’m sorry,” he said. Standing, he removed cuffs from his tool belt. “Robin Pierpont, for failure to appear at the emergency custody hearing of minor child, Lark Pierpont, I’m serving you with a felony contempt warrant. Consider yourself under arrest.”
“Oh, come on.” Laredo stood between her and Kyle. “You can’t be serious. Clearly, this is nothing more than a petty act of grief-motivated revenge on the part of the deceased’s parents.”
“That may well be,” Kyle said, “but that’s got to be officially determined by folks way above my pay grade. All I know is that your new friend is a wanted criminal. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t take her in.”
“Let her stay the night here. You have my word I’ll bring her and Lark in first thing in the morning.”
“No can do. She’s already proven to be a flight risk.”
“I promise I won’t go.” Hot, messy tears trailed down her cheeks. “Please, don’t do this. I’ve already been through so much.”
“I’m sorry.” Kyle fastened the cuffs back onto his tool belt. “If you agree to come peaceably, we’ll dispense with the cuffs and I’ll see about getting you an expedited bail hearing. The one thing I can’t do is let you keep your daughter. Until returning her to her grandparents, she’s officially a ward of the state.”
Chapter 11
“Let’s go,” Kyle said to Robin. “I’ll make your processing as painless as possible.”
“You call essentially ripping my innocent child from her mother painless?” In a mad dash for the bedroom, she charged around the sheriff.
Seconds later, the bedroom door slammed.
“This is why I needed cuffs.” Kyle sighed. “Some days I really hate my job.”
“You’re an ass. Would it kill you to look away? Do you know she still has bruises from the last time her dead bastard ex used her for a punching bag?” Laredo couldn’t escape the truth that this mess could somehow be his fault. If he hadn’t helped Kyle at the booth, if the sheriff hadn’t had extra time to see Robin, maybe none of this would now be happening.
“If I were to look away, then I’m on the same level as the criminals I lock behind bars.”
“Keep telling yourself that when a woman who’s already been through more than enough physical and mental pain now has to endure the added agony of handing over her baby.” Laredo abandoned Kyle in favor of helping Robin.
“Have her out here in five or we’re doing this my way.”
“Screw you. Make this any harder on her and you can arrest me, too.”
“Laredo...”
Laredo didn’t waste his time looking back.
Facing Robin’s closed bedroom door, he knocked. When there was no reply, whether she wanted to see him or not, he entered the room only to find himself alone.
A window screen had been removed.
Gauzy curtains writhed in the light breeze.
Shit. Kyle would lose his mind.
Knowing she couldn’t have gone far, Laredo returned to the kitchen. “She’s packing. But give her ten minutes. Babies have a ton of gear.”
“Thanks for talking her down. While you two get loaded, I’ll put up the lunch leftovers. You probably won’t feel like cooking once you get home.”
“You think?” Laredo ducked back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him before jogging to the window. He crouched to exit, took a moment to plan his next move. Robin’s boot prints might as well have left a neon trail in the soft, sandy soil. He followed them up and over the smallish hill behind his house. The afternoon heat beat him like a fist. Robin and the baby wouldn’t last long without sun protection and gallons of water.
They had neither.
Compounding their trouble, how long until Kyle caught on to the fact that he’d been duped?
Laredo cupped his hands to his mouth. “Robin!”
When she failed to reply, he kept to her trail. A hundred yards later, Lark’s pitiful cries carried on the hot, dry wind.
“Robin, stop!” When she kept walking, laden with two diaper bags, he jogged to meet her. “What are you doing other than deliberately trying to piss off Kyle?”
“He’s not taking my baby.”
“I won’t let him. We’ll think of a way. But to get him on our side, we have to at least pretend to play by his rules. Running is going to confirm his assumption that you’re a flight risk.”
“I am.” She was still walking. “Chuck hurt me enough for two lifetimes. Now, he’s hitting me from his grave. I’m done.”
“I understand, but, babe, where the hell do you think you’re going to go? I mean think about it. Kyle’s SUV has four-wheel drive. Your tracks are easy to follow. He’ll have you cuffed and in the back seat of his ride in five minutes. Even if you somehow escaped him, what then? The nearest natural water source is a good twenty miles from here. Are you prepared to hike all that way while carrying Lark and her gear without food or drink?”
“Please leave me alone. I never asked for your help or advice.”
The harsh sound of a car door slamming rode on the wind.
Robin’s gaze widened. “Help me hide. We can’t let him find my baby.”
Lark must have sensed her mother’s panic. Her half-hearted complaints escalated to wails.
From back at the house a powerful engine revved.
Not even a full minute later, Kyle parked his vehicle twenty feet from them, killed the motor, then climbed out. “What the hell? You two are forcing my hand.”
“You can’t take her!” Robin had grown as hysterical as the baby. “I won’t let you!”
“Okay, look...” Kyle removed his hat, fanning himself with it. “This is a lousy situation for all concerned. I’m not the bad guy—just doing my job. Laredo, deliver mother and child to the station no later than six tonight. If you don’t show, I’ll issue a warrant for your arrest. Robin, I’m sorry for what your former husband put you through. I just received word that your in-laws are on their way. You have my word that your child will never leave your arms until you meet with them. Hopefully, once they see you being reasonable, you’ll reach an amicable agreement. Sound like a plan?”
Laredo said, “I’ll have them both there.”
“Four hours.” Kyle angled toward his SUV. “Don’t let me down. The last thing I want is for this to turn any uglier.”
“Agreed.”
When only the dust from the sheriff’s exit remained, Laredo turned to Robin. “We should get Lark out of this heat.”
“I know.” Head bowed, she turned for the house.
“Let me take the bags.” As defeated as Robin looked with her too-thin frame, red-rimmed eyes and slumped shoulders, Laredo wished she’d let him carry her baby, too, but he assumed there was no way she’d let Lark go.
“I’m sorry,” she said halfway back to the house. “For a minute I was out of my mind with terror. It felt like Chuck was alive again, pummeling me with a torture far worse than physical pain.”
“I get it.” Of course, he didn’t. Never could.
“You’re probably wondering why I never told police or any of our friends and family about the abuse.”
“The thought did cross my mind.”
“I have pictures in a safe-deposit box. He said if I ever used them, he’d kill me and Lark. Or take her away, making sure I never saw her again. He had the financial means to make good on that promise. I couldn’t take the chance he would.”
“Bastard. How did you end up with a guy like that? Weren’t there signs?”
“In hindsight. But initially, he was charming. His desire to be with me. To take care of me. I loved him so much. How could a man I adored hurt me? The romance was such a whirlwind that I never saw signs that should have been red flags.” She told him about her ex’s possessive streak. How he’d always wanted to know her location. Keeping her all to himself—not wa
nting her to take a job or even have friends under the guise of them needing to spend more time together. “When you told me he was gone and I wasn’t to blame, I took it as a sign that my life was finally back on the right course. Now? I’m not sure what to do? How will I fight Chuck’s parents? They have the financial resources—connections—needed to work the legal system in their favor.”
They’d reached the house. From behind, it looked more run-down than the front. Until now, Laredo had never felt strapped for cash or lacking in finances. He had a comfortable amount of savings from his years of service, but no way was it enough to launch a full-scale custody war against an enemy he’d never met.
He wanted—needed—to help Robin and her baby. But why? What was it about her that almost made him think that as long as they were together, running might be the best action?
Lord... He sounded as insane as her abusive ex.
“Sorry about your broken window screen,” she said.
“That’s the least of my problems.” They rounded the house to enter through the front door. True to his word, Kyle’s SUV was no longer in the drive, and he’d cleaned the kitchen from the mess made by lunch.
“You do realize—” she sat on the sofa, cradling her baby extra close “—Lark and I aren’t your responsibility. I never meant for any of my troubles to land on your doorstep. Since I don’t want you driving home in the dark, please take me to the police station as soon as I pack the rest of Lark’s stuff.”
“If that’s what you want.” That was it—the reason Robin and her daughter had become his top priorities. Her reminder about him not driving in the dark carried along with it the realization that for the first time since his injury, he cared more about someone else’s issues than his own. That felt good. Being back on the giving side of charity. “But I won’t leave you until this is done.”
“You’re being ridiculous. This could take months to be settled. You’ve only known me a few days.”
I’ve always known you. There it was—the inexplicable truth. The scent of her hair, her breath, the feel of her curves pressed against him. The way she’d made him feel safe enough to break down last night in the truck. The way she now made him feel built back up. As if he could tackle any obstacle if only to make her smile.
You do know you’re sounding delusional? His conscience had never been a fan of sentimentality. He didn’t do greeting cards or chick flicks. He’d sure never analyzed his feels.
While he’d been standing with his back pressed to the closed door, she’d left the sofa and headed for her room. She was right in her statement that once he dropped her at the station, his part in this was technically done. He’d drive away and never see her again.
Your soul will never stop seeing her.
And there it was—this softer, unfamiliar side of himself he’d never known. Until now, he’d never wanted to know. But that new voice spoke truth. If he dumped Robin and never looked back, how many regrets would he harbor? How many nights would he wake in a cold sweat, fearing what had become of her? Granted, he ultimately might not be able to help her win custody, but he damn well needed to try.
* * *
Robin stared past the dusty view beyond the passenger-side window of Laredo’s truck. The once vibrant high desert plains that had enthralled her with rolling hills dotted with cacti and soaring coppery-toned mesas now seemed lifeless and bleak—or maybe that was her heart?
She made a quick call to her grandparents before leaving to turn herself in. They’d wanted to fly out right away, but unsure if this custody issue would take days, weeks or months to clear, she’d begged them to stay put. But her grandparents were making plans to fly in, anyway.
“How are you holding up?” From behind the wheel, Laredo glanced her way.
“Great...” She swiped more tears that hadn’t stopped since Kyle first pulled out his cuffs. “I’ve always wanted more time to read.”
“You’ll barely be in long enough for Kyle to read you your rights.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence. How strange that one day earlier the mood had been jubilant. Now, morose. She never took her hand from Lark’s chubby tummy. With luck, she was too young for their separation to leave a lasting emotional toll. Hopefully, Chuck’s parents would realize the gravity of their mistake. She’d never shared as close of a relationship as she would have liked with them, but it had never been combatant until after the divorce. She could only imagine what their son told them about her.
When they saw photographic proof of the physical damage he’d done, would they back down? Or somehow try spinning her evidence on the grounds that she hadn’t provided it sooner? There were too many variables to count, which only made her stomach hurt more.
“Everything’s going to be okay.” After turning onto the highway leading toward town, Laredo reached for her hand.
She clung to him like a lifeline, absorbing his strength.
They passed the truck stop where her luck had irrevocably changed. First, for the better in meeting Laredo and her other new friends. But she now felt trapped in her darkest hour.
“Bet you regret ever having saved me.” Her voice barely rose above the motor.
“Never.” He flashed the smile that never failed to warm her. “Given a similar situation, I’d do it again.”
Not for the first time, her mind drifted to how different her life may have turned out had she met a man as good as Laredo before Chuck. Her life would be simple. Easy. Tending the garden and chickens and goats. Spending long days under the sun and nights cozied up in his sweet little house, sharing dinner, playing cards, sitting on the front porch swing, gazing up at the stars.
A beautiful dream that would never come true.
When he pulled the truck into the police station lot, she thought she’d be okay, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. Her skin turned hot and then cold. Her hands trembled so hard she feared taking Lark from her carrier.
Laredo parked.
He turned off the engine and exited his side of the vehicle to open her door. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he assured her.
She wished she believed him.
Kyle had given them a deadline of 6:00 p.m. Since the dashboard clock had read 4:47 that left plenty of time for Laredo to get safely home. “Please leave. I don’t want you driving in the dark.”
“Not a chance. Like I already told you, I’m not going anywhere. If I don’t get out in time to make the drive, I’ll grab a motel room.”
A fresh onslaught of tears stung her eyes. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He held out his hand to her. “You seem a little shaky. Want me to carry the peanut?”
“Please. I’ll get the diaper bag.”
“What about everything else?”
“Guess we can leave it for now?”
“Sounds like a plan.” He unfastened Lark’s safety harness, then scooped her into his arms. Robin fed her right before they’d left the house, so thankfully she was still full and sleepy.
The sheriff’s station was a depressing rectangular, whitewashed building constructed of cement blocks with a green metal roof. The only concession to landscaping were a trio of yucca plants fighting for survival in a rock flower bed that held more weeds and cigarette butts than beauty.
“Breathe,” he reminded her on the short walk to the entry. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
“You’ve already told me.”
“It bears repeating.”
Unable to speak past the knot lodged in her throat, she nodded.
He opened the right side of a pair of double doors, gesturing for Robin to enter. She would have preferred he go first, but since this was her mess, she supposed it made sense for her to take the lead.
The station proved as bleak and uninviting on the inside as it had
outside. The only redeeming quality in the reception area’s cramped space was the artificially cooled air.
“Hey, Laredo.” A heavyset female clerk manned a built-in reception desk. She wore the same tan uniform as the sheriff without the hat. Long salt-and-pepper hair had been styled in a low side ponytail. “Kyle told me he was expecting you and a friend. Take the door on your right and I’ll buzz you through.”
“Thanks, Helen.”
The clerk’s sympathetic gaze made Robin think she knew her sad story.
A buzz sounded.
Laredo pushed open an oversize steel door that led to the station’s inner workings. An open area held four unoccupied desks, a long bench with pipe dividers she assumed was for attaching cuffs and a wall sporting five ten-by-ten cells—two of which were occupied.
She shivered.
“How are you holding up?” Laredo eased his fingers between hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
“Not good. Suppose they have CPR gear on standby?”
“If not, I’ll run you to the clinic, although I doubt the doc is in this late on a Sunday afternoon.”
“Perfect.” She forced a smile.
Laredo must have been here before, as he led her down a hall lined with offices and two glass-walled conference rooms. At the hall’s end were two private offices. One was empty with the door open and lights out. In the other, Kyle sat behind a desk cluttered with haphazard files, fast-food wrappers and six open cans of energy drinks. A dead potted ivy graced the corner.
“Oh, hey.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “You’re early.”
“Let’s get on with this.” Laredo’s voice had never held such a somber tone. Robin didn’t like being the cause. “We all know we’re not here for a social call.”
“Have a seat.” He gestured to the two blue vinyl guest chairs facing his desk. “Sorry about the mess. I’m still chasing my tail after the festival. It’s fun, but a little crazy.” He tossed the apparently empty cans in a recycle bin, then the wrappers in the trash. Back in his chair, he said, “Robin, I’m not sure if this will make you feel better or worse, but your mother-and father-in-law’s attorney called to let me know they’ve landed in Grand Junction. Since I’m assuming by you voluntarily coming in that means you agree to amicably transfer temporary custody, they’ve consented to dropping all charges.”
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