by Barb Han
She locked the door the second he exited. The street was quiet. There were no pedestrians and only a few cars that occasionally zipped past.
She searched for any signs of movement near houses or in the landscaping. A cat stepped out of shrubbery and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
She gripped the cell so tight she had to remind herself to relax her fingers for fear she might crack the screen. The area was almost too quiet. A few minutes ago, there’d been almost too much activity.
A second wave of relief washed over her the minute the door opened and Riggs slipped out. He locked it before returning to the truck with a small grocery bag in hand.
“This should keep him fed for a couple of days,” he said as he checked the neighborhood one more time before slipping the gearshift into Drive.
A couple of days? The reality of the situation pressed down on Cheyenne. She would, at a minimum, be with her soon-to-be ex for the rest of the day. At a maximum, she might be looking at several days. The pull toward him was difficult enough to resist in the short term.
All she had to do was remind herself that her actions were for his own good. What she wanted wasn’t important. All she could think about was how selfish she would be to trap him in the marriage now. The pain he might be experiencing from the loss would be temporary. In a few months, he’d be recovered and a whole lot better off.
Short-term pain for long-term gain. That would be her new mantra.
Chapter Nine
The suite hotel off the highway was basically two rooms and a bathroom. It came standard with a full-size sofa bed, a kitchenette and a square-shaped dining table. The bedroom housed a king-size bed with a decent-sized bathroom attached that included four rolled-up towels, face soap and shower supplies.
The place had a decently modern vibe and smelled clean, which was a bonus she hadn’t been sure she could expect when they’d pulled into the lot. The recent renovation was advertised in the lobby with a large sign. Although it fit the bill of what they needed for now, there was nothing homey about the place. The suite would meet their needs, but it also made her realize how much she missed the ranch.
A growing part of her prayed her phone would ring and Ally’s name and picture would fill the screen. The ache in the pit of her stomach said she wouldn’t.
“Is there anything else we can do?” Today felt like a week instead of a day. A lot had happened, and it was already getting dark outside. Her hopes of this all somehow being a big mistake were dashed.
“Afraid not,” he said. “We have to give Colton a chance to work the investigation. Right now, no one at the hospital is talking to us and I’m pretty certain the one nurse who did would run the other way if she saw us again, especially since a deputy is probably finishing up interviews as we speak. I’ve already updated Colton on what happened at Ally’s house before we left.”
“Sitting here and doing nothing is awful.” Cheyenne twisted her hands together. Then she remembered the laptop. “Hold on.” She grabbed it out of her bag and moved to the kitchen table. She opened it and powered up, realizing she’d forgotten the power cord.
The battery was almost fully charged. Thank heaven for small miracles. It would give her time before she had to figure out a plan B. Going back to the house without Ally seemed wrong and dangerous. It was clear the place was being watched and they could probably buy another one. Had Riggs’s truck being parked out front deterred a would-be assailant? A shiver raced down her spine at the thought, and an idea sparked.
“Here’s hoping I can find something on her laptop to make sense of all this.” She glanced at Riggs before exhaling and testing the waters. “How many tries do you think I’ll get before I’m blocked?”
“I’m probably not the right person to ask about technology. My best days are spent out of cell range.” He seemed to catch himself when he shot her a look of apology. He’d been out of cell range when she’d gone into labor. “I think it’s three tries before you’ll get locked out.”
Three tries. Great. That sounded right.
The first attempt netted a zero. Same with the second. She chewed on the inside of her jaw and tapped her fingers on the edges of the keyboard. If he was right, and she figured he was, this would be her last try.
“What have you done so far?” he asked, seeming to pick up on her hesitation to go for what might end up a third strike.
“I played around with her birthday and her name,” she said.
“Try Ozzy,” he offered.
“Would it be that simple?” she asked, typing in the name and then hesitating before hitting Enter.
“It’s possible.”
Inspiration struck before she dropped her right pinky finger on the button. “Her lucky number is six. I remember her saying something once about her passwords always being plus 06.”
“It’s worth a try.” Riggs sat down next to her and she could breathe in his spicy scent, which reminded her of campfires and home. It reminded her of late Saturday nights lying in his arms. And it reminded her of having felt for a while that she might not be cursed after all.
Cheyenne typed in 06 after the dog’s name and squeezed her eyes shut.
“You’re in,” Riggs said, his voice traveling over her and through her.
“Seriously?” She risked opening her eyes. He was right. “Yes.” The first win in what felt like a very long time was sweet.
“Let’s see if she left any clues,” he said.
“First off, I think we should check her email.” She figured it was an easy place to start.
Riggs nodded.
There were more ads than anything else in Ally’s inbox. If she was dating anyone in particular, they didn’t exchange messages over email. But then, everything was on the phone these days. Text. Social networks.
“Oh. I should check her social media page,” she said. “See if I can find anything there.”
“And her browser history,” he added.
“Good idea.”
The browser didn’t reveal much. Ally mostly shopped online with her laptop. She must live off her phone. Come to think of it, the laptop was old, whereas Ally got a new phone every couple of years. Okay, so there might not be anything here to work with.
She moved on to social media. Ally’s page hadn’t been posted on in months. Her relationship status was single.
“What about those apps that text certain people,” Riggs said.
“I’m not on those, so I wouldn’t know.” Cheyenne had ditched those years ago. She couldn’t blame Ally for lacking a social media presence. Cheyenne was in a similar boat. She didn’t live her life online like some. But then, she’d always been the quiet type, preferring one close friend to several surface-level acquaintances. She had no judgment about people who liked a big circle. She just didn’t have time to keep up with one. She’d never been the join-a-sorority type, either. Then again, she’d never been much of a joiner of anything. A simple life was all she craved. So much so that her only real wish was to own a horse someday. She’d much rather be on horseback than in a car, despite not having ridden much in far too many years.
“She didn’t use this a lot,” Cheyenne said as she closed the laptop, figuring she needed to save battery for the time being. “Give me her phone and we’d be talking about another story. That thing was practically glued to her hand.”
“I don’t think most folks even own a laptop anymore unless they use one for work,” Riggs admitted. “I wouldn’t have one if not for keeping records. Plus, it just seems easier than staring at my phone or setting up a desktop in my house.”
“You never did like bringing work home anyway,” she said, smiling at the memory. He’d explained much of a cattle rancher’s life was spent doing paperwork.
“Home is sanctuary in my book. Once you step inside the front door, you have to learn to leave the rest of the world behind,”
he said. Then added, “Easier said than done during calving season.”
She laughed out loud. It wasn’t even that funny, but the stress of the day was catching up to her and she needed a release.
His eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“Sorry. Calving season isn’t funny except that all it made me think about was how many places I found you asleep while fully dressed. And once buck naked.” Again, she laughed. “I think the last count was eleven.”
“Very funny. And it was twelve if I remember correctly.” His face broke into a wide smile in a show of perfectly straight teeth. He had the kind of mouth that had never known braces, and confounded dentists. Perfect white teeth. But it was his lips that had always drawn her in. Lips she didn’t need to be thinking about right now.
“You’re right. Then there was that one time I found you sitting on the porch, passed out. Who were you waiting for?” she asked.
“Cash, I think. Who can remember? Calving season is a blur.”
“And there was the time I found you snoring standing up. You were leaning against the wall in the bathroom with the shower running. I walked past and there you were. Door open. Buck naked. Dead asleep.” She laughed so hard she snorted.
And the embarrassment didn’t end there. She laughed so hard about snorting that she double-snorted.
Riggs was already holding his side, trying to gain his composure. He lost it after the double-double.
This was the first time she’d laughed in what felt like a really long time. Everything at the ranch had become tense after his father was murdered and then found on the property. She barely knew Finn O’Connor but he’d accepted her and the pregnancy without hesitation. Losing him was a blow the family found difficult to deal with and accept. She tabled that thought, too. It didn’t seem right to think about his father when the two of them couldn’t stop being silly.
After they’d laughed so hard literal tears fell down her cheeks, Cheyenne took in a few slow, deep breaths. “I don’t know what it is about stress that can make you laugh.”
“Better than the alternatives. Holding it in makes you sick. Crying...well, that’s never been my thing,” he said.
“Is it weird that I’m exhausted right now? Mentally. Physically. And every which way.” She’d been that way since losing the baby.
“Not at all.” His voice was full of reassurance. “In fact, it might do some good not to think about the current situation for a little while.”
“How do you propose we do that?” she asked.
“We could watch TV. See if we can find a movie,” he offered.
“Turning it on might be a useful distraction.” Her mind was spinning out and she needed to think about something else for a little while.
It didn’t take more cajoling to get her up from the table and onto the sofa. She settled on the couch as Riggs grabbed the remote and figured out how to find a movie. Easy-peasy, considering there was a room charge.
“Before we get started, Ozzy probably should be taken out.” She started to push to standing but Riggs waved her off.
“I got this.” He grabbed the bag and produced a pad. “I’m guessing that’s what this is for.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” She had no idea. Wow, had she really been in that much of a funk that she didn’t know what food Ozzy ate or if he used one of those pads on a regular basis?
The short answer? Yes.
Cheyenne slipped off her shoes as Riggs set up the pee pad by the door on the small patch of tile. She curled up with a pillow on her side and settled in to watch the movie.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked.
“Be my guest,” she said.
They settled on something light and she barely remembered the beginning before she conked out. By the time she opened her eyes again, the sun was up.
How many hours had passed? Her vision was blurry, and she felt like she was in a fog. Nothing seemed familiar. Where was she?
Cheyenne sat bolt upright as fear gripped her.
* * *
“YOU’RE ALL RIGHT.” Riggs reached over to touch Cheyenne’s leg out of instinct. He wanted to ground her to reality after what must have been a shock, waking up disoriented with memories flooding back.
“What time is it?” She gasped for air and clutched her chest, clearly in distress.
“It’s early. The sun is barely rising and I’m right here with you. You haven’t missed anything,” he reassured.
She searched his gaze with wild eyes. Then she eased back to sitting.
“Where’s Ozzy?” she asked.
“He’s inside your handbag again. I set it on the floor so he could come and go. He seems to be more comfortable in there and I’m guessing it has to do with being a den animal,” he said. Watching her wake up in a complete panic sent his blood boiling. She shouldn’t have to wake up scared. They should be at home instead of in this suite, together with their newborn.
Wishful thinking. Dangerous territory, too.
The past twenty-plus hours had planted a seed of hope inside him. One that he knew better than to water. After all, there wasn’t a piece of solid evidence yet that pointed to their child being alive. Foul play was a whole different story.
“Is that coffee I smell?” she asked, still sounding a little hazy.
“Fresh brewed fifteen minutes ago.” He regretted making the noise now. It was probably the reason she had woken up. “Is everything okay? Did you have a dream?”
She nodded. “I need caffeine first.”
“Stay put. I don’t mind. Besides, I never did get up to pour mine.” He stood, ignoring the electricity lighting his fingertips on fire on the hand where he’d made contact with Cheyenne.
Electricity had never been a problem for them. Sex had never been a problem for them. He was beginning to realize he didn’t know her as much as he’d convinced himself that he had. And he was paying a price for it.
Not that he would go back and do anything differently if he could. He couldn’t regret the past year with Cheyenne. Or the baby. Both had brought happiness to him like he’d never known, and pain to depths he never wanted to hit again.
The question still burned in the back of his mind. Was their daughter alive?
His cell buzzed, causing Cheyenne to nearly jump out of her skin.
“It’s okay,” he tried to soothe as he scooted off the couch to retrieve the phone that sat on the table. He checked the screen. “It’s Colton.”
Cheyenne sat ramrod straight. Her right hand came up to cover her lips as she seemed to stop breathing. The look on her face told him she was desperate for good news and yet too afraid to want it too badly.
“Good morning,” he said to his brother. “What’s up?”
“I’m afraid I have news.” Those words combined with the compassionate tone in Colton’s voice sent Riggs’s blood pressure racing. His back was to Cheyenne and he didn’t turn around on purpose, not until he knew exactly what he was dealing with, for fear she would be able to read him.
“Go on,” Riggs urged, realizing his brother’s hesitation meant one of his worst fears was about to be realized. He sucked in a sharp breath.
“It’s Ally Clark. She’s been found.” The finality in Colton’s voice sent fire through Riggs’s veins.
Chapter Ten
“And?” Riggs’s tone caused Cheyenne’s stomach to clench. His silence was not good.
No. No. No. Cheyenne had a sinking feeling the news was going to be crushing. The fact Riggs hadn’t turned to face her had been her first clue.
Riggs was quiet. He nodded his head a couple of times and said a few uh-huhs into the phone while Cheyenne prepared for the worst.
It only took a few seconds for him to end the call. A couple more for him to deliver the news that shattered her heart into a thousand pieces. Ally’s vehicle h
ad been found in the field near the hospital with Ally inside.
Cheyenne’s hands fisted at her sides as she stood up and crossed over to the window. She flexed and released her fingers several times before pulling back the curtain to look out over the highway.
So many people zipping up and down the road, busy with their lives. Many without a care in the world, driving to or from work. It struck her as strange how life just went on. The first time she’d had the thought was after losing her mother. The second occurred when she’d been told her daughter was gone. Her world had stopped and yet others kept on, going about their day like nothing had happened. It had been a strange and surreal realization both times and one she wasn’t ready to embrace again.
So many emotions threatened to consume Cheyenne. She could easily let them burn her from the inside out. Anger surfaced first. Disbelief was a close second. She wanted to question what she knew deep in her gut had to be true.
So many feelings were bearing down on her all at one time. It would be easy to give in, curl up on the sofa and block out as much of the world as possible.
There was one very big reason why she could never allow herself to do that. Ally. Her best friend deserved justice. Letting emotions rule, despite the tears rolling down Cheyenne’s face at the moment, wouldn’t be fair to her friend. Cheyenne needed a clear head and she needed to stay as logical as possible. She’d gone emotional after losing her daughter and had made bad decision after bad decision. Yes, blocking Riggs’s pain out of her mind had been a huge one. There’d been others, too. Most involved her treatment of her hus—soon to be ex-husband.
Pulling on all the strength she had left, Cheyenne wiped away the tears and took in a deep breath to calm her racing pulse.
“Hey,” Riggs said from close behind her. He was so close, in fact, she could feel his presence before he spoke.
“I’m fine,” she said.
He brought his hand up to her shoulder. “It’s okay if you aren’t.”
“I have to be.” She sniffed back a tear. It would be so easy to lean into him right now and let him be her strength.