That Woman in Wyoming

by Sherry Lewis

  There could have been a game tonight, but even so the diner didn’t stay open this late. Something was going on, though. And he felt a pang of melancholy that he wasn’t part of it.

  He ignored it. Even if he stayed, he wouldn’t expect the people to feel the same way about him now that they knew the truth. He just hoped he hadn’t burned all his bridges here in Serenity. “Come on,” he growled at Travis. “Let’s get this over with.”

  The chief of police was waiting for them inside, his tie loosened, the top button of his shirt undone, a fine stubble of dark beard shadowing his cheeks. One hand rested on the telephone, but he pulled it away when Max and Donovan came inside with Travis. “Glad to see you made it,” he said, pushing to his feet. “I’ve been waiting.”

  “It’s a long drive from Thayne,” Max reminded him. “Especially in the dark.”

  “True enough.” The chief tried ineffectually to stuff his shirttail into the waistband of his uniform trousers. “So this is our boy, huh? You want to put him in that first cell in the back?”

  Donovan didn’t wait for Max to answer. He took Travis’s arm and led him toward the cell.

  “If you don’t mind,” Chief Henley said, “we can do the paperwork in the morning. I want to get on over to the diner. Imagine you will, too.”

  “I noticed all the cars,” Max said with a glance out the window. “What’s going on?”

  “You haven’t heard?”

  “I haven’t been here. What is it?”

  Chief Henley looked from Max to Travis and Donovan, and shifted his weight uncomfortably. “Jamie McKenna’s gone missing.”

  Max was so bone-tired, he thought for a minute he’d heard wrong. “Jamie? Are you sure?”

  Donovan took a step back into the office. “Someone you know?”

  “Reagan’s daughter. She’s thirteen.” Max stole a glance at Travis’s shuttered face and turned back toward the chief. “How long has she been gone?”

  “Since about noon, best we can figure. We can’t do anything official yet, of course. It’s too soon. But folks are getting together to help search. I figured Reagan would’ve called you.”

  “She didn’t have any way to reach me.” He should have given her his cell phone number, but he and Donovan usually kept their phones turned off when they were on a case. “Nobody has any idea where Jamie is?”

  “None of her friends seem to know anything,” the chief said. “And her sister claims she doesn’t know. I told Reagan I didn’t think there was anything to worry about. Teenagers, you know. But Stacy’s roused the whole town, and it’s getting so late now, I’m not quite as confident as I was.”

  Max’s heart slammed against his chest, and his head began to buzz. He couldn’t even imagine how frightened Reagan must be. Forgetting Travis, he crossed to the door and jerked it open. “Is Reagan at the diner?”

  “Far as I know.”

  Max started to pull the door shut, but Travis called after him. “Max? Wait. I might know something.”

  The whole town was searching for her and Travis knew something? Max barely resisted the urge to throttle him. “What is it?”

  “I don’t know anything for sure, but she’s been talking a lot about taking those rock climbing lessons. Maybe that’s where she went.”

  “Are you saying she might have taken off for Jackson? Alone?”

  “Not alone. She told me she’d found some people who were taking private classes from some guy who used to teach at the school. Maybe she went with them.”

  “What responsible adult would take her that far without her mother’s permission?”

  “I don’t know what she told them. All I know is that I was supposed to tell Reagan she was sleeping over at a friend’s house tonight.”

  Max resisted the urge to pummel Travis. “You knew she was planning to run off, and you didn’t tell Reagan?”

  “I didn’t think it would hurt anything. I used to go where I wanted, and I was always okay.” Travis set his jaw stubbornly. “Jamie knows what she wants, but Reagan doesn’t listen to her. I know what that feels like, and I felt sorry for the kid.”

  “Jamie is thirteen,” Max shouted. “She’s not mature enough to make decisions like that for herself, and she sure as hell isn’t old enough to be out there on her own. Dammit, that’s why kids have parents.” He forced himself to put a little more distance between them, afraid of what he might do.

  “Yeah, but she’s a smart kid,” Travis countered. “She knows how to take care of herself.”

  “Considering the source,” Donovan grumbled, “I’m not sure that’s much of a recommendation.” He nudged Travis toward the cell again, and Max turned his attention to Chief Henley.

  “She won’t get very far with the lessons,” Max said to reassure himself. “She doesn’t have her mother’s permission to take them.”

  “Yes, she did,” Travis said as he dug in his heels and stopped again. “Kind of, anyway.”

  Chief Henley glowered at him. “Kind of? You want to explain that part?”

  “Well…I kind of signed a permission slip for her.”

  “You forged Reagan’s signature?” Max demanded.

  Travis held up both hands to ward off the attack he felt coming. “It was a mistake, okay? I just didn’t think it was that big a deal when I did it.”

  Max clenched his fists at his side and made himself take another step backward. He had to stay focused. Everything else could wait. “You said she was taking private lessons? Where will I find her?”

  “Right now? I don’t know. But they’re meeting the instructor in Albertson’s supermarket parking lot in Jackson tomorrow morning.”

  “You’d better start praying that she’s all right,” Max said through clenched teeth, “or you can really start feeling sorry for yourself. You’ll have good reason to.”

  Max let himself out the door and raced toward the diner, narrowly missing being hit by a car as he darted into the road.

  REAGAN WAS QUICKLY LOSING every bit of calm she’d been able to dredge up. She’d called home so often to see if Danielle and Andie had heard from Jamie, she’d drained the battery in her cell phone. Since then, she’d moved a table to just inside the front door so she could be near the pay phone.

  She ached to be out searching, but Stacy had finally convinced her to stay behind. Stacy was probably right. Reagan was too tired to think straight and too worried to be any help. She took a sip from the diet cola she’d been nursing since the coffee began to taste bitter, and rested her head on her arms.

  Rapidly approaching footsteps outside the window brought her head up sharply and she peered through the glass into the darkness, hoping someone had news of Jamie. She couldn’t breathe as she waited, and it seemed to take forever for the person to come around the corner.

  When she saw Max, whatever had been holding her together seemed to evaporate. She jumped to her feet and ran to him. Sobbing so hard she couldn’t speak, she threw herself into his arms. All the worry over Jamie, over Travis and over Max—all the questions she’d been asking herself, and the answers she’d found—became one overwhelming mass, and Reagan couldn’t seem to get control over herself.

  Max pulled her close and held her without speaking. His body was tight with worry, his arms strong and sure, his eyes nearly black with concern. He smoothed her hair and cradled her while she cried. He demanded nothing of her, asked no questions. He just held her until she could finally speak again.

  “You heard about Jamie?”

  “Chief Henley told us.”

  “Does that mean you found Travis?”

  “We did.” Max tightened his embrace, as if he needed to feel her as much as she needed him. “Sweetheart, I think I know where Jamie is.”

  Relief and almost overpowering hope nearly dropped her to her knees. “You do? How? Where? Did she tell you something?”

  “She didn’t, but Travis did. He thinks she’s gone to Jackson.”

  The hope evaporated, and Reagan pulled a
way from him. “I’ve already thought of that. She’s not signed up for the classes.”

  “Apparently, she found someone who’s willing to give private lessons and Travis encouraged her. He even forged your signature on a permission slip. She arranged to ride up there with someone else, and Travis was supposed to cover for her.”

  Reagan felt the blood drain from her face, then surge back an instant later. The parking lot began to swirl, and for a moment she thought she might actually pass out. She gripped Max’s hand, partly to hold herself up, partly to make him listen to her. “We have to go find her. Please.”

  “Of course we will. What about Danielle? Where is she?”

  “At home with Andie.” Reagan forced her head up again. “I have to call her.”

  Max led her inside and pressed her gently into the seat she’d left only a moment before. “You sit down and try to get your legs back. I’ll call the house.”

  More grateful for his help than she could say, Reagan listened while he talked briefly to Andie, then to Danielle. The gentleness in his voice as he reassured her daughter touched her deeply.

  Stacy was right. Love didn’t come along every day. Good men didn’t just drop from the sky. And Reagan would be a fool to let a few little differences, a few inconveniences and a little fear keep her from grabbing hold of this one and hanging on.

  “We’ll be home in a few minutes,” she heard Max say. “Just as soon as your mom’s ready to leave here.” He glanced at her, his eyes clearing slightly when he saw that she looked stronger. “Maybe I’ll ask the cook to whip up some sandwiches for us to bring with us. I’ll bet your mom hasn’t eaten since Travis left.” He listened to Danielle and scowled at Reagan. “A whole pear? Well, no wonder she’s dizzy.”

  Before she could tell Max she was okay, a caravan of cars rounded the corner and pulled into the parking lot. Almost immediately people began pouring out of the cars and rushing toward Max and Reagan.

  Bart reached them first and nodded to Max. “Good to see you’re back. Any word?”

  “We think she’s gone to Jackson,” Reagan told him. “It’s a long story, and I promise I’ll explain it all later. Right now, I’d like to go find her.”

  Bart pushed his baseball cap back on his head and looked at Max. “You’re going tonight?”

  “I have to,” Reagan answered. “I can’t sit here until morning. We think that’s where she is, but we don’t know for certain.”

  “I doubt either of us will rest until we know,” Max added.

  “You want me to come along?”

  Reagan stood on tiptoe and hugged Bart quickly. “You have no idea how much I appreciate everything you’ve done. If you could just stay here and let the others know, that would help more than another set of eyes in the car.”

  “You got it.” Bart stepped away and drew the crowd with him, leaving Reagan and Max alone.

  Feeling stronger still, Reagan glanced toward the city offices and took a deep breath. “What’s going to happen to Travis?”

  “Donovan and I were going to transport him to California tomorrow. I won’t leave until I know Jamie’s safe, but I know Donovan won’t mind taking him alone. Travis will stand trial, of course. There’s no way out of that. And he does have some prior convictions, so he probably won’t get off with a suspended sentence. But I’m hoping that if he has good character witnesses, he’ll only spend a year in jail before he gets parole. After that, it’ll be up to him.”

  “I have no idea who could testify for him—besides Dad and me, of course. How much weight would our testimonies carry?”

  “I don’t know,” Max said, leading her back inside. “But Donovan and I will help if we can.” He rubbed her arm and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry about Travis. He’ll be fine. Let’s focus on finding Jamie.”

  Reagen nodded quickly. “I’m going to call my dad and tell him to meet us there,” Reagan said. “Then we’d better go get Danielle. She’s probably anxious.”

  “And I’ll get those sandwiches.” Max pulled her close and kissed her quickly. “Don’t look at me like that. Humor me, okay? I’m not used to caring about someone else, and I may not always get it right.”

  Reagan leaned her head against his chest and took a long, deep breath. The scent of fresh air and pine drifted up from his shirt and mixed with his own unique scent. She felt warm and safe for the first time in years. It would be so easy to get used to this. So easy to grow dependent upon it. “Don’t worry,” she whispered, “you’re doing fine, so far.”

  REAGAN AWOKE SUDDENLY, chilled and confused. In the next heartbeat, she remembered where she was and sank back against Max’s chest, where she’d slept for the last few hours while they waited for sunrise. Danielle’s soft breathing came from the back seat and Max slept soundly, his head tipped back and his mouth slightly open.

  He was exhausted, obviously, and all because of her and her family. He should be angry and frustrated with her. Instead, he’d held her for hours, pulling the blanket back onto her shoulders when it slipped and rousing himself occasionally to run the engine and warm the car.

  Hoping to let them both sleep awhile longer, Reagan eased away from Max’s embrace and let herself out of the car. She closed it soundlessly and waited to make sure she hadn’t woken either of them, then walked away from the car across the parking lot of Albertson’s supermarket.

  The lights had come on inside the grocery store and traffic had begun moving on the four-lane highway. She jogged across the pavement and found the public rest room in the back of the store. She washed her hands and face, smoothing her hair back from her face and grimacing at the dark circles beneath her eyes.

  Jamie had better be here, she told her reflection silently. She didn’t know what she’d do if they didn’t find her daughter. She also didn’t know what she’d do if they did. What punishment was appropriate for an act like this? Right now, she felt like grounding Jamie for the rest of her life, but she knew she’d have to handle the situation wisely.

  Yes, Jamie had done a foolish, irresponsible thing, but Reagan didn’t believe that she’d have run off without Travis’s encouragement. He deserved at least part of the blame.

  A hefty share belonged on her own shoulders, as well. If she hadn’t been so distracted by Max and Travis, she would have gone with Jamie to check out the class. Then, even a definite “no” might have been acceptable. Her actions had led Jamie to believe that her needs came way down on her mother’s list of priorities.

  She gave herself another quick check in the mirror, dug a lipstick from the bottom of her purse and slashed a little color onto her face. Not good, but better. She tucked her T-shirt into her jeans, slung her purse over her shoulder and hurried back into the store. On impulse, she picked up fruit, milk and doughnuts on her way out.

  Max was awake by the time she got back. He stood outside the car and shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand as he scanned the parking lot, probably looking for her. She waved to catch his attention.

  He came to meet her, his eyes shadowed. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t want to wake you.”

  He nodded toward a beat-up Chevy truck behind them. “The climbing instructor got here a few minutes ago. He’s expecting Jamie for the class he’s teaching. They should be here in about half an hour.”

  Reagan’s knees buckled. “Then she will be here?”

  “As far as he knows. He has her signed permission slip, so I’d say the chances are pretty good.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “There. Now I feel better.”

  Reagan looked up into his eyes. “Do you?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” He followed up with another kiss, this one longer and more demanding. “I could get used to this,” he said when they came up for air.

  “To staying awake for days at a time while you chase my family all over creation?”

  “Maybe. And to waking up next to you—or at least in the same general vicinity.” He kissed the tip of her nose and
moved to her chin. “To sleeping with you in my arms.”

  Waves of fire moved through her. “I could get used to it, too,” she whispered against his lips.

  “The question is, what are we going to do about it?”

  “Give me some options,” she teased. “Let me see if anything sounds appealing.”

  “This isn’t the best place to ask me for ‘appealing,”’ he said, his voice low and intimate. “But I’ll give it a shot, anyway. I did a lot of thinking while I was climbing that mountain after Travis. I came home cold and wet and hungry and tired, and I’m not sure that’s what I want to do with my life anymore.”

  Reagan gaped at him. “You’d give up your career for me?”

  “For us. That is, if you’re interested in having me around.”

  “Oh, I’m interested.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, putting all the emotions she’d been fighting for the past few days behind it. “But what will you do if you don’t hunt fugitives?”

  “I’ll find something. I thought maybe I’d talk to Bart and see if he could use a hand while I’m figuring it all out.” He glanced over his shoulder to where Danielle’s head was visible above her pillow in the window. “The past couple of weeks have taught me a thing or two about priorities, about people, and about myself. I don’t want to lose you, Reagan. And if that means I have to make a few changes, that’s what I’ll do.”

  She nestled against him, battling an uncomfortable twinge in her stomach. “The past couple of weeks have taught me a few things, too,” she whispered. She tried to relax, to savor the moment, but the edginess persisted.

  This was exactly what she’d asked for, so why did she feel so uneasy? Maybe it was just because she still didn’t know for certain that Jamie was safe. Yes, that was it. When she had Jamie back safe and sound, she’d be able to relax. When the present was settled, she’d be able to look to the future and make plans. That’s all it was.