For Her Son's Love

by Kathryn Springer

  “You did?” That surprised her. “Why?”

  “Because as much as I love Ross, he’s a ‘just the facts, ma’am’ kind of guy. I was afraid if he told you Daniel’s records were mixed in with the other ones Jonah’d found, you’d pack up and leave.” Sandra reached out and squeezed her hand. “I thought Andrew could convince you to stay.”

  Miranda wound her fingers together. “He tried.”

  I can help you. There’s something you don’t know….

  She’d cut him off, not willing to listen. In the end, it didn’t matter. They had to leave. She’d struggled for hours and come to a conclusion late in the afternoon. She only hoped Daniel would understand.

  But, first, she would tell Sandra. Her boss had been so good to them, she deserved to know.

  “Chestnut Grove is your home. What’s out there for you and Daniel?” Sandra asked softly.

  Nothing. “I can’t lose him, Sandra.”

  “Andrew and Ross are working to make sure that doesn’t happen. You may not believe this, but people care about you. There are people who’ve been praying for you since the day you came to town. You might feel alone, but you aren’t.”

  Miranda wanted to believe it. With all her heart she wanted to believe it.

  “You’ve kept things locked up inside you for so long. It’s time to let some light shine in. Then you’ll see you don’t have to carry all these burdens alone.”

  Sandra’s compassionate words opened a floodgate. Stumbling over the harsh terrain of the past, Miranda told her about Lorraine and Tom and how she’d adopted Daniel after their deaths. And about Hal and how attentive he’d been until his true colors had started to show. When the storm finally subsided, Miranda searched Sandra’s eyes for signs of disgust or disapproval. All she saw was understanding. And love.

  “God didn’t make a mistake when He brought you to Chestnut Grove. He hasn’t forgotten you.” Tears filled Sandra’s eyes. “Remember what I said about running? Go ahead and run. Right into His arms. That’s where you’re safe.”

  The thought filled Miranda with hope. She was tired of surviving instead of living. Tired of looking over her shoulder. She’d thought isolation meant protection but instead of a refuge, she’d created a prison. And she’d inadvertently put her son—the one she most wanted to protect—there, too. She loved Daniel too much to live like that anymore.

  “I want to, Sandra….”

  The door snapped open and Darcy rushed into the diner. Alone.

  Miranda rose to her feet. “What’s wrong?”

  “Daniel’s gone.”

  Andrew sped through two yellow lights on his way to the diner. Sandra met him at the door. Worry scored deep lines in her forehead and around her mouth. Her ready smile was absent, stirring the fear the unsettling phone call had created.

  “Where’s Miranda?”

  “She’s at the park. Darcy took Daniel over there to play while Miranda and I had a heart-to-heart. She came back a little while ago and said Daniel was gone. They’d been playing hide-and-seek—”

  “Does Daniel know Miranda is thinking about leaving town?”

  “I…I’m not sure.” Sandra made the connection. “You think he ran away?”

  Andrew had gotten in trouble before for making assumptions but he didn’t believe Daniel would simply take off. He was the “man of the house.” In some ways as protective of Miranda as she was of him.

  The back door opened and Miranda came in, Darcy at her heels.

  “Sandra, is he back—” Miranda froze when she saw Andrew.

  It was now or never. He held out his hand. Miranda lurched forward and wove her fingers through his. Let him draw her against his side.

  “We’re going to find him,” he promised, absorbing the tremor that racked her body.

  “But it’s been over an hour. And it’s almost dark.” Fear darkened her eyes.

  “I called Zach at the PD, and officers are already responding. I’m going to take you home in case Daniel shows up there.”

  Miranda’s chin lifted. “I have to go back to the park. I have to keep looking.”

  “Andrew’s right, sweetheart.” Sandra wrapped an arm around Darcy, who’d started to cry again. “And I’ll wait right here until you call and tell me Daniel is home safe and sound.”

  Miranda sagged against Andrew for a moment but when she looked up at him, the expression on her face blew him away. She had no idea who he was. The trust shimmering in her eyes was for Andrew Noble, not the Guardian. He didn’t deserve it. He’d doubted her but it hadn’t destroyed the fragile bond between them.

  Thank you, God.

  Zach Fletcher strode into the kitchen. He wore plain clothes but his off-duty weapon was clearly visible, tucked in a shoulder holster. “I’ve got officers combing the park but there’s so sign of him yet. What’s your plan?”

  The fact that the Chestnut Grove detective had asked him meant Ross hadn’t kept his secret. Not that it mattered at this point. What mattered was finding Daniel, but Andrew briefly wondered if Miranda had noticed Zach defer to him.

  Andrew’s cell phone hummed quietly in his pocket. “I’ve got to take this. I’ll be back in a minute.” He stepped into the dining room. “Ross? Go ahead.”

  “I just talked to some teenagers who saw a boy that fit Daniel’s description. He was walking with a man near the pond about an hour ago.”

  Bile swirled in Andrew’s stomach. “Did they give you a description of the guy?”

  “About six feet tall. Blond hair. Between thirty and forty. That’s all they could give me. They didn’t pay much attention because Daniel didn’t seem to be upset.”

  Knowing how protective Miranda was, she would have coached Daniel repeatedly about strangers. If the boy had gone with someone, chances were he knew him.

  “Do you have access to a laptop?”

  “In my car.”

  Van Zandt must have been a Boy Scout. Always prepared. Andrew would give him a hard time about it later. “I need a photo of Hal Stevens. My guess is he’s had a few brushes with the law. His picture is in some police officer’s wallet out there.”

  “Stevens. Got it.”

  The chances of Hal Stevens seeing the picture of Andrew and Miranda in the tabloid was slim but Andrew couldn’t rule out the possibility. Hal was no fool. If he wanted to get to Miranda, all he had to do was get to Daniel first.

  The thought of Daniel at the mercy of Stevens and the memory of his own abduction curdled his blood. Daniel would be counting on him. He knew it.

  God, no matter where Daniel is, protect him. Show him that You’re with him, just like You did for me. Help him stay strong. Help me find him….

  With an amen still lingering on his lips, Andrew slipped back into the kitchen.

  Miranda, Sandra and Darcy sat together at the table. Hands clasped. Heads bowed. But it wasn’t Sandra leading the heartfelt prayer. It was Miranda.

  Miranda felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and peace as she poured out her heart to God. Once she opened her heart, she felt His love and forgiveness wash away the weight of the past. What Sandra had said was true. God had been waiting for her to run to Him. And in His arms she felt whole. New.

  “Are you ready to go?” Miranda’s eyes flew open as Andrew’s hands closed gently over her shoulders. She nodded, letting him draw her to her feet and lead her into the alley where his car was parked.

  “Thank you for coming to the diner. And for helping.” Her voice sounded stiff and formal, even to her own ears. She’d clung to Andrew like a vine when she’d seen him in the kitchen. It took another step of faith but she chose to believe Andrew wanted to help. She wasn’t sure how he felt about her anymore, but she knew he cared about Daniel.

  Andrew reached out in the darkness and his hand closed over hers, warm and strong. “I was on my way over here, anyway. I had something to tell you. Daniel’s adoption was legal, Miranda. Do you hear me? It was legal. His records are clean. Lorraine and Tom didn’t do anything
wrong.”

  She tried to process the words. “Legal? But how can you be sure?” Logic battled against hope. “Lorraine wanted Daniel so much… She wouldn’t tell me anything about his birth mother.”

  Andrew heard the tremor in her voice and knew Miranda must have struggled with that uncertainty for years. He could finally put her fears to rest.

  “Daniel’s birth mother, Rosalie Oliver, died a few hours after giving birth. She was sixteen years old when she found out she was pregnant but she’d already decided to keep her baby. Her parents had put Daniel up for adoption after she’d died. Maybe Lorraine had felt guilty knowing a loss in someone else’s family had created hers.”

  Miranda thought about the tragedy that had brought Daniel into their lives and a lump formed in her throat.

  “When Ross had found Daniel’s family history, it looked like the type of situation Harcourt loved to take advantage of. But he hadn’t. Probably because, even though Rosalie was a teenager, her parents had openly supported her instead of trying to hide it. He couldn’t use it as blackmail.”

  Miranda tried to absorb everything he’d told her, but none of it mattered at the moment. Not when Daniel was missing.

  “Where is he, Andrew?”

  Andrew didn’t answer her. He parked the car and went around to the other side. “Let’s go inside.”

  Silently, they climbed the stairs to the apartment. Miranda’s hands shook so badly Andrew took the key from her and opened the door.

  And practically tripped over a suitcase.

  “You decided to leave.” Discouragement flattened his voice. When he’d walked into the kitchen and heard her praying, he’d hoped it meant she’d had a change of heart. The permanent kind.

  “Yes,” she admitted. “But then I went to see Sandra, hoping she’d talk me out of it.”

  Andrew walked over to the answering machine. The light glowed on the panel. No messages. If Stevens had Daniel, he’d be calling soon enough.

  “What are you doing?” Miranda hurried over and stared down at the machine.

  He exhaled. “Miranda, I know about Hal Stevens.”

  “Hal…” Miranda flinched. “How do you know about him?”

  “I confronted you about not trusting people but I’ve been guilty of the same thing. You’ve been protecting Daniel and I’ve been protecting my work.” He led her to the couch and drew her down beside him. “When I was five years old, a family employee abducted me and held me for ransom for four days. The only thing that kept me from going crazy was telling myself stories from the children’s Bible my grandmother had given to me. I couldn’t read yet, but I remembered the pictures. Especially the one of Daniel in a pit, surrounded by lions. It’s when God became real to me.”

  Miranda’s silence encouraged him to continue. “After I graduated from college, I got discouraged hearing story after story about missing children—I knew firsthand what they were going through. I felt God nudging me to do something to help.” Andrew smiled a little wryly. “Enter a very large trust fund and a family name that got people’s attention. From there, I developed a network of people and funded the resources necessary to locate missing children. The first boy I’d found gave me a nickname. Guardian. The people who need to get hold of me know how to, but if the press got wind of it, the whole thing might crash. The publicity might handicap what I do. I never wanted to take the risk.” He had to tread carefully now. “When I used those connections to search for information about you and Daniel last night, I found out about Hal.”

  Miranda stiffened.

  “It took a lot of courage to leave Atlanta.” His thumb brushed the side of her face and absorbed the tears tracking her cheek. “But it’s possible Hal knows you’re here now.”

  “How?” Her anguished cry cut through him like cold steel.

  “A picture of us taken together at the Fourth of July picnic ended up in a tabloid. He might have seen it.”

  Miranda rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around her middle. “You’ll find him, won’t you?”

  “I will.” He drew her into his arms and rested his head against hers for a brief moment. “I should have brought Darcy along. I don’t want to leave you alone.”

  Miranda’s lips trembled but she managed a smile. “I’m not alone.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Miranda watched Andrew’s car disappear down the street.

  Fear threatened to engulf her again and, for the first time, she asked God to take it away.

  I trust You, Lord. I know Daniel is safe in Your care. And thank You for keeping Andrew safe all those years ago.

  She shivered when she thought of Andrew as a child, frightened and alone. At the mercy of a stranger. It could have crippled him emotionally for the rest of his life but instead he had let God use it to begin a personal crusade. He’d let people dismiss him as carefree and irresponsible, and deliberately encouraged the media to play up the image so he’d be free to pursue his work as the Guardian.

  She’d caught glimpses of those hidden depths in him but fear and mistrust had kept her at a distance. Again. She’d been protecting her heart, not realizing he’d stolen it that moment in the diner when he’d winked at Daniel, his shoes covered in syrup and egg yolks.

  Maybe it was time to stop running from her emotions, too. But would Andrew believe her? She’d rejected his help. Told him she didn’t want to see him again.

  Someone tapped quietly on the door and she flew over to it, praying Daniel would be there. Instead, Ross Van Zandt stood on the other side.

  “Did you find him?”

  “Not yet.” Ross clearly wished he had different news to report. “Andrew asked me to drop by and give you this. He said it might help.”

  Miranda took the brown package from him. “Thank you.”

  Ross raked his hand through his hair. “If anyone can find Daniel, Andrew can.” His lips tilted slightly. “Who would’ve thunk it?” he murmured.

  I would.

  Miranda didn’t say the words out loud but they bloomed in her heart. She couldn’t believe she’d ever compared him to Hal. The two men were nothing alike. Andrew had accepted her—fears and all—and seen something valuable in her. Instead of chiding her for getting involved with Hal, he’d praised her courage for leaving him.

  “I’ve got to check back in. We’re praying for you and Daniel,” Ross said. “We’ll find him, Miranda. I promise. The Guardian—Andrew—he’s good at what he does.”

  He disappeared down the stairs and Miranda reached into the bag and pulled out a thick, well-worn book. A children’s Bible. The one that had comforted Andrew when he’d been abducted. She curled up in the chair by the window and paged through it until she found the story of Daniel.

  There he was. Cowering in the corner of a dark pit, surrounded by lions. On the next page, they slept peacefully beside him. Daniel slept, too. With a smile on his face. A radiant light bathed the interior of the pit.

  The door to her apartment opened unexpectedly and Kelly, Pilar, Anne, Meg and Leah tumbled in.

  “I understand you need to be here in case Daniel comes home but I couldn’t believe it when Ross told me they’d left you here alone,” Kelly said, rolling her eyes.

  “We’ll stay as long as you need us, honey.” Anne, Leah and Meg gathered her in for a group hug. The warmth of their presence thawed away some of the icy numbness that had invaded her limbs.

  “I’ll put on a pot of coffee,” Pilar said.

  Kelly wrapped a crocheted throw around Miranda’s shoulders and pushed her gently toward the couch.

  “Have you eaten anything, Miranda?” Anne wanted to know.

  Miranda thought for a minute. Actually, she hadn’t eaten anything all day. But the thought of food turned her stomach.

  Anne clucked her tongue. “That’s what I thought. I’ll make an omelet.”

  “I don’t think I—”

  Kelly squeezed her hand. “You’ve got two pregnant women and a nursing mom in your house. We’ll h
elp you eat it.”

  Miranda quietly thanked God for the caring women who’d gathered in her tiny living room. She didn’t belong in the circle of their friendship, yet, they’d rallied around her. It was a blessing she hadn’t expected.

  The telephone rang, piercing the quiet of the apartment.

  Heart pounding, Miranda hurried to answer it. Andrew had told her he’d call her with any news.

  “Hello?”

  “Well, well. Miranda Jones.” The smooth whisper of a voice came straight out of her worst dreams. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Hal? Where is Daniel? Is he all right?”

  “That’s all you’ve got to say? Haven’t you missed me?”

  Miranda’s knees went weak and she grabbed the back of the chair for support. “Let me talk to him.”

  “I warned you all I had to do was find the kid and I’d find you. Remember, Miranda?”

  Like the gruesome details of a nightmare. “What do you want, Hal?”

  “I want you,” he said with chilling matter-of-factness. “You’re going to come back to Atlanta with me. You and Danny. It’s where you belong.”

  “Daniel and I belong here.” Miranda licked her lips. “Please…let me talk to him.”

  “I might let you talk to him. Later. But first you have to talk to me.” Hal chuckled, relishing the opportunity to be in control. “You weren’t faithful, Miranda. I saw the picture of you and Noble. To be honest, I’m disappointed.”

  The line went dead.

  “Hal?” Miranda shrieked his name into the phone, knowing he deliberately broke the connection to torment her. Helplessly, she turned to the women clustered around her. “He wouldn’t tell me where they are.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Kelly smiled faintly. “Now Andrew and Ross know.”

  The young police officer who appeared at the door less than fifteen minutes later to bring Miranda to the police department couldn’t offer many details, but the one he did was all Miranda needed to hear.

  They’d found Daniel.

  The ride to the department seemed to take forever. The squad car had barely come to a complete stop and Miranda opened the door and leaped out.