Kiss Me, Sheriff!

by Wendy Warren

  While she fretted, the phone stopped ringing. Before she could decide whether she was relieved or disappointed, it started in again, and this time she checked the clock: 1:18 a.m. Emotionally and physically drained, she wondered whether she had enough energy to tackle another charged conversation.

  Biting the inside of her lip, she gazed at the small screen. Curiosity was seductive.

  She took the call.

  “Hi,” she murmured, hunkering back against her pillow and pulling the covers up around her shoulders.

  “Willa?”

  Instantly, her heart slammed into her throat. Once before, she’d answered a call in which she’d heard the same note of urgency when the caller spoke her name. Sitting straight up, she clutched the phone in a death grip. “What happened?”

  “I’m sorry if I woke you up.”

  “Derek, what’s wrong?”

  “Gilberto is gone.”

  “What do you mean, gone?”

  “I went into his room to check on him about an hour ago, and he wasn’t in his bed.”

  She tried to swallow, but her throat felt like sandpaper. “Did he run away?”

  “I don’t know.” It sounded as if Derek was pacing as he talked. “I don’t know why he would. We’ve been doing great.”

  “You looked all over the house and grounds?”

  “I searched every corner and called his name till I was hoarse. Look, the reason I called is I thought maybe he’d hitched a ride to town and somehow made it to your place?”

  “No and if he had, I’d have called, immediately.”

  She could tell he was grasping at straws. Head swimming, Willa jumped into a pair of jeans. “Where are you now?”

  “I’m in my squad car. Over in Roddy’s old neighborhood. I’ve got the entire force out looking for Gilberto, and we’ve put out an Amber Alert and an APB.”

  “Do you really think Roddy could have something to do with this?”

  “I don’t know. I have to explore every possibility.”

  “Of course. Does Roddy know where you live?”

  “I don’t know. Possibly. But Captain didn’t bark, and he always lets me know when someone drives up.”

  “If Roddy did come back, do you think Gilberto went with him willingly?” The alternative made her blood freeze.

  “I’m not sure. I didn’t give enough consideration to the family bond.” Remorse warred with the panic in his tone. “There’ve been so many changes for the poor kid. What the hell was I thinking, expecting everyone to move on from their pasts because I said so? I’ve been so damn blind—”

  “No. Stop.” Willa interrupted the self-condemning rant. “Derek, that boy loves you. He wants to live with you, not Roddy. He told me that several times when we were working on his costume for the school play. Whatever is going on, it has nothing to do with him feeling pressured to let go of his previous life. If he left with Roddy, it’s because of divided loyalties, not because he wasn’t happy where he was.”

  Derek fell silent, and she could tell he was pondering her words. Unfortunately, Gilberto was not with her.

  “He’s not here,” she said.

  “Damn it.” Derek’s worry and frustration were tangible. “Hang on.”

  In the background, Willa could hear him communicating on his radio. The muffled conversation made it clear that no one had seen Gilberto yet. When Derek came back on the line he said, “Look, I’m going to let you go so that I can focus here.”

  “Oh. Okay, right. Of course.” She hated the idea of letting him go. “Just one more quick question. Did he take anything with him?”

  “His backpack. And I’m pretty sure he had that Daniel Boone outfit you made him. I don’t know what else.” His radio squawked, and Russell began to relay some information. “I’ve gotta go.”

  “Let me know the second you hear anything,” Willa said right before he hung up.

  She sat on the edge of the bed. Her gut told her Roddy had not come back, but why would Gilberto run away? Something had to have happened. Something he couldn’t cope with. But what? And, where would he have run if he was feeling some kind of emotional turmoil?

  Her mind moved so fast she was breathless. And, why on earth would he have taken his costume? Unless...

  She remembered the hike they’d taken in the days just prior to the history play. They’d driven out to a heavily forested area of a national park near the Long River called Winter Forks to get the feel of pioneer life. And to gather the sticks he needed to make his bow and arrow set.

  “I could live out here,” the boy had boasted. “I could use my bow and arrow to hunt rabbits. I’d build a fire to cook and keep warm. And I could build a lean-to right over there. It wouldn’t be that hard.”

  She’d thought his bluster was endearing at the time, but now? Could he have been serious? And if he was, could he have gone back to the spot under the fallen tree he’d insisted would be the best place to set up camp? It was about two miles past Derek’s place. He could have made it out there in under an hour, even in the dark.

  Dear God. Don’t let him get hit on the road.

  A feeling deep in her gut urged her to head in that direction. Without further consideration, her feet were in motion. Quickly she found a backpack then put some leftover pizza in the microwave. While it was heating, she grabbed the blanket she kept hanging by the radiator and stuffed it into another bag. Once in the car, she tucked everything under the heating vent to keep it all warm.

  Within minutes, she was backing out of the driveway, but stopped before she pulled out onto the street. Reaching for her cell phone, she texted Derek.

  Heading to Winter Forks to search. Long shot. Will let you know ASAP if I find him.

  During the seemingly interminable drive, turmoil over Gilberto’s safety took on a life of its own. If anything happened to him, she knew Derek would never forgive himself.

  Anxiety threatened to give way to panic and Willa had to fight to control her rapid breathing as she found the correct cutoff. Gravel crunched under her tires as she flipped her headlights on high beam and slowly worked her way down the crude forest access road. Trees cast long, eerie shadows and Winter Forks looked so very different than it had in broad daylight. Gaze roving from one side of the road to the other, Willa searched the woods for any sign of a young Daniel Boone making a campfire. Eventually, the spot she’d parked in the last time came in to view and she pulled over and cut the engine.

  Please, God, don’t let this be a wild goose chase. Or, if it is, let Derek find Gilberto right now. Right now!

  Shoving her keys and cell phone into her backpack, she grabbed everything she’d brought with her, locked her doors, clicked on her flashlight and strode down the formidable forest trail, rage beginning to replace the fear that wanted to consume her.

  This is not happening again. Nothing bad was going to happen to Gilberto. I will not allow it.

  With a mother’s intuition, she followed the path her heart told her to take.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It had to be close to freezing. Gilberto had complained that his Daniel Boone coat was too warm. Now Willa was grateful she’d ignored his protest. In the back of her mind, she could hear the echo of his young voice as they’d explored this trail the first time. I could live out here, all by myself. I wouldn’t be scared. Daniel Boone did it. I could, too.

  “All alone?” Willa had asked. “I think people need other people to live with.”

  “You don’t,” the boy had pointed out. “And you’re not scared of anything.”

  How ironic that at this very moment her rage was underscored by the terror of losing Gilberto before she ever had a chance to tell him how much she loved him.

  In the distance, she heard the sound of Long River rushing over a ravine filled wit
h boulders. A coyote set up an alarm that was repeated across several hilltops, while, closer by, an owl hooted. The trail they’d taken several weeks ago was difficult to make out in the dim beam of her flashlight, but she forged on.

  “Gilberto?” she shouted, swiveling the light from right to left. “Gilberto? Are you out here? If you are, please answer me!” She paused to listen. Nothing.

  They’d hiked for quite a while that day, so she probably had another quarter mile to go? Maybe he couldn’t hear her yet. “Gilberto?” she repeated every twenty paces.

  Finally, she reached the spot where Gilberto had declared he’d easily forge the life of a pioneer, but there was no sign of him. “Gilberto!”

  Battling back another wave of panic, Willa was about to admit her intuition had mislead her when she spied a backpack. Her heart lurched. It was his.

  But where was he? “’Berto, answer me, please!” Heading more deeply into the woods, Willa continued to call his name. She was nearly at the riverbank when she heard a whimpering sound up ahead.

  As she stumbled along the path, Willa’s light illuminated the outline of a boy, shaking in his hiking boots.

  “Gilberto? Oh, thank God!” She ran to his side. “Are you alright? Are you hurt, honey?”

  When he didn’t immediately answer, she followed the direction of his gaze with the beam of her flashlight.

  Her relief proved short-lived. Up ahead about thirty feet, a black bear stood, head swaying as he stared into the light. Dear Lord. Spring was on the horizon, and hibernation must have given way to hunger. Frantically, Willa tried to remember everything she knew about bears.

  Nothing.

  What was it the old-timers in town said? What was that one rhyme? If it’s black, attack. If it’s brown, lie down? It was hard to tell what the hell color this guy was, but she knew black bears were more common in this area. Why had she left her pepper spray in the glove box?

  “I... I think he wants my sandwich,” Gilberto managed to croak.

  Willa wasn’t sure it was a sandwich the bear wanted, but she wasn’t going to quibble.

  “Sweetie.” She pushed the fear-frozen boy behind her. “Yeah, he’s probably hungry, huh? So, I have some pizza in my backpack, and we’re going to slowly take it out and toss it at him, okay? And then we’re gonna run like crazy.” In her peripheral vision, she could see Gilberto nodding. “Good. Now, just unzip my—”

  Their slight movements seemed to encourage the bear to rise up on its haunches and emit a noise that smacked of his impatience.

  “Change of plans,” Willa whispered, slipping the backpack off her shoulders. With strength worthy of a Scots log thrower, she hurled it at the huge animal. She grabbed Gilberto by the hand. “Run!” she screamed.

  Behind them, the bear wasted no time tearing into the pack and locating the pizza. Unfortunately, the animal was now also in possession of Willa’s cell phone and car keys, but she would worry about that later. Much later. After she and Gilberto thrashed their way through this blasted forest and out to the main road.

  By the time they reached her car, Willa’s breath was coming in knife-like jabs. Bent over, Gilberto sucked in heaving lungfuls of air. Willa didn’t pause long, however, before she pulled the boy into her arms.

  “What are you doing out here? You scared me half to death. Don’t you ever run away like that again, do you hear me?” She pushed him far enough away to scan his head and body, checking to be sure every finger and toe was intact, the way one would with a newborn. Then she swept him against her heart and held on, whispering fiercely in his ear. “I love you. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.”

  Gilberto cried, clutching her as they stood outside her parked car and rocked together. When the flood of emotion subsided some, Willa thought of the blankets she’d carried in the second bag and realized she’d dropped it somewhere on their flight through the woods.

  “I think the bear ate my car keys,” Willa said, “and my phone.” Attempting to add a little levity to the situation for Gilberto’s sake. “We’re sort of on our own at the moment. But that’s okay. I told Derek where I thought you might be and knowing him, he’s going to find us real soon. We just need to keep moving,” she told the teeth-chattering boy, “to keep warm. And, to get back to the main road, okay?”

  He nodded in assent and meekly followed her lead.

  Willa kept the pace at a good clip, not only to create warmth, but also because the idea that there were other predators lurking in the shadows had her spooked. When she saw the highway up ahead, she knew they had two miles to Derek’s house.

  “How are you doing?” she asked her companion, who still looked shaken.

  “Good.”

  “Good. So. Want to tell me what made you leave your warm, comfortable bed in the middle of the night and move in with the bears?”

  Misery filled his voice. “I heard what you and Derek were talking about the other night.”

  She swallowed. “You did? I must have woken you up, huh?”

  “Nah. I was already awake. But I knew something was wrong with you guys, so I listened in.” He shrugged and shot a guilty glance up at her.

  Hot shame filled her belly. What had the conversation sounded like to his young ears? She’d told Derek she didn’t want to love a child again.

  “You left because of what I said?”

  “Uh, uh. I left because Derek was really sad, and I knew he wouldn’t feel better until you married him, and you wouldn’t marry him until I left.”

  “No!” She swept him into her arms. “No, that’s not right. Oh, buddy, listen to me.” Holding him at arm’s length, she stared hard at his face in the moonlight. “If you were eavesdropping, you know I had a daughter. And that I lost her. I want to talk to you more about that when we’re not freezing half to death, but for now, you need to understand that I didn’t turn down Derek’s proposal because of you. I turned it down because of me. Because I’m scared of being married again.”

  Gilberto’s brows were pulled tightly together. “How come?”

  She shook her head. “I’m scared of lots of things, I guess. And that’s something I have to work on. But it’s my problem, not yours. Not Derek’s, either. He’s...he’s great, and he loves you. Do you know he’d go nuts if anything happened to you? So you can’t ever run away like that again, right?”

  A tear slipped silently down his smooth cheek. His lower lip trembled as he wiped the moisture from his eyes and nodded, and she hugged him again, squeezing so tightly, he eventually wriggled to be free.

  Before they could say any more, the sound of an engine slowing and tires turning onto the access road was followed by the blinding glare of headlights on high beams. Red and blue lights swirled from the approaching car and bounced off the treetops.

  Derek!

  Awash in the lights, Willa and Gilberto stood in the middle of the road as the squad car sped up beside them and skidded to a stop. Derek leaped from the car, pulling Gilberto into his arms. There were tears in Derek’s voice as he reached for Willa, too, and included her in the embrace. “Thank you. Thank you so much,” he murmured against the top of her head.

  Willa nodded. They hung on to each other as if each was afraid one of the others might disappear. She buried her face against Derek’s chest.

  The relief that should have washed away all else got dammed up inside Willa. Gilberto had run away, because of her. The beautiful boy huddled between them had believed he was nothing more than a stumbling block on the road to her romance with Derek, and it was her fault. As for the man who’d offered to love her through thick and thin...

  A shudder ran through her. Her own aching heart had led her to break two more, and that wasn’t okay. It wasn’t okay at all.

  * * *

  It was almost 3:00 a.m. when they all trooped in through th
e front door, and four by the time Derek had Gilberto tucked into bed. When he finally came downstairs and into the kitchen, Willa could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

  “Something smells good,” he said.

  The closeness they’d shared in the forest had yielded to lingering uncertainty. She gestured toward the frying pan on the stove. “Turkey sausage and scrambled eggs. I thought you’d be hungry.”

  “I am.”

  “Have a seat. It’s ready.”

  He complied and, running a hand over his face, told her, “Gilberto overheard our conversation.”

  “I know.” Serving up the sausage and eggs, she arranged triangles of buttered toast on the edge of the plate. “He was telling me that right before you arrived.” Legs rubbery, Willa set the food down in front of Derek and sank heavily into the chair across from him. “I blew it.”

  Reaching across the table, he placed a comforting hand on her arm. “He’s a kid. He couldn’t understand the context.”

  “Neither did I, apparently. Everything was clear in my mind until you phoned to say he was gone. And then when I saw him in front of that bear—”

  “None of that was your fault.”

  She shot him the kind of puh-lease look that Gilberto was mastering. “He wanted us to have a chance at a relationship. I’d say that was more mature than I was being.”

  The hint of a smile appeared on Derek’s face. “As crazy and misguided and dangerous as it was for him to run away, the sacrifice he made was probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

  “Children are like that. You think all they care about is themselves, and then they surprise you by how much they notice. How much they’re willing to give to make you happy.”

  “Yeah.” He looked down at his hands, folded now on the counter. “You were right. Gilberto is mine. I couldn’t lose him now.”