Despite the heated blush on her cheeks, Shelby forced herself not to look away from the warmth of his gaze. “I don’t know what happens next.”
“I had a great time last night.”
A rush of emotions flooded her. “Really? I didn’t know what to expect...other than dinner, I mean.” The words spilled from her mouth before she could stop them. “Of course, I thought... I hoped we’d...well, considering it was my idea to ambush you right after your shower... Oh, I’m so dumb!”
“No, you’re not. You’re lovely.”
He lowered his head, his mouth inches from hers. He smelled minty and manly and Shelby found herself wanting this kiss even more than the first time he’d kissed her on her front porch.
She sighed and closed her eyes at the first gentle brush of his lips against hers. Once, twice and then a quivering hum filled her ears, anticipation of him deepening the kiss, but instead, Dean stepped away.
“Shelby, is that your phone?”
She opened her eyes. “Huh?”
“I hear a buzzing and my phone is still on the charger in my room, so I’m guessing it’s yours.” Dean walked over to the counter, grabbed her leather purse and handed it to her.
Realizing he was right, Shelby dug around inside and found her phone. She looked at the screen and groaned. Her mother. “I need to answer this.”
“Okay.”
She thumbed the connection and put the phone to her ear. “Hey, there. Look, I know what I said last night, but... Wait, wait, Mom. Slow down. No, I haven’t been home yet. Why would you think...”
Shelby tried to piece together her mother’s jumbled words as she listened and when she finally understood, unimaginable pain sliced straight to the center of her.
“Gone? What do you mean Caitlin is gone?”
Chapter Thirteen
Dean watched the taillights of the two cars ahead of them turn down the road that led to Shelby’s house.
They were from the sheriff’s office.
After overhearing her one-sided conversation with her mother, he’d quickly pulled on socks, boots and a zippered sweatshirt. The moment Shelby had ended the call after saying she was coming straight home, Dean grabbed his keys.
Then he quietly suggested she call the sheriff.
Her face had paled, but she made the call, fighting to get out the words about her missing daughter. When the phone slipped from her trembling hand, Dean caught it before it fell.
Wrapping one arm around her shaking shoulders, he pulled her to his chest, his throat constricting at the way she clung to him. He quickly explained what little he knew about the situation, asking the lawman to meet them at Shelby’s home.
He glanced over to see if Shelby noticed the sheriff’s vehicles, but she was still staring out the passenger window, one hand clenching her purse in her lap while the other was curled into a tight fist, pressed to her mouth.
He eyed the clock. It wasn’t even nine in the morning.
Where in the hell could a five-year-old have gotten to this early?
He pulled into the drive just as Sheriff Christensen was getting out of his car while two deputies exited the second vehicle.
Vivian Jenkins came out onto the front porch and Shelby was out of his truck before he came to a complete stop, racing across the yard and into the house, her mother following her back inside.
Dean climbed out as well and waited until the sheriff finished talking with his deputies before he and Dean walked across the still-damp grass and followed the women inside. For a late-August day, it was surprisingly gray and chilly.
“How did this happen?” Shelby cried, her voice coming from deep inside the house. “Are you sure she isn’t here? Caitlin!”
“I’ve checked everywhere, honey.” Vivian stood in the middle of the living room, still dressed in her bathrobe, her arms folded tightly across her chest. The older woman’s eyes were red, cheeks stained with fresh tears. She looked at Dean and the sheriff. “The attic, the basement. I don’t know what’s going on, but she’s not here.”
“Caitlin!” Shelby called for her daughter again, coming back down the hallway and into the room. “Caitlin!”
“Shelby, sweetie, your mom said she’s not in the house.” Dean reached for her, but she skirted around him.
“I know what she said, but it doesn’t make sense.”
“Why don’t we sit for a moment,” Gage said. “I need to ask you a few questions.”
“Questions? You should be out there looking for my daughter.”
The sheriff removed his Stetson. “I’ve got two deputies already working in the backyard—”
“The backyard?” Shelby ran to the kitchen window that looked out over the expanse of woods that stretched as far as one could see. “Ohmigod, do you think she— Do they have any idea how much land is out there?”
Dean could tell the panic and fear Shelby had managed to hold inside was beginning to make it through the cracks in her resolve.
He, too, had held out hope that somehow this wasn’t real, that Caitlin would pop out of a hiding spot as soon as her mother arrived home, but obviously that wasn’t going to happen. To be told devastating news over the phone was one thing, but to actually be here and see that somehow that precious child had disappeared into thin air was a reality no parent should ever have to face.
“Shelby, come on.” He walked up behind her, his gaze picking up the two men in the distance as he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Let’s sit down with the sheriff.”
Again, she avoided his touch, spinning around and walking back into the living room. Gage sat in one chair while Shelby and her mother claimed either ends of the sofa. Dean remained standing, taking a spot near the front door.
This way he could see Shelby and steal glances out at the yard, praying for a miracle.
“Okay, when was the last time you saw Caitlin?” Gage asked, pulling a small notebook and pen from his shirt pocket.
“I put her to bed last night around ten—”
“Ten?” Shelby interrupted her mother.
“Yes, we watched a couple of movies and after the second one I got her into bed. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow,” Vivian continued, her voice shaky. “Then I made sure the house was locked up and went to my room. I read for a while and then fell asleep. When I woke this morning I heard cartoons coming from the television in the living room and figured Caitlin was up.”
“Do you know what time that was?”
Vivian bit hard on her bottom lip and shook her head. “I don’t remember looking at the time. It was just getting light, so maybe six or six-thirty.”
“Does she often do that—come into the living room and turn on the television?”
Vivian and Shelby nodded in unison.
“She usually brings out a few stuffed animals and curls up beneath one of the quilts,” Shelby said, rocking back and forth, her hands rubbing at her bare arms. “At least until she gets hungry. Then she’ll come looking for one of us....”
Realizing Shelby was still wearing the same sundress she had on last night, Dean quickly took off his sweatshirt. He walked to her and without asking, simply laid the fleece around her shoulders.
Shelby jerked the moment the material touched her skin, looking up at him with wide eyes.
“I thought you might be cold.” Worry that Caitlin was feeling the same way, wherever she was, knifed through him.
Shelby nodded, pushing her arms into the sleeves and wrapped the jacket across her middle. “Thanks,” she whispered.
“I must have fallen back asleep,” Vivian said, “because when I woke again, I went looking for her and the living room was empty.”
“What time was that?” Gage asked.
“Around eight. I called out for her, checked all the rooms and nothing. When I saw that Shelby wasn’t home either, I just prayed—” Vivian choked back a sob. “I prayed she and Caitlin had gone out somewhere, maybe to town to get doughnuts or to pick up the Sunday pa
per. So I called Shelby and...well, here we are.”
“Obviously, your daughter isn’t with you.” Gage turned to Shelby. “When was the last time you saw her?”
“Yesterday afternoon, around five. My mom was making her dinner when I left.”
“So you weren’t in the house last night at all?”
Shelby shook her head, cheeks turning pink. “I...um...I was...”
“She was with me, Sheriff,” Dean spoke up. “Shelby and I were together last night, at the trailer I’m staying at in town.”
“All night?”
Dean nodded. “Yeah, we came right here after talking to you.”
“Okay. I noticed some fresh tire tracks on the driveway when we arrived, but none when we pulled up next to the house.” Gage looked at Vivian. “Did you notice any vehicles driving by, either last night or this morning?”
Vivian shook her head. “No, I don’t remember any. We don’t normally get any traffic out here unless someone is coming to the house or the mail delivery.”
“You don’t actually think someone took Caitlin.” Shelby rose to her feet. “That’s crazy!”
Dean closed his eyes for a moment; the idea that someone might have kidnapped Caitlin made him physically ill.
“I’m sorry to say but it’s not as crazy as you might think and we need to cover all the bases.” Gage made a few more notations in his notebook, then asked, “I know Caitlin’s father doesn’t live here in town anymore, but have you had any contact with him recently?”
“No, of course not.” Shelby got up and started to pace. “I haven’t seen or spoken to Zach Shute in almost five years.”
“So, he doesn’t have visitation rights with his daughter?”
“Zach signed away his rights when Caitlin was just a few months old.”
“Which also meant you couldn’t request any financial support from him, as well?”
Shelby stopped and looked at the sheriff, her chin jutting out in a familiar way. “That’s right. I’ve never needed anything from Zach Shute, money or anything else. Caitlin is my child.”
Gage returned her stare for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. I’m assuming Zach is living on the East Coast because he’s playing football out that way. We’ll verify his whereabouts just to be sure.” He turned his attention to Shelby’s mom. “What was Caitlin wearing the last time you saw her?”
“Ah, pajamas. Two pieces, a top and pants.”
“Color?”
“Green, different shades of green.”
“Would she have changed her clothes when she got up?”
Vivian looked at Shelby, confusion on her face. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“If anything, she probably put on her slippers and housecoat when she got out of bed,” Shelby said. “We just got them last week and all the pieces are the same design, but I can check her room.”
Shelby turned and went down the hallway. Dean exchange glances with the sheriff, knowing exactly what the man was thinking. If the little girl had gone into the woods her clothing would make it hard for her to stand out against the lush vegetation. And a housecoat wasn’t going to keep her very warm. If she’d even wandered off. Hell, the alternative was just too awful to think about right now.
Shelby returned, fear for her daughter clearly visible on her face as she clutched a stuffed bear in her arms. “Her b-bed isn’t made up and her pajamas aren’t lying around anywhere.”
Gage rose to his feet. “Does she normally go outside by herself?”
Mother and daughter again shared a look before Shelby spoke. “Yes, she does, but she knows not to leave the yard. I don’t know why she would’ve gone outside so early in the morning. Unless she went to my room and saw I wasn’t here and she went to look for my car which wasn’t there either....”
Shelby’s voice faded, giving way to tears and Vivian leaped from the sofa, tried to take her daughter into her arms, but Shelby stepped away from her mother’s embrace, shaking her head.
For whatever reason, Shelby didn’t want anyone to touch her. Not him, not her mother. Torn between wanting to be here for Shelby and a desperate need to get outside and join the deputies in their search, Dean took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.
He glanced at his watch. Almost nine-twenty. “Where do we go from here?” he asked Gage. “Caitlin’s been gone at least an hour, probably longer.”
“A search was conducted last month after the flooding using the volunteer firefighters as team leaders. That same grid pattern style can be used now, only I think we’ll add horses and all-terrain vehicles because we will be looking primarily in wooded areas.” Gage looked at Shelby and her mother. “I’m heading back into town and with your permission, I’d like to stop by the church and address those gathered for Sunday services.”
“Why?” Shelby asked, scrubbing hard at her cheeks.
“The more people we have looking for Caitlin, the better. I’m going to ask for volunteers. Your home is going to be our central command location and we’ll be coordinating all efforts from here.”
Shelby and her mother nodded in agreement while from the corner of his eye Dean saw the two deputies had returned.
Empty-handed.
He fought the nausea that climbed into his throat and gestured with one hand. “Sheriff?”
Gage turned and saw his men.
Shelby did as well and pushed past them to slam open the screen door. Dean followed her, but she was already down the steps, her voice calling out, “Did you find her? Please! Did you find my little girl?”
The deputies stopped and so did Shelby. Before Dean could get to her, she fell to her knees and her gut-wrenching cries sliced right through his heart.
* * *
Eight hours and forty-three minutes.
That was how long Caitlin had been missing and Shelby didn’t know how she could handle one more minute of not knowing if her little girl was okay.
She stood in the middle of the backyard and watched, her eyes trained on the woods, praying that any moment she would see Caitlin emerge from among the trees.
Her mother had tried to get her to eat, but Shelby wasn’t hungry. The sheriff had left shortly after Shelby broke down in the front yard, finally accepting the reality that her little girl, for a reason known only to her, had walked away from their home.
Had she gone into the woods? Why? What could have possibly drawn her attention? Or had she followed the road and someone—a stranger—picked her up?
Her thoughts leaped frantically away from that possibility, but as the minutes ticked past, each offered their own terrifying conclusion....
No! No! No!
She couldn’t...she wouldn’t let her mind go down that road. If she did, she would spiral into a chilling madness that she’d never be free of.
Shelby had scrambled to her feet the moment Dean tried to help her after her collapse in the front yard. Backing away from his outstretched hands, she could see the hurt in his eyes. Deep inside she knew he only wanted to help, but she’d been afraid to allow him—or even her mother—to comfort her for fear of doing exactly what the sight of those two deputies standing in her driveway had done. Brought her to her knees.
As soon as the sheriff left, she’d hightailed into the house and taken a hot shower, using the privacy to rid herself of any more tears. Of course, standing beneath the hot spray had reminded her of the joy she’d experienced just hours earlier with Dean, but she pushed all thoughts of last night from her head.
Nothing was more important right now than finding her daughter.
She’d dressed quickly, determined not to wait to see how many people—if anyone, other than the firefighters—might come back to help.
She was going out there to look for Caitlin herself.
Dean had stopped her, insisting they needed to wait for those who knew what they were doing to get back here. The deputies backed him up, but when he found her a few minutes later, inching closer and closer to the woods that edged th
e grassy yard, Dean said he would go out and look for Caitlin as long as Shelby promised to stay here.
To be here when her daughter came home.
“Girl, you really need to eat.”
Shelby sighed and turned to find Rosey standing there with a plateful of food. “I’m not hungry.”
“Of course you’re not. This has nothing to do with hunger.” Rosey grabbed what looked to be a chicken salad sandwich, a favorite of Shelby’s, and held it out to her. “This has to do with you keeping up your strength. For your daughter’s sake.”
She took the sandwich, forcing herself to take a bite.
Rosey had been one of the first to show up earlier today, less than an hour after the sheriff left, even beating the search-team leaders to Shelby’s house. Behind her came a caravan of cars and trucks, most of which still sat lining the long drive from the main road to the house.
Shelby had been stunned at the amount of people who responded to the sheriff’s plea for help.
Rosey had shut down the bar and all of her coworkers were here. Nathan Crawford and his siblings came and so did the Traub family en masse and on horseback. Fathers who knew Caitlin from the day-care center, women from the ladies church group, many of whom looked down on Shelby for years, were here, as well.
Even Darlene came with her girlfriends. Shelby hadn’t said a word to them, but watched in amazement as they were assigned to a team.
The biggest surprise had been when Sam had roared into the yard on his Harley motorcycle around one o’clock, having made the trip from Spokane in just over three hours after getting Rosey’s phone call. He’d given Rosey a big kiss, Shelby a tight hug and then jumped right into the search putting his years of Navy SEAL training to work.
Ellie Traub and Thelma McGee took over the garage, setting it up as a second kitchen for all the food that was arriving, making sure the volunteers had plenty to eat and drink as they rotated shifts.
The house kitchen had been turned into a central grouping area where all the communications for the search for Caitlin were centered. Maps were tacked to the walls, the base station for the two-way radios being used by the team leaders was on the dining room table and a network of privately owned cell phones were being tracked, although the coverage was often spotty out here.
The Maverick's Summer Love (Montana Mavericks: Rust Creek Cowboys) Page 17