Someone's Baby

by Dani Sinclair

  A man could go to town, have a couple of drinks, a meal and some companionship with or without the sex and there were no strings attached. That had always been enough.

  Until Jayne.

  He couldn't get her out of his head. He'd spent two long days and nights fighting an urge to call just to hear her voice. It was nuts. But he wanted to tell her about his day—about the stupid cow that got stuck in the mud and took three of them to pull her out—about the stray cat that wandered into his bam and gave birth to a litter of kittens under the disgruntled eyes of his two neutered barn cats. He wanted to hear her thoughts on the recent calm around the ranch.

  Hell. He just wanted to hear her voice. And Zed had made the mistake of walking into the bar when he was supposed to be catching a ride back to the ranch with Rio. Being Zed, he couldn't stop trying to needle Cade.

  If he hadn't drunk that last drink, maybe it would have been okay. But probably not. Drunk or sober, when Zed said he was going after Jayne, something inside Cade snapped. The memory of Bonita and Zed was supplanted with an image of Jayne in Zed's arms, and Cade had lost his tenuous hold on any semblance of control.

  Finding Zed and his wife together had hurt his pride. Finding Zed and Jayne together would destroy him.

  Cade had overturned the table like in some dumb western movie. His fury knew no limits. He'd done his best to rip Zed's head off his shoulders. Of course, he was paying the price now. Still, his hand and jaw might hurt like the devil, but he took satisfaction from every blow. Jayne would be furious if she ever heard about it. He could almost hear her outrage.

  Jayne with her sharp tongue and her soft mouth. Expressive eyes that saw too much—and not enough. He couldn't stop thinking about the way she had given herself to him. After waiting twenty-four years for the right man to come along she'd chosen him.

  And he'd screwed the whole thing up.

  Cade shifted in his chair, not wanting to pursue that thought, yet not able to leave it alone. What would it be like to come home every evening to a woman like Jayne and a little girl like Heather? Bonita had turned this ugly old house into a battleground.

  Jayne would have turned it into a home.

  Oh, they'd spar. They couldn't help it. They were both strong-willed people. But Jayne would stand toe-to-toe with him. She wouldn't use any of those feminine tricks Bonita had been so fond of. And the making up part…ah, now that would be worth every battle. Cade knew he'd be the one making most of the concessions, but that would be okay, because Jayne would pay him back late at night in the privacy of their room.

  He stopped the thought cold, right there, but he couldn't stop thinking about Jayne. She'd done everything in her power to protect that baby. Imagine what she'd do to protect someone she loved.

  And he'd let her walk away.

  Cade swore and got to his feet. These kinds of thoughts hadn't left his head since he'd left the sheriffs office three days ago. He was going to spend the rest of his life sitting in this cheerless house if he didn't do something. The problem was, he didn't have a clue how to go about courting a woman.

  But Zed knew.

  Zed was one of the biggest flirts on the circuit. Everybody loved Zed. Everyone except Jayne. She'd seen right through his charm from the start. Still, he'd know the right words to use. All Cade had to do was swallow his pride and ask for some advice. But first he'd have to go into town and have the sheriff turn Zed loose. If nothing else, Cade owed Zed an apology and he knew it.

  Knowing how to rope a steer and run a ranch used to be enough. Words were hard. He could manage the apology, but how did a man go about asking a woman to stay?

  Maybe he could offer Jayne a proposition. She hadn't wanted to give up Heather any more than he had. If they got married, surely the judge would consider their adoption plea. Caring for her like they'd done must give them some edge with the court.

  Only, what about Jayne's career? She'd claimed the glamour had worn off. That didn't mean she'd be willing to settle for being a rancher's wife, stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, alone most of the day.

  Cade looked around at the dark, uninviting room. Like a thunderbolt it hit him. They didn't have to stay here. Hap was willing to buy the Circle M. With the money from the sale of his grandfather's ranch Cade could buy another place, maybe closer to her parents. Wherever she wanted to live was okay with him. As long as it was with him.

  He slammed his fist into his palm and grimaced. His knuckles were still raw from the damage he'd done hitting on Zed. He suspected he was in danger of going mad, sitting here in the darkened room like this. There was only one solution. He had to talk with Jayne. She probably wouldn't want him—not even for the sake of Heather. But he needed to hear it from her.

  He reached for his hat and the telephone rang. Cade eyed it like a rattler come to life. The house line seldom rang. It could only mean more trouble. He could ignore it and keep going, but it was probably Hap with news of the latest problem.

  Cade cursed under his breath. It wasn't fair to constantly put the burden of ranch decisions on Hap's capable shoulders. His grandfather hadn't left the Circle M to Hap.

  Scowling, Cade strode to the telephone.

  "Yeah?" he barked into the receiver.

  "They got her."

  Zed's voice sounded weak and faraway. The line was filled with static, but he could hear Zed breathing hard in shallow gasps.

  "What—?"

  "…comin'…your way…" He ended on a pant as if the words had taken a lot from him.

  Fear settled its mantle over him. Something was badly wrong.

  "Who's coming? Zed? Talk to me. Where are you? Zed!"

  For long seconds there was silence. He heard the phone smash against something. There was noise in the background. Voices. Zed was supposed to be in jail. Cade had left him there requesting that Sheriff Beaufort not release him until Cade had time to calm down.

  A new voice suddenly filled his ear. Young, excited. A voice shrill with emotion.

  "Hello?"

  "Who is this?" Cade demanded.

  "Luis D'Angelo. We need help. He is bleeding badly. I do not think he can survive. The deputy…I think he is dead. He's all crumpled together like a toy…"

  What was Luis doing at the jail with Zed? Deputy Stuckley was dead?

  "What the hell is going on?" Cade demanded.

  "Two men in a dark car, they ran over the deputy. They shot this man and took the woman."

  "What woman?"

  But he knew. Cold certainty filled the hollows of his fear with dangerously dry ice.

  "Jayne? They have Jayne?"

  "Si. They took the woman and drove away fast. We need an ambulance."

  The boy's fear and shock helped Cade fight his own battle with panic. He forced his voice to a calm he was far from feeling as adrenaline coiled in his gut.

  "Where are you?"

  "Outside the general store."

  Not inside the jail? Cade pushed aside the reason for Jayne to be with Zed outside the general store. Instead he concentrated on keeping the young voice calm on the other end of the staticky line. His fear was that he would lose the connection altogether.

  "Is the deputy's car there?"

  "Yes!"

  No doubt someone had already called for help, but the boy needed something constructive to do.

  "Go to the deputy's car. Find the microphone. Press the button and tell the dispatcher you need help. Tell them the deputy and others are hurt and you need a medivac unit. Give them your location. Do you understand?"

  "Si. I— What…? Senor, do not try to talk… Si. I understand. I will tell him."

  Cade's fingers gripped the receiver hard enough to crush the plastic shell as he waited for the boy to come back on the line.

  "The senor says to tell you they are heading for the Circle M," the boy reported. "He says they want the baby. They do not know the authorities have it. If they find out they will kill the woman."

  The world hovered on the brink of ma
dness. The kidnappers had Jayne.

  Cade forced himself to think. "Tell Zed thanks and to hold on. Now go and call for help."

  "Si."

  The cell phone clattered to the pavement. Luis had forgotten to turn it off. Cade disconnected and ran outside for the radio to call Hap.

  Rio answered. "Yeah, Cade?"

  "Where's Hap?"

  "Uh, I'm not sure. I think he was going after a stray. He should be back in a few minutes."

  Cade looked at the clock. It generally took about thirty minutes to get into town from here. If the kid-snappers really pushed, they might be able to make it in fifteen. Little enough time to set a trap.

  "Listen, Rio. Pass the word to the men. I've got two hired thugs on their way here to the ranch."

  "Those fake FBI guys?"

  "Yes. They have Jayne and they want the baby."

  "But you don't have the baby."

  "I know that." He stilled his irritation and forced his voice to remain calm. As quickly as he could, he laid out the situation for the other man. "They have already killed some people in town. Zed's been injured. If any of the men are willing, I could use some help, but I need it right now. When those guys get here and find out I don't have Heather anymore, they're going to kill Jayne. I figure I've got maybe fifteen minutes before they arrive."

  "Geez, Cade. It'll take us almost that long to get to you."

  "I know."

  And what good would four men really do, armed or not? His men weren't trained to go up against a pair of killers. Was he asking them to ride in here to their deaths? Rio surprised him before he could change his mind. With a forcefulness and a take-charge attitude normally foreign to the man, he responded.

  "We're on our way, Cade. Stall 'em."

  Cade closed his eyes in a mix of relief and gratitude. Then he spent several more of his precious minutes putting in a 911 call of his own. He repeated the information Zed had given him, added descriptions of the men and the car and explained the kidnappers were likely on their way to his isolated ranch with a hostage.

  Feeling marginally better, he went back inside to hunt for the key to his grandfather's gun collection. He prayed the state police were close enough to have someone out here quickly. Otherwise it would be too late for him and for Jayne.

  He unlocked the gun cabinet. Taking up a rifle, he reached for a box of shells. The box slipped from his hands. Bullets scattered across the thin carpeting. To heck with them. He was reaching for the second box when he heard the sound of a gun being cocked at his back.

  Cade spun around. Hap stood behind him holding a .357.

  "Geez, you gave me a start! How'd you get here so fast? Never mind. Give me a hand. We'll load as many of these—"

  "Put the rifle down, Cade."

  Something in his voice stilled Cade in the act of turning back to the cabinet. Death crawled up his spine as he remembered the sound of the hammer being cocked.

  "What are you doing, Hap? The kidnappers are on their way out here with Jayne." His voice came out flat while his mind raced with wild possibilities.

  "I know. I heard you on the radio talking to Rio."

  Cade turned slowly. The .357 was pointed at his chest. At this distance Hap couldn't miss. The bullet would tear a good-size chunk out of his insides.

  "What's this all about, Hap? Don't tell me you're working with the kidnappers?"

  "Of course not. I'm simply taking advantage of the situation. This way is much better than setting fire to the house. I hated to have to take that step."

  Cade felt his heart thudding painfully against his chest.

  "Why would you consider a thing like that, Hap? Not that the ranch house doesn't need some major improvements," he added in weak bid for humor while he gauged the distance between them. Too far to lunge for the weapon. Hap was no fool. Cade would be dead before he ever reached the older man.

  "I was willing to buy the ranch," Hap said sounding aggrieved. "You wouldn't sell. I'd hoped to make the sale more appealing by showing you all that could go wrong, but you're like your grandfather. Stubborn to the end."

  Cade blinked, his mind trying hard to assimilate what Hap was saying—and what he wasn't saying.

  "Are you saying you killed my grandfather? He died of influenza."

  "He was ill, but we were arguing over his plans to give you the Circle M. He began to breathe too hard.

  He clutched his chest and fell to the ground. I simply did nothing. In the end, he died."

  "You watched him die? You didn't give him his pills? Didn't try to help?"

  Hap shrugged. He remained unmoved, his dour expression never changing.

  Cade swore. "You were behind everything. You slit the girths, cut the fences—"

  "No. I simply ordered it done."

  "Rio?"

  Hap snorted in disgust, his first show of emotion. "Of course not. But your brother-in-law was quite willing to provide a little help in exchange for cash. Bonita laid the groundwork with her unhappiness. I embellished the story to suit my needs."

  "You lied to Luis," Cade said flatly.

  "Of course I did. You should have stayed on the rodeo circuit with your pretty young wife, Cade. She liked to party."

  "You and Bonita?" The idea shocked him all over again.

  Hap shook his head, but the gun never wavered. "She was pretty, just as her name translates, but she wasn't interested in me that way. She just liked a sympathetic ear."

  "One that you helped fill with ideas?"

  Hap's dark eyes gleamed smugly.

  "Congratulations, Hap. I never saw this coming. You blindsided me completely. I know we have our differences in how things should be done, but I would never have suspected you. I trusted you."

  "A mistake," Hap said calmly.

  "This is all about the ranch?" Cade demanded, looking pointedly at the gun.

  "What else? Your grandfather and I worked together from the day he bought the Circle M."

  "I know. I considered you family."

  Hap shrugged. "Again your mistake. You should have stayed on the circuit. Failing that, you should have sold me the ranch after Otis died. I thought when I encouraged Bonita to leave, you'd follow her. It was pathetically easy. So was convincing her that young Gordon had what it took to be your replacement on the circuit. You were supposed to go after them."

  "And then what? Was Gordon going to shoot me?"

  "I had hoped, given your temper, you might be the one to do the shooting."

  "Sorry to disappoint you."

  "It doesn't matter. You've given me another means entirely to get what I want—what I deserve. When I shoot you, the kidnappers will take the blame."

  Cade shook his head. "You're forgetting about forensics. It'll never work. You have the gun."

  "This gun can't be traced. One of the kidnappers will be found with it after I shoot them."

  "You're fooling yourself, Hap. These guys are professionals. And what about Jayne? Are you going to murder her, too?"

  "Of course."

  Panic threatened to choke him. He pushed it back knowing he was Jayne's only hope.

  "You're still forgetting about Rio and the others. Do you think they're going to stand by and let you kill all of us without saying anything. Or do you plan to murder three more innocents for a chance to buy the Circle M?"

  "Rio and the others won't get here in time. You know that. They'll waste time searching for me. By the time they decide to leave without me, it will all be over. The timing will be close, but I think, not too close."

  "You're nuts. Forensic evidence will show that I was shot first. And I'm going to remind you again that these guys are professional killers. You won't be able to kill them."

  Hap shrugged. "They won't be expecting an ambush. When they step from the car, I'll kill them. I am quite good with a rifle, you know."

  "Yeah." Cade knew. The picture Hap was drawing was vividly real.

  "Who's to say when the kidnappers arrived, or what actually happened?
You've made my job easy by getting involved with the woman. I could see you were thinking about bringing her back here, and that would never do. She might have stayed. Now put the rifle down."

  "There's some real irony here, Hap. I was just thinking of selling you the Circle M so I could buy a place closer to Jayne's family."

  His eyes narrowed. "You should have sold me the ranch when I asked."

  "I don't suppose we can work out a deal now?" Cade asked quickly. This time the smile was genuine. "No."

  Cade dove to the side. At the same time, Hap fired. The gun erupted with ear-shattering intensity. The acrid taste and smell filled the room. A burning pain seared the side of his rib cage. Something warm and wet began to mat his shirt.

  The second shot went into the chair, inches from his head. There was nowhere to go. Hap started forward, bringing the gun into line. Cade tried to get up, all the while knowing he had no chance.

  Fate intervened. Hap's leather boots skidded as he stepped on several of the loose bullets. The shot went wide because Hap had to fling out his arms to steady himself. Cade came up off the floor, swinging the rifle like a club. The stock caught Hap across the forehead. Blood welled from the deep cut, blinding the foreman. That didn't stop him from bringing the .357 back around for another shot.

  Cade closed the distance. He got close enough to land a second blow across Hap's gun arm with the rifle barrel. Hap's gun discharged harmlessly into the wall. Hap took a step that landed him on several more of the spilled cartridges. He went down with an audible thunk as the back of his head struck the stone fireplace.

  For a moment, Cade stood there, swaying in shock. Hap didn't move. The gun had fallen from his limp fingers and his face was bathed in blood from the cut on his forehead. He looked dead.

  In the silence, broken only by his own heaving breathing, Cade suddenly heard the sound of gravel crunching beneath tires. A car was tearing up the drive.

  Ignoring the hot pain in his side and chest, Cade skirted the spilled cartridges and reached inside the gun cabinet for the other box of rifle shells. He was stuffing them into the chamber as he ran for the back door. Unfortunately, the kidnappers had made excellent time.

  He circled around the back of the house. The only chance was to get them once they were out of the car. He was no marksman, especially not with a rifle.