He tilted the bottle up for another sip, surprised to find it was almost empty. When had that happened? No matter. There was another one lying around here somewhere. One more drink, and then he’d head out again.
And this time, he wasn’t coming back without the baby.
CHAPTER 10
“You do know it’s not her, right?” Sam said.
Ridge nodded, forgetting Sam was on the other end of the phone and couldn’t see him.
“It’s not possible,” his brother continued, impatience creeping into his voice at what he thought was Ridge’s denial. “I know you miss Josie—we all do. But there is no way she’s running around in the woods on her own.”
“I know.” Ridge was beginning to regret having brought it up.
“Maybe you’re just sleep deprived from taking care of the baby. It’s got you seeing things.”
“That’s not it,” Ridge said, unable to keep the annoyance out of his tone. Bad enough he’d been second-guessing himself ever since they made it back to the cabin. The last thing he needed was for his brother to think he was going crazy, too.
“Well, whoever she was, she’s probably long gone by now.”
“Sure, but don’t you think it’s suspicious she was there in the first place?”
“How so?” Sam fired back. “People go hiking in the woods all the time. You know that better than anyone.”
“Fair enough. But I don’t run away when I encounter someone on the trail. That’s just strange.”
Sam snorted. “Have you seen yourself? You’re bigger and stronger than most people. You don’t know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of physical intimidation.”
Ridge was forced to admit his brother was right. He was usually the biggest guy in a room, a fact he normally took for granted. It had never occurred to him to consider how his size made people feel when they first met him. Perhaps he was a little scary, especially to people who didn’t know him.
“Maybe,” he said grudgingly. “But I can’t shake the feeling I know her somehow.”
Sam sighed. “Look, I appreciate what you’re saying. But the department is stretched pretty thin as it is. I can’t very well ask my captain to divert manpower from the Alphabet Killer case in order to track down a young woman in the woods who gives my brother the willies.”
“I know,” Ridge said. “I just thought it was strange, in light of everything that’s been going on around here lately.”
“Tell you what,” Sam said. “I’ll type up a description and pass it around. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks,” Ridge said, appreciating the gesture. “That’s good of you.”
“I’m a saint,” Sam quipped.
“Any news on your end?”
“No. The post office was a bust. We’ve still got people sitting there watching, but she hasn’t shown yet and isn’t going to.”
“You sound pretty confident about that,” Ridge observed.
“Call it a solid hunch. In the meantime, Annabel and I are checking out local restaurants, looking for any waitresses or staff matching our suspect description.”
“Good luck,” Ridge said. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Will do. Talk to you later.”
Ridge hung up and paced in front of the couch, feeling useless. He should be out there with his siblings, lending a hand in the investigation. Even though he wasn’t in law enforcement, there were still things he could do to help them search for the killer. Instead, he was stuck inside, practically sitting on his hands and doing nothing to contribute. It was enough to drive him nuts.
He glanced over at the crib and his impatience softened. It wasn’t Sara’s fault she’d wound up in his life. And it certainly wasn’t her fault she required round-the-clock care. Furthermore, he couldn’t very well be frustrated over his circumstances—he had volunteered for the job. Although truth be told, he hadn’t realized just how much work babies actually were. While he didn’t regret taking her home, he did wish there was a way to balance taking care of her needs with helping his siblings.
Maybe there was, he mused. He might be sitting at home, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use his brain. He dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed Trevor.
“What’s up?”
“Give me something I can do to help the investigation,” Ridge said, forgoing the usual conversational niceties.
“Hello to you, too,” his brother joked.
“Come on, man. I’m dying here.”
“Okay.” Trevor was quiet for a moment, thinking. “I’ve got something. But it’s not going to be fun,” he warned.
At this point, Ridge didn’t care if he was alphabetizing a spice rack—he just needed to do something productive. “Don’t care,” he said. “I want to help.”
“We’ve still got stacks of letters here that need to be examined.”
“What kind of letters?” he asked, but he already knew the answer.
“Matthew’s fan mail,” Trevor confirmed, his tone making it clear he found the existence of said correspondence just as distasteful as Ridge did. “Someone needs to comb through the mail and check for any connections to our killer.”
It was a job that sounded equal parts boring and disturbing. But it could be done anywhere, which meant Ridge could work from the cabin while taking care of Sara. “I’ll do it,” he said, his enthusiasm somewhat dimmed at the prospect of reading his father’s messages. “Can you drop them off at my place today?”
“Sure thing,” Trevor said. “Thanks for taking it on—it’ll be a huge help.”
That made Ridge feel a little bit better about the situation. “Glad I can be of service.”
“Will you be there in a few hours? I can gather everything up and drop it by on my way home.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
He hung up to find Penny watching him, her dark brown eyes patient. A pang of guilt speared him as he realized he hadn’t been able to spend as much quality time with her as he usually did. She hadn’t complained, but he could tell she was feeling a little neglected.
“Who’s a good girl?” he asked. She lifted her head and cocked an ear forward, and a steady thump sounded as her tail hit the floorboards. “Want a treat?” He took a step in the direction of the kitchen and a brown streak shot past his legs as she darted into the room ahead of him.
He found her sitting at the pantry door, excitement making her body quiver slightly while she waited for him to catch up. “Scooch over,” he told her, needing her to move so he could open the door. She complied, letting out a little whine of impatience at his slow pace. “I know,” he said. “I’m getting it.”
Just as he reached inside the pantry, a soft cry came from the living room. Sara was waking up, which meant he should get another bottle ready while he was in the kitchen. He tossed Penny a biscuit and she gobbled it up so fast an outside observer might think she was starving. She looked up at him, licking her mouth, hope burning bright in her eyes. “You know the rules,” he told her.
Sara cried out again as he pulled a bottle from the pantry shelf, but there was something different about this sound. There was a note in her voice he’d never heard before, and it made goose bumps pop out on his arms. Forgetting the bottle, he rushed back into the living room.
The baby let out a wail as he reached the crib. But unlike her normal cries, which grew in intensity the longer he made her wait, this cry seemed to grow weaker, as if Sara was too tired to carry on. He reached down to gather her up, and the moment he touched her skin he realized the problem.
She was burning up.
His heart pounded hard against his breastbone as he frantically unwrapped the blanket, trying to cool her off. How high was her fever? He didn’t have a thermometer he c
ould use on her, wouldn’t even know how to take her temperature if he had. More importantly though, how long had she been this way?
She’d felt normal to him on their hike, so she must have developed the fever sometime after that. Had he done something to put her at risk? His stomach dropped at the thought this was somehow his fault. He’d never forgive himself if he had exposed her to some sinister germ.
He managed to get the blanket off her, but she still felt dangerously warm. Claws of panic raked the inside of his chest as he considered what to do next. Could he give her medication to bring her temperature down? He dismissed the option almost immediately. He had no idea what drug or dose was appropriate for an infant, and he wasn’t going to put her at further risk of harm.
A bath then. Maybe a cool bath would help. He carried her into the kitchen and plugged the sink, then started the water to fill up the basin. Sara continued to fuss, flailing her arms and legs in a weak protest that broke his heart. “Hold on, little one,” he said. “I’ll make it better.”
He prayed he was right.
* * *
Darcy came awake with a start, the transition out of sleep so sudden it took her mind a moment to catch up to her body. What—
Her phone rang again, the shrill electronic noise piercing the silence of her room. She reached for it automatically and blinked at the display.
Ridge.
The argument with her parents came flooding back, stirring up her emotions again. She still needed to apologize to him, and now that she’d had some sleep, she might be able to think straight and figure out exactly what to say. Taking a deep breath, she took the call.
“Hello?”
“The baby has a fever.”
“What?” His words were so unexpected it took her a second to fully register what he was saying.
“The baby has a fever,” he repeated, his worry clear in his voice.
Darcy switched to doctor mode immediately. “How high is it?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “The only thermometer I have is the one I use for Penny. Should I wash it and try to use it on the baby?”
“No,” she replied, making a face. She knew of only one way to take a dog’s temperature, and no amount of washing would render that thermometer clean enough to use on an infant. She’d just have to take his word for it that the baby had a fever.
“How long has she been like this?” she asked, climbing out of bed and stepping into a fresh pair of scrub pants. It was clear Ridge was worried, and since he was normally so unflappable, hearing him like this told her just how serious the situation was.
“I don’t know,” he replied, a note of despair creeping into his voice. “I fed her and put her down for a nap after we took a walk in the woods. When she woke up a couple of hours later, she was like this.”
“Okay,” Darcy said, trying to sound soothing. “If she’s as hot as you say, you’ll want to take her blankets off.”
“I’ve done that already. I also gave her a bath. Nothing seems to help.”
“Does she have any other symptoms? Diaper issues? Vomiting?”
“No. That’s good, right?” She heard the glimmer of hope in his question and rushed to reassure him.
“Yes, that’s a good sign. I’m on my way,” she said, scooping up her wallet and keys before she walked out of her bedroom.
“Please hurry,” Ridge said. “This can’t be good for her.”
“Just hang in there.” She descended the stairs in record time, grateful her parents were nowhere to be found as she walked out of the house. The last thing she needed was to get delayed by one of them. If they found out she was going back to Ridge’s cabin, they’d likely bar the doors and try to chain her to her bed.
A dull, throbbing ache in her temples plagued her as she drove, a souvenir from her earlier tears. How was she going to untangle this mess? And more importantly, was it even worth it? What if it was better to leave things as they were, broken but buried in the past?
The question stayed with her as she drove, but she still didn’t have an answer by the time she pulled up next to his cabin. The front door flew open and Ridge quickly descended the steps with the baby in his arms. His expression was a combination of panic and relief, and Darcy felt her heart soften even further toward him. It was clear he cared deeply about the little one, and she briefly wondered how he was going to cope once her mother turned up.
“She’s not feeling any cooler,” he said, his brows drawn together in a frown as he thrust the baby into her arms. “I don’t know what else to do.”
“Let me take a look at her,” Darcy said, employing the calm, measured tones she used in the emergency room. The baby did feel warm against her, but she needed to examine her before deciding what to do.
She walked back into the cabin, Ridge hovering over the pair of them like a solicitous fly. Darcy had never seen him so distraught before, and she wondered if his emotions were solely due to the baby’s condition, or if something else was bothering him.
It took only a few moments for her to complete a basic exam. The baby’s temperature was high, but not dangerously so. Not yet, anyway. Given her general lack of other symptoms, Darcy figured she was fighting off some kind of virus.
“I think we should take her to the hospital,” she said, pulling out the earpieces of her stethoscope as she straightened up.
All the color drained from Ridge’s face and he put a hand out, grabbing hold of the back of the couch to steady himself. “She’s that bad?” he asked hoarsely.
“No,” Darcy replied, wondering whether she was about to have two patients on her hands. If Ridge fainted on her, she wasn’t going to be able to catch him before he went down. “No, she seems to be okay, aside from the temperature. But it can be dangerous for babies this young to have a fever. I want to bring her in so I can give her the best treatment, and to make sure if something goes wrong she’s got immediate access to care.”
“That sounds good.” Ridge nodded, the movement jerky. Some of the color returned to his cheeks. “You scared me for a minute.”
“I could tell.” Darcy studied him. “Are you okay to drive?”
“Yes.” He sounded more confident now, as if he was back to normal.
“Let’s head out then. I’ll follow you in my car.”
He frowned, his expression indicating he wasn’t a fan of that plan. “I can assure you she’ll be fine until we get there,” Darcy said, assuming he was worried about the baby being in the car.
“It’s not that,” he said. “I’m just wondering if we can use this to our advantage.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Darcy shook her head, flabbergasted at the thought of an infant’s illness being a good thing.
“The intruder,” Ridge said flatly. “I’d be shocked if he wasn’t still out there, watching and waiting for another chance to strike. I haven’t been able to go after him because I had the baby, but if you’re going to admit her to the hospital...” He trailed off, and Darcy immediately understood what he was thinking.
“You want to trick him,” she finished. “Make him think you’ve brought the baby home to draw him out again.”
“Exactly.” Ridge rewarded her with a fleeting smile that made her stomach quiver. “Think we can do it?”
“It’s worth a shot.”
Ridge placed the baby in the carrier and gestured for Penny to accompany them. They walked down the steps of the porch and Darcy helped him get the baby into his truck.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” she said loudly, hoping if the stranger was indeed around, he could hear her. “It should only take an hour, and then you can bring her back home.”
Ridge shot her an amused glance. “Very natural,” he whispered. “I can tell you do a lot of undercover work.”
Darcy felt her face h
eat. “I never claimed to be an actress,” she whispered back hotly.
He winked at her and a zing of awareness shot down her spine. “Ready?” he asked.
She nodded, not trusting her voice. There were so many things she wanted to say to him right now, but it wasn’t the time. Besides, she needed to put some distance between them before she brought up the subject of her parents. Any time she got near him, her body perked up and started overruling her mind. While it made for some nice sensations, Darcy needed a clear head for their upcoming conversation.
If she could just figure out what to say! She spent the drive back to Granite Gulch arguing with herself over the best way to bring up the subject. Should she ease into it, or just come right out with it? Things would be less awkward if she could find a way to subtly work their breakup into a conversation, but the thought of the verbal gymnastics required for that approach exhausted her. Better to say it outright then. It would likely be a shock to him, but at least she wouldn’t have to dance around the topic, waiting for the right opening.
But should she also confess her feelings for him? That was a stickier subject. It was one thing to apologize for the way things had ended between them. It was quite another for her to reveal that her feelings for him had never really gone away. She imagined telling him she still loved him, but try as she might, she couldn’t picture his response. Would he be happy and confess his own feelings in return? Or would he turn away, rejecting her like she had once rejected him?
Darcy parked next to Ridge and helped him get the baby out of the car. She glanced up at him as they walked toward the hospital entrance. He moved quickly but calmly, and his earlier panic seemed to have faded into a controlled worry. Penny trotted next to him, her devotion plain to see.
Why don’t my parents understand? Darcy wondered as they entered the ER. A blind man could see how much love Ridge Colton carried inside him. From his dog to this little foster baby, Ridge didn’t hesitate to step up and take care of the less fortunate. It was one of his best qualities and Darcy ached to be on the receiving end of his care again.
Harlequin Romantic Suspense March 2016 Box Set Page 34