The name Dennis Hubbard hadn’t meant anything to Darcy, but Ridge’s description of the man made her hope the police would find him soon. He sounded like a loose cannon, which meant he was a danger to the baby. And others, she thought, glancing at Ridge’s knee.
“There’s a hospital security guard right outside her door,” she said calmly. “Only nurses and doctors are allowed to enter the room. She’s safe, Ridge.”
He frowned but didn’t protest. She pulled the wheelchair to a halt and locked the wheels. “Can you stand?”
“Yes.” He took a deep breath and pushed himself up, and she helped him pivot so he landed on the bed. He didn’t make a sound but she could tell by the set of his mouth he was in pain.
“We’ll get you something to take the edge off as soon as we’re done here.”
He nodded, relief entering his eyes. “Do you think it will take long?”
“It shouldn’t. I had a peek at the schedule—it’s not full today.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“No problem.” Her reply was automatic. She moved to leave, but Ridge’s hand flashed out and grabbed hers in a surprisingly tight grip. “I mean it,” he said, holding her in place. “You’ve helped me so much over the past few days. I haven’t really thanked you for it, but I do appreciate everything you’ve done.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, her breath catching at the intensity of his gaze. Emotions swirled in the dark depths of his eyes, one shifting into another before she could fully identify them.
His thumb slid across her skin in a small, gentle caress that she felt all the way to her toes. Did he know what he was doing to her? Or was it just a casual gesture for him? He knew how she felt about him. Was he teasing her now, seeking to get some of his own payback for the way she’d treated him long ago?
She dismissed the thought almost immediately. Ridge was many things, but he wasn’t vindictive. It wasn’t like him to deliberately hurt someone just for fun.
He wasn’t his father.
“About what you said earlier—” he began. Her heart picked up speed, thumping against her breastbone like a bird trying to break free from a cage. This was it—he was going to tell her how he felt.
Her conversation with Trevor had been illuminating. According to him, Ridge hadn’t really dated anyone in the years they’d been apart. It was something they both had in common. The news had made her feel even closer to him, and had reignited the hope that he might still care for her.
She tried to keep the hope off her face as he opened his mouth to continue. But before he could speak again, the door opened and a nurse walked in.
“Mr. Colton? I’m here to help with your MRI.”
Darcy bit back a scream of frustration. Why did this woman have to interrupt now, of all times? She took a deep breath and moved away, pushing down her disappointment. The MRI scan itself wouldn’t take very long, and then she and Ridge could finish their conversation.
But it was not to be. The procedure was quick, but the nurse insisted on wheeling Ridge back to the room herself, effectively eliminating any chance of a private conversation. Darcy marched alongside the wheelchair, a smile pasted on her face. The nurse was just doing her job, she reminded herself. She could wait a few more minutes to talk to Ridge.
As they approached the baby’s room, Darcy slowed. Something felt off, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
“Where’s the guard?” Ridge asked. “I thought you said there was hospital security standing outside her door.”
“There’s supposed to be,” Darcy replied, scanning the hall. But there was no sign of the guard. Where was he?
Just then, a high-pitched, thin cry started in the baby’s room. Ridge shot to his feet but fell back into the chair with a groan of pain. “Darcy!” he shouted.
She responded immediately, knowing what he wanted her to do. Brushing past the befuddled nurse and the chair, she hit the door hard and burst into the baby’s room.
It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim light of the room. But then she saw him—a shadowy figure standing by the bed, frantically trying to shush the baby’s cries.
“Put her down,” Darcy ordered. Her voice was steady but her nerves were anything but. What was she going to do if the man refused? She couldn’t physically tackle him without hurting the baby.
The figure turned to her and backed up a step, taking the baby with him. Darcy scanned the room, searching for something she could use as a weapon. She wouldn’t attack him while he held the little one, but she wasn’t going to let him get past her, either.
There was a commotion in the hall and a moment later, Ridge hobbled into the room. “Let her go,” he said, his voice booming in the small room.
The baby stilled for a moment, hearing him close. But the calm didn’t last long. When she realized Ridge wasn’t going to hold her she increased the volume of her cries, sharing her unhappiness with the world.
The figure backed up another step, but there was nowhere to go. Darcy and Ridge blocked the only exit.
“What is going on in here?” It was the nurse from the MRI. She stepped into the room and flipped on the light. Darcy blinked as the sudden brightness rendered her temporarily blind. Then she blinked again, certain she was seeing things.
She had expected to find the hulking intruder from the cabin, come to steal the baby away. Instead, a young woman in a set of baggy scrubs stood clutching the baby to her chest, her tear-stained face a mask of fear.
“Please don’t hurt me.”
* * *
“Who are you?” Ridge deliberately kept his voice calm but the girl still shrank back, her eyes wide.
“My—my name is Flo,” she stuttered, tightening her grip on the baby. Darcy took a step forward, her arm outstretched, but the girl jerked back as if she’d been poked with a cattle prod.
That solved the mystery of the note’s author. “You must be Dennis’s daughter,” Ridge said, glancing meaningfully at Darcy.
Her head snapped back in shock. “How did you know that?” she whispered.
A swell of relief filled him and he leaned against the wall to steady himself. Thank God, the girl was safe! Dennis hadn’t harmed her, after all.
“Your father—” he began, then trailed off. What should he tell her? Your father has spent the past few days attacking me in an attempt to get his hands on the baby? Your father wrecked my knee while trying to steal the baby today? In the end, he settled for “Your father has made it clear he wants the baby. We’ve been trying to figure out why.” Maybe she could shed some light on the situation.
Flo hid her face in the baby’s blanket, making herself look even smaller. “He wasn’t bad at first. He said we could make it work.”
Ridge cast a confused glance at Darcy, who shrugged. “Why don’t we all sit down and you can tell us about it?” she suggested.
“I don’t want to let go of my baby.” Flo glanced around nervously, clearly intending to bolt at the slightest provocation.
“You don’t have to,” Darcy soothed. “You can keep holding her while we talk. How does that sound?”
The young woman nodded uncertainly. “Okay.” She perched on the bed, the baby still clutched to her chest. Ridge ached to take little Sara from her, but he knew it would only spook the girl if he made a move in her direction. He settled for sinking into the rocking chair and Darcy moved to the foot of the hospital bed.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” Darcy suggested.
“All right.” Flo took a deep breath, bracing herself. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“What’s that?” Darcy’s voice was soft and soothing.
“Getting pregnant. Kenny and me...” She trailed off, color flooding her cheeks. “We tried to be careful.”
; “Of course you did,” Darcy said. “Mistakes happen to everyone.”
“Did you go to school with Kenny?” Ridge asked.
She nodded. “Yes. But he moved right before I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t know how to get in touch with him, so he still doesn’t know about the baby.”
Sympathy welled in Ridge’s chest. Poor girl. It had to have been difficult for her, losing her mother and then her boyfriend. Finding out she was pregnant must have been terrifying.
“Did anyone else know you were pregnant?”
“My dad. I started to show and I couldn’t hide it anymore.”
“How did he take it?” said Ridge. “Was he upset with you?” That would certainly fit with his usual behavior, especially if he’d been drinking.
“I think he was more disappointed,” she said. “He seemed to get over it after a couple of days, though. He said I could keep the baby and between the two of us we’d figure out how to afford it. I was shocked—I thought for sure he was joking. But he kept telling me it was okay. Even helped me fix up half of my room to make a nursery. And he took me shopping for baby stuff one day. He seemed like he was excited about becoming a grandpa.”
Ridge frowned. He didn’t know Dennis very well, but from what he’d heard, he wasn’t the type to cheerfully shop for baby supplies. Had Flo mistaken the reason for her father’s excitement?
“What changed?” Darcy asked.
Flo shrugged. “He had me quit going to school. Said I needed to stay home and rest for the baby. He brought home a stack of old textbooks and told me to read them. At first, I didn’t mind. I was so tired all the time, anyway. But then I started to get bored. I don’t think he liked me saying that.”
“Didn’t your friends wonder why you weren’t in school?” Darcy sounded incredulous, and Ridge had to agree. It was hard to believe Flo hadn’t told anyone else about her pregnancy or her father’s homeschool plan.
“I don’t have many friends,” Flo said, looking down. “I hung out with a couple of girls from school, but that’s about it. They came by the house one day looking for me. Daddy met them at the door and told them I was being homeschooled now and for them to leave me alone. They never came back.”
Ridge exchanged a horrified look with Darcy.
“Did he ever take you to see a doctor?” she asked.
“No. He said it would be too expensive.” She lowered her voice in an attempt to imitate Dennis. “‘Doctors are for sick people. You’re young and healthy.’”
“But what about your delivery?” Darcy said, her concern clear. “Didn’t he get you help when you went into labor?”
Flo shook her head. “It all happened so fast. I woke up in a lot of pain. He said he was going to get his friend to come help and left. By the time they got back, she was already here.” She looked down at the baby and smiled faintly. “She cried at lot at first, but I got her to stop by trying to feed her.” The young woman sounded proud of this accomplishment, and Ridge felt his heart break. Flo was barely old enough to drive and she’d had to deliver her baby alone, something no woman should ever have to do. He shook his head, his anger at Dennis building anew. What kind of father left his daughter alone and in pain like that?
Darcy’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “I’m sure you did great,” she said, smiling at the girl. Then she looked over and he saw his own horror reflected in her eyes. It was a wonder Flo and the baby were alive—so many things could have gone wrong during the birth, and since Dennis had left her alone, no one would have been there to help.
Not that Dennis would have been much help anyway.
“What happened after they arrived?” Ridge asked, trying to keep his anger at Dennis out of his voice. Flo’s eyes widened briefly, but she didn’t shrink away. That was progress.
“They looked at her and told me I’d done a good job. Said she was perfect.” Flo dipped her head and pressed a soft kiss to the baby’s skull. “I knew that already, but it was still nice to hear. Then Daddy asked his friend when he could take her. It scared me, you know? ’Cause all this time he said I could keep her, and then he was talking about some stranger taking her away.” She tightened her arms around the baby, as if to protect her from the memory. “I asked him about it, but he told me to shush.”
“What about the friend?” Whoever Dennis had brought was almost certainly part of the trafficking ring. If Flo could provide a description, Sam and Annabel could start looking for them.
“He said it was too early and a few days would be better. Then he asked if I was going to be any trouble.” She shivered. “He said something about a two for one, whatever that means. Daddy said no and the man just laughed. Then they left.”
“Did you see him again?”
“No. Only Daddy came back the second time.”
“What did he say?” Darcy asked, leaning forward. She was hanging on Flo’s every word, and Ridge found himself doing the same. It was quite a story, made all the more compelling because it was true.
“He stroked my hair and told me it was all going to be okay. That he’d figured out a way to make it work. I told him I didn’t like his friend, and he said not to worry, that I wouldn’t have to see that man again. Then he told me to take good care of the baby because she was priceless.”
Ridge bit his tongue to keep from cursing the man. Darcy saw his struggle and spoke to distract Flo. “When did you realize he planned to sell the baby?”
“I figured it out the next day. I overheard him on the phone, talking about how much money he was going to get in exchange for my baby. That’s when I knew I had to do something.”
“How did you get away from him?” Ridge asked. Dennis had been so careful to keep her locked away during her pregnancy—surely his paranoia had only increased after the baby’s birth.
Flo bit her lip. “I told him I needed formula to feed the baby. That I couldn’t...you know.” She gestured vaguely to her chest, her cheeks going pink. “I offered to go get it myself so he wouldn’t suspect anything, but he said no. I waited until he left, then I packed her up and took off. I didn’t get as far as I wanted to and I knew he was going to come after me. So I left her on your porch and headed in a different direction, hoping to trick him.”
“A good plan,” Ridge said, letting his admiration show. She was a resourceful young woman, he’d give her that. Not many teenagers would have had the courage to do what she’d done, nor the strength to hike so far just after giving birth. The fact that Flo had put herself in danger like that said loads about her character.
“What made you decide to come back now?” Darcy asked.
Flo’s face brightened. “Today is my birthday,” she said, as if this fact should clarify everything.
“Uh, happy birthday,” said Ridge. “I still don’t understand why you picked today of all days.”
Her smile slipped. “I’m finally eighteen.” When neither he nor Darcy responded, she sighed. “Daddy can’t take my baby if I’m legally an adult. Now that I’m eighteen, I don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
Ridge felt his jaw drop and glanced over to find an identical expression on Darcy’s face. “Who told you that?” Darcy asked slowly.
The color drained from Flo’s face. “You mean it’s not true?” she whispered. “They can still take my baby?”
“No,” Ridge said firmly. “She’s your baby—no one can force you to give her up, no matter what your age is.”
“Really?” She looked simultaneously hopeful and guarded, as if she was afraid to believe him. Ridge couldn’t blame her—Dennis had spent the past six months lying to her. Was it any wonder the girl had trust issues?
“He’s right,” Darcy confirmed. “That baby is yours.”
The girl’s relief was almost palpable. The tension drained out of her body with a sigh, and her eyes grew bright with tears
. “Thank goodness,” she breathed. “I don’t have anywhere to go, and I don’t want to leave her again.”
“You never have to leave her again,” Ridge promised.
Flo looked up at him and for the first time, there was no fear in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said, her heart in the words. “Thank you so much for taking care of her. I hoped that whoever found her would be good to her.”
Ridge looked down, unable to meet her gaze. For the first time, it hit him that he was going to have to say goodbye to little Sara. He’d known the time would come, but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon.
“Ridge did an amazing job,” Darcy said. “You couldn’t have picked a better man if you’d tried.”
Flo studied him a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. “I think you’re right. I noticed how the baby calmed down once you came into the room.”
Ridge shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “We spent a lot of time together,” he said, glossing over the strength of his attachment to the little one.
Flo looked down at the bundle in her arms. “You know, I left her so soon, I didn’t even get a chance to name her. I have no idea what I’m going to call her.”
“I’ve been calling her Sara.” The words were out before he could stop them and he immediately wished he could take them back. Flo looked thoughtful, as if she was considering it for the baby. But Darcy’s eyes grew misty, and he knew she recognized the significance of the name.
He swallowed hard, wishing the floor would open up underneath his feet. He hadn’t told anyone about his personal name for the baby. It was private, something the two of them shared that made him feel close to his mom again. Now that his sentimentality had been revealed, he felt exposed and raw.
“I like it,” Flo said at last. “She looks like a Sara.” She glanced at Ridge, then back at the baby. “Sara Ridge Hubbard. That’s your name, little girl. What do you think?”
Ridge sucked in a breath at the honor. “You can’t name her after me,” he protested weakly. “She needs a pretty name to go with Sara.”
Harlequin Romantic Suspense March 2016 Box Set Page 39