The test was simply a nuisance. A hoop to jump through. In her overactive imagination, however, she envisioned ridiculous, impossible scenarios, ones where the test came back negative and she was insisting to Dan that some terrible mistake had been made.
Finally, they were done. Sage watched the technician package her and Isa’s swabs and affix the labels.
“You should have the results in two to three business days,” the technician told them. “After the other party comes in.”
“Do you know when that will be?”
The man smiled patiently. “Couldn’t tell you.”
Of course not. She wasn’t sure why she’d even asked.
After thanking him, Sage and Isa left the room and traveled the long hall. Pushing open the door to the reception area, she held it for Isa—who walked straight into Dan.
“Oh!” Sage automatically reached for her daughter, and the two of them took a step back. “You’re here,” she sputtered.
He glowered at them. “Have you finished with the test?”
“Yes.” Why hadn’t she asked him when he was coming? Then they could have avoided this…inconvenience.
“I saw you at the ranch,” Isa said, her head tilted back to peer at him.
Dan ignored her in favor of Sage. “We need to talk.”
She fumed. Not “Can I talk to you?” or “Do you have a minute?” No, he’d issued the order as if her sole option was to obey.
Worse, he’d snubbed Isa. His own daughter. For the second time.
“Come on.” He began walking to the other side of the reception area where no one sat. When Sage didn’t immediately follow, he glared at her and repeated irritably. “Come on.”
Anger built inside her. She wanted nothing more than to tell Isa, “This rude and selfish man is your father, and you should be glad he wants nothing to do with you.” Next, she’d lead Isa out the front door, never to see the bastard again.
Except this wasn’t the time or place. Reluctantly, she sat Isa in one of the chairs with a magazine, told her to wait and joined Dan.
“What is it?” she asked, purposefully infusing weary irritation in her voice.
A young woman sat across the waiting area, cradling a baby in her lap. She made no effort to hide the fact she was straining to hear Sage and Dan’s conversation.
Sage fought for composure.
“I don’t want you hanging around Powell Ranch,” he said.
“I’ve been assigned to round up the mustang. I have to hang around Powell Ranch.”
“But you don’t have to go on trail rides.”
Understanding dawned. He didn’t want her mixing with his clients, word spreading that he had a daughter, one he didn’t acknowledge or support. Bad for business and his image.
In that moment, she despised him. More than she’d thought possible.
“You have no say over what I do or where I go.”
“This is a tricky situation, Sage.”
“Cough up the money and Isa and I will be gone in a flash.”
“I don’t have it.” His face reddened, from anger or embarrassment or frustration, she couldn’t tell.
“I find that hard to believe, Dan. You live in a nice house, drive a new truck and seem to have plenty of clients.”
She caught a glimpse of Isa, sitting with the unopened magazine in her lap and watching them with unblinking eyes. Sage’s heart constricted. Her little girl didn’t deserve this.
Reining in her temper, she vowed to stick to her original plan. No scenes.
“I won’t give up, Dan. Not until you pay the child support.”
“My disposable income is currently tied up in other ventures,” he said.
“Other ventures?”
“The Powells, for one. Horses, for another.”
“I don’t care where your money is. Isa and I have been more than patient and aren’t waiting any longer.”
“You have no choice.”
She stared at him, hardly recognizing the man before her. “What happened, Dan? You used to adore Isa.”
An undefinable emotion flickered in his eyes.
All at once, she knew. Something she should have figured out long ago. “It’s your wife.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You met her while we were still together.”
“Big deal. We weren’t involved.”
“Liar. That’s why you’re insisting on the paternity test. You think I could have been unfaithful because you were.”
“Don’t go there, Sage,” he growled.
Too late. She’d already gone. And the guilt written all over his face proved she’d uncovered his dirty secret.
“On second thought, I’m glad Isa won’t ever know you.”
Turning her back on him, she went to her daughter—hers, not theirs—and held out a hand. Isa took it, her sweet face marred by confusion and nervousness.
“Is he my daddy?” she whispered, casting a furtive glance at Dan.
“We’ll talk outside, mija.”
As they approached the door, it swung opened.
Dan’s pregnant wife stood on the other side, their little boy in tow.
Both she and Sage came to an abrupt halt, their gazes assessing each other and the children at their sides. Judging by the other woman’s look of disdain, Sage and Isa came up short.
Sage refused to step aside. Petty, but she didn’t care. As a result, Dan’s wife had no choice but to skirt around them. She did so, giving them a wide, wide berth.
The feeling’s mutual, Sage thought.
Telling herself it would be worth it in the end, she trudged out the door and to the parking lot.
If only she didn’t have to go back to the ranch today, she’d take Isa somewhere fun. They could forget all about this morning. But she did have to go back. For the mustang. The same mustang Gavin would use in his stud and breeding business. The business where Dan’s money was supposedly tied up.
The irony of the situation didn’t escape her. By doing her job, helping Gavin, she was actually hurting Isa’s chances of recovering the money Dan owed.
Opening the passenger side door, she helped Isa into the truck and buckled her seat belt.
“Who was that lady and little boy?” she asked. “Is he my brother?”
Sometimes, like right now, Sage wished Isa wasn’t so smart for her age. She’d have to explain. Isa was entitled to the truth. At least, a simplified version.
“I saw a park up the road with some swings and picnic tables. Why don’t we go there and Mama will tell you everything. Okay?”
GAVIN, ETHAN AND CONNER had just returned from searching for Avaro when Sage pulled into the ranch. He wished he had something better to tell her. Unfortunately, they not only hadn’t found her horse, they lost the tracks a mile into the mountains.
With school on fall break, there were more than the usual number of people for a Monday, many of them kids. Maybe because of that, and the fact he was distracted by the morning’s events, he hadn’t noticed Cassie right away as he walked from the stables. Why would he? She didn’t hang around with the kids who came to the ranch. She didn’t hang around with anyone her age.
Until today, apparently.
A group of middle school students, mostly girls, were playing some sort of game in the open area in front of the arena. Cassie was smack-dab in the center, participating. And laughing. Blue nipped at her heels as she ran, then spun and shrieked gleefully when another girl grabbed the back of her shirt.
It was a sight Gavin had only dreamed of seeing.
He committed it to memory for the next time Cassie’s mother asked how their daughter was doing.
Isa fled Sage’s truck the moment it was parked and ran straight for Cassie. Reaching her, the little girl flung her arms around Cassie’s waist and clung to her as if they’d been separated for years instead of hours. Cassie gave Isa’s back a comforting pat, much like the ones Gavin had given her when she was young. He couldn’t hear
what the two were saying, but he suspected whatever Cassie uttered was the right thing, for Isa slowly extracted herself and smiled…through her tears.
She’d been crying.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Gavin turned around to see Sage approaching. By the expression she wore, she’d also been through an emotional wringer, though her eyes were dry. He assumed the paternity test hadn’t gone well or had been a lot tougher than she’d anticipated.
“Hey,” he said when she approached.
“Hi.”
He went to her and cupped her cheek in his palm, stroking her smooth skin with the pad of his thumb. Ethan had already figured out there was something between Gavin and Sage. Who cared if anyone else figured it out, too?
She didn’t pull away. Covering his hand with hers, she leaned into him, tucking her head into the crook of his neck. Gavin’s other arm came up and circled her protectively. She felt good nestled against him. More than good. She felt as though she’d been designed to fit precisely there, and he’d only been waiting for her to show up.
They stood like that for several moments. Gavin was glad he could give her what she needed. He also dreaded having to add to her troubles.
“You’re a good man, Gavin Powell,” she murmured, her warm breath caressing his exposed neck.
“No, I’m not. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life.”
“Who hasn’t? But you do the best you can.”
“So do you.”
“I wish I didn’t have to involve you in my problems. I’d hate for there to be any…repercussions.”
Gavin thought of Dan’s warning phone call the previous night. “Did Dan say something to you?”
“He showed up at the testing facility just as we were leaving. Along with his wife and son.”
“Was Isa there?”
“Yes. He was terrible to her.”
That explained the tears. “I’m sorry, honey.” When she didn’t immediately respond, he asked. “What else?”
She sighed and withdrew.
He’d have preferred to continue holding her but it was impossible. “Sage?”
“He threatened me and, indirectly, your family if I didn’t stay away from you and the ranch, other than going after the mustang.”
Maybe holding each other out in the open wasn’t such a good idea after all. Dan’s clients were obviously feeding him information. Gavin and Sage would have to be more discreet in the future. But not stop. He had every intention of holding her again and kissing her.
“Don’t worry about Dan,” he said.
“I wish it was that easy. He won’t back off.”
“No, he won’t. But right now, we have a slightly bigger problem.”
“What’s that?”
“Sage, I’m sorry.” He swallowed before continuing. “Avaro escaped early this morning.”
She didn’t immediately speak. When she did, she struggled. “H-how? Was the f-fence…broken?”
“No. She jumped it. We’ve been out looking for her. Came back because we knew you were arriving soon.”
“I don’t understand.” Her hand rested at the base of her throat. “We put her in with other horses so this wouldn’t happen.”
“The mustang was here.”
“At the ranch!”
“Outside the pasture. That’s when she jumped the fence. Javier, Ethan and I saw the whole thing. We were going to go after the mustang, try to rope him, but then Avaro escaped, and the two of them ran off. I didn’t call you, I knew you had the paternity test. And I figured it was better that we went after her right away.”
“We have to go back out,” Sage said in a rush.
“As soon as we saddle up a horse for you and fresh ones for Ethan, Conner and I. Dad will keep an eye on the girls. He’s also packing us a lunch and some drinks.”
“Mama, look at Blue’s new collar.” Isa came running over, the puppy patiently coping with his bumpy ride. Cassie came, too. “He outgrew his other one already.” Isa took one look at her mother and stopped suddenly. “What’s wrong?”
“Avaro’s missing,” Sage told the girls. “We’re leaving now to look for her.”
“Can we come?” Cassie asked.
“That’s not a good idea,” Gavin said.
“Why not? The more people looking, the better the chance of finding her. Right?”
“We’ll handle it, Cassie. You and Isa are going to stay here with Grandpa.”
“Not fair.” Her bottom lip protruded stubbornly.
Isa set the puppy on the ground, went over to Sage and hugged her. “Poor Mama.”
Sage stroked the girl’s hair. “You be good for Mr. Powell, promise?”
Isa nodded.
“How ’bout you head into the house,” Gavin suggested. “Fix yourselves some lunch.”
Sage kissed the top of Isa’s head, then she and Gavin started toward the stables.
Cassie accompanied Isa, though storming off was probably a better description. Gavin put the incident from his mind. He’d make amends later.
At the moment, finding Avaro took precedence.
GAVIN PEERED THROUGH the binoculars, hoping to see a movement among the overgrown brush in the rocky ravine below. They’d been riding the Tom Thumb Trail for the past two hours, with no more luck than before.
“See anything?” Sage asked. She sat astride one of the ranch’s more dependable horses, a gelding Ethan had broken to ride right before he joined the Marines.
“No,” Gavin answered, and lowered the binoculars. “Nothing.”
“Damn. Where could she be?”
About a million and one places, but Gavin didn’t voice the thought aloud. Sage was already plenty worried.
“Let’s keep going.” He loosened his reins, the only cue his horse needed. The mare, an older sister of Shasta from the same original mustang lines, started up the trail, her head lowered, her powerful front legs digging into the steep and uneven ground.
They’d split into two groups for the afternoon search. Gavin and Sage in one, Ethan and Conner in the other. As well as looking for Avaro, Ethan and Conner were going to the box canyon to retrieve the mares. There was no point in leaving them another night. The mustang would not likely return now that he had Avaro.
Gavin’s cell phone suddenly rang, startling him. Though far from any tower, he sometimes got reception in odd little pockets throughout the preserve. How good the reception was depended on the weather.
He reined in his horse and removed his phone from his pocket. His brother’s name appeared on the display. Skipping any preamble, he answered brusquely, “Find her?”
“Not yet. What about you?”
“Nothing.”
“How’s Sage holding up?”
Though his back was to her, Gavin sensed her gaze on him. “Well enough.”
“Conner and I are just getting ready to head over to the canyon.”
“I think we’ll check out the reservoir at the golf resort.” It was a long shot, but worth investigating.
“I doubt my phone will work after this. I’ll send up a flare if we spot the horses.”
“I’ll do the same.”
Disconnecting, Gavin continued along the trail. Sage didn’t ask about the call, the gist of which was probably obvious from listening to his end of the conversation. Not three minutes later, his phone rang again. Hoping it was Ethan with good news, Gavin was surprised to see his father’s number appear on the display.
“Hey, Dad. Everything okay?”
“No, it’s bad. The girls are missing.”
Chapter Eleven
“Missing!” Panic ripped through Gavin.
“I’ve been searching for the last twenty minutes.” Worry strained his father’s voice. “The girls aren’t anywhere on the ranch.”
“Are they on horseback or foot?”
“Horseback. Javier said he saw them riding Chico and Barbie Doll along the back pasture about an hour ago.”
“Why didn’t he stop them?”
“He didn’t know. It wasn’t his job to watch the girls. It was mine.” His father sounded desperate. “I screwed up. I lay down for a nap.”
“A nap?” Gavin snapped, unable to help himself. His father had a habit of sleeping in the afternoon. But why today of all days? “Dammit, Dad.”
Avaro escaping with the mustang paled in comparison to this crisis.
“What is it?” Sage had nudged her horse close to Gavin’s. “Tell me,” she insisted.
Gavin held the phone away from his mouth. “Cassie and Isa are apparently riding in the preserve. Alone.”
“Apparently!”
“Javier saw them head out about an hour ago.”
“And your dad was napping?” Her voice rose with growing agitation.
“We’ll find them. Don’t worry.” He had to stay calm. Think clearly. “They couldn’t have gotten far, and I know every inch of these mountains.”
He did, it was true. But there were a lot of mountains in this range.
“Javier and I will saddle up right away,” his father interrupted. “I’ll alert Rebecca in case the girls come back.”
“And I’ll call Ethan. He and Conner are on their way to the box canyon.” He tried to think of where Cassie might take Isa. “You and Javier ride the west ridge. The picnic site is one of Cassie’s favorites places.”
“Please tell Sage how sorry I am.”
He glanced at her. She was leaning forward in the saddle, hanging on his every word.
“We’ll worry about that later,” he said. “Contact the sheriff’s office before you and Javier leave. Report the girls missing.”
Gavin and his father discussed several last details, then disconnected. Contacting Ethan next, Gavin filled in his brother with clipped, urgent sentences. They agreed he and Conner should continue onto the box canyon as that route ran south of the ranch. Between all three search parties, they’d have much of the preserve’s northern section covered.
“If you find them, send up a flare,” Gavin said. “I’ll do the same.”
He hesitated after disconnecting. There had to be more he could do, someone he could call to help beside the sheriff. They had friends in the area. People who would come to their aid. Unfortunately, time wasn’t on their side. At most, ninety minutes of daylight remained.
Last Chance Cowboy Page 12