Justified Deception (Prequel: Dancing Moon Ranch Series)

by Watters, Patricia

  Once back in Pine Grove he loaded the plane with sacks of grain from the feed store, made a visit to the tack shop to pick up a saddle he'd left for repair, and stopped by the post office to buy stamps. He’d just turned to leave when the postal clerk called out, "Wait up, Matt." Matt turned to find the man waving a letter. "This came for the woman who's working for you."

  Matt took the letter. "Why wasn't it sent out with the regular mail?" he asked.

  "It's addressed to her post office box," the clerk replied. "But since she doesn't come around here very often, you might as well take it to her."

  Matt eyed the letter. It was, in fact, addressed to a post office box in Ruth's name. She'd said nothing about having a box, and since mail was delivered daily to the ranch, there was no reason for her to have one... except to receive confidential mail.

  On returning to his plane, he held the letter up to the light. Though most of the lines of writing were unreadable, two words in the letterhead stood out—Private Investigator. The words were enough for Matt to know he had to open the letter. If Ruth was planning to press a legal claim for Annie, he needed all the ammunition he could get to fight back. Slipping his knife inside the sealed flap, he sliced open the envelope and read:

  Jenny, I received the copy of the birth certificate. I hope by now the DNA kits have arrived. Without preliminary DNA tests there isn't enough probable cause evidence to press for Chain of Custody DNA tests, which would be admissible in court. So until you find something solid, do nothing to alarm Kincaid. And destroy this letter as soon as you've read it. Bill.

  So there it was. Ruth was Annie's mother, and she'd hired on as Annie's nanny under an assumed name. But now he felt no misgivings about having signed the injunction and restraining order against her. Not only had Ruth, or Jenny as it was, lost her rights to Annie the day she turned Annie over for adoption, but he knew Ruth didn't love him and never had. She'd led him on, solely as a means to get her daughter back

  ***

  Ruth peered out the window. Beneath a cloud-darkened sky, Edith was hastily taking laundry off the line before the rain would come, and Annie was out there playing with her pup. If she didn't act now, she wouldn't get another chance to learn how much Matt knew about her, since he'd be returning from Salem any time. It was obvious, from their disturbing conversation in the kitchen the day before, that he knew plenty. The fact that he'd flown to Salem to see Bret made her uneasy.

  Rushing down the hallway, she slipped into Matt's office and went straight for the papers stashed in a file tray on his desk. Quickly, she scanned the collection of bills and receipts and business letters. Finding nothing, she pulled open the top drawer to his desk and perused its contents. Still nothing. Feeling uneasy, she dashed over to the window and saw that Annie and Edith were still there. Rushing back to the desk, she searched through the side drawers, though she had no idea what she was looking for, but found nothing. Deciding there was nothing to be gained by continuing the search, she turned to leave the room, and as she did, her eyes fixed on the blinking green light on the answering machine. Stepping over to it, she pushed the replay button and recognized Bret’s voice saying...

  "Hey buddy. I should have information about Ruth Crawford soon. Meanwhile, the restraining order is ready for you to sign as soon as you get here..."

  Ruth replayed the answering machine, listening to it again in stunned silence.

  ...restraining order... as soon as you get here...

  Matt knew, and he was planning to have her served with papers.

  She rushed back to her room and began gathering her belongings and stuffing them into a bedroll bag. They'd flee, she and Annie. With Annie in her possession she'd be able to have Chain of Custody DNA tests run, which would prove, without doubt, that Annie was Beth, and it would be accepted in court. But first she'd have to convince Annie to go. Yes, she could do that. They'd be going camping. An overnight horseback trek which would take them to the highway, and the bus, and to wherever it was going….

  Outside, the clouds had darkened, and the air was heavy with the scent of rain. But that didn't matter. Nothing mattered but having Beth...

  ***

  Moments after Matt left the plane, Deke rushed up to him, and said, "I'm glad you're back. I was about to go after Ruth and Annie. It's about to start raining and they didn't look too well equipped for camping."

  Matt looked at Deke, baffled. "What are you talking about, Ruth and Annie camping?" As he said the words, he felt a growing sense of uneasiness. Ruth would never take Annie for an overnight without asking him. "Are you sure Ruth said they'd be going overnight?"

  "That's what she said they were doing when I found her and Annie in the stable. I figured Ruth cleared it with you. She’d saddled the horses herself and had bags slung over them. She and Annie were wearing rain gear too, but it didn't look like they had bedrolls or a tent."

  Seized by a terrible awareness, Matt said, "When did they leave?"

  "Not more than twenty minutes ago. They were heading toward the highway."

  "Good God!" Matt barely had time to process what Deke told him when the phone rang. He answered abruptly. "Yes?"

  "Hey buddy, it's Bret. I finally remembered where I saw Ruth. Her name's not Ruth Crawford, it's Jennifer Sinclair, and she is Annie's mother. And the reason she was familiar to me was because—"

  "Can't talk now, Bret. She's left and taken Annie. Call the sheriff. Have him intercept the four o'clock bus from Pine Grove to Burns. They left on horseback, heading for the highway. They've got to be heading for that bus."

  "I'll call the sheriff, but—"

  "Save it. I've got to go." Matt slammed the phone down, his greatest fears a reality. "Saddle up," he said to Deke. "We'll head over the mesa and try to catch up with them if they haven’t made it to the highway yet. They can't have gotten far. Ruth was riding Dynamite, wasn't she?"

  Deke nodded.

  Matt rushed into the house and shrugged into his foul weather gear then headed for the stable, wind whipping about, billowing his rain poncho and wrapping it around him. A strobe of lightening flashed momentarily, changing a deep purple sky to lavender, as thunder crashed directly overhead, rumbled and rolled away toward the distant hills.

  Deke flinched. "Doesn't make sense, Ruth taking Annie out in weather like this."

  "It makes sense," Matt said. "Ruth is Annie's mother. She's kidnapping Annie," he added, deciding he owed Deke an explanation about what they were up to.

  Deke looked at him with a start. "She's what!?"

  "Annie's biological mother. Now let's get the hell on our way!"

  Hastily they saddled up and set out in a ground eating gallop. When they reached the highway, Matt reined in. "Over there. The horses," he said, pointing to where Dynamite and Skeeter stood, heads down, chomping on the lush grass along the highway. Looking in the distance, he spotted the bus. "There it is," he yelled. "Looks like it stopped to pick them up."

  "We'll never catch them now," Deke yelled back.

  "We can if we cut back across the mesa and intercept the bus at the railroad crossing, but we have no time to lose." Matt spurred his horse, sending him racing back the way they'd come, with Deke racing alongside him. A short distance farther they crossed an open area to where a grove of cottonwood trees stood at the base of the mesa. Urging their mounts, they made their way up the steep slope and rode along the top of the mesa, flickers of lightning and thunder rumbling in the distance. They continued at a full run to where the mesa narrowed, then sent the horses plunging down the other side and galloping over open range dotted with sage and low brush, pulling their horses to a halt at the railroad crossing. There, they waited in the middle of the highway. About five minutes later, the bus came into view.

  Matt dismounted and stood in the highway until the bus stopped for the crossing. When the driver opened the door, Matt said to the driver, "You have a kidnapping aboard," then took the bus steps in one leap and made his way down the center aisle. Spotting Ruth
and Annie, he closed the gap in several long strides and lifted Annie in his arms. Ruth jumped up and reached for Annie, but Matt was already down the aisle, rushing toward the door. He leapt off the bus, and in an instant, hoisted Annie up in front of Deke, yelling, "Take her back to the ranch and don't let her out of your sight, and send Seth out to the highway to get the horses."

  Deke nodded, and with Annie settled in front of him, kicked his mount, and headed back to the ranch. Ruth lunged down the bus steps and started after them. Matt grabbed her wrist. "You're not going anywhere." He told the driver to get their bags, then nodded to him to go. The doors closed and the bus pulled away, leaving them alone on the vacant highway.

  Ruth tugged against Matt's grip. "Let me go!" she yelled. "She's my daughter!"

  "You should have thought of that before you sold her and walked out of her life," Matt yelled. "This is kidnapping, and I'll see you in jail for taking her like this."

  Ruth twisted her hand from his grasp. "I never walked out of her life. She was stolen from me... from my home... from my yard when she was playing. I never gave her up... Never..." Collapsing to her knees, Ruth buried her face in her hands and cried as if her heart was breaking.

  Matt stared in bewildered silence. His anger began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of hollowness as he gazed down at Ruth, watching her shoulders heaving with her deep, heartfelt sobs. "I never... gave her up," she wailed. "I loved her... with all my heart and soul..."

  Matt was still staring in bewilderment when a police car pulled to a halt. The door flew open and Les jumped out. Matt looked at him, and said, woodenly, "She said her daughter was stolen from her."

  "She's right," Les replied. "That's what Bret was trying to tell you on the phone. Here, take a look at this." He handed Matt a photocopy of a newspaper article. "Bret faxed it to the office. It gives more details."

  "It's Annie," Matt said, as he studied the newspaper photo of Annie as a toddler. He scanned the statistics on the abduction, which had taken place the same month he'd adopted Annie. The reality of it hit him. The ease of the adoption. The quick passing through hands of money. Big money. A cashier's check. The doubts he'd had about the social worker who questioned them—a hard-faced woman who, in retrospect, seemed about as far removed from a social worker as Jody was. But the moment they handed Annie over, nothing mattered. She was theirs, and his marriage would be forever. But a stolen child? He'd never considered that.

  "I honestly thought Annie's mother willingly gave her up," he said to Les, while staring at the article. He crouched in front of Ruth and rested his hand on her shoulder.

  She flinched and shook his hand off. "Don't touch me!"

  "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't know," Matt said. "But what were you thinking, taking Annie and leaving like this?"

  Ruth looked at him with tear-drenched eyes. "I don't know," she said. "I didn't have time to think. I just had to get away. You were going to have me arrested."

  Matt looked at her steadily. "And when you got where you were going, what were you planning to tell Annie about me?"

  "I don't know. I hadn't thought that far."

  Matt stood and offered her a hand up. She refused. He propped his hands on his hips. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth? I gave you plenty of chances."

  Ruth dragged herself up and faced him squarely. "Would you have agreed to letting Annie take a DNA test, knowing if it confirmed a biological relationship I'd take Annie from you?"

  "No. Just as I won't now."

  "You don't have a choice. I intend to press the issue. You can't stop me."

  "I can and I will."

  Ruth tightened her mouth and said nothing, just stood there, coldly appraising him.

  "I will stop you, Ruth, because no one's going to take Annie from me, not even with DNA tests. Incidentally, I know all about the test kits. I intercepted a letter from your investigator."

  Ruth stared at him, her thin nostrils flaring. "You read a letter from Bill?"

  "You gave me no choice. After what happened at the swimming hole I knew you were desperate."

  Ruth stared at him, eyes unblinking. "I was. There is nothing I wouldn't do to get my daughter back. And the DNA test will prove Annie's my daughter. But in return for your turning over custody to me, I'll guarantee you unlimited visitation. I'd never deny you access to her."

  The utter desolation Matt saw in Ruth's tear-filled eyes was almost his undoing. Still, he had to set her straight about Annie. "I refuse to let you take Annie under any circumstances," he said. "You'll get Annie by becoming my wife or not at all."

  "Fine then, I'll be your wife!" She spat the words at him like dregs from a wine barrel. "Like I said, there's nothing I wouldn't do to get my daughter back."

  "I can see we're not getting anywhere with this here." He looked at Les. "You're not taking her." It was a statement, not a question.

  Les shrugged. "It's up to you. I was acting on information Bret gave me. Nothing formal."

  "Then take her back to the ranch," Matt said. "We have things to sort out."

  Les glanced from one to the other then opened the door for Ruth to climb in and set her bags on the seat beside her. As the car drove off, Matt had no idea how things would unfold between him and Ruth, but he did know with certainty that Annie would not be leaving the ranch.

  CHAPTER 13

  Once back at the ranch, Ruth used the ranch phone to call Bill and her attorney to tell them what happened, then waited for Matt to return. Fifteen minutes later, when he did, she faced him squarely, and said, "I want to know every detail of the adoption. It's obvious the agency was dealing with stolen children and I intend to have them prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And Annie will be coming with me as soon as I can get a court order releasing her to me. I called my attorney and he's setting things in motion."

  Matt folded his arms and squared off with her. "You're too late," he said. "Bret already has a restraining order against your taking Annie from the ranch. If you do, even if she is your child, and that hasn't been established, you'll be kidnapping, and I'll track you down and find you."

  Ruth saw the look of iron resolution on Matt's face. "You might have a restraining order against me taking Annie now, but eventually you'll have to turn her over to me because I do have positive proof she's my daughter. Her Bum Baby. I found it when I tucked her in bed. My mother gave it to Beth on her first birthday and it has the same stitching up the front where my mother mended it. You can't deny Annie had it with her when you first got her."

  Matt nodded vaguely. "But that changes nothing. She may be your child, but I'm the only parent she's ever known and she belongs at the Kincaid with me."

  "She belongs with me. She's mine! I'm her mother! She was stolen from me!" Ruth cried, her voice rising almost to a shriek, her eyes filling with tears.

  Matt heaved a weary sigh, and said with a blend of anger and fatigue, "I'm sorry, Ruth, I know this is painful for you, and I can identify with what you're going through, but Annie stays here. We'll somehow work it out. Marriage is one way. With Annie as our focus, we could build a decent life together. It would solve everything."

  Ruth's face burned with suppressed anger, as she replied, in a tightly controlled voice, "It would solve things for you. But I couldn't possibly marry you now. There are too many unanswered questions. You haven't told me yet how you got Annie, other than you got her from an ad in the paper, which should have made you suspicious since black market children frequently turn up in newspaper ads. But I also overheard you and Bret talking the night of the campout. He asked you questions about Annie's adoption and you refused to answer them."

  Matt gave a kind of grudging laugh. "That's because Bret and the rest of my family have a way of running my life if I let them."

  Ruth stared at him. He was lying. She could feel it, and she could see it on his face, the way his eyes moved restlessly, and his fingers curled into loose fists. "I don't believe that's the reason," she said. "I think you're hiding so
mething. I've been in hell the past four years, and you owe me an explanation as to how the adoption came about, who you got Annie from, and anything else you know. It will all come out in court. Or maybe you were actively involved and that's why you refuse to talk about it," she challenged.

  Matt's icy stare sent chills through her. Had she hit on the truth? Had Matt played an active part in Beth's abduction? A few weeks ago she'd seriously considered that possibility. But as the days passed, when Matt treated her as if she were someone special in their lives, and looked after Annie with all the tenderness of a loving father, she pushed that notion aside. But if he was capable of stealing a child, he was capable of anything.

  She eased away from him, and as she did, his expression changed from icy contempt to contrition. His chest expanded, and he let out a despondent sigh, and said, "Just to set the record straight, I was in no way connected with the agency or the means by which they came about getting Annie. I believed from the start what I was told, that her unmarried mother gave her up willingly. You know the rest."

  Ruth looked at the face of the man she'd thought she was in love with, and said, in a cool, dry tone, "No, I don't know the rest. From what I heard Bret recall to you, you and your wife suddenly had Annie. We all know that couples sometimes wait years for a child, yet you managed to get one in record time. You had to have had reservations about that?"

  Matt took so long to reply, Ruth wondered if he'd heard her. She started to repeat the question, when he said, "Yes, I did have reservations, but I needed a child to save my marriage, and the opportunity came at the right time, and the moment I held Annie and was told she was mine, I didn't ask any more questions. Not even to myself."

  "So you admit you've had suspicions over the years?"

  "Yes, I've had suspicions," Matt conceded. "But I never imagined she'd been kidnapped, only that there could be loopholes in the adoption for her biological mother to come forward and take her back. In fact, I've lived in fear of that." He reached for her. "Honey, I'm so sorry."