Aidan: Loyal Cowboy: Aidan: Loyal CowboyThe Family Plan

by Cathy McDavid

  “I don’t always come to her defense.” Hurt showed on Jolyn’s face, rang in her voice.

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Chase felt like a heel. She didn’t deserve to be a target for his frustration.

  “Forget it.” Jolyn shrugged off his apology. “Sounds like she put you through the wringer tonight.”

  “What makes you think there’s another reason besides the horse?” he asked in a more conversational tone.

  “Nothing, really. I just don’t understand SherryAnne anymore. Abandoning her daughter in order to be a competitive barrel racer is one thing. Vowing to tell Mandy you might not…about Steven…is just despicable.”

  Chase stared at the darkness beyond the porch. Not four hours earlier they’d sat in these same chairs, surrounded by friends and family. So much had changed in such a short span of time it hardly seemed like the same day.

  “I’ll just have to keep SherryAnne away from Mandy.”

  “Mandy won’t understand why.”

  “I can’t take the chance. SherryAnne might let something slip.”

  “Can I ask something without you getting mad?”

  “Uh-oh.” He grimaced but good naturedly.

  “Have you ever considered having the DNA testing done?”

  “What!” Of all the things he’d thought she might ask, this was the last.

  “Discretely, of course. You wouldn’t have to tell anyone until the results came back.”

  An ice-cold ball of fear settled in his stomach. “DNA testing won’t solve my problems,” he said stonily.

  “But it would. Really.” Jolyn appeared to be unaware of the turmoil building inside him. “When the results came back positive, SherryAnne and my mother would have nothing to hold over your head.”

  “And if the results came back negative?” Here was the crux of the matter and what scared Chase the most. “What then?”

  “You and Mandy would go on like before,” she said, as if it were just that simple.

  Only it wouldn’t be like before and it certainly wouldn’t be simple.

  He’d know he wasn’t Mandy’s real father, and that wasn’t something he could live with.

  “No.”

  “This could fix everything,” she insisted.

  “Or destroy everything.”

  “Mandy’s your daughter. I believe it. Steven believes it.”

  “You’ve been talking to him about my problems?”

  “Not about the DNA testing. Mandy, yes. A couple of weeks ago.”

  “I see,” he said evenly.

  “No one would be more relieved to learn Mandy was your daughter than him.”

  “I’d be more relieved.”

  “Yes—you, of course.”

  “I’d rather you didn’t discuss me with your brother,” he grumbled. “If you don’t mind.”

  “All right.”

  Her tone rankled him. “I mean it.”

  “And I won’t,” she said with a touch of impatience, then sighed. “At least consider having the test done.”

  “Why are you suddenly pressuring me?”

  “I’m not.”

  “That’s what it feels like.” Chase had always counted on Jolyn’s support. Had she shifted that support to Dottie? “Your mother’s sick,” he said abruptly.

  “Yes. What are you getting at?”

  He sensed her eyes on him but didn’t return her gaze. “That you’d like me to have the DNA testing done so your sick mother will have proof she’s Mandy’s grandmother.”

  Her stare intensified. “Did last night mean anything to you?”

  “Of course it did.”

  “Look at me when you say that.”

  He turned his head, met her eyes. “Last night meant more to me than I ever thought possible.”

  “For me, too,” she said, as if that should clear the air.

  Only it didn’t. “Then why suggest I have the DNA testing?”

  “Because I thought the positive results would finally free you, all of us, from this damn dark cloud we’ve been living under for years. Is that so horrible?”

  “I will not lose my daughter. I’m sorry your mother’s sick, but Mandy’s my entire life.”

  “And what about me? What am I to you? Lover? Girlfriend? One-night stand?”

  “I thought you were my friend.”

  “I am. Even when you haven’t treated me like one.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The night of our senior dance. You took me home and kissed me. You led me to believe you and SherryAnne were finished and that we, we…” She paused. “That we had something special.”

  “We did,” he said softly.

  “Then how come you blew me off later?”

  She stood so abruptly, the plastic lawn chair wobbled and nearly tipped over. Chase reached out and steadied it. She glared at him, then swung around as if to leave through the kitchen door.

  “Wait,” he snapped. “Don’t go.”

  To his relief, she stopped. She didn’t, however, return to her chair.

  “You’re right,” he said. “I treated you badly. And there’s no excuse for it other than I was young and stupid and thinking with a part of my body not my brain. But that was a long time ago. And in the grand scheme of things, pretty insignificant compared to Mandy and the very real possibility SherryAnne will ruin my relationship with her.”

  Several seconds of silence passed before Jolyn spoke.

  “Yes, my mother is sick,” she said without emotion. “Maybe very sick. But I assure you, Chase, I didn’t suggest you have the DNA testing for her sake. Only yours.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She went rigid. “This conversation is over.”

  “Jolyn.”

  When she headed for the door, he didn’t stop her. A moment later, he was alone on the porch. He spent the next fifteen minutes watching the storm gain momentum and trying to convince himself he had no reason to feel guilty as hell.

  * * *

  EVENTUALLY, CHASE DRAGGED himself into the house. He regretted his fight with Jolyn but was convinced he was right. Dottie factored into her argument that he have the DNA testing done, whether she realized it or not.

  Something told him sleep wouldn’t come easy tonight. He’d crawl between the sheets only to remember Jolyn and the hours they’d lain together last night, making love.

  “Shit,” he muttered to himself.

  He should call her in the morning, see how she was doing. No, wait. Her mother was having outpatient surgery. The reminder cemented Chase’s resolve to stay strong. No one was going to coerce him into having the test. And if that decision cost him his relationship with Jolyn, so be it.

  Was that what he wanted?

  “No,” he answered out loud, hating that it might be his only choice.

  He went down the hall to Mandy’s room. It was his nightly habit to check on her before he went to bed even though she’d passed the age where she needed checking on.

  Pushing open the door to her room, Chase peeked inside. An unexpected rush of air struck him in the face. Strange. Mandy didn’t like to sleep with the window open, especially during a storm. In the darkness, he heard Lickety whining.

  “Quiet, girl,” he whispered, and crossed the room silently.

  The window was wide open. Lickety stood on the floor beneath it, her nose raised in the air. Chase started to close the window, then realized the screen was missin
g.

  “What the—” A chill ran through his body. He reached for the light on Mandy’s bedside table and switched it on.

  Her bed was empty.

  “Mandy!” he called in a panic.

  She didn’t answer.

  A terror unequal to anything Chase had ever experienced seized him.

  Where in God’s name had she gone?

  Stopping only long enough to grab a flashlight from the kitchen drawer, he bolted through the back door. He had no idea where to start looking for Mandy, only that he had to.

  Lickety ran toward the barn. Chase followed, also running, his feet slipping on the uneven ground. Inside the barn, he stopped to turn on a light.

  The startled horses, already nervous because of the thunder and lightning, tossed their heads and whinnied. Matilda reared and kicked the side panel of her stall. Lickety tore up the aisle and then back down, her nose glued to the ground.

  Chase walked more slowly, carefully scanning his surroundings, hoping that Mandy was hiding somewhere in the barn. She must have heard him and SherryAnne fighting. Why else would she run away? They’d forgotten to lower their voices. Hell, they’d been loud enough for the neighbors to hear every word.

  Dammit! Could he have been more stupid? If she heard… That meant she knew he might not be her father. What must she be thinking and feeling?

  He had to find her. He must. And somehow, some way, he’d make everything right again.

  “Easy now.”

  Settling the horses as he walked down the aisle, he peered into each stall and swept the back corners with the flashlight. He didn’t expect to find Mandy. More likely, she was hiding in the tack room or the garage. Still, he checked each stall, even the empty ones, just to be sure.

  When he came to the end, his heart nearly stopped beating.

  Mandy’s little horse, Cinnamon, was gone.

  He ran back down the aisle to the tack room. Shoving open the door, he turned on the light.

  Cinnamon’s saddle was missing, as was her bridle.

  A low groan of despair escaped Chase. In the next second, rain started falling. Fat drops hit the metal barn roof like a shower of bullets.

  Chase raced back to the house. By the time he reached the back porch, the rain was coming down in buckets.

  Terror gripped him, paralyzed him, tore him in two. His daughter was missing. She’d run away from home. And the rainstorm to beat all rainstorms had just begun.

  * * *

  JOLYN PACED THE empty house, listening to the thunder unleash its fury.

  She’d held back her tears after her fight with Chase until she’d reached her truck, then cried all the way home, telling herself she was a fool for believing they had a future together.

  Once home, she replayed their argument, and after some thoughtful introspection, changed her mind. Chase had been right. Her suggestion that he have the DNA testing was, to some degree, motivated by her mother’s health. And Jolyn’s own best interests.

  If Chase proved to be Mandy’s father, Jolyn’s mother and SherryAnne would lose their hold over him. Her brother would also be out from under SherryAnne’s thumb.

  But what if the results were negative? How could she suggest Chase live with the knowledge that he wasn’t Mandy’s father and expect him to believe she cared for him?

  For the fourth time in the last hour, Jolyn started up the stairs for her bedroom only to stop and return to the den. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep, and tossing and turning would just frustrate her further.

  Yet, she needed sleep in order to get through the day ahead, and 5:30 a.m. was just six short hours away. After checking on the Buchanans’ solarium job and meeting the painters at her office, she would leave for the hospital.

  Assuming all went well with her mother’s surgery, she’d be back on the road to Blue Ridge by midafternoon. Her father would bring her mother home that evening. Kenny Jr. had agreed to cover the post office for as long as necessary. Jolyn fervently wished the arrangements they’d made were temporary and that life quickly returned to normal.

  She jumped when the phone rang suddenly. Who could be calling at this late hour?

  “Hello?” she said into the phone.

  “Jolyn?”

  “Chase?” Her startled heart began to beat wildly.

  “Sorry to disturb you.”

  “It’s all right. I was still up.” She contemplated what to say to him.

  “I know this is going to sound strange, but you haven’t by chance heard from or seen Mandy tonight?”

  “Mandy? No.”

  Chase swore under his breath. “You were my last hope.”

  She heard the desperation in his voice. “Is something wrong?”

  “Mandy ran away.”

  “What?”

  “She took off on Cinnamon. Between nine and ten, I’m guessing.”

  “She’s riding?” His announcement shocked Jolyn to her very core. “In this storm?”

  “Yeah. I’m afraid so.” His voice caught.

  “Oh, no. What happened?”

  “I think she must have overheard SherryAnne and I arguing.”

  “Oh, Chase. You don’t think she heard us, too?” Jolyn couldn’t bear to think she’d played a part in Mandy’s disappearance.

  “I doubt it. If anything, she probably snuck out while we were talking. She went out the window and could have easily cut around and through the pasture to the barn.”

  And they’d been too busy disagreeing to notice anything, Jolyn thought miserably. “What can I do to help?”

  “Nothing. Just call if you hear from her.”

  “I will, I promise. What are you going to do?”

  “I’ve phoned all her friends that I can think of and

  SherryAnne at the inn.”

  “How’s she taking it?”

  “She’s upset. And feels responsible. She wants to help with the search tomorrow. I told her she should stay in town in case Mandy shows up.”

  “What search?”

  “I contacted my commander in the sheriff’s posse. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  She remembered that Chase belonged to the mounted search and rescue. “I think that’s smart. No sense taking any chances.” If Mandy went into the nearby mountains during a thunderstorm… Jolyn shuddered.

  “We can’t start the search until daybreak. Everyone’s meeting in the center of town in front of the library. We’ll split up into teams to cover more territory.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “I can’t ask that of you.”

  “You’re not asking, I’m volunteering.”

  “But your mother’s surgery is tomorrow.”

  “Dad and Steven will be with her. And they’ll understand if I’m not.” Tears pricked her eyes. “Chase, you’ve got to find her. She can’t be out in this weather for long.”

  “No, she can’t,” he said in a hoarse whisper.

  “I’ll come over if you like.”

  “Thanks. But I’ve got a lot to do to get ready for the morning. And I’m still contacting people.”

  “If you need anything, anything,” she reiterated, “call. I don’t care what time it is.” She doubted she’d sleep even one wink tonight.

  There was a brief silence on the line. “After what I said to you earlier tonight, I wouldn’t blame you if—”

  “Stop it,” she interrupted. “It really doesn’t matter who’s at fault. Finding Mandy i
s all that matters.” She breathed deeply. “You’re going to get her back, Chase. She couldn’t have gone far, not on Cinnamon.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said, wishing she had more than words to comfort him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chase spent most of the night driving around town in the rain, searching for Mandy and grimacing at every crack of thunder and streak of lightning. Around 4:30 a.m. he headed out to the barn to saddle Matilda and gather equipment.

  This was all his fault. If he hadn’t argued with SherryAnne, or had at least shown the good sense to take their argument out of Mandy’s earshot, his daughter wouldn’t have run away. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.

  Climbing onto Matilda, he galloped down the road. The library came into view just as the eastern horizon went from pitch-black to an overcast predawn gray. It had stopped raining about two or three hours ago but the air had a damp feel to it. The weather report on the twenty-four-hour news station predicted more rain.

  Chase hated to think of Mandy spending the night outside, possibly in the nearby hills and woods. His one consolation was that while wet, it wasn’t cold. She might be uncomfortable depending on where she’d found refuge, but she’d survive the elements. And the two of them had ridden the area enough that she knew her way around.

  He felt a tightness in his chest as he came upon the library. Even in the dim light of a gloomy dawn, he could make out a huge number of vehicles and riders, see the zigzagging beams of a dozen lanterns and flashlights. Twenty-five people, at least, had shown up to help in the search for Mandy and more were coming every minute. Surely with so many of them looking, they would find her, and quickly.

  Jolyn was there—he saw her right away. She stood by Mike’s truck, sipping a cup of coffee. Chase’s aunt and uncle had also arrived, along with the entire Blue Ridge volunteer fire department and many of the mounted posse members. Gage was there, too, with Aubrey. Chase hoped that Mandy wouldn’t need the services of a nurse.