by Glynna Kaye
“I’m sorry.”
He glanced toward her, only to catch her eye and see her quickly turn away. She was beautiful this morning, with her glossy hair braided down her back. Had she slept any better than he had? Must have. She sure didn’t look like he felt after a night of tossing and turning.
He’d given leaving the force a lot of thought. Assuming she’d agree to have him if he wasn’t a cop, getting up the guts to say goodbye to police work was all that stood between him and the woman of his dreams. Just as when Maddie had voiced the option yesterday, it sounded so simple. Quit. Get married. Live happily ever after.
But how would he support her and Cory? Provide a home? He couldn’t tend to cattle and crops like his brother did.
Cops and crooks. That’s all he knew anything about.
A light touch to his arm brought him back to the present.
“I know it wasn’t easy to bring up the subject of DNA testing at lunch today.”
A muscle in his jaw tightened. “It had to be done.”
“It took a lot of courage, especially since I know you share Violet’s concerns about prying into your parents’ past.”
He cast her a bleak look. “I have to admit I don’t look forward to looking my dad in the eye and telling him I suspected my birth mother—his wife—had messed around with some other guy. That I concluded he might not be my dad. That’s going to hurt him. Badly.”
“But you don’t think that.” Her tone held a confident ring. “I’ve sensed all along that deep down you believe Brian Wallace is your father.”
He nodded, the reassurance in her words warming him.
“Can’t you see, Gray? With that Earl woman determined to worm her way into your family’s midst, what choice do you have but to resort to testing? Not long ago, a family wouldn’t have this means to disprove the claims she’s making. You need to take advantage of it, if only for your peace of mind.”
“You’re right. But she seems so sure of herself.”
“That doesn’t make the story truth. Her husband could have lied to her.”
“That’s what makes this situation even worse. Joe Earl. He didn’t amount to much, from what we’re hearing. He’s nobody whose blood I’d be proud to have flowing through my veins.”
“You are who you are, Grayson, not what someone else chose to make of his life. But doesn’t who he is make it all the more plausible that he’d lied to his wife? Why he would lie is immaterial. Liars habitually lie, not caring who they hurt.”
“True. But she claims when Dad found out his girlfriend—my birth mother—was pregnant, he took responsibility and married her. Then he eventually found out she’d stuck him with Joe Earl’s sons because Dad was set to inherit a substantial sum of money from his grandmother.” Gray glanced at Elise. “That would be my great-grandmother, who’d raised Dad. She died when I was small, so I don’t remember her. But as much as I don’t like the possibility that Joe Earl is my biological father, it might explain a lot about what split our folks up.”
“Or not.”
“But can’t you see why, if it is the truth, Dad may have buried himself in his work all these years? He could have been trying not to think about the betrayal. The divorce. Being stuck raising a boy who belonged to some scuzzy guy who’d gotten his girlfriend pregnant.”
Elise gripped his arm. “Gray. Stop. Don’t speculate like this. You may not receive them overnight, but I have every confidence you’ll get answers to your questions.”
He let out a gust of pent-up breath and cast her a bleak smile. “But do I really want them?”
“Wallace!”
A loud rapping came at the driver’s-side window. Startled, Gray turned to see the sheriff, his placid, easygoing demeanor a thing of the past.
“Get on out of there. We’ve got us a situation. Man holding his kids hostage at the old Franklin place. I got clearance to recruit anyone with a badge.”
* * *
Hands shaking but winning the battle against tears for Cory’s sake, Elise steered the SUV down the Colby Ranch road.
Oh, God, please protect him. Protect those children.
“Officer Grayson’s a policeman here, too?” Cory gazed out the window at the countryside rolling by. “Cool.”
“Like I said, he’s helping today.” Thank goodness Cory had been inside the church when Grayson retrieved his gun and joined the sheriff in his official vehicle.
Please, God. Please.
Once back at the house, she ushered Cory off to the kitchen to join Darcy and the housekeeper, Lupita, who often watched over her. Then she hurried through the downstairs rooms to seek out...who? Was anyone else at home midafternoon? Jack and Ty would be off doing whatever it is men did on a ranch. Keira would be tending to that ailing cow she’d heard mentioned at lunchtime. Violet was probably at the produce market in town.
Maddie. Maybe Grayson’s sister was home. Could that have been her vehicle parked in the shade of the pecan tree off to the side of the house?
“Maddie!” She took the stairs two at a time. Rounded the landing and headed upward to the second floor. “Ma—”
She ran right into her as Maddie stepped out of a bedroom door. Eyes filled with alarm, Grayson’s sister grasped her arms. “Hey, take it easy. What’s wrong? Is Cory okay?”
Nodding, Elise attempted to draw in a steadying lungful of air. “It’s—there’s a—”
Maddie led her into the adjoining room and directed her to sit on the bed. “Here. Catch your breath.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just—” She dropped to the cushiony softness and held out her hands to show how they were shaking. “There’s a hostage situation. The sheriff dragged Grayson into it.”
“Whoa. Slow down. A hostage situation? In Grasslands?”
“Some man’s holding his kids at gunpoint.” Elise reached out to grasp Maddie’s hand. “Grayson and I were at the church when the sheriff all but hauled him out of his SUV. They took off in the county vehicle.”
“So you drove yourself back out here? Where’s Cory?”
“Downstairs with Darcy and Lupita.” Elise took another steadying breath. “I don’t know what I’ll do if anything happens to Grayson.”
Maddie crouched before her, holding her hand in a reassuring grip. “Now, let’s not talk like that. Grayson’s not going to take any crazy chances. He knows his business. He’s good at what he does. The best.”
“Duke...my husband...was good, too.”
Maddie’s eyes filled with compassion as she rose to seat herself beside Elise. Drew her close. “Gray’s going to be okay.”
“I wish I shared your confidence, but—”
“Now, none of that talk. The good Lord’s watching over him and those kids.”
“You must think I’m a mess.” She wiped at her eyes, then gave a half laugh. “And I am. But with all that’s going on with your family, you sure don’t need me falling apart.”
“You’re not falling apart. You care for Grayson and you’re concerned about him.” Maddie gave her a reassuring squeeze. “At times like this, you have to draw down deep, Elise. Deep inside where God’s stored up strength you don’t even know you have.”
“I don’t think I have that kind of faith.”
“Faith isn’t a feeling or a ticket that buys what you need. It’s a decision—a matter of the will—to stretch out your hand to receive what’s being offered.”
“I love your brother.” There. She’d said it aloud. But loving didn’t change their circumstances, the bad timing for Grayson to come into her life.
His sister gave her an understanding smile. “He’s a lovable guy.”
“Gray deserves so much more than I can give him. More than I can be for him.”
“Nevertheless, he has his heart set on you, Elise. I know my
brother—he’ll do whatever he has to do to win you.”
“It will never happen.” Elise stared at her hands. “I can’t subject Grayson to living with the way I am. Not now. Not ever.”
Chapter Nineteen
Gray crouched beside the sheriff, his eyes never leaving the little farmhouse outside of town where twenty-five-year-old Baker Dorz held his two young sons hostage.
A first-grader, like Cory, and a preschooler.
God, please speak to his heart, let him hear what I’ve been telling him. Get him to let those boys go.
Just two of many officers waiting and watching, Gray and George had been out there for hours, sheltered behind the angled SUV. The last dregs of sunlight now faded into the horizon behind them. A cricket’s happy tune seemed out of place.
“I’ve met him, but don’t really know him,” George said for the umpteenth time, as if blaming himself for the situation. “They moved in here last summer. His wife says he’d gotten laid off in Lubbock and they lost their house. He found a night-shift position in Cannart, but rent is more affordable in Grasslands. She got a part-time job at the grocery store, so they settled here. Then he lost the new job a few days ago.”
“This economy’s tough. People have worked hard, done their best and, through no fault of their own, lost everything.”
“That seems to be his story. Then he got wind that her ma is trying to talk her into taking the kids and moving back home to Odessa. Add drinkin’ to the mix and this is what you wind up with.”
Grayson nodded, only half listening, his eyes and ears trained on the house.
George placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry about grabbing you off the street and hauling you out here. Shorthanded today.”
“No problem.”
“At least we have some backup out of sight there, ready to move in.” When Gray didn’t respond, George cleared his throat. “That pretty little gal you were with. She your girlfriend?”
“Not anymore.”
Elise’s ashen face filled his memory. How she’d stared blankly as he’d instructed her to drive Cory back to the Colby Ranch in his SUV. Had she found her way okay? Would she make herself sick with worry? Be convinced she’d made the right choice in backing off from a relationship with him?
She’d grasped his arm as he’d exited the vehicle, her eyes begging him not to go. How he’d longed to linger. To reassure her. But kids were in danger. No time to waste. Gray could only lean in to graze her smooth cheek with a quick kiss, knowing he was responsible for the anguish reflected in her eyes.
What kind of man did that to the woman he loved?
The sheriff nodded toward the darkened house. “I think Dorz has been listenin’ to you, Wallace. You make a lot of sense.”
“Maybe. It’s awfully quiet in there. He could be plotting his big finale.”
“You’ve done this before, haven’t you? This talkin’ sense into someone who ain’t sensible.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Once.”
“Are you one of those cops who talks people off ledges for a living?”
“No. I happened to be first on the scene to make contact. They kept me feeding him the negotiator’s verbiage because he refused to talk to anyone but me.”
George cut him a guarded look. “How’d it turn out?”
“He let his girlfriend go.” Gray’s throat tightened. “Then shot himself before we could get to him.”
“You think this fella will plug his kids? Come out shootin’? Try to take out some of us before he turns the gun on himself?”
“You never know, George. I pray to God he won’t.”
* * *
Elise stared at the clock in the den. Barely seven-fifteen on Sunday morning. Still dark.
And still no word from Grayson.
Having finally stopped pretending to sleep, she’d showered and dressed hours ago. Come downstairs and poured herself a bowl of cereal. It sat on the coffee table before her, untouched.
She’d prayed all night for Grayson’s safety. For those children. For their father who’d become so distraught, so hopeless, he wasn’t thinking straight. Did fear grip him as it did her at times? Did he once have a faith in the Creator of the universe that tragic events had shattered?
Faith. She’d always thought of herself as a woman of faith. She’d turned her life over to God as a teenager. Always looked to Him in times of trouble. But could someone who professed to have faith in God be such a mess inside? After Duke’s death, she no longer felt the presence of the faith that had once been such a large part of her life.
But Maddie had said something about faith not being a feeling at all. Nor was it something earned to be exchanged. She said faith was a decision to reach out and receive what God was offering you. Casting your cares on Him, isn’t that how she’d once heard it put?
A decision. Was it that simple? No trying to conjure up feelings you didn’t feel. No trying to be good enough to somehow twist God’s arm or convince Him you were deserving. Just making a decision to accept what He lovingly offered and trusting that He’d never leave you or forsake you.
“Mom?”
Cory stood in the doorway in his pajamas and robe, rubbing his eyes and blinking as they adjusted to the light. She held out her arms and he shuffled over to her for a hug. She pulled his small, warm body close, ever thankful that the love she and Duke had shared had brought this precious child into the world.
“Mom? Is Officer Grayson back yet?”
She forced a smile. “Not yet, sweetheart. But I imagine he’ll be along as soon as he finishes his work.”
“Police work.”
She nodded.
With a sleepy-eyed gaze, he looked around the room. “Why are you in here? Lupita’s in the kitchen.”
She’d been drawn to this room, the place where Grayson had slept on a sofa bed Friday night. Somehow she felt closer to him here.
“I didn’t want to be in the way of breakfast preparations.”
He pointed at the placemat, bowl and spoon on the coffee table. “Is that your breakfast?”
“Kind of soggy, isn’t it?”
He jogged his head up and down in agreement as she enveloped him in another hug. He gave a happy sigh and wrapped his arms around her neck. How she loved this little boy.
Over his shoulder she glimpsed a simple wooden frame on the wall, one she hadn’t previously noticed. The narrow oak border edged a series of cross-stitched words. Curious, she stood and lifted Cory into her arms. He snuggled in close as she approached the decorative stitch work.
TRUST GOD NOT ONLY FOR YOUR ETERNITY, BUT FOR YOUR TODAY.
A tingling sensation raced up her arms. Is that what she was guilty of? Willing to place faith for eternal life in God’s hands—yet living life these past few years, trying to maintain control, because God couldn’t be trusted with it?
Shaken, she stared at the simple words.
* * *
“Hold on, George.” Grayson leaned forward in the passenger seat of the sheriff’s vehicle to confirm what he was seeing. “Looks like you won’t have to take me all the way out to the ranch after all. That’s my SUV right there, over to the side of the church.”
“Maybe your little lady dropped it off for you.”
“Could be. Won’t do me any good, though, unless it’s unlocked and the key’s in the ignition. Don’t know if that’s such a hot idea even in a community like Grasslands.”
George chuckled as he pulled in beside Gray’s vehicle. “You want to check it out before I drive off and leave you here? Don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some shut-eye.”
Grayson rubbed his stubbly jaw. “And a shave to go with it.”
“Maybe a hot breakfast.”
“Now you’re talking.” Grayson
reached for the door handle. “Give me a sec, okay?”
“Wallace?”
Grayson paused.
“Thanks for giving us a hand. Things don’t always turn out like we’d hope—but you made a difference. We sure could use a man like you in our department.”
Grayson nodded as weariness slammed home. The nerve-racking night had wrung him out. By dawn his perspective on rural law enforcement had made an abrupt about-face. Unlike in the city where your duty was to serve and protect the many strangers who crossed your path, in a place like this you guarded the welfare of your neighbors, family and friends. If it weren’t for Elise’s aversion to men with a badge, he’d take on the job here. Proudly.
But it didn’t much matter now. He’d come to a decision. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, George, but—”
Catching movement through the head-high, leafy hedge bordering the street side of the church prayer garden, his breath wedged in his lungs.
Elise.
What was she doing here this early? Sunday school wouldn’t start for at least another hour. “I think I see my designated driver, George. Catch you later.”
He could hear the SUV pulling away as he skirted the hedge, but his eyes were focused on glimpses of Elise’s graceful form through the foliage. She was dressed for church in a jacketed sundress, hair tumbling loose around her shoulders as she strolled through the garden. Paused to examine a crepe myrtle leaf. A rose.
A picture of peace.
He rounded the corner of the hedge and stepped to the trellis-arched garden entrance. Heart pounding, he hesitated, reluctant to invade this haven of flowering beauty—beauty enhanced by the woman who had her back to him, now gazing up at the cloudless sky.
I don’t deserve her, God. But here goes.
“Elise.”
She whirled at the sound of his voice, uncertainty in her eyes as their gazes met. “The boys...?”
“Safe. He released them shortly before dawn.”
“And the man?”
“He put down his gun and came out.”
She momentarily closed her eyes, a whispered thank-you on her lips. Her gaze locked with his, she took a hesitant step. Paused. Then rapidly covered the ground between them to fall into his arms.