by Anne Conley
“You can’t grow up in this town without knowing how to two-step.” He pulled her into his arms , and felt her head on his shoulder , as he put one hand on her waist and grasped her hand in his other. As they swayed and moved together across the dance floor, he couldn’t help but feel that everything was going to be all right. All of their questions, their insecurities with each other, all of the issues with her ex, they all melted away in that dance. When the song faded away, they continued to sway to each other’s rhythms, lost in their own little world. Dalton bent his head down to hers and tasted her lips, gently.
That’s when Alyssa’s back pocket vibrated, breaking the spell. She didn’t move at first, obviously feeling the same enchantment that Dalton had.
“You should get that, Alyssa. It could be your mom.”
She pulled out her phone and looked at the called ID. “It’s Steven.”
Something in his gut clenched when she said that. He could only think of two reasons for Steven to be calling her on a Saturday night, and neither one of them gave him the warm fuzzies. He followed her outside as she took the call, holding his breath. Alyssa was facing away from him, so he couldn’t see her face, but he could see her shoulders hunch and her phone fall to the ground. He ran to her , and caught her before her knees buckled and she crumpled to the ground.
“Alyssa. What’s wrong? Is it the kids?”
“It’s Sierra. He’s lost her. I’ve got to go find her.”
Chapter 27
Dalton could see the panic rising in her eyes, right before she vomited outside his car. As she pushed him back so she could bend over and retch out all of the stew and tequila, he pulled her hair back out of her face , and scratched her back gently.
“It’s okay, Alyssa. Where are they?” When she had finished, she turned to look at him, tears in her eyes.
“The state park. At the BooFest. How could he let this happen?”
He had to pull her to him, as he whispered, “Shh... We’ll find her.” He stroked her back, trying to ease the tension he felt there, but he was tense, too, and knew that no amount of comfort would help Alyssa now. He had to take action.
After ushering into his car, Dalton got behind the wheel and drove purposefully to the state park , that encompassed four hundred wooded acres on the outskirts of town that was used for church camps year round.
Dalton had worked there as a lifeguard in the summers when he was in high school, and he knew there were so many places a small child could get lost on the property. Luckily, he had used most of them for his teenaged dalliances escapades , and was relatively familiar with the terrain.
Once they got there, they found Steven and Cayden in the infirmary , next to the pool. He was waiting there with a security guard from the facility and Stephanie. Dalton shouldn’t have been surprised to see her there, but he was nonetheless. Steven didn’t even react to his presence. His eyes were rimmed in red, and when he saw Alyssa walk into the room, he ran to her.
“I’m so sorry, Alyssa. I don’t know what happened.”
She pushed him away from him, looking at Stephanie. “I have a pretty good idea. You are such a son of a bitch, Steven. You couldn’t keep your dick in your pants, that’s what happened.” Her voice was rising, the more she talked, and by the end of her little tirade outburst , it had reached a fevered pitch. Dalton came up behind her and put his arms around her, trying not to watch the security guard flinch at her language. He looked all of nineteen - years - old, and clearly had no idea what he was dong.
“Where have y’all looked already?” Dalton asked, briskly.
“Inside all of the cabins.” Stephanie replied weakly.
“I bet you checked out the cabins.” Alyssa hissed at her, tears forming in her eyes again.
Seeing his mother teary, Cayden started crying. “Dalton, can you find her? She’s scared of the dark.”
Dalton’s heart melted as he tried to keep the calm in the room, since the park ranger was just sitting there dumbly, probably waiting for somebody to need a glass of water. He hugged Cayden reassuringly, as he asked, “Has anybody checked out the trails?”
“No. Not yet.” The ranger replied, suddenly inspired. He started passing out walkie-talkies. “If we split up, we can cover a pretty big area. I’ve got some employees coming in to help with the search. I’m going to recommend that if you’re not familiar with the area, you stay here.” He looked pointedly at everybody there, in turn.
“I’m familiar. And I’m going to the ropes course. It’s near where the carnival was set up.” Dalton grabbed a walkie-talkie and strode out the door.
He should stay with Alyssa, but he was as familiar with the compound as anybody was, and the thought of Sierra out here, cold in the dark, sent chills of terror up his spine. He couldn’t imagine how scared she might be. He started running, calling her name.
“Sierra!” Dalton jogged through the field separating the ropes course from the pool area. It had booths and carnival games all over the grassy area, but it was deserted of H h alloweeners as every parent 's s’ nightmare chased off the revelers. “Sierra!”
He jogged down the trail to the ropes course, wishing he had brought a flashlight, calling her name. He squelched the rising panic threatening to overwhelm him. He couldn’t imagine what Alyssa was going through right now. He just hoped she hadn’t ripped Steven limb from limb, yet. He really wanted to be a part of that.
“Sierra!” He jogged slower, realizing he was making too much noise , and wouldn’t be able to hear her, if she yelled for him. “Sierra! It’s Dalton! Are you okay?” As he walked deeper into the woods, he prayed she hadn’t gone to the lake this scenic territory was named for. Suppressing his horror at the idea that the beautiful little girl had fallen into that deep, cold, dark body of water, he renewed his energy.
“Sierra! Sierra! Talk to me, baby!” Dalton tried to suppress the panic rising in his chest. He needed to focus on finding Sierra , and not what would happen if he couldn’t.
He almost turned around and ran to the lake, but this area was the most logical, and he forced himself to slow down and keep searching. He knew he needed to be methodical , and not emotional. He couldn’t go running willy-nilly around this place. He could check the lake, after he checked this piece of woods next to near the area the festival had been grounds .
He stilled, and listened, willing his ragged breathing to hush. Did he hear something? Yes! He heard a slight whimper to his right. Turning, and crashing through the underbrush, he whipped branches and vines out of his way, cursing as he went.
“Sierra! Are you here?”
“Dalton?” A weak voice, filled with tears came from the dark woods.
“Oh, God, baby. I’m coming, keep talking to me, baby!” He ran in the direction her voice was coming from, hearing her cries as he came closer.
Then he found the little girl, huddled in a ball of lavender tulle and sequins, tears streaming down her face.
“Are you okay? Sierra? I’ve got you...Shhh...” He knelt down next to her as he pulled the walkie-talkie out of his belt. “I’ve got her. I’m checking for injuries, and I’ll bring her back.” He spoke quickly into the handset, before putting it back on his belt.
He quickly, yet gently ran his fingers up and down her legs and arms, before checking her torso for marks. It felt like she had twisted her ankle, maybe sprained it.
His walkie-talkie squawked. “Dalton? Is she okay?”
“Just a minute. I’m checking. She seems to be mostly okay.”
“Did you hurt yourself, Sierra?” She nodded, tearfully. “You’re ankle?” Another nod. “Do you think I could carry you back to your mommy and daddy?” She held up her arms in response, and he lifted her gently and started walking back. He felt her relax in his arms, as she began crying in earnest.
“I know, sugar. It’s okay, you can cry. I bet that was scary, but you’re okay now. I’ve got you.” He held her close to his chest , and tried to walk slowly, so as not to hurt her ankle. S
he weighed nothing, so he pulled the walkie-talkie off his belt as he walked with her.
“She’s got a bad ankle sprain, and she’s scared, but she’s going to be okay.” Dalton said into the speaker, and then wait ing ed for a response. It came quickly.
“Thank God, Dalton. Thank you.” It was Alyssa’s voice, and she was crying.
“Sshhh. Alyssa. She’s okay. We’re coming back. I’ve got her. It’s going to be okay.”
Steven’s gruff voice came over the speaker. “Quit talking and bring my baby back, Colt.”
Dalton wanted to punch the asshole, but he settled for switching the power off on the walkie-talkie and concentrating on his steps. The exhausted little girl had fallen asleep in his arms, and he felt a certain sense of anxiety at what she had been through. He didn’t even know how long she had been missing, how long she had been hurt in the middle of the dark woods, alone. His anger at Steven renewed itself. How could he have not been watching her? Dalton would think that watching the kids enjoying the carnival would be enough, without having to go get your rocks off with Stephanie.
By the time he made it back to the infirmary, there was an ambulance waiting outside, lights on and sirens off. Dalton had worked himself into a raging lather, but when Alyssa and Steven came rushing outside, he ignored Steven and put Sierra into Alyssa’s arms.
Alyssa held Sierra close, smelling the top of her head, kissing her face, before she handed the child to the emergency medical technician that had accompanied the ambulance. Watching attentively, while the ambulance attendant worked over Sierra, Dalton held Cayden in his arms.
“Dalton?” Cayden asked quietly.
“Yes?”
“Is she gonna be okay?”
Dalton put his arm around the little man, whose tiny voice melted his heart. “Yeah, buddy. She’ll be just fine. She hurt her ankle , and is probably really scared, but she’ll be fine after she rests some.”
The medical technicians had woken her up to check her reflexes and pupil dilation. They wrapped her ankle in a brace and turned to Alyssa.
“She’ll need an x-ray, and we can take her to the ER in the ambulance, but they won’t be able to do anything if it’s broken. They’ll just wrap it back up and send you to the pediatrician on Monday. She’s not dehydrated, and I don’t see any early shock symptoms. I honestly don’t see anything else wrong with her.”
Dalton knew they probably weren’t supposed to say that, but he was glad they had. Their words seemed to relax Alyssa more than anything else. She nodded eagerly, and took Sierra back into her arms.
“Just take her home, and keep her warm and happy. That’s the best thing for her right now.” The ambulance driver got into his seat , and drove away.
Having been in the background up until now, Steven walked up to Alyssa. “I’m so sorry. I can’t tell you how bad I feel about this.”
Dalton stepped up. “Leave us alone, Steven. We’ll take the kids home to Alyssa’s. See you next week.” The rage he had felt earlier was still bubbling below the surface, but Dalton managed to keep it bridled. Now was not the time to release it. He followed Alyssa to his car, carrying Cayden, who had fallen asleep in his arms, while Steven followed with car seats.
After getting the children in and situated, Dalton he helped an exhausted Alyssa into the passenger side of the car. When he got into the driver ’s seat, he looked at her, clasping her hand to him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just wiped out. That was the most terrifying experience of my life.”
Small sniffles came from the back seat. Dalton and Alyssa both looked back at Sierra, who was crying softly.
“Aww...honey. It’s okay. You’re okay, now.” Alyssa reached back and squeezed her knee. Sierra grabbed Alyssa’s hand and held it tightly, while something inside Dalton took flight. These were his women, and he would do anything to protect them. He looked over at Cayden, still sleeping in his booster seat, head lolling to the side, mouth open, drool slipping down his chin. Yeah, his sidekick. They would take care of the women.
After driving carefully home, he helped Alyssa carry both children into the house and lay them on their bed. Stripping them down to their underwear, and forgoing the pajamas, Dalton and Alyssa climbed into bed with them to watch them sleep.
Soon, Dalton heard Alyssa’s breathing turn rhythmic, and he looked over the children to see she was sleeping, serenely. He debated whether to let her sleep there, or in her own bed, and decided she looked too peaceful there , and he couldn’t disturb her.
Gently rolling out of the bed, Dalton crept quietly to Alyssa’s room. He took off his clothes and slipped under her covers without turning on a light. As he inhaled deeply of her scent on the pillows, he thought about what had happened that night.
The rush of adrenaline he had when he was searching for Sierra was fueled by panic and his gut clenched when he thought of not being able to find her. Granted, it rarely got all that cold around here, but it was chilly, and her princess costume didn’t really protect her from any type of weather. Dalton said a quick prayer of thanks for Sierra’s safe return.
He tossed and turned in Alyssa’s bed, missing her warmth next to him. He wanted to go get her, but couldn’t justify the possibility of waking the children. So, he stayed where he was, yawning, breathing in the smell of Alyssa , and finally fell asleep.
Chapter 28
Alyssa had come to her bed sometime in the night, and Dalton woke up with her in his arms. As he watched her breath gently move a lock of hair, he realized he had lost himself to her. As he gazed at her sleeping, fantasizing about what to do with his morning erection, he heard the pounding of little footsteps come down the hallway towards her room.
The thought of the inappropriateness of the children finding him in their mother’s bed was fleeting, before the door flew open, and two sleep-tousled cherubs barreled into the room and flung themselves on the bed.
Alyssa woke with a smile, instantly in mommy-mode, and held her arms out for the kids to pile into.
“Who wants pancakes?” Dalton asked, eager to lose the evidence of his attraction to the mother next to him.
“I do!” Sierra threw herself onto his lap, smothering him with sleepy kisses.
“Me too!” Cayden was right there with his sister, and Dalton looked at Alyssa helplessly, who was giggling into the back of her hand.
Cayden looked up at Dalton from the big man’s lap, and said shyly, “Dalton? Are you gonna stay? We missed you. Mommy cried. A lot.”
Dalton swallowed past the lump forming in his throat, and reached out to tousle the boy’s already mussed hair. “Of course. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from you guys. I missed you, too.” He cleared his throat, “Now, if you want pancakes, y’all are gonna have to let me up. I can’t move , with you two all over me, now, can I?”
The kids refused to move, latching themselves onto him tighter. Evidently, they were feeling playful.
“How does your ankle feel this morning, sweetie?” Alyssa asked Sierra.
“It’s way better, Mommy. I barely feel anything, now.”
“Well, we’ll still go to the doctor Monday, just to have it checked out. You need to take it easy today, just in case.”
“Does that mean I can watch movies all day?” Sierra asked hopefully.
“Yes, ma’am, it does.”
“Yay!!!” Sierra let go of Dalton briefly to do a bouncy, happy dance on the bed. Dalton used the opportunity to extricate himself from Cayden and swing his feet over the edge of the bed.
“I’ll go start breakfast.” He said.
“I’ll put some cartoons on for you guys to watch.” Alyssa added, getting out of bed as well.
In the kitchen, Dalton had put Cayden to work, stirring the batter, while he fried up some bacon in the skillet. Cayden was managing to get more batter on the countertop than the bowl, and Dalton was standing over him, showing him how to stir gently.
When Alyssa came into the kitchen, she was overtaken by the pi
cture of domesticity that Dalton and Cayden evoked. Silently, she again wished Steven could see this side of Dalton, instead of the clinging to whatever illusions he had.
Walking up behind Dalton, she put her arms around his waist and kissed his bare back between his shoulder blades. She sniffed in his sleepy smell, resting her head there briefly, before pulling plates down from the cabinet to set the table.
“I made coffee.” Dalton said quietly, intent on the task of stirring batter with Cayden.
“Thank you.” Alyssa moved to fix herself a cup.
“You get Sierra situated?” He asked her.
“Yes, she’s on the couch in the living room with her foot propped up, watching Bugs. Happy girl.”
“Good.”
“Mommy! I’m helping Dalton make pancakes! And later he said I could make my own recipe for dinner. Scrambled Egg Soup!”
“Oh that sounds...delicious...” Alyssa had her doubts about that one, but couldn’t resist Cayden’s enthusiasm.
“I told him it would go well with the quiche I’m going to make you guys.” Dalton added.
“He also said I’m his psychic! Isn’t vat awesome?” Cayden piped up.
“Um...yeah?” She looked at Dalton, questions in her eyes.
“Side-kick, buddy. Side-kick.” Dalton corrected.
“Vat’s what I said. Psychic.”
With the table set , and coffee in hand, Alyssa went to take a shower. She hadn’t showered since yesterday, and she needed to wash off last night’s anxiety. As she stood under the hot stream, she thought about Dalton. She wanted him to be a part of her children’s life. It was obvious to her he loved them. He had gone crashing through the woods at night to look for Sierra, hadn’t he? He had been almost as panicked as she was, but he hadn’t let the hysteria take over. He had retained a calm facade , and done what logically needed to be done to find her.