The Valentine Two-Step

by RaeAnne Thayne

  Inside the truck, he quickly dialed Rick Marquez’s number. The bank manager answered on the second ring, and Matt quickly filled him in on Dylan’s kidnapping.

  “I just heard,” Rick said, his voice tight with shock. “MaryBeth just got off the phone with Janie Montgomery, whose niece works over at the police station. Any leads on what kind of an SOB would do such a terrible thing?”

  “Jess is working on it.”

  “How’s Dr. Webster holding up?”

  “Pretty shook up. Who wouldn’t be?”

  “It’s a real shame. Nice woman like that. Anything I can do?”

  “Matter of fact, Rick, there is. I need to borrow some money from my line of credit.” He cleared his throat. “Um, a hundred thousand dollars. Think you could round up that much cash by tomorrow morning?”

  There was a long, pregnant pause on the other end of the phone. Even though he was the meanest linebacker Star Valley High had ever seen and had fooled many an opponent into thinking he was just another dumb jock, Rick was as smart as a bunkhouse rat. “You’re giving Ellie the money for the ransom?”

  The speculation in his friend’s voice made him bristle. Would everybody in town have the same prurient reaction? Probably, if word got out. He blew out a breath, suddenly realizing at least one of the reasons Ellie objected to his help. People were going to read far more into it than just one friend helping out another.

  “Yeah,” he said gruffly. “Yeah, I am. You got a problem with that?”

  “You sure that’s a good idea, Matt?”

  He had no choice. Even though she would probably choke on her own tongue rather than admit it, she needed his help. And he was damn well going to give it.

  “Can you get the money or not?” he asked, impatience sharpening his tone.

  “It will take a lot of wrangling tonight, but I think I should be able to get my hands on that much.”

  “Good. Let me know as soon as the papers are ready and I’ll come sign them.”

  After a moment, Rick ventured into risky waters again. “Is there something going on between you and Ellie Webster I should know about?”

  Other than I’m crazy in love with her? The thought rocketed into his head, and he stared out the windshield as the wind rattled the skeletal branches of her sugar maple tree.

  Love? No way. He didn’t love her. He couldn’t. He just didn’t have that in him anymore. Not after Melanie.

  On the other hand, what else could he call it when he suddenly couldn’t imagine a life without her?

  Yeah. He had it bad. He was only shocked it took him this long to figure it out.

  “Matt?” Rick’s voice yanked him back to the conversation.

  “We’re friends,” he finally said.

  “Pretty darn good friends if you’re willing to cough up a hundred Gs for her.”

  “Look, I don’t need a lecture. Her kid’s been kidnapped, and I’m only trying to do what I can to make sure she comes back safely. Just get the money, okay?”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  He clamped his teeth together. It would have been easier to hold up a damn train. “I’ll call you later to find out how it’s going,” he snapped.

  He was getting ready to hang up when a thought occurred to him. “Wait a minute,” he said to Rick. “You have your finger on the financial pulse of the whole valley, right? You probably have a pretty good idea who might be in need of a little cash, don’t you?”

  “Some.” Rick drew the word out slowly, warily.

  “So you could maybe point out a couple of people who might have a financial incentive to do something like this.”

  “I could. Of course, then I’d lose my job for handing out confidential bank information. I’m sorry, but I happen to like my job, Matt.”

  “A couple of names. That’s all I’m looking for.”

  “No.”

  “What I can’t figure out is why somebody would want her to leave town so badly they’d be desperate enough to risk fifteen to life on a federal offense like kidnapping. We’re talking some major time here.”

  “Leave town?”

  “Yeah. That’s one of the conditions of him returning Dylan. Seems to me that was just as important to the kidnapper as the money. More, maybe. So who would benefit with Ellie out of the picture?”

  “Even if I had any ideas, I couldn’t tell you. You’re not even a cop!”

  “I can have Jess on the line in two seconds. Or better yet, why don’t I call back and tell MaryBeth all about that little blond buckle bunny who followed you clear down from Bozeman after the college rodeo finals?”

  “Hey, that was way before I got married.” Despite it, Matt could hear the panic in his old friend’s voice.

  He pushed his advantage. “As I recall, you and MaryBeth were almost engaged. Man, that blonde was one hot little number, wasn’t she?”

  There was a long, drawn-out pause, then Rick sighed heavily. “I don’t know what you’re looking for. But I can maybe give you one name of somebody who might have a motive.”

  “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

  As soon as Rick mentioned the name, his heart started to pound. This was it. He knew it in his bones.

  Chapter 16

  Ellie sat at the kitchen table drinking the glass of water Jess had forced on her.

  This had to be a nightmare. But if it was, it was a pretty surreal one. Matt’s brother sat beside her barking orders into the phone while the doorbell rang again with yet another concerned neighbor bearing food.

  The Salt River grapevine worked fast. She’d received the ransom call less than forty-five minutes ago, and already she had at least four casseroles in the fridge and a half-dozen plates of cookie bars.

  How did people whip these things up so fast? And did anyone really think tuna noodle bake with crushed potato chips on top was going to make everything okay?

  Food seemed to be the panacea for every trouble in Star Valley. She wondered if there was some secret cookbook spelling out the best way to handle every situation. Betty Crocker’s Crisis Cuisine?

  Your neighbor’s kid gets busted for growing pot? Take over banana nut bread. Your best friend’s husband walks out on her for some secretary he met over the Internet? A nice beef pie ought to do the trick.

  Your veterinarian’s little girl is kidnapped walking home from school? Pick your poison. Anything was apparently appropriate, from soup to nuts.

  Fortunately SueAnn had rushed right over to run interference at the door. There was nothing left for Ellie to do but sit here obsessing about what kind of monster would steal a nine-year-old girl.

  She couldn’t think about it. If she did, she would go crazy imagining Dylan’s terror. Her mind prowled with terrible possibilities. Every time she started to think about it, she wanted to fall apart, to disintegrate into a mindless heap, but somehow she managed to hold herself together.

  Still, when Matt burst into the kitchen a few moments later she had to fight with everything in her not to jump up and burrow against that strong chest.

  She’d been so horrible to him, it was a wonder he would even stand to be in the same room with her. She had seen the hurt in his eyes when she pushed him away, when she rejected the comfort he wanted to give. She hated herself for it, but she couldn’t seem to bend on this.

  The need to lean on him, to let him take this terrible burden from her, was so powerful it terrified her. She couldn’t, though. This was her burden and hers alone.

  She had to be strong for her little girl.

  Once she started down that slippery slope and let herself need him, it would be so easy to tumble all the way to full dependence. She was afraid she would lose herself in the process. And then what good would she be for Dylan?

  Matt spared her one quick glance, then turned to his brother. “I think I know where she is. Come on, let’s go get her.”

  Jess stared at him like he’d just grown an extra couple of appendages. “Lou, I’m gonna have to ca
ll you back,” he said into the phone. “Yeah. Let me know as soon as you hear from the Feds.”

  He hung up the phone and frowned at his brother. “Are you completely nuts?”

  “I just got a lead I think you’ll be interested in. Did you know Steve Nichols is delinquent on payments to the Salt River bank to the tune of about ninety-five thou? He’s up to his eyeballs in debt and is just a few weeks away from foreclosure on that fancy new clinic he just built.”

  Ellie stared at him, trying to process the information. “Steve? You think Steve took Dylan?” She wouldn’t have been more shocked if he’d accused Reverend Whitaker.

  “It makes sense, doesn’t it? Somebody’s been trying real hard to run you out of town. Who would benefit more if you left Star Valley than your main competition?”

  “I hardly have a practice anymore! I’m not much of a threat to him.”

  “If he’s only breaking even by the skin of his teeth, maybe you’re what stands between survival and failure.”

  “But…but we’re friends. He even offered to head up the search effort for Dylan.”

  “Think about it, Doc. Whoever left those notes for you had access to two things—dead animals and needles. Doesn’t it make sense that it might be another vet?”

  She couldn’t believe it. Not Steve. He had welcomed her into town, had treated her as a respected colleague and a friend.

  “That’s not enough for an interview, let alone a search warrant,” Jess snapped.

  Matt stared him down. “I’m not a cop, little brother. I don’t need a warrant.”

  Jess glared for a moment, a muscle working in his jaw, then he picked up the phone again. “Lou, patch me through to Steve Nichols, will you?”

  A minute later, he growled into the phone. “What do you mean, he’s not there? I thought he was coordinating the civilian searchers.”

  After another pause, he hung up. “Lou says he had to take care of some business at his clinic. She said he told her he’d be back in an hour or so.”

  “Then that’s probably where he took Dylan, to his clinic.”

  “You don’t know that. It doesn’t mean a damn thing.”

  Matt shoved on his Stetson. “I’m going, Jess. You can come along or you can sit here on your duff and forget we ever had this conversation. Your choice.”

  “I think you’re crazier than a duck in a desert,” Jess growled. “But I’m not about to let you head over there by yourself in this kind of mood.”

  “I’m going, too.” Ellie jumped up from her chair.

  Both of them looked at her with the exact same glower. “Forget it,” Matt said. “It could be dangerous.”

  She glowered right back. “This is my child we’re talking about. I’m going with you.”

  “You’ll stay in the truck, then.”

  Not likely. She pressed her lips together, and Matt finally sighed. “Come on, then.”

  They took Jesse’s big department Bronco so he could radio for backup if necessary, but he drove without sirens or lights.

  Steve’s clinic was a low-slung, modern facility on the other side of town. Ellie had always thought it looked more like some kind of fancy assisted living center than a country vet’s office, with a porte cochere and that long row of high, gleaming windows.

  The blinds were closed, but she could see the yellow glow of lights inside. If Dylan wasn’t there—and Ellie wasn’t nearly as convinced as Matt seemed to be that she was—Steve would be hurt and outraged when they barged in and accused him of kidnapping her.

  She couldn’t let it bother her, she decided. In the scheme of things, when it came to her daughter, the possibility of hurting Steve’s feeling didn’t matter at all.

  “Let me do the talking,” Jesse said after he drove under the porte cochere and turned off the Bronco.

  “Sure, as long as you’re getting answers.”

  Jess rolled his eyes at his brother, and Ellie felt like doing the same thing when Matt turned to her and ordered her to stay put.

  She thought about obeying for all of ten seconds, then waited until they were at the front door of the clinic before she climbed out of the vehicle and followed them.

  Matt scowled when he saw her but said nothing. As they walked inside, she thought she saw just the slightest movement behind the long, low wall separating the reception desk from the waiting area.

  Before she could react, the men both tensed and moved together, their shoulders touching so they created a solid, impenetrable protective barrier in front of her.

  Jesse’s hand went to his sidearm. “Nichols? Is that you?”

  Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and the only sound in the room was their breathing. She couldn’t see what was happening over their broad shoulders, so she stood on tiptoe for a better look as a small, frightened face peeked over the wall.

  Ellie didn’t know who moved first, her or Dylan, but an instant later she had shoved her way past the men and gathered her daughter into her arms.

  Sobs of overwhelming relief welled in her throat as she held the small, warm weight. She forced them down, knowing she would have time later to give in to them. Right now her daughter needed her to be strong.

  Dylan held tightly to her mother. “I’m so glad you’re here! I was just calling nine-one-one when I heard a car outside. I thought maybe someone else was helping Dr. Nichols and I got really scared and tried to hide under the desk, then I heard Lucy’s uncle. How did you know where I was?”

  She couldn’t seem to hold her daughter close enough. “It doesn’t matter, honey. Are you okay? What happened? Where’s Steve?”

  A shudder racked her little frame. “In the back, in a quarantine room just like you have. That’s where he kept me.” She nibbled her bottom lip nervously. “Um, he might need an ambulance. He hit his head on the cement floor pretty hard.”

  Matt started to take a step toward the hallway, his face blazing with fury, but Jess reached a hand out to stop him. “No way am I letting you go back there right now. That’s all I need is a murder investigation on my hands in addition to the kidnapping case. I’ll handle this. You stay here with the ladies.”

  Despite everything, Ellie had to fight a smile when Dylan preened a little at being called a lady.

  “Oh. The door’s locked,” she said suddenly. “I have the key.”

  She fished around in the pocket of her parka then pulled it out and held it out to the police chief. “Are…are you gonna shoot him?”

  Jesse crouched and took her small hand, key and all, and folded it into his. “You want me to, sweetheart?”

  “No,” she said seriously. “He didn’t hurt me. Just scared me a little.”

  “Sounds like you scared him right back.”

  Dylan gave a watery giggle then handed over the key, and Jesse disappeared down the hall.

  After he was gone, Dylan’s smile slid away and she looked nervously at her mother. “This is all my fault, Mom. I’m really sorry. I should have gone right to the clinic after school and I didn’t. I just went to see Cheyenne’s horse but I’ll never do it again, I promise. Don’t be mad. Please?”

  “Oh, honey. I’m not mad. You’re not to blame for this.” She was, for not keeping her daughter safe. Just another thing she would have to deal with later. “What happened? How did you get away?”

  “I tried to stay calm and use my brain, just like you always tell me to do. I didn’t think he’d hurt me, but I still wanted to go home. The first time he came in, I saw he left the key in the lock and it gave me an idea. When he brought me dinner, I tripped him and he fell over and hit his head. I didn’t know it was Dr. Nichols until he fell and his mask fell off but as soon as he did, I ran out and locked the door.”

  How on earth had she managed to raise such an amazing daughter? Ellie hugged her tightly again. “It sounds like you did exactly the right thing.”

  “You’re about the bravest kid I’ve ever met.” Matt’s voice was rough, and he reached a hand out and squeezed Dylan’s shou
lders.

  Dylan blushed at his approval and looked at him with an expression of such naked longing in her eyes that Ellie suddenly remembered Lucy’s confession earlier in the evening, about how the two girls had connived and schemed to throw her and Matt together.

  Dylan wanted a daddy, and she had obviously picked Matt for the role. Oh, sweetheart. Her heart ached knowing her daughter was destined for disappointment. She would give Dylan the world, but she could never give her this.

  She pushed the thought away. She couldn’t worry about how she would ever ease the pain of futile hopes and unrealized dreams. For now, all she could do was hold on to her daughter and whisper a prayer of gratitude that she had her back.

  Hours later, Ellie sat in her darkened living room watching the gas logs and their endless flame.

  Dylan was finally asleep, lulled only by the grudging promise that, yes, she could go to school the next day and tell everyone of her harrowing adventure and how she had single-handedly rescued herself.

  Ellie had held her hand until she’d drifted off. Even long after her daughter was lost to dreamland, she hadn’t been able to make herself move, had just sat on the edge of that narrow bed feeling each small breath and thanking Whoever looked over mothers for delivering her baby back safely.

  Eventually she’d wandered here. Hard to believe that just a short time ago, the old house had been a frenzy of activity with people coming and going, the phone ringing, all the lights blazing. Now the air was still, with only the low whir of the artificial fire to keep her company.

  She didn’t mind. In truth, she was grateful for the chance to finally catch hold of her fluttering thoughts and sift through the amazing events of the day.

  Every time she thought of Steve and what he had done, her stomach burned and she wanted to break something. He had tried to destroy her in every conceivable way. Financially, professionally, emotionally. She’d never before been the subject of such undiluted hostility, and it frightened her as much as it shocked her, especially because she had been so completely blind to it.