Rescued by a Ranger

by Tanya Michaels

  “Yes. Thank you.” Alex couldn’t care less about getting something to drink, but she needed to call Bryce. If he could give her a description of the P.I. who’d come looking for her, then she was giving it to the police. She had to, if it would help them locate her baby.

  But Bryce’s phone went straight to voice mail. Fresh tears burned her eyes as she thought about the precious seconds she might be losing. Should she tell them about the possible lead even if she didn’t have any concrete information? Would it help the police at all, or only ensure that she and Belle were ultimately separated?

  I don’t know what to do. She lifted her gaze to the ceiling in beseeching, unarticulated prayer. All she’d wanted was to protect her child, to be a good mother. But she’d failed.

  * * *

  WHEN ZANE GOT THE MISSING child alert, he’d been on his way back to the trailer to wait for his evening replacement. He’d given Eden some cash to buy them pulled pork barbecue to take home for dinner. As soon as Gina said the child’s name was Belle Hunt, he broke into a run. He cleared the first two steps without even touching them, his eyes going straight to the hunched figure in the chair.

  “Alex!”

  Her face was deathly pale, her eyes wild. But they lit with something like relief when she saw him. “Zane, oh, God, I lost her. Help me find her. Please.”

  “Of course.” He crossed the small interior. “Sergeant Sandusky, this is my neighbor Alex Hunt. I’m well acquainted with her daughter. I was about to round up Eden and call it a day. Can Eden stay here while Alex and I canvass the festival grounds? Do you have a current photo of her?”

  “I’ve already scanned it,” Gina reported.

  “Good.” He helped Alex to her feet. “Take me back to where you last saw her, and we’ll go from there.”

  She nodded, looking slightly calmer. “I was getting her funnel cake. She really wanted funnel cake. She was mad we couldn’t stay for the dessert sampling, but not mad enough to run off on her own!”

  Zane slid his arm around her and escorted her down the trailer stairs. He’d worked a lot of cases in his career and knew to remain analytical, never emotional. Still, it was difficult not to recall how Eden had looked as a four-year-old with pigtails and overalls, difficult not to imagine the hell he’d be suffering if this had happened to her.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he said. “Belle’s a tough cookie. She’s probably a lot less scared than you are. But you know what? I think deep down you’re pretty tough, too.”

  “No, I’m a mess. I...I can’t lose her, Zane. She’s my entire world.”

  They were close to the place where she said she’d bought the funnel cakes when he spotted Grace Torres walking with a man who also wore a chef’s jacket. “Grace!”

  He hurried his pace, trotting after her. “Grace, I understand you had a dessert demo a little while ago?”

  She nodded, flicking a puzzled glance toward Alex’s tearstained face. “Just finished up.”

  “And you gave samples to the crowd?” Zane asked. If someone walking past Belle had mentioned they were headed for the dessert tasting and the little girl had thought it was close by, was she bold enough to have followed? He held out the picture Alex had given him. “This is Belle Hunt. Any chance you saw her? She has a sweet tooth, so I thought she might have gravitated toward a free dessert.”

  Grace’s pretty features filled with sympathy, and she concentrated hard on the photo, obviously hoping to recognize the kid. “No, I’m sorry.” She turned to the other chef with her, her tone hopeful. “Ty? Did you notice her?”

  He shook his head, looking equally apologetic not to have more useful information. “Anything we can do to help with the search?”

  “We already have police and over a dozen festival volunteers looking,” Zane said. “We’ll find her.” For Alex’s sake, he put as much conviction as he could in his voice, rubbing her shoulder as he spoke. The way she sagged against him spoke volumes about how scared she was.

  “Can I at least help check the women’s restrooms?” Grace offered. “Maybe she just had to go potty and got lost.”

  “That would—” A burst of static from his radio interrupted. Let it be good news. “Winchester here.”

  “This is Sandusky. We’ve got her, sir. Safe and sound.”

  Alex was eerily quiet as tears poured down her face. Her body shook so hard it probably registered on the Richter scale. Even though the ordeal was over, Zane’s heart twisted. After everything else she’d been through, he couldn’t imagine how she’d survive anything happening to Belle.

  “Sandusky, put the little girl on so she can say hello,” Zane instructed. “There’s someone here who needs to hear her voice.”

  There was another crackle of static, then, “Mommy?”

  Alex reached out blindly, squeezing Zane’s hand. “Punkin, are you all right? What happened? Where were you? You were supposed to stay on that bench!”

  “I wanted to ask a woman if I could pet her cute little dog, but I couldn’t catch up. And then I couldn’t find you,” Belle said miserably.

  “Oh, baby, I’m so glad you’re okay. And I love you more than anything! But you are in so much trouble.”

  “Yeah.” Belle sniffled piteously. “I already deduced that.”

  * * *

  ALEX’S ONLY CLEAR THOUGHT was to get back to her daughter’s side. Immediately. She zigzagged through the dinner crowd and the maze of booths. She restrained herself from outright running, but acknowledged on some level that she was walking too fast. When she veered off the sidewalk to cut around some people, her foot struck a hole. Her ankle twisted to the side and she might have gone down if Zane hadn’t been there. He gently caught her arm, angling her so that she fell into his side rather than onto the ground. He absorbed her weight effortlessly.

  “Steady there,” he murmured. “I understand your hurry, but why don’t we slow down?” He gestured to a building behind her. “You might even want to go splash some cold water on your face.”

  Rather than scare her child with bright red eyes and puffy features? “I look awful, don’t I?”

  Instead of instantly confirming her suspicions or dismissing them with a kind lie, he paused to really examine her. He brushed strands of disheveled hair out of her eyes and met her gaze tenderly. “You look like a mom who loves her kid. Belle’s lucky to have you. And you must be a nicer parent than me, because you know what I’d be doing in your shoes? Dawdling. Giving her time to Consider the Consequences of Her Actions.” He punctuated the words with finger quotes, making it sound like the title of some child-rearing brochure.

  “I had a foster mother who used to do that. Maggie Reardon,” she recalled. The Reardons had been good parents and had taught her a lot during her stay with them. “Whenever we screwed up, she’d send us to sit on our beds and wait for sentencing. The punishments we got were never as bad as the time we spent sweating it out beforehand.”

  Zane grinned. “Exactly.”

  Alex cast a glance over her shoulder at the restroom. “I suppose I could take a quick second.”

  He nodded approvingly. “Belle’s with Eden and Gina. She’ll be absolutely fine until you get there. You have my word on that.”

  She hadn’t realized until he suggested it how much she needed a moment to herself. All the adrenaline that had been dumped into her system had left her shaky and nauseous. What little eye makeup she’d put on before the festival had become inky tracks across her tear-blotched face. Her hair was standing on end, and her nose was running. A blush heated her cheeks. Zane had seen her like this? Yikes. Good thing she hadn’t wanted to date him because, with this memory fresh in his mind, it was a good bet he’d never ask her out again.

  But even though she couldn’t get involved with him romantically, she regretted that she’d been so quick to reject his previous overtures of friendship. Because today, she’d been damn glad to have him as a friend. When he’d told her back at the police trailer that everything would be oka
y, she’d actually believed him. Zane would make everything right. He was a man of his word who would do whatever it took to get her daughter safely back in her arms. She’d trusted him, this man she’d only known for a couple of weeks, more than she’d trusted her own husband by the end of their marriage. Zane was steady and honest. Guilt twisted inside her and Alex closed her eyes, reminding herself that she wasn’t deceiving people by choice.

  What was that saying? Necessity is the mother of invention.

  She faced her reflection again. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She couldn’t tell Zane who she was and she couldn’t begin to repay him for his assistance today. But he’d asked her for a favor the other night. At the very least, she could accommodate his request about Eden.

  When she met him back outside, he handed her a cup of coffee. “Decaf,” he said. “Figured your nerves were keyed up enough already.”

  “Thank you.” She took the packets of sugar and creamer he handed her, touched anew by his simple acts of kindness. Chris had tended toward showy flamboyant gestures meant to impress; basic consideration had often eluded him. “I owe you. And not just for the coffee. I’m so glad you were here.”

  He touched the brim of his white hat. “Just doin’ my job, ma’am.”

  As they walked, words tumbled out of her. She knew she was babbling, but Zane let her, listening without interruption. “The second I realized she wasn’t on that bench, I... It was like my mind splintered. But when you walked into the trailer, I could think again. It was still horrible, not knowing where she was, but I didn’t feel like I was careening out of control anymore.” Even though they hadn’t been the ones to find her, she’d felt better going back to the scene and actively searching than she had cramped in that trailer, left with nothing to do but envision worst-case scenarios. “Zane, about Eden babysitting sometime? Absolutely. I can hire her for—”

  “Whoa.” He drew up short on the sidewalk, frowning at her. “Alex, you had valid points for not being comfortable with her watching Belle. If anything, you’re going to be even more nervous about leaving your daughter after tonight. Like I said, I was doing my job, but even if I were a plumber, I would’ve helped. There was a little girl’s safety at stake! You’re not indebted to me simply because I behaved with normal human decency.”

  She flinched. “I wasn’t trying to insult you. I just wanted...needed...to feel like I could give you something in return.”

  He stared at her with those piercing eyes, his jaw set.

  “Let me find a way to say thank you,” she pleaded. “To help get rid of this godawful powerless feeling. You have a favorite dessert? I bake.”

  “German chocolate cake.”

  “Then you can expect one tomorrow.”

  They were in front of the trailer when he said, “How about this? You and Belle come over for dinner, and we’ll have the cake for dessert.”

  She rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Zane. I’m supposed to be repaying you, not making you cook for us.”

  “You and Eden can do the dishes—give her a chance to confide in a woman. She’s been too angry to admit it, but she must miss her mama. It’ll be good for her.”

  Dinner with the Winchesters? “All right,” Alex agreed quickly, before she could talk herself out of it. “Tomorrow night it is.”

  * * *

  “POOR BELLE.” EDEN STEERED the grocery cart up the canned fruits and vegetables aisle Tuesday afternoon. “She looked so terrified when they brought her into the trailer last night.”

  “I’m sure she was. Of course, the whole thing could have been avoided if she’d stayed where her mother told her to wait instead of wandering away. You know, parents have reasons for the rules they enforce,” Zane said pointedly. “Children should listen more and argue less.”

  “You are not a subtle man,” Eden observed.

  “I have other admirable qualities,” he informed her as he reached for some green beans.

  “Dad!” His daughter sounded scandalized. “You aren’t planning on serving those to the Hunts.” She didn’t even make it a question.

  “Is there some problem with green beans I don’t know about?” They were his standard accompaniment to grilled steaks and baked potatoes.

  She removed the can from his hand gingerly, as if taking a sharp object away from a hapless toddler. “Get fresh produce. We’ll snap them and roast them with some olive oil and a touch of vinegar. If I were going out with a guy, I’d want him to make some effort, not just open a can.”

  His brain tried to go in two directions at once—wondering if Eden had mistaken tonight for a romantic dinner and the fatherly certainty that she was too young to “go out” with anyone. He didn’t get a chance to comment on either circumstance before she continued.

  “You do want to make a good impression on her, right? This is your chance to start fresh. Because Alex did not like you before.” His daughter made the statement with lots of conviction.

  And she says I’m not subtle? “I don’t think Alex disliked me personally. She lost her husband, and people put up walls after they get hurt. It’s a means of protecting themselves.”

  Eden rounded the corner, not meeting his eyes as she asked, “Is that what happened with you? After the divorce? Mom’s hooked up with tons of guys, but you’re still alone. Is that because you have a wall?”

  He tamped down sarcastic thoughts about the type of role model Val was and pondered Eden’s question. “I date,” he defended himself. “Occasionally. It’s just not my top priority. My work—” At the hurt that flashed across her face, he stopped himself.

  His daughter should have been his priority. Alex proclaimed herself to be an overprotective mother—and maybe she was—but no one could question her devotion to Belle.

  He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Eden, I—”

  “Are you getting a bottle of wine?” she asked. “And what about candles?”

  “There’s going to be a four-year-old at the table,” he reminded her. “I’m not sure alcohol and fire hazards are entirely appropriate. Look, Eden, about—”

  “Oh, my favorite potato chips are on sale!” She abandoned the cart and stalked past him, not letting him finish.

  Speaking of those protective walls...

  He was frustrated by his inability to get through to her but reminded himself to be patient. It was a skill he’d honed on the job. He thought of the cold cases he’d helped solve, of the months of legwork and diligence that had gone into them. Another thing he’d learned from a career where various agencies cooperated to bring down the bad guys was to know when to call in reinforcements. He truly believed that Alex might be able to relate to his daughter in ways he couldn’t yet.

  The opportunity to spend more time with his beautiful neighbor was simply a bonus.

  * * *

  ALL DAY LONG, BELLE had been subdued, as if trying to make up for her mistake yesterday with an appropriately somber attitude. But as the hour grew closer to dinnertime and their visit to the Winchesters, she couldn’t contain herself any longer.

  “Eden will be there, right? She likes me. And Dolly likes me, too. Do you think I’ll get to play with her?”

  “I think that if you ever want me to consider getting you a dog, you’d better not chase after another one again,” Alex said matter-of-factly. She finished rinsing the dishes she’d used to bake the double layer German chocolate cake and glanced down. “What are you wearing?”

  “Tonight is special,” Belle said, as if that explained wearing her black velvet Christmas dress over a pair of sweatpants...or the iridescent fairy wings strapped to her shoulders.

  Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. “You don’t have to wear such a fancy dress.” Although, as fast as Belle was growing, clothes from last December wouldn’t fit her much longer. “Or you could keep the dress on and lose the pants.”

  “But my legs were cold,” Belle explained patiently.

  Fine, but were the wings really necessary? Then again, it wasn�
��t as if the Winchesters weren’t acquainted with Belle’s unique fashion statements. And Alex was running late in getting herself ready. She should be changing into a shirt that wasn’t smeared with batter, not standing around discussing sartorial choices with her kid.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said. “Why don’t you put your shoes on?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Belle agreed promptly, her impression of a perfectly behaved child. She’d been making such a concerted effort today that it would have been amusing—except that Alex’s bonedeep terror was still too fresh in her mind.

  Alex wished she possessed her daughter’s self-assurance when it came to selecting clothes. Instead, she second-guessed herself as she zipped up a black skirt. When was the last time she’d even worn a skirt? In her former life, depending on the events of her social calendar, she might wear two designer gowns in the same week. But now she lived a decidedly more casual existence. Suddenly, a skirt with a fitted rust-colored sweater seemed like she was trying too hard. She had a mad urge to rifle through Belle’s closet. It must be liberating to strap on a glittery pair of nylon wings and call it a day.

  “Oh, this is ridiculous,” she muttered to her reflection. “Women all over the world like to look good—it’s how cosmetics companies stay in business.” Her dangling earrings and the copper eye shadow she applied had nothing to do with Zane Winchester.

  Hoping the temperature wouldn’t drop too low tonight, she stepped into a pair of black sandals and left her room. “Belle? You ready?”

  This got another “yes, ma’am.”

  Alex went into the kitchen for the cake, stopping momentarily when she caught sight of her daughter’s rubber rain boots. “Are you sure those are what you want to wear?”

  Belle nodded. “I wanna show Eden the ducks.”

  Why the heck not—if it got cold this evening, Belle’s feet would probably stay warmer than her own.

  It was already dark outside, but Zane had turned on a number of lights for them, including the bulb over his front porch and the spotlight on the side of his house. In his backyard, little white lights twinkled above the fence. She could already smell something yummy on the grill. Eden must have been watching for them because she opened the door just as Alex raised her fist to knock.