Ranger Daddy

by Rebecca Winters

  “Luckily, he has to drive from L.A. to Rosemead, which gives you a little time.”

  “We’re going now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Mr. Steel. I’ll be in touch with you soon.”

  Gabi hung up, then jumped off the bed and ran to Ashley’s room. “Honey? I’ve got the most wonderful news in the world!”

  Her daughter lifted her head. “Did Jeff call us?”

  “Yes. He didn’t break his collarbone and he’s back home. He said he wants us to come as fast as we can.”

  “Did his wife leave?”

  “Yes, and she won’t be back.”

  Ashley ran over and hugged her so hard she almost knocked her over. Gabi looked at the other little girl. “I’m sorry, Jessica. But we have to leave again. We’ll get together soon, I promise. Tell your mommy I’ll call her later.”

  “Okay.” She looked as if she was ready to cry.

  “Go see her to the door, Ashley.”

  While they went down the hall, Gabi grabbed her daughter’s overnight bag and repacked the clothes she’d just washed and dried. Then she did her own packing, including their toiletries. There was only one thing left to do. She put on the T-shirt Jeff had bought her, and wore it with a pair of white sailor pants he hadn’t seen before.

  Without worrying about anything else, she locked the apartment door and they hurried out to the car. Since she had filled up the gas tank after leaving the L.A. airport, they didn’t have to stop for anything. Once she’d phoned Jessica’s mother and made sure Ashley’s friend was home safely, Gabi was able to relax.

  “Guess what other good news I have for you?”

  “What is it?” Ashley asked.

  “You remember that your father wanted to be able to see you, and I told you the judge had to give him permission?”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, I just received a phone call from my attorney. He said the judge told your father it had been too many years, so he doesn’t have permission to see you. Now you don’t ever have to worry about that again.”

  “I’m glad, because I want Jeff to be my daddy.”

  “I know you do.” I want it, too. More than you’ll ever know.

  Much as she wanted to talk to Jeff this very instant, the phone wasn’t the way she envisioned declaring her love. By the time they reached Fresno to gas up again, she had a plan in mind she couldn’t wait to put into action.

  As she got out to fill the tank, she noticed another car pull up on the other side of the pumps. It looked like the same blue Forerunner that had been traveling alongside or behind her since leaving home, but she didn’t recognize the driver. As long as it wasn’t Ryan, she was thankful.

  Of course it wasn’t Ryan! She’d left Rosemead too soon for him to be following her. She was just battling nerves.

  After getting a hamburger, they headed for Yosemite. Every so often Gabi looked in the rearview mirror and thought she saw the blue car again. It had to be a coincidence that someone else had the same destination in mind and was stopping at the same places.

  When she finally reached the line of cars headed for the entrance to the park, relief washed over her. It wouldn’t be long before they’d be seeing Jeff. Somehow she had to quell the frantic beating of her heart or she would have an accident before she got there.

  The same ranger she’d seen before was on duty. He smiled. “Hello, again.”

  “We can’t seem to stay away from the park.”

  “That’s good to hear. Do you have a reservation for tonight?”

  “Yes.” Oh, yes. “I learned that lesson last week.”

  He chuckled. “Enjoy your stay.”

  “You’re not going to ask me any questions?”

  “Not this time.”

  As she drove on through, she glanced in the rearview mirror. There was no blue car in the line behind her that she could see. She’d been spooked for nothing. Still, she was glad to be in Jeff’s world, where he would protect them.

  Ashley looked around, making excited sounds because it wouldn’t be long now. “I can’t wait to see Jeff.”

  Gabi took a deep breath. “I know how you feel. Let’s stop at the grocery store and pick up a few treats to help him get better faster.” Cinnamon hots for starters.

  “I want to get him some Hershey’s Kisses.”

  “Those sound good.” The area was thick with tourists. Gabi had to drive around slowly before she spotted a parking place. “At last!”

  Once she locked the car, they hurried inside the store to buy their favorite candy and chips. They picked up some drinks, too. The line at the cashier took forever, but eventually they went back to the car with their purchases. Gabi pressed the remote on her key chain.

  After Ashley climbed in back, Gabi put the sacks next to her. When she closed the rear door and then opened hers to get behind the wheel, a strange man got into the front passenger seat at the same time.

  “Mommy!” Ashley screamed.

  Gabi cried out in alarm and started to get back out, but he turned and captured her wrist, preventing movement.

  “It’s been a long time, Gabi. You’ve been a hard person to track down.” He applied more pressure to her arm without Ashley being able to see. “How about introducing me to our daughter.”

  “HOW COME YOU’RE NOT HOME in bed?”

  Jeff lifted bleary eyes to Cal, who’d just walked into his office with Sergei. His best friend had come back from his honeymoon Sunday night a happy man. It hurt to look at him. Jeff was in such a black place, he was close to not functioning at all.

  “The house is a tomb. I couldn’t stay there waiting for the call that’s never going to come, so I drove over here to catch up on some paperwork.”

  Cal took the dog off the leash. Sergei wandered around to Jeff and put his head on his leg. The canine had human instincts. “Hey, buddy.” Jeff rubbed his fur with his free hand.

  “Come on home with me, Jeff.”

  “I wouldn’t do that to you. Your wife’s waiting for you.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone.” Cal sat in one of the chairs. “You said Gabi’s first court session was today. Why don’t you phone her attorney? Maybe he knows something that would explain why she hasn’t called you yet.”

  Jeff shut his eyes. In a way he wished he hadn’t spilled his guts last night. When Cal had showed up at the house for his dog, it all came out. The guy knew too much and could see right through Jeff. “I have to face the fact that she’s gone because she wants to be gone, court or no court. I won’t be hearing from her.”

  “Humor me. What’s her attorney’s name?”

  “Henry Steel. His office is in L.A.” Jeff gave him the address on Sunset. In a minute Cal had phoned Information and was put through to Mr. Steel’s answering machine. As he was leaving a message, Jeff heard a voice from the hallway.

  “What in blazes are you doing here?”

  Jeff opened his eyes to see Mark standing in the doorway. “Are you talking to me or Cal?”

  “You!”

  “This is where I work.”

  He frowned. “You’re supposed to be taking sick leave. Didn’t you know you have a visitor? She’s probably waiting in your driveway, and here you are looking like the very devil.”

  When Jeff’s head reared in reaction, it pulled on his collarbone, sending pain shooting through him. “Who are you talking about?” If it was Fran, then he was going to have it out with her once and for all.

  “Mrs. Rafferty and her daughter. Who else?”

  “She’s here?” Jeff shoved himself away from his desk and stood up, so fast his head swam for a minute. By now Cal had finished his call.

  “Yes. Ranger Ness phoned me as soon as she passed through the South Entrance. We’re doing our best to keep an eye on her to protect her from her maniac ex-husband. But it looks like that concussion has made your recall fuzzy.”

  The blood pounded in Jeff’s ears. “How long ago was that?”

  “Two hours maybe.”

&nb
sp; Cal’s gaze swerved to Jeff’s. “She should have made it to your house long before now. I wonder why she hasn’t phoned you yet. Did she have a key to your place?”

  “No, but when she didn’t find me home, she might have driven over to Rachel’s or Annie’s, so Ashley would have someone to play with.”

  “Wouldn’t they have called, trying to locate you?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

  “I’ll call the chief,” Cal offered.

  Jeff nodded before phoning Chase.

  Within a minute, they discovered no one had seen Gabi.

  Mark turned off his phone. “I asked Ranger King to check your driveway. No one’s parked there. Maybe Gabi took her daughter to eat at Curry Village or the lodge.”

  “That’s possible, but I can’t see her doing that without first telling me she was here.”

  “I agree,” Cal murmured. “Come on, Jeff. Let’s go look for her.”

  Jeff moved toward the door. “We’ll check every eating establishment. Maybe her ex caught up to her in one of them.”

  “I’m thinking the same thing. I’ll go back to my office and send out an APB to every ranger, staff member, volunteer and concessionaire to keep an eye out for her and her car.”

  “Thanks, Mark.”

  They left headquarters through the rear door and climbed in Cal’s vehicle with Sergei. But a thorough sweep of every parking lot, plus all the eating places and tourist venues, produced zero results. No one had seen her or Ashley. Gut-wrenching fear for them had replaced Jeff’s debilitating depression.

  He looked around. “We haven’t been in the grocery store.”

  “It’s possible they stopped there for something.”

  When they walked inside, Tim, one of the clerks, was at the cash register printing out his tape for the day. He looked up at Jeff, eyeing his sling. “Sorry to hear about your accident. That couldn’t have been fun.”

  “It wasn’t.” He took a deep breath. “Tim? We’re on official business looking for two persons who are missing. This is important.” He gave the clerk a description of Gabi and Ashley.

  The young man nodded. “Yeah. They were in here about a half hour ago. They bought some candy and drinks. In fact, I heard the little girl mention your name, but didn’t realize she meant you. They were in a hurry and acted excited.”

  Jeff’s heart rate accelerated. “Was a man with them?”

  “No.”

  “Thanks, Tim.”

  When they climbed back in the truck, Jeff’s phone rang. He checked the caller ID and clicked on, putting the phone on speaker. “Mr. Steel? Thanks for calling me back so fast.”

  “This is an emergency. No doubt about it. Mrs. Rafferty’s ex-husband lost in court today. The case can’t ever be reopened.”

  Thank God. Jeff’s eyes met Cal’s.

  “He left the courtroom in a rage. I called her and told her what had happened. But even though there’s still a restraining order against him, I warned her to leave the apartment for a while until he cools off. I’m sure he’s armed.”

  A giant hand squeezed Jeff’s lungs. “Somehow he caught up to her here at the park.”

  “He threatened to hire a P.I. to find her. I’m thinking he must have had one posted outside her house to follow her movements, and got lucky.”

  Jeff groaned. “His informant could have helped him catch up to her somewhere along the highway, and he ended up trailing her right into Yosemite Valley. Thank you for your invaluable help.”

  “Keep me informed.”

  Jeff rang off, only to hear Cal relating everything to Mark. When Cal clicked off he said, “The park has been put on full alert. Chase is heading a manhunt as we speak.”

  “Her ex could have taken them to any campground,” Jeff said with a clenched jaw. “It’s getting dark. If he’s decided to end it all and take her and Ashley with him…”

  “Hang on. We’ll find them. Given when she was in the grocery store, she hasn’t been missing that long. His attempt to get her away from the tourists will send up a red flag to rangers on the lookout.”

  “We don’t know if they’re in her car or his,” Jeff muttered. As they drove in and out of campgrounds, checking with personnel, his cell rang. It was Mark, so Jeff put it on speakerphone.

  “I just got a tip from Jose Martinez, a volunteer over at Half Dome. He just spotted Gabi’s car in the trailhead parking lot near the Mist Trail leading to Vernal Falls.”

  “We’re on it.”

  Cal wheeled the truck around and headed in that direction.

  Adrenaline shot through Jeff’s body. “Her ex is deeply disturbed, Cal.”

  “We’re closing in on him.”

  “PUT HER DOWN, RYAN!”

  “Not on your life. You want to go hiking with your daddy, don’t you, Ashley? As long as you don’t make a sound, everything’s going to be all right.”

  He was a strong man, six foot tall, wearing a turtleneck and camouflage pants. And he was carrying Ashley over his shoulder, forcing Gabi to keep up with him. Her daughter’s terror had to be so traumatizing, Gabi couldn’t bear it, but she had to if she was going to keep them both safe until she could figure out how to get away from him.

  Half Dome, rising five thousand feet from the valley floor, was an awesome sight anytime, but up close in the moonlight it looked forbidding. Ryan’s classically handsome profile was even more forbidding. With Gabi’s deepest fear having come true, he was a menacing presence.

  Before long they were away from other people, not pausing as they followed a trail into the forest. “You know why I didn’t want a baby? Because they grow up and leave you. My parents left, my grandmother left. Everyone leaves. You left.”

  “Your wife hasn’t left you.” Gabi needed to keep him talking.

  “I don’t have a wife. I made her up because it would sound better in court. You’re my wife. I want you back.”

  A shiver raced through Gabi’s body. “If that’s true, then let’s drive home to my apartment in Rosemead and we’ll talk about it.”

  “You’ve been hiding from me.”

  She bit her lip so hard it bled. “I’ve been on vacation.”

  “Bev wouldn’t tell me where you were.”

  “It isn’t a case of wouldn’t, Ryan. She didn’t know where I was, because we don’t keep in close touch anymore. Ashley and I were at the beach and then came here.”

  He stopped walking and turned to Gabi. His brown eyes looked black in the darkness of the pines. “Alone?”

  “Just the two of us.” He already knew that because he’d followed her all the way. “Please, let’s go back to the car. It’s getting too chilly for Ashley. She needs to be in bed.”

  “Where were you going to sleep tonight?”

  “At the Yosemite Lodge.”

  “How come you weren’t in court today?”

  His mind was all over the place. “My attorney said it wouldn’t be necessary for me to be there for the initial hearing. Please, can’t we at least go back to the car to talk? Ashley’s shivering.”

  He didn’t move. “She looks like you.”

  “Ashley has your bone structure.”

  “How many guys have you slept with since the divorce?”

  Don’t let him bait you into a reaction. “I haven’t. Ashley’s been my whole life.”

  “You loved her more than you loved me, and she hadn’t even been born.” The accusation in his voice warned her his rage was building.

  “She was a part of you, Ryan. Don’t you understand that?”

  “Then show me how much you love me.”

  Gabi was so frightened, she couldn’t swallow. “I can’t kiss you the way you want me to if you’re holding Ashley.”

  To her surprise, he lowered her to the ground, but kept hold of her hand. In the other hand he held the gun pointed at Gabi. “Come here.”

  Don’t show him you’re afraid.

  Without looking at Ashley, she moved toward Ryan and
put her arms around his neck. “It has been a long time,” she whispered against his lips. When his mouth covered hers, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him back, to be convincing. He remained rigid, and finally lifted his head. That’s when she gave him a powerful whack to the nose, using the palm of her hand.

  He staggered backward and the gun went off. She heard her daughter scream, and suddenly half a dozen rangers converged on them, wrestling Ryan to the ground.

  “Ashley!” she cried in panic.

  “She’s right here, safe with me,” a deep, familiar male voice said. Gabi spun around to see Ashley crushed in Jeff’s arms, hugging him for dear life while she sobbed. Gabi ran to him and was caught up in an embrace that locked the three of them together.

  “How did you know we came? How did you find us?” she cried into the side of his neck.

  “With a lot of help. Thank heaven we got here in time,” he whispered fiercely. He sounded as shaken as they were.

  “Ryan’s sick. He needs help.”

  “He’ll get it. Come on. My best friend, Cal, is back. He’ll drive us home in his truck. After a thorough investigation, Mark will make sure your car gets returned.”

  When they reached the trailhead, Jeff made the introductions before Cal pulled their suitcases from the car and put them in his truck. Gabi told Jeff to sit in the front seat holding Ashley, who refused to let go of him, while she and Sergei sat in back.

  Shudder after shudder attacked Gabi’s body as her mind replayed the horrifying events of the past hour. If it wasn’t for Jeff, the outcome would have been so different.

  He headed her list of heroes, but there were other people to thank for their heroics—Mr. Steel among them. He’d shown the concern of a father, telling her to go to a place of safety. One day soon she’d find a way to thank him and all Jeff’s colleagues who’d put their lives on the line for her and Ashley tonight. At any time, one or more of them could have been shot. Once, Jeff had been shot while on duty. She had yet to hear about it from his lips.

  During the drive to his house she rested her head against the back of the seat and listened as Cal and Jeff spoke calmly on their cells to the other rangers. They were like a close-knit family, always watching each other’s backs while they did the job needing to be done at the moment, whatever it was. Her admiration for their work ethic was off the charts.