Southern Charm: A Single Daddy Cowboy, Secret Baby, Ranch Western Romance (Rainbow Canyon Cowboys Book 5)

by KC Crowne

  There was a beat of silence while she debated whether or not to give me the number. “Alright. I’ll text it to you. But I want to know about anything that happens. Please.”

  “You’ll be in the loop, babe. Don’t worry about that.”

  “Okay. Be safe, please.”

  “I will.”

  We said our goodbyes and hung up. Seconds later, a text arrived with Kyle’s number. Without hesitating for a second, I dialed it. It rang, then again, then again. For a moment, I worried he’d be too cowardly to answer the phone.

  Finally, he picked up. “And which of the Walker boys do I have the pleasure of speaking to?”

  “You know who the fuck this is.”

  He laughed, but it had a hard steel edge to it. “Figured it would be the one she’s fuckin’.”

  “You shut your fuckin’ mouth about her.”

  “I know what she is. Believe me. When you’re with someone for that long you get to know them really, really well.”

  “You don’t know shit.”

  “Oh, no? How long have you known her for? A month? You think that means anything? I know her. And she knows me.”

  “Enough with the bullshit,” I snarled. “Where’s my little girl?”

  “She’s right here with me. In fact, I’m looking at her right now.”

  “Let me talk to her, right fucking now!”

  “Is that my daddy?” El’s voice was soft in the background, and just the sound of it was enough to send a pulse of hot rage through me.

  “It sure is kiddo. We’re talking right now.”

  “I wanna see him.” Her voice sounded small and afraid, and it was all I could do not to crush the phone in my bare hand.

  “And you will. He’s busy, but we’re planning on when he’s going to be able to see you. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “If you’ve touched her, I swear to fuck –” I snarled.

  “Don’t worry about that – right now she’s just the same as the last time you saw her. You want to make sure that stays the case, you’d better listen to me.”

  “What the hell do you want?”

  “You’re just gonna have to be patient.”

  “Fuck that. Not a chance. I’ll tear this state apart trying to find you. And when I do, the last thought that goes through your head before I bring my boot down on it is how badly you’ve fucked up.”

  There was silence, and for a moment, I wondered if I’d gone too far. But he only laughed.

  “It’s true what they say about you Texas cowboys – all hot-blooded and shit.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down and see if I could talk some sense into him. “Whatever you want doesn’t involve my daughter. So leave her out of this. We’re men, and men don’t make threats hiding behind little girls. You got some beef with me? Let’s hash it out face-to-face.”

  “Hmm. That might be doable.”

  “Let my little girl go, and we can finish this shit.”

  He seemed to be mulling it over for a minute before speaking again. When he did, all traces of laughter were gone from his voice. “You come alone. No cops, no truck-full of Walker boys behind you. Just you and me.”

  “I can arrange that. Give me the address.”

  “I’m at the Green Hills trailer park outside of town, the abandoned one. I’m in the only trailer with electricity. I’m sure you’ll recognize my truck out front.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  The line went dead. I wanted to leave right then, but I remembered my promise to Sam, that I’d keep her in the loop. I dialed her number, and she quickly answered.

  “What’s going on? Did you talk to him?”

  “I did. We’re meeting.”

  “What? Where?”

  “I’m keepin’ the address to myself. Knowin’ you, I tell you, and you’ll be there before I am.”

  “Yes, I will. I’m not letting you do this on your own.”

  “It’s the only way, Sam. The only way Ellie will be safe. The only way you’ll be safe.”

  “Chance, I know you want to find El. But Kyle’s not stupid. Whatever he told you, you can’t believe him. There’s a really, really good chance you’re walking into a trap.”

  “That doesn’t matter – don’t give a damn about walking into a trap. I’ll walk through hell itself if that’s what I need to do.”

  “Please, Chance. I can’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I’ll be fine. Just stay put and tell the cops everything. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Just be safe. And bring our girl home.”

  “I will.”

  The line went dead.

  Our girl. Hell, she wasn’t wrong about that.

  “Chance!” Gerald called out to me from the side of Silas’s truck. “What’s the word?”

  “It’s time to move.”

  Chapter 24

  SAMANTHA

  I was seated on the couch in the study, a half-circle of policemen standing in front of me. They all wore the same serious expression, all business to the last.

  “Kyle Wexler,” the man in the center, a slender, forty-something man with close-cropped dark hair and a thin, boney face, said. He’d introduced himself as Detective Ed Williams. He spoke with a thick Texan drawl that made his voice sound like it was covered in oil. “You have any idea what he’s been gettin’ up to? What kind of man he is?”

  I felt totally overwhelmed by what was happening, and I wasn’t by myself – Wyatt was seated next to me, his presence a major source of calm.

  “You had to know something,” one of the cops said. “No way a woman lives with a man for that long and is totally in the dark about him.”

  Williams raised his hand, keeping his eyes on me. “Girl’s been through enough already. Go easy on her.”

  I couldn’t tell if this was some kind of good-cop-bad-cop thing, but I didn’t care. I wanted answers. “I know what kind of man he is,” I said. “He’s a piece of shit.”

  A few chuckles sounded from the cops.

  “You’re not wrong.” Williams took a seat in the high-backed chair across from me. “But there’s more to it than that.”

  “Stop dancing around it and tell me. I need to know.”

  He nodded. “Did you know the extent of his criminal operations?”

  “Criminal operations?” I repeated scowling. “I mean, I know he got in some trouble when he was younger. He was in the foster system – had a hard life. Not like that’s an excuse, but that’s what he told me.”

  “And did he tell you about anything else?”

  I shook my head. “No. He worked at an auto body shop. He liked to get drunk with his friends – too drunk – but as far as anything else, no.”

  “Then, assuming you’re telling the truth, he did a damn good job of keeping his life a secret.”

  Frustrated with the circular conversation, my voice was harder when I asked, “What life? What are you talking about?”

  Detective Williams opened the briefcase he’d brought in with him and fished out a few pieces of paper. He put one on the coffee table between us – a picture of the auto body shop where Kyle worked.

  “That’s it,” I said, tapping the picture. “That’s his shop.”

  “Right. But there’s more to that joint than auto body work. I checked with Portland PD before comin’ over here. Turns out, they just raided this place.”

  “Raided? For what?”

  “Drug running.” He paused when I gasped. “Basement of this joint was a meth lab, one spearheaded by your boy Kyle.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My head was spinning. How could I not have known the type of man I’d been living with? My outrage over it was for another time, though.

  “None of that matters right now,” I said, slicing my hand through the air. “What does is that he has El.”

  “It matters,” Williams said, “because we’ve got good reason to believe he was able to track you through associates he has
here in Texas.”

  “Josh,” I wondered aloud. Williams nodded. “The man with him.”

  “A man like Kyle has far-reaching capabilities. And we need to find this Chance fella, stop him before he tries some vigilante justice.” Williams shook his head. “I swear, these cowboy-types always wantin’ to take the law into their own hands.”

  “I don’t get it,” Wyatt spoke for the first time. “You want to…what, sit around and strategize while he’s got a little girl hostage?”

  “I know you’re eager as all get-out to jump into the fray, but we’re the professionals here. You did the right thing by gettin’ us involved. Now, let us do our job. We’re gonna keep you here under watch, make sure he doesn’t try to come onto the ranch property. But for now the best thing you can do is sit tight.”

  “No,” I said, desperation tinging my voice. “I…can’t just sit around while he’s got her. I need to— “

  Detective Williams raised his palms. “I get it – I really do. It’s hard to work through the planning phase of this sorta thing when you got a situation like this. But it’s essential. Doesn’t feel like it, but it is. Trust me, this isn’t my first rodeo.”

  Wyatt and I shared a glance, both of us clearly thinking the same thing.

  “Now,” Williams continued. “I see you’ve got some fancy security equipment around the ranch.”

  “Chance and our cousin just installed it today,” Wyatt told him. “Don’t know if it had a chance to do any good.”

  “We’ll be the judge of that. Our resident computer whiz is gonna tap into the feed, see if there’s anything to find. And the rest of us are gonna take a look around the property, see if there’s any clue as to where this creep got off to with little El.”

  “I want to help,” I said. “I want to do something.”

  “Same here,” Wyatt added.

  “Like I said, the best thing y’all can do is stay put, be around if we need you. I know that’s not what you were hopin’ for, but you gotta trust me on this. We’re the professionals, so let us do our work.” He turned to the rest of the men. “We’ll set up here in the study. Come see me, and I’ll give you your assignments.”

  He addressed us again. “Y’all need to give us our space. This ranch is a big chunk of land, so I’ll call you personally if we need your help. But for the time bein’—” He nodded toward the door.

  “But—”

  “Come on now – like I said, let us do our job.”

  The urge to protest raised up in me. But Wyatt put his hand on my shoulder, shaking his head. “Let’s do what the detective says,” he told me. “Give the boys their space.”

  I sighed before getting up, glaring at the man as we left the study.

  “Come with me,” Wyatt murmured.

  “Why?”

  “Just trust me.” He led me to a spare bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind him. He turned to me and exploded quietly. “Load of bullshit,” he said, anger in his voice. “Tellin’ us to sit around with our thumbs up our asses while one of our own needs help.”

  Relief hit me. Wyatt was on my side all the way, just like the rest of the Walker clan. “Gerald was right,” I said. “About the cops taking too long to do anything.”

  “They’ve got to follow protocol and make sure all the proper forms are filled out and that sort of nonsense. By the time they’re actually able to get their asses in gear and find El…I don’t even want to think about it.”

  “We have to do something,” I insisted. Before he could reply, my phone chimed in my pocket. I yanked it out as quickly as I could and checked the screen.

  “That Chance?” Wyatt asked. I shook my head, and the expression on Wyatt’s face let me know he understood the answer.

  “Kyle,” I said. “What do you want?”

  “Now baby, that’s a hell of a way to talk to the man you love.”

  “You’re insane if you think I love you. Especially after what you’ve done.”

  “Maybe you’re having a little trouble seeing it now, but once this is all over, you’ll remember how you feel.”

  “Is that why you called me? To remind me of how totally delusional you are?”

  Wyatt caught my attention and made a “take it down a notch” gesture. He was right – I needed to keep a cool head.

  “Careful with your next words. And maybe keep in mind that I’ve got little Ellie here.”

  I took a deep breath to steady myself. “What do you want?”

  “First, I want make sure you’re not getting any funny ideas about involving the police.”

  “No, Kyle – this is between you and me. No police.”

  “Good. Maybe I’ll send my guy to check on the ranch, make sure you’re as good as your word. Because if I do find out you’ve got the cops on the case…it might not work out so well for the little girl.”

  My gut tightened in fear, rage rushed through my body. I clenched my teeth and asked, “What else?”

  “I want to see you,” he stated simply.

  “Good. Because I want to see you, too.”

  I could almost hear his sly, wolfish smile through the phone and tried not to gag. “Now that’s what I want to hear. I’m going to text you my address. Get over here as soon as you can. And I’m sure it goes without saying but come alone. You bring one of those overgrown Walker boys anywhere near here and…well, you can use your imagination.”

  “I’m coming now. Don’t do anything until I’m there.”

  “You keep your end of the bargain, and I’ll keep mine. See you soon, sunshine.”

  I hung up and shoved my phone back into my pocket.

  “What’d he say?”

  “He wants to see me. And we can’t let him know the cops are helping.”

  Wyatt nodded. “Alright. We’ll get the truck and go out the back way.”

  I shook my head. “He said to come alone. And if I don’t, he might hurt El.”

  Anger flashed on Wyatt’s face for a brief moment before the calm returned. It was a trait all of the Walkers shared – a protective instinct tempered by emotional control.

  “Come with me.”

  Cops were everywhere on the ranch, and we stepped outside onto the front porch just in time to see another pair of police cars arrive. There had to be a couple dozen officers on the grounds, most around the perimeter. A pair of them were at the entrance, their jobs likely to make sure no one came or went without their knowing. It would be hard to leave.

  “You’ve got a plan?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Here’s what we’ll do. My cabin is furthest from the house and in the direction of the back gate that asshole took her through. We’ll tell them we’re headed to my cabin for a few minutes and will be right back.” He glanced at the door when voices walked by, but no one interrupted us. “I’ll park my truck out front so they won’t know you’re gone.”

  “What am I going to drive?”

  He smiled. “God’s on our side, Sam. Silas met me at my place this mornin’ and left his truck parked in back. We were unloadin’ some firewood.”

  “Sounds perfect,” I announced. “The back road takes me straight into town?”

  He gave me quick directions, which were relatively simple, and asked, “Got it?”

  “Yep!” I sucked in a steadying breath. “Let’s go.”

  We returned to the main room and found Williams barking orders to everyone. Wyatt captured his attention. “Hey, man, we need to head over to my cabin for a bit.”

  Williams eyed us for a moment, but a deputy called his name. He waved us away and turned his attention elsewhere.

  I chuckled as we hustled out the backdoor. “That was easier than I thought.”

  “He’s busy, probably thinks we’ll be out of his way if we’re at my cabin.”

  We climbed into the cab of his truck and headed to his cabin. As we attempted to drive out of the main parking area, an officer stopped us.

  “Where y’all headed?”

  “Det
ective Williams said we could go to my cabin,” Wyatt explained, pointing in the general direction. “It’s over that way.”

  The man looked over his shoulder but obviously the cabin was too far away to be seen. He looked at us again, and I sniffled and wiped my eyes as if crying. A cliché trick, sure, but it worked.

  “Go on, then.”

  Wyatt and I exchanged a quick grin before he drove forward, following the dirt road to his cabin. He parked close to the door, and we walked in. It was a lot like Chance’s, with feminine touches added by his wife. Wyatt led me straight to the backdoor and opened it, heading for the big truck parked in back. He pulled the door open and grinned.

  “Keys are in it,” he announced. “And luckily, this truck ain’t a manual shift. You should be good.”

  “Thanks, Wyatt. For everything.”

  He nodded and gave me a quick, reassuring hug. “Be strong, Sam. But somethin’ tells me that won’t be a problem for you.”

  He helped me into the tall truck and reminded me of the directions. “None of the cops should be at the back gate yet. But you’d better hurry.”

  “Thanks again.” I turned the key, the engine roared to life, scaring me a little. I hoped no one heard it.

  I sped off, the growl of the engine sounding like a jet, but I had to go. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw nothing, so I assumed I was home free. By the time I reached the main road, my nerves had calmed, and I was ready for anything. Even Kyle.

  Alright, El. I’m coming.

  Chapter 25

  CHANCE

  We pulled up to the entrance of the abandoned trailer park. I stopped the truck at the gate, my eyes scanning the scene.

  “There,” Gerald said, pointing ahead. His fingertip was aimed at a small trailer on the far side of the property. It was more a mobile home than a trailer, the lights around it illuminated. Although not a dump, it certainly was no place for my little girl.

  “That’s got to be him,” I murmured.

  “And he wants to see you alone.” I nodded, feeling Gerald’s eyes on me. “You know it’s gonna be a trap, right? He’s got some shithead friend lying in wait. Might even take a shot at you before you get an opportunity to do a damn thing.”