Texas Kidnapping

by Barb Han

  Voices coming through the speaker shocked them back a step.

  “Ms. Tran, my name is Sheriff Colton O’Connor. We spoke on the phone.” Colton walked over to her and extended his right hand. She accepted the offering. Her face was sheet white.

  “I’m not sure if I should even be here.” Her hand dropped down to cradle her stomach as she surveyed the room.

  Anger toward Jamison was a flame inching toward a dry field in the middle of a draught. The thought a child would be caught in the middle made Renee burn.

  Colton gave Yolanda a look that Renee figured was meant to reassure Yolanda. Being so stressed while pregnant couldn’t be good for her or the baby. A couple of times in the last few minutes, the woman’s face tensed and she seemed like she was blowing air slowly out of her mouth like she had a cramp.

  “Would you like to sit down?” Colton motioned toward the chairs. He seemed to catch on, too. The chairs had been moved from across the table to one side. The arrangement seemed more intimate and less confronting.

  Interesting.

  “No, thank you.” Yolanda wasn’t done pacing. She brought her hands to her hips. Anyone could see that she was debating walking out the door and taking her information with her.

  “How about you talk to me a little bit about why you’re here.” Colton’s voice was steady. Renee assumed it was meant to keep Yolanda calm and it seemed to be working when she blew out a slow breath.

  She chewed on her lip, seemed to be reconsidering stopping in.

  “I don’t have to remind you that lying to an officer of the law counts as impeding an investigation. You could be held in contempt. Jailed.”

  She gasped.

  “It’s not too late for you to make it right. Tell me what brought you here and what part of your earlier statement you’re recanting.” Colton crossed his arms over his chest.

  A few seconds that felt like minutes passed by without her opening her mouth.

  “A baby was almost kidnapped.” Colton’s gaze dropped to her belly where she was cradling her bump.

  “I’m sorry about that. I can’t help you after all.” She took a step toward the exit.

  “Walk out that door and I find out that you lied there’ll be trouble at your door in a heartbeat.”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong.” She froze.

  “If you’re covering for someone who did, you could go to jail as an accomplice.” Those words got the tears rolling. She was teetering on a ledge. Renee hoped the woman would tip over. As awful as it was, Jamison trying to kidnap Abby was so much better than a botched adoption. It could’ve been one of his friends that first night. With Jamison, it was personal.

  Yolanda’s expression dropped and more tears came flooding. “He told me to say he was with me, but he wasn’t. I don’t know where he was, who he was with or where he’s been but he told me his ex was trying to frame him for something he didn’t do. I had no idea there was a child involved. He... He...”

  She broke down crying and it was difficult for Renee not to force her way into the adjacent room and try to offer some comfort to the woman. At the very least for the child’s sake. Colton picked up the box of tissues from the table and offered them to Yolanda.

  “Do you know where Jamison King is right now?” Colton asked when the tears stemmed.

  “No, I don’t. We’ve been in a hotel room off the highway. We had a huge fight because I wanted to go home and he told me that he didn’t want to have this baby with me. He said that I wasn’t anything like his ex and that he still loved her. He was always comparing me to her during our relationship. Renee this and Renee that. He talked about how perfect she was. At first, I accepted it because...” She hesitated long enough to wipe a few more tears. “I knew he was still with her when we started dating. He convinced me that it had been over between the two of them for a long time but that he didn’t want to leave her with everything happening with his mother. Renee loved his mother.”

  “That’s news to me.” Renee nearly choked hearing those words. Renee had never really gotten along with the woman.

  “I thought maybe he’d gone back to her when I found out she was near. My boss left a few messages saying he’d talked to a sheriff.” Was Yolanda trying to get back at him for leaving? Despite feeling sorry for her, Renee wouldn’t trust that woman as far as she could throw her. And, yes, the tears got to Renee. It was difficult seeing a pregnant woman so upset.

  “We’d like to talk to Mr. King if you see him or if he contacts you.” Colton was a study in calm.

  “I can’t believe he’d do anything to break the law. I thought I knew him better than that,” Yolanda said.

  Renee coughed. Seriously?

  Yolanda cradled her bump and Renee wasn’t sure how much of that was now being played for sympathy.

  “She sure likes to remind my brother that she’s pregnant,” Cash said low and under his breath.

  “You noticed that, too?” Of course he would in his line of work. Renee wasn’t used to being around someone so observant.

  “That’s probably the fifth time she’s made a show of touching her bump,” he noted.

  “At least.” The air seemed to thin and breathing was difficult. “I need to take a walk. Get some air. If I look at this show anymore, I might lose my temper.” Renee glanced at her angel who was still sleeping in the carrier. “Will you keep an eye on her for a minute?”

  Cash looked like he was trying to make a decision. Then came, “Yeah, sure. Do me a favor, though?”

  “Name it.”

  “Stay at the front door where Gert can see you at all times.” A chill raced down her spine at the reminder of the danger she was in.

  “Deal.”

  This time, it was Cash who hauled her against his chest. He pressed his lips to hers. “Good. I can’t have anything happening to you.”

  Didn’t those words melt what was left of Renee’s resolve. Logistics be damned, she was starting to believe she could open her heart a little more to Cash. She wanted to.

  “I’m safe as long as I’m with you.”

  He pressed a slow, sweet kiss to her lips before stepping back and refocusing on the witness.

  Renee walked out of the room, down the hall and past Gert’s desk. She was on the phone but she glanced up and waved. Renee pointed to the front door and Gert nodded.

  There was no amount of time that could erase the damage that Jamison had done to their relationship. Seeing his new girlfriend pregnant with his child was a slap of reality—one she needed. Caring for Jamison wasn’t the problem. Those feelings were long gone. Seeing him ruin another person’s life and bring a child into the world when he’d been clear that he never wanted children set the blaze. The child deserved better. Every child deserved better.

  As Renee walked the sidewalk in front of the building, the devil himself walked up from behind her.

  “I thought I’d never get you alone again.” Those were the last words she heard before a blow to the head caused her world to go black.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Renee blinked her eyes open. Jamison was shoving her into the back of his car. He was trying to force something over her mouth. A cloth? There was a smell she didn’t recognize but it was strong. She tried to scream. He grabbed her by the throat cutting off her voice.

  When did he become this strong? He squeezed so hard she thought her eyeballs might pop out. Drawing up her knees, she pulled on all the strength she could muster and kicked with everything she had inside her.

  There was enough force to knock him back a step and loosen the grip.

  “No.” He bit the word out with so much anger. “You don’t get to leave me again, Renee. Ever. I was just trying to scare you into coming home but you won’t scare. You don’t need a child, Renee. She’s in the way. You need me.”

  “I don’t love you, Jamison,�
� was all she managed to say before his hand was back on her throat.

  Kicking and screaming—her cries were muffled—she unleashed hell on him.

  “You forgot how much you love me. It’ll come back or you’ll love no one. I sure as hell won’t let you stay with that cowboy.” He tightened his grip as she dug her fingernails into his hand.

  During the struggle, she’d lost her glasses and all she could see was a blurry mess in front of her, on top of her. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t make him budge.

  She scratched his face, digging her nails into his cheeks deep enough to break the skin.

  “You shouldn’t do that, Renee.” He tightened his grip until she thought she might black out again.

  With all her energy, she twisted and rolled onto her side. She landed hard on the floorboard but at least managed to break his choke hold. He came down on top of her and she felt his hands struggling for purchase. Despite the fact her windpipe hurt and she gasped for air, she managed to buck him off.

  “Cash.” She screamed the word, praying someone would hear her. It was broad daylight. The statistic that most women were abducted under these conditions came to mind. It was high.

  Not her, not if she had anything to say about it.

  Suddenly, Jamison’s weight was ripped off her. She heard a voice—Cash’s voice—giving her the first sign of hope.

  Scrambling to her feet, she managed to get out of the car on her own. Her throat hurt and she couldn’t count the number of bruises forming on her skin but she could feel every one.

  “Cash.” He was a blur but she would recognize him anywhere. She fumbled around for her glasses and found them. When she put them on, she looked in time to see Cash’s fist rear back before landing a punch that caused Jamison’s head to snap back.

  Blood shot from his nose as Cash made quick work of tackling Jamison to the cement, face first.

  “You’re going to spend the rest of your life in jail if I have anything to say about it.” Cash rammed his knee into Jamison’s back, holding him in place while Colton pulled zip cuffs from his belt and then cuffed him.

  The second Jamison was secure, Cash closed the distance between him and Renee in a few strides. She saw the worry lines scoring his forehead.

  “I thought I lost you.” He cupped her face in his hands and searched her eyes.

  “I’m okay, Cash. I’m here. Safe. Where’s Abby?” She glanced around, frantic.

  “Gert’s bringing her out. She didn’t want the little girl anywhere near Jamison.”

  Renee pushed up to her tiptoes and kissed him.

  “What about Kipp McGee and the adoption?” she asked when she pulled back.

  “He might be tied to the Hubert case, but he’s not involved here, which means this adoption is real,” Cash said.

  * * *

  “I’VE NEVER BELIEVED in love at first sight,” Renee said to Cash after everything settled down and they were alone in Colton’s office. “I wouldn’t know how to trust it.”

  “Really?” He looked at Abby. “Because I don’t believe you. How long did it take for you to realize you would make any sacrifice for Abby? Did you know her?”

  “In my heart, I knew her all along. Meeting her was the next logical step,” she said without hesitation.

  “When it came to Abby, you let your feelings take the lead. You didn’t question them or put up a wall.” He wasn’t sure if he was getting through to Renee, but he had to try. “I’m not saying what we have is the same as a love for a child, don’t get me wrong. The two are very different animals. Since I met you, I became a believer in love at first sight. I knew you were going to be important to me from the minute you opened the door and I stood on your porch. I just didn’t know how. It would be a shame not to see where that takes us because I’ve never experienced a lightning bolt like that with anyone else. If you don’t feel the same way, I’ll walk out the door and leave you alone. Say the word and I’m gone.”

  She was making quick work of the baby cloth in her hand. Her head was tilted to one side and he could see how much she was chewing on his words. He meant every one of them. All she had to do was tell him to walk. He’d hate it. But he’d respect her wishes.

  “What if I said that I do want to spend more time together, but life is in the way right now. I have Abby to think about. I can’t exactly see myself leaving her with a babysitter. Relationships take time. Getting to know each other takes time.”

  “If someone had said the same thing to me last week, I would’ve agreed.”

  Renee took in a deep breath. She usually did that when she was fortifying herself to say something that was difficult or face a new challenge. He had no idea which way she would go on this one. All he knew for certain was that her words would either open a door or close one. With Renee, she would go all in or walk away.

  “I knew you were special the minute I saw you. I had no idea what that meant until you stepped up time and time again for me and my daughter. I should probably be afraid of my feelings for you. You have the power to shatter me, Cash.” There was so much vulnerability in her words and he could see that it was taking great effort for her to admit her feelings. “So, don’t.”

  “Does this mean what I think it does? You’ll give us a chance?” Hope ballooned in his chest.

  “No.”

  That one word had the power to devastate him.

  She continued before he could respond. “A chance implies there’s an option to fail. I love you. I’ve known it since the second we met. I want to run toward it instead of reason my way out. Because it’s clear to me that I’ll never find someone who fits me in the way you do. I’ll never find someone who makes my heart flutter and yet still makes me feel safe even though I’m risking all I have, all that I am. I choose you.”

  “In that case.” Cash took her hand in his and dropped down on one knee. “Let’s make it permanent. Let’s start our family today and not look back. I love you, Renee. I’m never going to find someone who challenges me to be the best person I can be like you do. I’ve never been so in love before I met you. You’re it for me and I want the world to know. I want to adopt Abby and make our family official in the eyes of the law. I want our little girl to have every right afforded an O’Connor. We can proceed any way you like. But, if you’ll have me, I’d be honored if you’ll agree to marry me.”

  “Yes, Cash. I’ll marry you. With all my heart, I’ll marry you.”

  With those words, he stood and brought her into his arms.

  She blinked at him and said, “I can’t wait to make our family official but I don’t need a piece of paper to know what’s in my heart. You’re my family and I can’t imagine a better father for Abby.”

  “The kid struck gold when she landed you as a mother,” he countered. “Both of you won my heart. And, now, I’m ready to build a life together.”

  “I can’t think of a better way to spend the next fifty or sixty years than with you and our daughter.” When she looked at him, her eyes sparked. “And maybe a couple of siblings for Abby.”

  “My job in law enforcement is important to me for now. I’m not ready to give it up. Are you okay with that?” he asked.

  “Don’t ever change for me. I love you for who you are. When and if you’re ever ready to take more responsibility at the ranch, I’ll support that decision.”

  He looked at her and his chest nearly burst with love and pride. He kissed her, slow and sweet.

  “My mother has offered you a job at the ranch. Any chance you’d consider taking her up on it? You’d be an asset on the ranch, especially with your technical abilities. What do you think about helping her run the place? KBR is as much yours as it is my brothers’, mine and Abby’s.”

  Renee beamed. “I’d like to use my skills to continue the legacy we’ll hand down to our children. So, that’s a yes from me.”

 
“I love you, Renee.” With those words, Cash found home.

  Epilogue

  The open door to Mother’s library stopped Cash in the hallway. It was early, even for her.

  A light was on, telling him she was inside. She always made a point to walk through the house before bed and turn off lights. She called it putting the house to bed and told him even the house needed to rest.

  Taking in a deep breath, he took the couple of steps until he stood in front of the door.

  “Morning.” Her voice cracked enough to let him know she’d been crying. Crying wasn’t something he’d seen his mother do very often.

  “Hello, beautiful. What are you doing up at this hour?” He wished he could reel the question back in the minute he’d asked it. She was grieving and, based on the fact she had her favorite book in her hand, searching for comfort.

  She held up the worn paperback.

  “Mind if I join you?” There was something about her expression that made him want to stick around a few minutes. See if he could provide some comfort to the woman who’d spent most of her life taking care of him and his brothers. How did he even begin to repay the kind of loyalty and dedication she’d shown to him and his brothers?

  “Please do.” The warmth in his mother’s eyes returned. Thinking about taking care of Abby and the weight of the responsibility ahead of him—responsibility he gladly took on even though he was way out of his league—made him appreciate everything his parents had done for him and his brothers. It also made him resolve to clear the air with Garrett. Losing their father made Cash realize how important family was and how much he’d taken for granted that they’d all be there. Wounds could be healed someday. Time would wait for them to catch up.

  Flawed thinking. A little voice in the back of his mind said the best way to honor his father’s memory was to pass on his unconditional love, his easygoing nature and his unwavering belief in his children. That same voice reminded Cash that his investigative work wasn’t done. Not until Caroline’s story was told, not until he gave his mother closure, whatever that meant—and that might mean delivering news no son wanted to give his mother in a case like this.