by Barb Han
She needed to know what Lawler thought.
“You don’t be—”
“No,” he cut in before she had time to finish. It was the obvious question to ask. “The note references you as already dead.”
She tried not to vomit again as bile climbed up her throat, burning a trail to her mouth.
Adam’s thumb drew circles at the small of her back and brought a surprising amount of comfort with his touch. She couldn’t think about the senseless loss of two lives and still keep a clear mind. With great effort, she had to put those emotions aside—emotions that threatened to pull her under and trigger feelings from her traumatic past.
Years of therapy from her youth kicked in, and she remembered to focus on something real, something that kept her in the present and aware of being inside her own body. Like the light, reassuring touch on her back. She used Adam’s hand to ground her. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey deserved justice.
“Let me see if I have this right. Someone broke into the Ramsey home with the intention of killing them and setting the scene to look like a murder-suicide. Prudence was to be…what…ambushed?…when she showed up at six o’clock in the morning to care for their pets where she would also be killed and ‘arranged’ to fit,” Adam surmised.
“The note was already written, so, that’s exactly the way this looks,” Lawler stated.
“In the hopes of gaining what?” Prudence could feel the blood rush out of her face. Dizziness set in but she had no plans to let it take over. Breathe. She looked at her hands that were planted against the island and focused on the feel of the granite beneath her fingers.
And then it dawned on her.
“The baby,” came out in a whisper.
“Someone wants this angel pretty badly,” Lawler suggested.
“Is there any way to speed up the paternity test based on this new information? I can’t help but think this would have to settle down if I can claim her as mine legally,” Adam said.
“You know I’m doing my best there,” Lawler said in his usual calm tone.
Prudence had no idea how he did it. A job like his would undo her. There was no way she would want a front-row seat to people’s worst days. She was grateful for lawmen like him. The detective who’d taken her to child protective services had been a godsend. She couldn’t remember his name anymore or the details of his face. All she could recall was a dark-haired man in a suit with a kind, steady voice and a teddy bear taking her to a foster family until her next of kin could be notified and cleared through the courts to come pick her up. The same detective had been present when her aunt and uncle pulled up in their small pickup. She’d sat in the middle and her aunt held her hand the entire drive to their home.
No words had been spoken, or, if they had, she couldn’t say what they were. All she remembered clearly was clinging to that teddy bear like it was her lifeline.
“Elizabeth’s parents made an appointment to come to my office at seven a.m. tomorrow to give statements before he goes into work. You’re welcome to come down and hear what they have to say,” Lawler said. “I can arrange for you to be in a sound-proof room with a two-way mirror.”
“I’d like that very much,” Adam immediately piped in.
“Stop by half hour before the meeting. Say, six-thirty,” Lawler said.
“What’s going to happen to Miss Peabody and Hutch?” Prudence couldn’t stand the thought of the dogs ending up in a shelter after what they’d been through.
“They’re with animal control,” Lawler said.
Prudence shot a desperate glance at Adam. He seemed to immediately pick up on the meaning.
“Any chance they can be released into our custody?” he asked.
“I can have that arranged,” Lawler said.
“Is it possible to pick them up now? They must be so scared.” Prudence balled her fists. She flexed and released her fingers a few times trying to work off some of the tension.
The baby stirred in the adjacent room, working up to a cry.
Adam caught her gaze, as though making sure it was okay to step away and attend to Angel.
Prudence nodded, missing his touch the minute the pressure on the small of her back changed.
“I can do one better than that,” Lawler said. “Animal control can swing them by on their way to the shelter. It’ll ease their burden anyway.”
The first glimmer of hope lit inside Prudence. She loved those dogs, and they didn’t deserve what was happening. Neither did their owners and she felt helpless to do anything there. They were good people who should be finishing up packing for a vacation they’d planned and looked forward to for weeks, if not months. A rogue tear escaped as anger welled up inside her. She couldn’t afford more than one.
“Thank you, Sheriff.”
“It’s the least I can do,” he said quietly. “I’ll be in touch if there’s any additional news. In the meantime, it’s probably a good idea to sit tight at the ranch.”
She understood the implication. There was security at Firebrand unlike anything she’d ever seen. She would be safe there.
“Will do,” she said as Adam joined her with a teary-eyed Angel in his arms. She was sucking on her binky like there was no tomorrow. Did she have a bad dream? A memory?
Prudence had no idea what a newborn was capable of. But she was one hundred percent certain Angel was special.
Lawler ended the call.
“I’m sorry about your clients,” Adam said.
“Someone must want that little girl awfully bad to go to this much trouble to get her back,” Prudence observed.
“She leaves this ranch over my dead body,” Adam stated. His look of determination said he would back those words up in a heartbeat.
“What do you think we should do with her in the morning?” Prudence didn’t think it was safe to take her along to the sheriff’s office and she needed to hear what Libby’s parents had to say. Considering her life hung in the balance until this investigation was over, she figured she had a right to follow it along.
“Good question.” And then the answer seemed to dawn on him. “How would you like to meet my mother?”
“Tonight?” She glanced down at her jogging suit as panic engulfed her. “Like this?”
“You’d be beautiful in a paper bag,” he said without hesitation. Did he mean it? “But if you’d rather not, the house is huge. You can go upstairs and relax. I’ll call when she’s gone.”
“It’s getting late and animal control will be dropping off Hutch and Miss Peabody soon. I’d rather stay downstairs and keep watch for them,” she rationalized. Besides, it wasn’t like she was meeting his family in a formal sense. The two weren’t even dating so her need to make a good impression had to take a backseat.
“I’ll ask her to come over.” He managed to balance the baby and make a call. His skills at handling Angel were improving by the minute. If she turned out to be his child, he was going to make one helluva father. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“I might sit out front. It’s a beautiful night,” she said, wanting to be as far away from Adam and his family as possible. Her heart practically melted every time she saw him holding the baby.
“Suit yourself. My mom is a decent person, though. She’s nothing like my father. You might actually like her if…never mind,” he seemed to catch himself. “Looking at the stars at night is one of the main reasons I never felt a need to leave this ranch and is a big part of why this land, Texas, will always be a part of my soul. You always hear people talking about stopping to smell the roses when all they really have to do is walk outside in the evening and look up.”
That was about the most beautiful thing she’d heard today.
Heading toward the front door, she heard his voice as he made the call to his mother. The tender way in which he spoke hit her square in the chest.
Out on the front porch, she sat down and hugged her knees. There was a slight chill in the air and a couple of clouds dotting in the sky. The promise of rain
hung in the air. They needed it. The ground was so parched cracks were fracturing the earth.
Prudence had no idea how long she sat there in silence before the all-white animal services van pulled up. An older gentleman wearing all khaki-colored clothing exited the driver’s side.
“Evening, ma’am. Mr. Firebrand said I’d find you here on the porch.” He looked to be in his late fifties, early sixties. He was short by Texas standards, so probably five-feet-nine-inches. He had a ready smile, horse teeth, and a soft, round middle that looked like it might burst out of his shirt and pants in the same manner as a Pillsbury cinnamon roll can.
“Beautiful night,” she said, liking small talk as opposed to the heavy conversations she had been having all day.
“Wish it would hurry up and rain already,” he said, extending his hand. “Name’s Randy, by the way.”
She met him halfway, introduced herself, and took the offering. He had a firm shake.
“We sure need it,” she agreed.
“Yep,” he said before rounding to the side of the van and pulling out a set of keys.
She hated the thought of her buddies being locked up. She’d been sitting for Hutch and Miss Peabody since they were pups, so five and six years now respectively. The thought of them being broken up and adopted out to different households wasn’t something she could handle.
Granted, her life was not built for keeping them permanently. Like everything in life, she would figure it out. There was no way she was letting these sweethearts suffer any more than they already had.
Randy let Hutch out first. The black lab came bolting out of the enclosure and straight toward her. He jumped on her, knocking her back a step.
“Whoa there, Hutch.” She didn’t bother telling him to calm down. He wouldn’t be able to on a good day, let alone on what had to be his worst, even if he didn’t fully understand what was happening. “Good boy.”
He ran a few circles around the van and she figured he needed to stretch his legs.
Miss Peabody was much easier. The bichon shook like a leaf in a windstorm as Randy unlocked her enclosure. Her relief was palpable when she saw Prudence. She immediately took the dog from Randy.
“The sheriff asked me to drop off their leashes, food, and bowls,” Randy stated, lumbering over to the back of his van. He unlocked another ‘cell’ and produced the items.
“Do you mind putting them on the porch for me?” She had her hands full soothing a distraught Miss Peabody.
“Not at all.” Randy was strong as an ox. Hutch’s food came in a fifty-pound bag and there were two of them, only one partially empty. Miss Peabody’s came in the form of cans, so he set the medium-sized box next to the bags.
She whistled for Hutch and he came gunning for her. The only command the dog knew was, sit. So, she used it and he immediately planted his backside down before bowling her over.
“Good boy, Hutch,” she said.
“Looks like you got this under control,” Randy said with a smile. “I best be going.”
“Thank you for bringing these guys here and all their stuff.” Hutch’s favorite toy was among the leashes.
She walked next to him as Randy waved, and then drove off.
Prudence had faced a lot today. Could she handle the woman inside the house?
15
Adam stood at the backdoor, watching as his mother walked toward the house. He was still trying to decide how much he should tell her about Angel and Prudence as he saw her cross the yard.
No answers came to him by the time she greeted him as he held the door open for her. She was short, barely five-feet-two-inches and had the blackest hair of anyone he’d ever seen, always piled on top of her head in a messy knot. Her Italian heritage shined through in her eyes, her cooking, and her warm personality even though she’d been born in America, just like her mother before her.
“Hey, Mom,” he said by way of greeting.
Those deep brown eyes of hers skimmed him, like she was trying to figure out and prepare for just about anything. He didn’t call her nearly enough. And he never called her at night. She’d be asleep in another half hour and most anything he ever had to say to her could wait until meatball dinner on Sundays, not that he always attended. Being in the same room with his father for too long was a problem.
“Everything okay, Adam?” She studied his face.
Angel was sleeping in her carrier, having just downed a bottle.
“Come on into the kitchen where we can talk,” he said.
Her forehead wrinkled with concern as she passed by him. She moved toward the table and then froze. He recognized it as the instant she saw Angel.
“Who is this?” she whispered.
Since he still hadn’t figured out how to explain who Angel was and why she belonged on the ranch with him, he decided to sidestep the question.
“How are your babysitting skills?” he asked.
The look he got for redirecting the conversation caught him off guard. He’d seen his mother so angry he thought her head might explode, though she never uttered a word in frustration. He’d seen her cry tears of joy. This was different.
“Good enough to keep the nine of you alive,” she pointed out.
“That’s why I called. I figure you’re nine for nine, and I need someone to watch this little girl in the morning while I visit the sheriff’s office,” he stated, hoping she would let it go at that.
“So, you’re helping out Sheriff Lawler by keeping her here?” his mother asked.
“Yes.” It was the truth.
“And you can’t go into the reasons behind it right now?” she asked.
“It’s better if I don’t.” Again, he wasn’t lying. Adam had been brought up to be honest. Honor was everything for a rancher.
She nodded before walking over to take a peek into the carrier. “A girl?”
“That’s right,” he said. His mother had made no secret about wishing to take home at least one pink blanket instead of nine blue. Her close friends and acquaintances knew she was the ‘go to’ if they needed a babysitter for their daughter. She’d loved her boys, though. Don’t get him wrong. But a girl put a twinkle in his mother’s eyes that neither Adam nor any of his brothers ever had.
“What time should I be here?” she asked. Her face lit up as she watched the sleeping angel.
“I have to leave around five-forty-five,” he said. His mother kept rancher hours so she would be awake for a full hour and forty-five minutes at that point.
“Okay.” She practically beamed at the baby and it gave him a little more confidence in sharing the news following the paternity test if Angel turned out to be his.
“One more thing, and this is a big ask,” he said.
His mother took in a deep breath like she was fortifying herself.
“Keep this between us for now,” he said.
Her eyes widened.
He put his hands up, palms out, in the surrender position. “The fewer people who know she’s here, the better. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I never keep secrets from your father,” she said. “What will I tell him is the reason I have to be here so early?”
“Do you have to say anything?” he asked.
“Heaven help me.” She made the sign of the cross.
“If he asks, I wouldn’t expect you to lie,” he said. “Does he know where you are twenty-four/seven?”
She stood there for a long moment and he wasn’t certain which way she was leaning.
“I guess not. If I came here to the main house, he might assume that I’m starting the process of going through his father’s things,” she reasoned.
“There’s another purpose to stop by and I have no problem if you tell the world about—”
As if on cue, the click-click-click sound of toenails on tile echoed from down the hallway. The sound was a bullet train coming at them.
“Hutch,” Prudence called out. Her voice lit campfires inside him. She was all blue skies and endless summe
r days.
A black lab came bolting into the kitchen. The minute he saw Adam, he put the brakes on. He couldn’t gain traction, so he basically skidded across the room unable to stop until he plunked into the wall.
His back legs got out from underneath him and he struggled to pull it together again.
“Sit!” came the command from the hallway.
The dog complied.
Adam was impressed. His mother seemed shocked. Her hand immediately went out to block the dog from getting anywhere near the carrier. He’d never seen his mother move so fast.
Adam chalked it up to a mother’s instincts.
She wedged her body in front of the baby and his chest tightened with pride. If Angel turned out to be his…
No sense going there at this point. He’d know soon enough, and he didn’t need any expectations on the results either way. The situation was complicated enough without adding to it.
Prudence jogged into the room, carrying a little white puffball in her arms and issuing an apology. She froze the minute her gaze landed on Adam’s mother.
“Mother, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Prudence,” Adam said.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught his mother eyeing Prudence up and down. Was she checking for signs that this was the little girl’s mother?
“Pleased to meet you,” his mother said.
“It’s such a pleasure. I was in the same grade as Fallon in school and I’ve heard so much about your family that I feel like I already know you,” Prudence said, much to his mother’s delight.
“If anyone asks where you’re going tomorrow, you could always use the excuse of dog sitting,” Adam suggested.
“I’m very impressed, by the way,” his mother said to Prudence. “I’ve never been able to get a dog to listen to me like that.”
“It comes with the territory for me.” Prudence’s cheeks flushed at the compliment and it made her look even more beautiful. “I own a pet sitting company and it’s the one thing I work on before I accept a new client. If I can’t get the dog to sit from anywhere in the room or no matter what else he or she is doing, I don’t want to be responsible for them.”