Morning Light (41 page)

Clint didn't care how blessed his daughter might be. He and Loni would teach her how to deal with it, one way or another. He also totally understood where the old lady was coming from. He'd never realized before just how much the Scots and the Irish had in common. He liked Aislinn MacDuff. She said it the way it was, didn't pull her punches, and tossed in a threat now and again to get her point across. In short, she talked Clint's language.

“From this moment forward you don't need to worry about her. She's mine to take care of now.”

Aislinn nodded. “I know it. Just be sure you do a proper job of it.” She grabbed Loni to give her a hug. “Drove all this way. Now I'm guessing I need to turn around and go back home to Lynwood. I'm happy for you, sweetness.”

When the hugging had ended, Clint couldn't resist asking, “So what do you use to spy on her?”

“Her baby rattle. All I have to do is touch it and I'm right there.”

Clint assimilated that information much the same way that he imagined men of old had once tried to comprehend that the world was round. “I want it as a wedding present.”

“You what?”

“You heard me,” Clint replied. “I want that baby rattle, all wrapped up with a bow. And in the card we'll have your promise that you'll never again spy on us while we're making love.”

Aislinn folded her arms over her chest. “And in return what do I get?”

“A standing invitation to visit your granddaughter whenever the mood strikes you, and we'll also drive up to visit you at least twice a year.”

“And you'll put up at Annabel's? That won't be a visit to see
me
. I want you staying at my place, and each visit has to include at least two overnights. Otherwise, no bargain.”

Clint wondered if she had crystal balls stashed all over her house, and decided it didn't matter. Her eyes reminded him of Loni's, and that was all the recommend he needed. “All right, two visits a year, two nights each, and we'll stay at your place.” He thrust out a hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Aislinn appeared to consider the offer. Then she reached out to grasp his hand. “It's a deal.”

After Aislinn had driven toward the next town to find a motel room for the night, Clint gathered his lady into his arms. She let her head fall back, exposing her slender throat to him, and Clint honestly considered having a taste. But Hannah had wandered off into the darkness somewhere, necessitating that he go find her. He also wasn't fond of the thought that an elderly grandmother might come searching for him tomorrow with a shotgun.

So instead he simply drew Loni close—so close that a sheet of onionskin couldn't have slipped between them. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”

She turned her cheek against his shirt. “It doesn't last me from one time to the next. I think you'll have to tell me all the time.”

That was a request Clint could deliver on. He would never tire of saying he loved her, for that was the truth that had taken root in his heart and now resounded through his soul. He loved her. He felt as if he'd always loved her.

And perhaps he had. When she'd dreamed of him all those many times, some part of him must have been there, and for the remainder of his life, he'd always believe that he'd been subconsciously in love with her long before he'd ever met her. That was why he'd never met someone else and been able to settle for second-best.

Second-best was never quite good enough when you knew deep down that your true heart's desire was waiting for you somewhere, possibly just around the corner.

L
oni stood on the front porch beside her husband, watching Sharon and Jacob Michaels's car bump along the road leading up to the ranch house. When the cream-colored sedan rolled to a stop the back door flew open. Trevor and Nana, both scrambling to go first, tumbled out onto the dirt, the dog barking with excitement, the child yelling, “Hi, Daddy!”

It was early October, nearly four months since the rafting accident, and Loni and Clint had driven north countless times to see the child, but this was Trevor's first weekend visit at the ranch. Clint was so excited that he'd been pacing the floors all morning. What if Trevor hated his room? What if he disliked the horses? Loni had talked herself almost blue in the face trying to reassure him, but he'd persisted in worrying. Now, despite Trevor's obvious delight at being there, Clint still looked apprehensive.

“Go,” Loni whispered. “It'll be fine. Have faith.”

With the loose-hipped grace that Loni had always so admired, Clint finally descended the steps two at a time to grab the child up in his arms. “Hi, yourself!” He turned a full circle, his gaze never leaving Trevor's face. “I thought you'd never get here. What did you do, sleep in until noon?”

“No, we hurried real fast!” The boy looked expectantly at his father. “Where's my boots?”

Clint had purchased Trevor his first pair of riding boots the previous week and had told the child about them over the phone. “
Boots?
I've been waiting for five days to get a hug, and all you can think about is boots?”

Trevor giggled with unbridled delight when his father lifted him high into the air to gobble his stomach while growling like a bear. Sharon Michaels met Loni's laughing gaze and waved hello. Jacob, climbing out on the driver's side of the vehicle, grinned broadly as he watched Clint play with his son. Trevor's happiness at being there was the result of much hard work on everyone's part, so this was a very rewarding moment for all four adults.

“How come do you have a policeman at your gate?” Trevor asked his father when their rambunctious hellos were finally concluded.

Clint's dark eyes twinkled up at Loni. “He's not a policeman. He's a security guard,” he told the child. “He makes sure no reporters come onto the property.”

“Oh.” Trevor seemed to take that explanation in stride. “Is the guard going to put them in handcuffs if they won't go away? My other dad hated reporters. He said they were royal pains in the butt.”

Clint laughed and swung the boy around to ride on his opposite hip. “They
can
be royal pains sometimes, but handcuffing people can be hard to do, even for a security guard, so he just keeps the gate closed and calls the police instead.” Clint locked gazes with Loni again. “Isn't that right, sweetheart?”

Loni couldn't help but smile. “Yes, that's right. Your daddy makes sure no reporters bother us here.”

“Cool!” Trevor cried. “I like it better when nobody takes my picture.”

Loni shared the sentiment. Clint's plan to secure the ranch and hire a bodyguard had changed her life. She never worried about being hounded by the press nowadays, and any frantic parents who needed help were directed by the ranch house answering service to contact her through proper law-enforcement channels.

“Where are the horses?” Trevor asked his dad.

Clint did a half turn and gestured with his hand. “They're all over the place.”

The child saw a group of mares in one of the pastures and whooped with excitement. “Can I pet one, Daddy?”

“Pet one?” Clint chuckled. “Is petting one all you want to do? How about
riding
one?”

In the recent past Trevor would have looked to his grandparents for permission, but now he looked only to his father. “Can I, Daddy?
Really?
”

“I think we can arrange it. Your boots are over at the arena. We'll need to get those on you first. A proper horseman always wears a Stetson and riding boots.”

Trevor's eyes went round. “You got me a Stetson, too?”

“You're my boy now, aren't you?” Clint replied with a chuckle. “I can't have you looking like a city slicker.”

At precisely that moment Hannah lumbered out from behind the house. When she saw her canine friend Nana whom she'd met the previous weekend in Sweet Home, she gave a happy bark. Within seconds the two huge dogs were tumbling over the grass, a gigantic blur of yellow, white, and brown fur.

“I think Nana has finally met her match,” Sharon observed as she approached the porch. “She's never been around another dog big enough to play with her until now.”

“Hannah definitely isn't lacking in size,” Loni said, laughing at their antics.

“Can I ride a horse now, Daddy?” Trevor cried. “Please, please,
please
?”

Loni was delighted by the child's enthusiasm. “And you were worried?” she called to Clint. “I told you horses are in his blood.”

Clint beamed a proud smile. “Maybe so.”

Loni gestured to the child's grandfather. “Please do come in, Jacob. I'm sure you're weary after the long drive. I just pulled a coffee cake from the oven.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely,” Sharon replied. “But first let us get a look at the ranch.” She ascended the steps to stand with Loni on the veranda. “My goodness, it's big. And so beautiful.” She smiled happily. “Trevor will be so happy here. You just can't know how glad that makes me feel.”

If all went well during this visit—and Loni felt certain it would—future visitations would take place at the ranch throughout the winter, preparing Trevor to come live with Clint and Loni on a permanent basis when school was out in June.

“I think I'll go with Clint and Trevor to see the horses,” Jacob told them. “I'll only be gone for a few minutes.”

“No hurry!” Sharon called. “Just be really careful so you don't get hurt.”

“He'll be fine,” Loni assured the older woman. “Clint's horses are big loves. Neither of your fellows will be in any danger.”

“That's good to know,” Sharon said with a laugh. “It'll be a wonderful place to raise children then. Surely you and Clint plan to have more.”

“Oh, yes. Clint wants a whole baseball team.”

“Good heavens. I hope you've gotten that notion out of his head.”

“We're still negotiating.”

Gazing after Clint as he walked with Jacob and Trevor toward the arena, Loni smiled dreamily. Life had been so busy since Trevor's rescue in June, with Loni and Clint rushing through marriage preparation classes with Father Mike, having their wedding in August, and also traveling so often to visit Trevor, that she hadn't made an official announcement about her pregnancy yet. She and Clint wanted to hold the joyful secret close to their hearts for a while, with only Father Mike and her and Clint's family sharing the knowledge.

In a precognitive vision, Loni had seen Trevor leading his baby sister by the hand across the stable yard next winter. Aliza Candrima, whose first and middle names meant “joyful light of the moon,” would have her father's dark skin and jet-black hair, but she would take after her mother as well. In the vision Loni had seen a deep crimson birthmark on the nape of her daughter's neck.

“Look at that child run!” Sharon cried.

Loni nodded. “He's so excited he can barely contain himself.”

“Clint is good for him,” Sharon observed. “When Clint is with him the sadness goes out of Trevor's eyes.”

Clint was good for everyone, Loni thought. Being with him was her lifelong dream come true.

“Can I help with your suitcases before we go in?” Loni offered. Sharon and Jacob planned to spend the night so Trevor would experience no separation anxiety. “Then we'll sit down at the table with fresh coffee and some of that cake.”

After helping Trevor's grandmother get settled in the guest room, Loni hurried to the kitchen, still smiling secretly over her vision of Trevor and his baby sister. A few months ago Loni would not have been happy to know that her daughter would inherit “the sight,” but now she was absolutely thrilled. Annabel MacEwen had been right all along: Having the sight was a very special blessing. It had just taken Loni a while to come to that realization. Her gift had not only enabled her to help save Trevor's life but had led her straight into the arms of her dream cowboy.

“My goodness! That cake does smell good.”

Loni gestured at the table. “Have a seat. Which do you prefer, coffee or tea?”

“Coffee, please. I missed my second cup this morning.”

Loni had just served her guest when the phone rang. After drying her hands on a towel, she hurried across the kitchen. “Excuse me for a moment, Sharon,” she said after glimpsing the caller ID. “This may be important. I need to take it.”

“Don't worry about me,” Sharon said. “If I want seconds I'll just help myself.”

“Hello, Jim,” Loni said when she answered the phone. “You have something for me again today?”

The Crystal Falls police detective wasted no time on pleasantries. “A baby just went missing in Denver, Colorado. Six months old, female, Caucasian.”

Loni's hand tightened over the receiver. Thanks to Clint's family connections with law enforcement and his exhaustive efforts to create channels of communication, she now worked frequently with the FBI, enabling her to take cases across state lines. “Do you have a photo for me?”

“I do. I'm e-mailing it to you in an attachment as I speak. Can you take a look ASAP and get right back to me?”

Loni understood that the survival rate of missing children greatly increased if they were found within twenty-four hours. “You got it.” She ended the call. “Sharon, I'm sorry, but I've got an important e-mail that I need to go open.”

“Stop apologizing. I'm happy as a clam.”

Loni rushed to Clint's downstairs office. Now that the FBI often called upon her for help, she was using her gift more than she'd ever dreamed possible. Over the last week she'd helped pinpoint the whereabouts of six small children before their abductors could harm them. One little boy had been as far away as Portland, Maine, a distance that would have been a major stumbling block for Loni only a few months ago. But with a lot of prayer, practice, and unfailing support from Clint, she had strengthened her abilities. Regardless of distance, she was now able to home in on a child's location simply by gazing at a photograph.

When cases went badly, which they sometimes did, and Loni felt devastated because she'd failed to save a life, her husband was always there to hold her in his arms and remind her of her successes and of the victories that still lay ahead.
You can't save the whole world, only one tiny corner,
he would say, and then he would point out that most people went to the grave without ever saving anyone.

Slowly but surely Loni was learning to put the failures behind her and focus on the joyous successes. The nightmares still came to haunt her sometimes. Loni couldn't honestly say that her gift had suddenly become a walk in the park. But with Clint beside her and his strong arms around her, she no longer felt quite so devastated when things went wrong. She was becoming adept at blocking signals now, picking and choosing the times when a vision would come. That had helped immensely, because she was able to brace herself, step back emotionally, and control the vision instead of allowing the vision to control her.

Do your best
, Clint always said.
Give it all you've got, trust in God, and then don't dwell on it.
Loni was getting there.

Within seconds she was printing out a picture of an adorable baby girl with big blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and a ribbon around a shock of black hair that poked straight up from her head. Loni couldn't help but smile as she took the picture into her hands. After making the sign of the cross, she prayed fervently for God's help before allowing herself to focus on the baby's face.

White light flashed, obscuring her vision. The next instant Loni was there with the child. A thin woman with brown hair sat in a rocker with the baby in her arms. As she pushed with her feet, she hummed a lullaby. Loni was learning how to glean as much information as quickly as possible during a vision, so she fastened her gaze on the window. Through the glass she saw shrubbery, a maple tree that had lost almost all its leaves, and also a hedge that divided the woman's yard off from the one next door. Beyond the hedge Loni saw police cars and a television news van parked in front of a home across the street.

Tossing the picture aside, Loni called the detective back. “Hi, Jim. A neighbor woman has the child. Brown hair, green eyes, very thin. She lives across the street and about three houses down from the parents. The yard is surrounded by a privacy hedge, and the window trim I saw looked dark blue.”

“That's amazing, absolutely amazing. Thanks, Loni.”

“When you connect with whoever's in charge at that end, tell them to be careful. I think the woman may be delusional. She's totally oblivious to what's going on outside her house. They don't want to startle her. She might panic and accidentally hurt the baby.”