Rancher Rescue (7 page)

Her expression vacillated between anger and panic.

“Where?” She signaled to Caleb for a pen and paper.

He retrieved them and watched as she jotted down “Sculpture at CenterPark” and then ended the call.

Her wide-eyed gaze flew up to him. “They want to meet tomorrow afternoon.”

“Did they mention anything about the file we’re looking for?”

She shook her head. “They only said to bring it to NorthPark Center.”

“Good, it’s out in the open. What time?”

“Three o’clock.”

Caleb glanced at his watch. “We have plenty of time to check it out first.”

“They told me to come alone.” Determination thinned her lips before she turned and walked away.

He wouldn’t argue as he closely followed her, ready to grab her if she faltered. She was determined to walk on her own; he’d give her that. The way she did “stubborn” was sexy as hell. Now was not the time for the conversation he needed to have with her. The one that said no way in hell was he allowing her to go by herself.

“Before we leave, is there any place we haven’t looked? Did she have a secret hiding spot?”

“None she would share with me.” As she moved behind the sofa, she stopped suddenly. “I didn’t think about this before, but it makes perfect sense. We might not find anything, but it’s worth checking out.”

Katherine limped down the short hall and into the master bedroom.

She stopped in the middle of the room and looked up at the ceiling fan. “She had a small diary when we were kids that she hid by taping it to the top of one the blades. I found it when I was helping my parents spring clean once.” A hint of sadness darkened her features. “Found out just how much she was sick of me when I peeked at the pages.”

Caleb righted a chair that had been tossed upside down and settled it in the center of the room. “Let me look.”

Even on the chair, he couldn’t see the tops of the half-dozen blades.

Puffs of dust floated down when he wiped the first. More of the same on the second. His hand stopped on a small rectangle on the third. “I found something.”

“Can you tell what?” Her voice brightened with hope.

“It’s secure.” He didn’t want to take a chance on damaging it by ripping it off. His fingers moved around the smooth surface. Tape? He peeled the sticky layer off the item. “I’ll be damned. It’s a cell phone.”

“Thank God, they missed it.”

“I don’t recognize the brand,” he said as he palmed it.

“Think it works?”

He pressed the power button. “It’s dead. If we can find a store that sells these, we can buy a new cable or battery. We’ll look up the manufacturer when we get back in the car.”

“Okay.” She spun around. “Oh, and I need to find something else.”

He followed her down the hall to Noah’s bedroom.

“I know it’s here somewhere,” she said, tossing around toys and clothes.

“What are you looking for? I’ll help.”

“No. I found it.” She held up a stuffed reindeer. “It’s Prancer. One of Noah’s favorites. He apparently used to sleep with it all the time. Now he’s into the rabbit. I was just thinking he’ll need as many of his things as possible to make my place feel like home.” She gathered a few more toys from the mess.

“Prancer? Seems like an interesting choice for a name. I mean, why not Rudolph?” He examined the stuffed animal.

“Noah thinks the other reindeer get overlooked. Said Rudolph gets all the glory,” she said, melancholy.

Caleb couldn’t help but crack a smile. “How old did you say he is?”

“Four.”

“Sounds like a compassionate boy.” He tucked the stuffed animal under his arm. “We’ll keep Prancer safe until he’s back with Noah.”

When Caleb looked at her, his heart dropped. A dozen emotions played across her delicate features. Fear. Regret. Anxiety.

He walked to her and took her hand in his.

“We’ll find him. I promise.”

Before he could debate his actions, he tilted his head forward and pressed his lips to hers gently. The soft kiss intensified when she parted her lips to allow him access. His mouth covered hers as he swallowed her moan.

Both his hands cupped her cheeks, tilting her face until his tongue delved more deeply, tasting her.

She pulled back long enough to look into his eyes.

“I believe you mean that,” she said, her voice like silk wrapping around him, easing the ache in his chest.

Caleb always delivered on his commitments. He hoped like hell this time would be no different.

Chapter Five

Exhaustion dulled Katherine’s senses, but she managed to follow Caleb back to the car. The visit hadn’t produced any real optimism. All their hopes were riding on a dead phone.

And what if there’s nothing there?
a tiny voice in the back of her mind asked.

What then?

Hot, burning tears blurred Katherine’s vision. Her mantra—
Chin Up. Move Forward. Forge Ahead
—had always worked. She’d survived so much of what life had thrown at her repeating those few words. Hadn’t she been stronger because of it?

Then how did she explain the hollow ache in her chest? Or the niggling dread she might live out the rest of her days by herself. Everyone let her down eventually. Who could she lean on when times got tough? Who did she really have to help celebrate life’s successes?

Before meeting this cowboy, she’d never realized how alone she’d truly been. She gave herself a mental shake as she opened the car door and buckled in.

Caleb found her cable-knit sweater in the back and placed it over her as she clicked the seat belt into place.

She slipped the sweater over her shoulders and closed her eyes, expecting to see the attackers’ faces or to hear their threats replaying in her mind. She didn’t. Instead she saw Caleb and relaxed into a deep sleep.

* * *

K
ATHERINE
DIDN
’
T
OPEN
her eyes again until she heard Caleb’s voice, raspy from lack of sleep, urging her awake. For a split second she imagined being pressed up against him, snuggled against the crook of his arm, in his big bed. She’d already been introduced, and quite intimately, to his broad chest and his long, lean, muscled thighs. He’d left no doubt he was all power, virility and man when his body had blanketed her, pinning her to the ground. Her fists had pounded pure steel abs. Warmth spread from her body to her limbs, heating her thighs.

The reality she was curled up in her car while running for Noah’s life brought a slap of sanity.

“Where are we?”

“Dallas. If the address on your license is correct, we’re a couple blocks from your house.” He glanced at the clock. “Don’t worry. We have plenty of time before the drop.”

She sat up and rubbed sleep from her eyes. They were at a drive-through for a local coffee shop.

Coffee.

There couldn’t be much better at the moment than a good cup of coffee save for finding Noah and having this whole nightmare behind her.

Caleb handed her a cup and took a drink from his while he pulled out of the parking lot.

“I ordered black for you.”

“Perfect.” Katherine took a sip of the hot liquid. The slight burn woke her senses. A blaze of sunlight appeared from the east. “You’ve been driving all night. You must be exhausted.”

Caleb took another sip from the plastic cup. “I’m more worried about that leg of yours. At some point, we need to take another look. Didn’t want to disturb you last night while you looked so peaceful.”

“I’m surprised I slept at all.” Katherine stretched and yawned. She glanced down at her injuries. Blood had soaked through a few of the bandages and dried. Most were intact and clear. All things considered, they were holding up. “You dressed these well. My ankle feels better already.”

She touched one, then two bandages. “I think they’ll hold awhile longer. At least the bleeding has stopped.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” He cracked a sexy little smile and winked. “We’d better park here.” He cut the engine. “We’ll walk the rest of the way.”

“Do you think they’re watching my apartment?”

“A precaution,” he reassured her. His clenched jaw belied his words.

“Why didn’t they stop us last night? They could’ve waited at Leann’s and shot us right then.”

“I thought about that a lot on the drive. They want you to find what we’re looking for. And fast.”

“I didn’t say anything about the file on the last call. I was too focused on Noah. They must realize I don’t have it.” She glanced toward her purse where the cell phone had been stashed.

“Stores don’t open until ten o’clock. We have to wait to find a charging cable until then.” He took a sip of coffee. “I’m guessing Noah’s breathing problems must’ve forced them to ask for a meeting before they were ready. I think they’d rather let you locate the evidence, and then snatch you. Once they’re convinced you have it, I have no doubt the game will change.”

He watched over their shoulders a few times too many for Katherine’s comfort, as they did their best to blend with pedestrians.

“Wait here while I scout the area.” They were a few hundred feet from the front door of her apartment. He pointed toward the row of blooming crepe myrtles. There hadn’t been a cold snap yet to kill the flowers. Fall weather didn’t come to Dallas until mid-November some years. This was no exception.

“Okay.”

A few minutes later he returned. “Looks fine from what I can tell. If they’re watching, they’re doing a good job of hiding. Either way, keep close to me.”

She had no intention of doing anything else as she unlocked the door and followed him inside. “I wish we knew what kind of file we were looking for.”

Her office had been temporarily set up in the dining room so Noah could occupy the study. From where she stood, she could see they’d taken her computer. “First Leann’s laptop is missing. Now my computer. I’m guessing we’re looking for a zip drive or other storage device.”

“If it wasn’t at your sister’s place and it’s not here, where else could the file be?”

“I work from home, so there’s no office to go to. All I need to schedule appointments for my trainers is a computer and a phone. I keep everything here. I’ll check the study where Noah’s been sleeping. You might be right about Leann slipping it into his things.” Katherine moved to the study that had been overtaken by her nephew. Toys spilled onto the floor. She stepped over them and rummaged through his things. No red flags were raised.

This approach wasn’t working. If she were going to get anywhere, she had to figure out a way to think like Leann. Where would she stick something so incredibly valuable? Maybe Noah’s suitcase? She could have removed part of the lining and tucked a file inside.

Katherine dug around until she located the small Spider-Man suitcase Noah had had in his hand when she’d met up with them. That and the rabbit he’d tucked under his arm were all the possessions he’d brought.

The Spider-Man suitcase had several pockets with zippers. Katherine checked them first. Empty. The lining was a bit more difficult to rip open but she managed without calling for help.
Sorry, buddy.
She hated to destroy his favorite bag.

Nothing there, either. Katherine tore apart the seams.

Zero.

The clock ticked. The men would expect her to produce the file soon. She had nothing to give them and still no idea what it was she was looking for. Damn.

When she returned to the living room, Caleb stood sentinel.

“No luck,” she said. “She might’ve sent it over email.”

Katherine dug around in the back of her coat closet to find her old laptop. She held it up. “This might still work.”

“Your sister brought Noah to you. He was the person she most prized. Have you thought she might not have involved you because she was trying to shelter you both?”

Katherine hadn’t considered Leann might be protecting her. It softened the blow. “We’ll see.”

A soft knock at the door kicked up Katherine’s pulse.

Caleb checked through the peephole. His expression darkened. His brow arched. “Gray-haired woman. Looks to be in her mid-sixties, carrying a white puff ball.”

“Does she look angry?”

“More like sour.”

“Annabelle Ranker. She’s my landlady, and that’s her dog, Max. Big bark, no bite for the both of them.” Katherine got to her feet and his strong arm was around her before she could ask for help to walk.

Caleb cracked the door open. Ms. Ranker cocked her eyebrow and looked him up and down. An approving smile quirked the corners of her lips. When Caleb didn’t invite her in, the skeptical glare quickly returned.

No doubt, the bandages and blood wouldn’t go unnoticed. Nor would the fact Katherine was gripping her old laptop as though it was fine crystal.

“Are you all right?” Her gaze traveled to Katherine’s hurt foot.

“I’m fine. Got into some trouble in the woods. Turns out I’m not a nature girl. Caleb owns a nearby ranch where we visited the pumpkin patch yesterday.”

“That’s right. You said you were taking Noah out of the city for the day.”

“We got lost in the woods. Caleb found us and helped me home.” Katherine could feel heat rising up her neck. No one would ever accuse her of being a good liar. She’d kept her story as close to the truth as she could so her whole face wouldn’t turn beet-red.

Ms. Ranker seemed reassured by the answer. “I wanted to check on you and the little boy. Where’s Noah?”

Katherine swallowed a sob. She couldn’t afford to show any emotion or to invite unwanted questions. “I’m sorry. He couldn’t sleep...nightmares. We were...playing army most of the night. I’ve been trying to keep him busy since his mother...” Katherine diverted her eyes.

“Such a shame.” Ms. Ranker shook her head, obviously moved by Leann’s passing. “Is he home? I’d be happy to take him off your hands while you rest that foot.”

“He’s napping. Tuckered out from our adventure,” she said quickly. A little too quickly.

The answer seemed to appease the landlady. She nodded her understanding. “I almost forgot. A package came for you while you were out. I went ahead and signed for it since you didn’t answer.”

Katherine had scarcely paid attention to the FedEx envelope Ms. Ranker held in one hand. Her other arm pressed her prized six-year-old Havenese, Max, to her chest.

“For me?” Katherine asked, lowering her gaze to the fur ball on Ms. Ranker’s arm. “Hey, big guy.”

She patted his head, stopping short of inviting them in; Ms. Ranker’s arched brow said she noticed. Last thing Katherine needed was a long conversation. Besides, she wasn’t prepared to discuss her situation with anyone. Except Caleb. And she’d told him things about her relationship with her sister she’d never spoken aloud to another soul. It was probably the circumstances that had her wanting to tell him everything about her. It was as if she wanted at least one person to really know her. The feeling of danger and the very real possibility she might not be alive tomorrow played tricks on her emotions. “Who’s it from?”

The well-meaning Ms. Ranker held out the envelope. No doubt she wanted to know more about the handsome cowboy. Plus, it wasn’t like Katherine not to invite her landlady inside or to be so cryptic.

She cleared her throat and tugged at the envelope.

A slight smile was all she could expect by way of apology as the older woman loosened her grip enough for her to take possession.

Katherine’s gaze flew from the return address to Caleb. The letter was from Leann. Katherine pressed it against the laptop she was still clutching.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door across the courtyard open. A long metal barrel poked out. A gun?

A shower of bullets descended around them at the same time Katherine opened her mouth to warn them. A bullet slammed into the laptop. Before she could think or move, she felt the impact against her chest.

Ms. Ranker’s eyes bulged before she slumped to the ground.

In the next second Caleb was on top of Katherine, covering her, protecting her.

“Are you hit?” he asked.

“I don’t think so. Can’t say the same for my computer.” She’d dropped it the moment a bullet hit and then embedded. The hunk of metal she’d clasped to her chest had just saved her life.

He angled his head toward the kitchen. “Go. I’ll fire when they get close enough.”

Before she could respond, he’d urged her to keep moving as he pulled the gun to his shoulder.

When bullets exploded from the end of it, her heart hammered her chest.

Didn’t matter. No time to look back. If Caleb thought she’d get out through the side window, she was in no position to argue. She clawed her way across the taupe carpet until she reached the cold tiles of the kitchen.

A moment later he was lifting her through the opened window and she was running.

Her heartbeat painfully stabbed her ribs.

Why were they shooting? They must’ve been watching the whole time. Did they think she’d found what they were looking for?

Oh. God. Noah. What would happen to him?

Her legs moved fast. She barely acknowledged the blood soaking her bandages. She had to run. Get out of there.

Caleb guided her to the sedan. “Get in and stay down.”

Katherine curled up in a ball on the floorboard. If the bad guys knew where she lived, wouldn’t they recognize her car, too?

What about Ms. Ranker? Katherine had been so busy ducking she didn’t even look. “Is my landlady...?” Katherine couldn’t finish the sentence.

Caleb shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Max?”

“I think he got away.”

Katherine gripped the envelope, fighting against the tears threatening to overwhelm her. Release the deluge and she wouldn’t be able to stop. “Maybe this is what they’re looking for.” She held up the envelope that had cost Ms. Ranker’s life.

His focus shifted from the rearview to the side mirrors. “Might be.”

She ripped open the letter and overturned it on the seat.

A CD fell out.

“A file?”

“Sure looks like it.” Caleb glanced around. “Stay here and stay low. Do not look up until I get back.”

Before she could ask why or argue, he disappeared.

Katherine made herself into the smallest ball she could, praying for his safe return.

She couldn’t even think of doing any of this without him. And yet, didn’t everyone flake out on her eventually?

Even her parents.

The memory of standing on stage, alone, her senior year of high school pushed through her thoughts. The anticipation of seeing her parents’ smiling faces in the crowd as she’d competed in the academic fair filled her. She’d worked hard all year and qualified with the best score her school had ever received. She’d sacrificed dates and socials to stay home and work quiz after quiz. On stage, her pulse had raced and she’d felt tiny beads of sweat trickling down her neck. She remembered thinking that if she could just see someone familiar, she’d be okay.