Beth raced through the front door of the Big House, out of breath, Camilla close on her heels. Nica stood in the hall, phone to her ear. She held up her hand, and continued her conversation, her voice low, almost a whisper. Beth wanted to shake her, scream at the top of her lungs for her baby. Instead, she sprinted past Nica, headed up the stairs. Maybe Jamie was hiding, thinking everything was a big game. She threw open every closed door, calling out her daughter’s name at every single one.
Camilla stayed mere steps behind, arms wrapped across her middle, her face pale and drawn. She looked guilty, and even though Beth wanted to hug her and tell her it wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t stop. Jamie was missing.
“I’ve called Momma and Dad, they’re on their way. Heath’s heading for town, but he’s keeping his eyes open. Brody’s in a meeting with Rafe, and can’t be disturbed. Sally Anne said she’ll tell them as soon as they’re free. I’m alerting the rest of the posse. We’ll find her.”
Beth slumped down onto the edge of somebody’s bed, she wasn’t sure whose. “What happened? Everything was fine when I left.”
“She was playing upstairs. Drawing and coloring a picture for Uncle Brody, that’s what she said. I went outside to chase down Otto. He got out of his pen again. I swear he’s Houdini reincarnated. I wasn’t gone more than five, ten minutes tops. When I came back in, I grabbed some stuff from the fridge, figured I’d whip up sandwiches for everybody for lunch. I thought Jamie might like to help, and came upstairs to get her. Only she wasn’t here.”
“You didn’t see anything?”
Nica shook her head. “I’m sorry. I never should have left the house. I thought—I don’t know what I thought. I’m an idiot.”
“Evan couldn’t have gotten onto the property. He doesn’t even know we’re here.”
“Could somebody in town have told him? If they thought he was a stranger looking for directions?” Camilla sat on the bed beside Beth, and slung her arm around her shoulder. “He’s clever enough to try something like that.”
“I guess it’s possible. Somebody might not have seen his picture broadcast all over the TV.” Beth jumped up, heading for the door. “I can’t just sit here doing nothing.”
“You can’t leave, not until Brody or Rafe gets here.”
“I’m going to check the barn. She might be there.”
“I already looked there.” Nica trailed along behind Beth. “She wasn’t there.”
Beth never stopped walking. “Well, I can check it again.”
“Right, good plan. Let’s check the barn.” Nica lunged around Beth, and opened the kitchen door, holding it while Beth and Camilla walked through. “I’ve also called Dane, and he’s riding in from the pasture. He’s keeping his eyes peeled, in case she wandered farther than she’d intended.”
Beth broke into a sprint, reaching the barn before the other two women, and flung open the open. No easy feat, but she felt supercharged, hellbent on finding her child. The barn cat snuggled on an old blanket, the tiny kittens nuzzled against her, feeding. She explored every nook and cranny, looking into stalls, even behind stacks of hay. No Jamie.
“Gimme a second, let me look up there.” Nica started climbing the wooden ladder leading to the barn’s upper level.
“Jamie knows she’s not allowed up there.”
“She’s a kid. Kids love to go places where they’re not supposed to. It’s part of growing up.” Nica scampered up the rest of the way to the loft, her head raised high enough she could spy the entire loft area. Beth’s heart sank when Nica shook her head, and started climbing down.
“Where is she? I swear if Evan has her, I’m going to kill him.”
Camilla snorted. “Get in line, girlfriend.”
Beth spun around and raced outside at the sound of her name being called. Brody was here! He’d find Jamie.
“Brody!” She flung herself into his arms, her whole body trembling. Strong arms encircled her, pulling her against his warmth. Taking a deep breath, she fought back tears. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart, that could come later. Right now, she needed to be the fierce warrior he’d claimed, and move heaven and earth to find her child.
“What happened?”
“Jamie’s missing. I’d gone to see Camilla at Dane’s house. Nica was keeping an eye on Jamie. She called me, told me Jamie’s gone. Have you heard anything about Evan? Is he here? Could he have my baby?”
“Calm down. Nobody’s seen or heard anything about your ex. Nothing new, anyway. We’ll find her, I promise.” Brody’s hand cupped the back of her head, and she leaned back, staring into his eyes, and read his determination and promise.
“I know.”
Brody’s arm snaked around her waist at the sound of a car speeding toward the house from the front gate, followed by a second. Rafe’s truck screeched to a stop, and he jumped out, jogging toward Brody and Beth. Ms. Patti’s white Cadillac Escalade rocked to a stop beside Rafe’s truck. Looked like Nica’s call about rounding up the posse worked, because people suddenly seemed to be coming out of the woodwork.
“Any word?” Brody asked as soon as Rafe was within speaking distance.
“Remember I told you about the woman’s car being stolen at Beth’s old apartment complex? Turns out her cell phone is missing, too. She thinks it might still be in the car.”
“Can you trace it somehow?” A tiny speck of hope blossomed inside Beth, despite knowing the chances of the woman’s phone being anywhere near Evan were slim to none. A slim chance was more than she’d had a few minutes ago.
“Chance hauled his backside over to Judge Jenkins’ house with a warrant. We’ve got also got the owner’s permission. I’ve already called the phone carrier and alerted them a warrant is coming, and they’re ready to go the second we’ve got the judge’s signature. Fingers crossed the phone is inside the stolen car and Stewart hasn’t spotted it and tossed it.”
“But we don’t know he’s got Jamie.”
“True.” Rafe studied Beth’s face, and there was something indefinable in his eyes. He was hiding something, she could feel it.”
“What aren’t you telling me, Rafe?”
He shook his head. “We need to search every place. Let’s round up everybody, and we’ll start doing a grid pattern search. Maybe she got lost, and can’t find her way back to the house. She’s not familiar with all of the property. Maybe she wandered a little too far, and we’ll find her.”
“We’ve searched everywhere in the house, Rafe,” Nica spoke up. “I even looked in the attic, in case she got bored and went exploring.” She slapped her hands across her mouth, her eyes glazed with tears. “It’s my fault. I was supposed to be watching her. Instead I went chasing after that stupid donkey. If anything happens to her…”
“Jamie’s gonna be fine. Nobody wants to hurt her. Even if Stewart somehow got hold of her, the man is her father. He won’t hurt her.”
Ms. Patti stepped into the center of the gathered family. “Rafe’s right. Let’s regroup, see who’s here, and get everybody looking for Jamie.” Beth listened as Ms. Patti started listing off everybody. “Heath’s covering the road into town, doing a slow sweep. Dusty and Sally Anne have set up a command center at the sheriff’s office. Antonio’s on his way with Serena and Tessa. They should be here within the next fifteen minutes. Nica, Camilla, and Beth already started the search of the house. Dane’s riding in, should be—there he is,” Ms. Patti gestured toward a lone man on horseback, riding at a fast clip toward them.
“Dad’s out on a job site with Liam. I talked to Liam, and they’ll be on their way ASAP.” Brody pulled Beth closer against his side, and Beth couldn’t help feeling a little bit better. He was her rock, her stability, her safe place, and once they found Jamie, she was going to tell him how she felt. Who cared they hadn’t had the traditional courtship with all the trappings? Her feelings were real and they were true. Brody had become her friend in the beginning, and every time she’d been around him, gotten to know him a little better, her feelings changed. Became more. She loved him with all her heart, and maybe, if she was really lucky, he felt the same about her.
“We’ve checked the house and the barn.” Beth turned to Brody. “What should we do next?”
Before he answered, Rafe’s phone rang, and he answered on the first ring. “Boudreau.”
He listened, gave a brief nod to Brody, and hung up. “We’ve got the warrant. Chance made the call to the phone company, and they are pinging cell towers, trying to triangulate a location.” Turning to the assembled crowd, he barked orders, handing out assignments.
“Nica, Camilla, you stay close to the house in case Jamie shows up. Beth, go with them.”
“But—”
“No buts. When Jamie’s found, she’s going to need her mother. Some place where she’ll feel safe.”
“I understand.” She’d do anything Rafe asked, if it meant holding her baby in her arms again.
“Momma, check around your gazebo, see if Jamie found it and she’s playing there.”
Without a word, Ms. Patti disappeared around the side of the house. Beth pictured the magical gazebo Brody had shown her in its fairy tale setting, and hoped Jaime somehow found it and was playing inside, not realizing the worry she’d caused everyone.
“Dane, since you’re already saddled up, ride the tree line behind the house and to the east, see if you spot anything. Brody and I will walk the supply trail behind the barn area. Keep your phones handy. Don’t hesitate to shout out if—when—you find something.”
Beth followed Nica and Camilla into the house, but couldn’t stay still. She paced the living room, wearing a rut in the area rug. Arms wrapped across her middle, she jumped at every noise. Standing in the living room, she looked at everything, yet saw nothing except her baby’s face in her mind. Jamie, when she’d been born, screeching at the top of her lungs, with her squished red face, counting all her tiny fingers and toes. Jamie, smiling at her as her front teeth came in, drool running down her chin. Jamie, when she’d taken her first steps. She’d barely crawled, simply pulling herself upright and going from standing to racing in no time. Or her second birthday when she’d blown out all the candles, and covered the cake with slobber. Nobody cared, they’d simply scraped off the frosting and celebrated.
Nica knelt beside her and wrapped her arms around Beth, rocking her gently. She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen to her knees in the middle of the rug until then.
“It’s going to be alright, Beth. We’ll find her. She can’t have gone too far. Bet she’ll come racing in, like nothing even happened. Wait and see.”
“She’s so little, and she’s never wandered off before.” Beth looked into Nica’s eyes, despair crowding out the fear. “He’s got my baby. Somehow, he found out we were here, and he’s taken her.”
“Beth, don’t think like that. You don’t know your ex has her. I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s a possibility. A slim one, but I’m not going to try and sugarcoat things. You’re a strong woman, and Jamie’s going to need you to be strong, because when she comes home, she is going to need her mother.”
“I swear, if Evan has taken her, I’m going to kill him.”
Nica barked out a broken laugh. “Don’t say that in front of Rafe, because he’s the law, but if Evan took her, I’ll give you the gun.”
Beth wiped at her eyes, determined not to cry. There’d be time for tears later. Right now, she needed to be calm. Be strong. For Jamie.
“I can’t stay here, doing nothing. Where else can we look? I know Rafe said not to leave the house, so let’s look here. Start going room by room.”
Nica stood and extended her hand to Beth. “Let’s start at the top and work our way down. I already checked the attic, but let’s look again.”
Beth took her hand, letting the younger woman help her to her feet. “Let’s find my daughter.”