His gaze didn’t budge from Kate. She was embarrassed.

“Oh, I have no one to blame. I did it to myself,” she said wistfully.

“I may not be an expert on babies, but I do know how they’re made. And I’m fairly certain there has to be a partner.” It was his turn to shoot her a confused look.

“Adoption,” she said.

And then he gave her another.

“Surely you’ve heard of adopting a baby before,” she said with an exasperated look.

“Of course I have. I just didn’t know that was your circumstance,” he said stupidly.

Looking closer at the baby, Dallas couldn’t help but notice the boy had dark curly hair.

Not unlike his own.

Stockyard Snatching

USA TODAY Bestselling Author

Barb Han

www.millsandboon.co.uk

USA TODAY bestselling author BARB HAN lives in north Texas with her very own hero-worthy husband, three beautiful children, a spunky golden retriever/standard poodle mix and too many books in her to-read pile. In her downtime, she plays video games and spends much of her time on or around a basketball court. She loves interacting with readers and is grateful for their support. You can reach her at www.barbhan.com.

My deepest thanks to Allison Lyons. It’s hard to believe this is already our 10th book together! Working with you is a dream come true and I’m so very grateful. Special nod to Jill Marsal for your unwavering support and guidance (and brilliance!).

My love to Brandon, Jacob and Tori. I’m so proud of each one of you. You’re bright, talented and have the best quirks!

To Amelia Rae, you stole our hearts a year ago. Happy 1st Birthday!

And to you, Babe. I can’t even imagine being on this journey without you. All my love. All my life.

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

It was a bitterly cold early October morning. The temperature gauge on Dallas O’Brien’s dashboard read 17 degrees, beneath a gray sky thick with clouds.

As it turned out, the Lone Star State had a temper and its tantrums came in the form of cold snaps that made him miss having a winter beard. Dallas hated cold.

Yesterday, the sun had been out and he had been in short sleeves. Texas weather—like life—could turn on a dime.

Another frigid breeze blasted through Dallas, piercing his coat as he slid out of the driver’s seat and then closed the door of his pickup. He flipped up the corners of his collar. Since there was no traffic, he’d made it to the supply store in record time. Normally the place would be open, but Jessie had been running late ever since his wife gave birth to twins early last month.

A car tooled around the back of the building and across the parking lot. Was that Kate Williams, the proud owner of the soup kitchen, The Food Project? Dallas hadn’t had a chance to meet her yet, with everything going on at the ranch after his parents’ deaths.

A female came out of the driver’s side, rounded the car and moved to the rear passenger door. From this distance, Dallas estimated she wasn’t an inch more than five and a half feet tall. He couldn’t see much of her figure through her thick, buttoned-to-the-collar, navy blue peacoat. Her cable-knit scarf looked more like an afghan wrapped around her neck. He suppressed a laugh. Apparently, she didn’t do cold any better than Dallas.

From what little he could see of her legs, she had on blue jeans. Furry brown boots rose above her calves. She wore expensive clothing for someone who owned a soup kitchen. And apparently—Dallas glanced at his watch—that process began at five thirty in the morning.

This had to be her, he reasoned, as she pulled a baby out of the backseat, bundled from head to toe in what looked like a fitted blue quilt. Blue.

A boy?

Didn’t that twist up Dallas’s insides?

First, his ex Susan Hanover had dropped the bomb that he was going to be a father. Then she’d pulled a disappearing act. And even the best private investigator money could buy hadn’t been able to locate her or the baby since.

Knowing Susan, she’d been lying to trap him into a wedding ring. Dallas’s finger itched thinking about it.

With her and the baby gone, all he had left were questions—questions that kept him tossing and turning most nights.

What if she’d been lying? What if she hadn’t? What if Dallas had a child out there somewhere? What if his child needed him?

Dallas would never be able to rest until he had answers.

Walking away from a child wasn’t something an O’Brien could ever do. Dallas had already lost his parents, and family meant everything to him.

As Ms. Williams closed the door to her vehicle, shivering in the cold, a male figure emerged from around the side of her building. The guy had on a hoodie and his face was angled toward the ground. His clothes were dirty, dark and layered. He was either homeless or trying to look the part.

The guy glanced around nervously as he approached Ms. Williams.

Didn’t that get Dallas’s radar jacked up to full alert? He strained to get a better view. Come on. Look up.

All this guy would have to do would be ask Ms. Williams a question to distract her—say, what time the place opened. She would answer; he would rob her and then run. There were plenty of places to disappear downtown or in the neighborhood near the stockyard.

It would be a perfect crime, because not only was she holding a baby, but her thick clothing would weigh her down, making it impossible for her to catch him.

Well, a perfect crime if Dallas wasn’t right there watching.

Then again, this really could be a man in need of a meal. Experience had taught Dallas not to jump the gun when it came to people. There was no shortage of homeless, even in a small town like Bluff, Texas.

The times he had driven by this location early in the morning and found the line of needy individuals stretched around the block were too many to count. He was pretty certain Ms. Williams’s neighbors on Main Street didn’t appreciate her clientele. None of them would be wandering through the stores after a meal to buy handmade jewelry or quaint Texas souvenirs. These businesses were important to the local economy.

Just then, the hooded figure lifted his head and made a grab for the baby.

This wasn’t a robbery; it was a kidnapping.

Dallas spewed curse words as he ran full throttle toward them. “Stop right there!” he shouted.

Ms. Williams fought back and her attacker shifted position, ensuring she was between him and Dallas.

The baby cried, which seemed to agitate the attacker. Ms. Williams kicked the guy where no man wanted the tip of a boot. He coughed, then cursed as he seemed to catch sight of Dallas out of the corner of his eye.

The man shouted as he struggled to take the baby out of Ms. Williams’s arms. “Don’t come any closer!” His voice was agitated and Dallas didn’t recognize it. Must not be someone local. The guy forced the woman back a few steps with him, a knife to her throat. “I didn’t want to do it like this, but now she’s coming with me.”

The baby wailed and Dallas came to a stop.

This situation had gone sour in a heartbeat.

To make matters worse, all Dallas could see clearly of Ms. Williams was a set of terrified blue eyes staring at him. She had that desperate-mother look that said she’d do anything to save her son. Dallas’s heart squeezed as she held tight to her baby with the determination only a loving mom could possess.

He hoped like hell she wouldn’t do anything stupid.

Tires squealed from behind the building and Dallas instantly wished it would be his best friend, Sheriff Tommy Johnson. No way would Tommy be dumb enough to come roaring up, however. His friend was smarter than that and a better lawman.

A vehicle rounded the corner and lurched to a stop nearby. The white minivan’s sliding door opened.

The attacker broke eye contact to look. If Dallas had a shot at taking the guy down, he’d grab it.

“Toss your keys to me,” the kidnapper shouted to him.

Dallas dug a set from his pocket and pitched them forward.

If he didn’t make a move soon, this jerk would disappear into that van with mother and baby. She’d most likely be killed and her body dumped before they left the county. Dallas had read about vicious illegal adoption rings in the area and stories of mothers being killed for their infants.

Between the hoodie pulled over the thug’s forehead and the turtleneck covering his jaw, Dallas couldn’t get a good look at his face. The guy glanced away again, as if calculating the odds of getting inside the vehicle before Dallas could catch him. Then he bent to grab the keys.

It was now or never.

Dallas lunged toward his target and knocked the guy’s arm away from Kate’s throat. The sheer amount of fabric she had wrapped around her neck made certain the blade wouldn’t get anywhere near her skin. For the first time in his life, Dallas thanked the cold weather.

Breaking free, Ms. Williams bolted toward her car, while trying to soothe the crying infant.

In the bustle, the attacker broke out of Dallas’s grip and darted toward the vehicle. Damn. No plates.

“The sheriff is on his way,” Dallas said in desperation, knowing full well his target was about to hop into that van and disappear.

Just as expected, the guy hurled himself in the open door and, without waiting for it to close, shouted at the driver to go. On cue, the van swerved, then sped away.

Dallas muttered a curse. Pulling out his cell, he told Ms. Williams to stay put. Even though his pickup wasn’t far, he couldn’t leave her to give chase. No way would he risk this guy circling back or sending others to finish the job. Dallas would have to stay with her to ensure her safety.

At least this morning wasn’t a total bust. The baby was safe in his mother’s arms. Dallas could call his friend the sheriff, who would track down the minivan while Dallas guarded Ms. Williams.

“Where are you?” he asked as soon as Tommy picked up.

“A couple of blocks from Main Street,” the lawman replied. “Why? You okay?”

“I’m in the back parking lot of the soup kitchen and a man just tried to abduct Ms. Williams’s baby. There’s a white Mazda minivan heading in your direction. He hopped inside it before I could get to him. No tags in front,” Dallas reported, noticing for the first time that he was practically panting from adrenaline. He took a deep breath and then finished relaying the details of what had just gone down.

“Is there a high point you can get to for a visual on the minivan?” Tommy asked.

Dallas kept an eye on Ms. Williams as he climbed on top of the closed Dumpster to see if he could spot the vehicle. She had managed to settle the baby. Dallas was certain her hands would be shaking from her own adrenaline, and he was grateful for the few extra minutes he’d get while she fumbled with securing her son in the car seat. The panicked look on her face said she’d get as far away as possible the second she could.

“No. I don’t see him,” Dallas said.

“I’m on Main now. A couple of blocks from your location, but I don’t see anyone on the street.” Tommy asked Dallas to stand by while he gave his deputies a description of the vehicle. “I’m sending someone over to you just in case the guy is on his way back or sends someone else.”

“Call me back when you know anything. I have to check on Ms. Williams and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid,” Dallas said, knowing full well that her eyes would haunt him if he didn’t ensure she was okay. It would be a long time before he shook off the image of those frightened sky blues, and he had to admit to being a little interested to see what the rest of her face looked like. He told himself it was protective instinct mixed with curiosity and nothing more.

Besides, she’d been as blindsided by all this as he had. He hopped down and jogged toward her sedan. “Ma’am.”

She spun around with a gasp. “Kate. It’s Kate.”

He brought his hand up, palm out, to help communicate the idea that he wasn’t there to hurt her.

“I’m Dallas O’Brien.” He offered a handshake. She was most likely still in shock, and from the look of her wild eyes, she was in full get-the-heck-out-of-Dodge mode. “The sheriff is sending someone over to talk to us.”

She stood there, frozen, for several seconds, as if her mind might be clicking through options. She didn’t seem to realize there was only one: talk to Dallas.

“Do you know who that was?” he asked, figuring he already knew the answer. But he wanted to get her talking.

“No. I’ve never seen him before in my life.” Her breath was visible in the cold air as she spoke, and even though she had on a thick layer of clothes, she was shivering. That, too, was most likely caused by residual adrenaline.

“First of all, I want to make sure you and your baby are safe. Can we go inside the building?” Dallas’s own adrenaline surge was wearing off and he was starting to feel the biting wind again. He’d stay with her until law enforcement arrived and then he’d get supplies and head back to the ranch.

“Okay. Yes. Sure. I was going in anyway before—” She stopped midsentence, as if she couldn’t bring herself to finish.

Then another round of panic seemed to set in.

“No. Never mind. We have to go somewhere else,” she insisted, her gaze darting from left to right.

“He’s gone. They won’t be back, especially not while I’m here,” Dallas stated.

“You can’t know that for certain,” she said quickly.

“Kate, I can assure you—”

“No. You can’t. We can talk, but we have to do it somewhere else.” She glanced about, her terror and desperation mounting.

Dallas’s cell phone buzzed. He fished it from his coat pocket and checked the screen. “This call is from the sheriff. I need to answer.”

She nodded.

“Give me some good news,” Dallas said into the phone.

“Wish I could. Seems your white Mazda minivan is just as slippery as your suspect. There’s no sign of either anywhere. We have no plans to give up searching. You’ll be the first to know when we locate him,” Tommy said with a frustrated sigh.

Dallas thanked his friend for the update and then ended the call, cursing under his breath.

An expectant victim stared at him, needing reassurance.

He shook his head.

“I have to get out of here before they come back,” she said, making a move toward the driver’s side of her sedan.

“Hold on,” Dallas cautioned. “What makes you so sure he’ll try again?”

Chapter Two

“I feel too exposed here. Can we go somewhere besides my soup kitchen? I need to get away from this place,” Kate blurted out. It was then she realized that she’d been holding her breath. She exhaled, trying to calm her rapid pulse.

“A deputy is on his way,” the handsome cowboy said, and his name finally sank in. Dallas O’Brien. She knew that name from somewhere. But where?

Her mind raced. She was still shocked that anyone would try to rip her baby from her arms in the middle of town. She’d waited so long for him, had been through hell and back. What kind of horrible person would try to take him away?

Tears threatened, but Kate forced herself to hold them at bay.

“My son will need to eat soon and I’d rather not feed him in the parking lot, whether a deputy is coming or not,” she said, glancing from Dallas to Jackson.

The cowboy looked around and then checked his watch. “Fine. We’re going to the sheriff’s office to give statements, then,” he said.

Jackson would be safe there, so she nodded.

“I don’t have a child safety seat in my truck, so we’ll have to take your car,” he added, his voice sturdy as steel.

As calming as his presence was, her body still shook from fear of that man coming back and the horror of him trying to pry Jackson out of her arms.

“You gave him your keys,” she reminded Dallas, wasting no time slipping into the driver’s seat, while he took the passenger side of her sedan.

“Those? That’ll get him into my old post office box,” he said with a wry grin. It was the first time she really noticed Dallas’s good looks. He had a strong, square jaw and intelligent dark eyes.

“I’d like to go home,” Kate said as she turned the ignition. “Can the deputy meet us there?”

“Too risky,” Dallas said.

It took a second for her to realize that he meant the men might know where she lived.

Could they?

Being single and living alone, she’d taken great pains to ensure her personal information remained private. Then again, with the internet these days, it seemed there was no real privacy left, and most people in the small town knew each other anyway. All a determined bad guy would have to do was ask around and he’d be able to figure out where she lived.

“All of Jackson’s supplies are there, except what’s inside the diaper bag in the backseat,” she said as she pulled onto Main from the alley.

Dallas surveyed the area and she realized that with her driving, he would be able to keep watch for the minivan in case it returned. She racked her brain, trying to figure out how she knew him.

“We can pick up new diapers if need be. I don’t want to go to your place until we know it’s safe. For now, take a right at the next stoplight,” Dallas said. He sent a text and she assumed he was telling the sheriff about their change in plans.

Normally, being told what to do was like fingernails on a chalkboard to Kate. In this case, she decided it was better to do as Dallas said. At least he was strong and capable. She already knew he could handle himself in a fight, and he had just saved her and Jackson, so she knew she could trust him.

“Three blocks ahead, take another right, then a left at the stop sign,” he instructed.

She did. The horror of what had just happened was finally sinking in and it dawned on her how lucky she’d been that someone was there to help.

“I owe you an apology for being rude to you. Thank you for stepping in to save my son,” she said. “You didn’t have to get involved.”

“You’re welcome,” Dallas replied. “I’m just glad I was there to help. I don’t normally go to the supply store on Wednesdays.”

“Your change of plans probably just saved Jackson’s life.” She shivered at the thought of what might’ve happened if this cowboy hadn’t been there to intervene. “I know it saved mine.”

Reality was setting in, which also made her realize there was no one to open the kitchen this morning. She needed to call her assistant director or dozens of people would go hungry.

“I have to make sure the kitchen opens on time. Is it okay if I make a quick call before we go inside?” She parked in the lot of the sheriff’s office and gripped the steering wheel. “A lot of people are counting on me for a meal.”

Dallas nodded, while staring at the screen of his cell. “Make an excuse as to why you can’t do it yourself, and put the call on speaker. I don’t want you to give away what happened yet. Got it?”

She shot him a sideways glance. “Why?”

“That was a planned attack. Those men knew exactly when and where you’d be alone. The sheriff will want to know if someone close to you gave them that information, and we have to assume it could’ve been anyone, even people you trust.”

An icy chill ran down her spine. “You think one of my employees might’ve supplied that?” she asked, not bothering to mask her shock. Who would want to hurt Jackson or her? He was just a baby. Her mind could scarcely wrap around the fact that someone had tried to take him in the first place. Panic flooded her at the memory. “Who would plan something like this?”

“The sheriff will help find the answer to that question,” Dallas said, his voice a study in composure, whereas she was falling apart.

“None of this seems real,” she said, bile rising, burning her throat. “I think I might be sick.”

“Take a few deep breaths.” His voice was like calm, soothing water pouring over her.

She did as he suggested.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes.” She apologized again.

“Don’t be sorry for wanting to protect your child,” Dallas said. And there was an underlying note in his tone she couldn’t easily identify. Was he a father?

“You have every right to be upset,” he said.

“It’s just that I moved here for a safe environment.” And now it felt as if everything in her life was unraveling. Again.

“Who are you going to call to open the kitchen?” Dallas asked.

Oh, right. She’d gotten distracted once more. Her mind was spinning in a thousand directions. “Allen Lentz. He’s my second in command and my right hand.”

Her phone weighed almost nothing and yet shook as she held it. She paused. “You don’t think...?”

“Get him on speaker.” There was a low rumble to Dallas O’Brien’s voice now, a deep baritone that sent a different kind of shiver racing down her spine—one that was unwelcome and inappropriate given the circumstances.

Her rescuer’s name seemed so familiar and she couldn’t figure out why. Wait a minute. Didn’t his family own the Cattlemen Crime Club? She’d received an invitation to a Halloween Bash in a few weeks, which was a charity fund-raiser, and realized that she’d seen his family name on the invite.

In fact, her kitchen was one of the beneficiaries of his family’s generosity. She hadn’t met any of the O’Briens yet. She’d read that they’d lost their parents in an accident a few weeks ago.

So far, she’d dealt with office staff, even though she’d been told that the O’Briens personally visited every one of the charities they supported.

She hadn’t expected Dallas O’Brien to be this intense, down-to-earth or staggeringly handsome. Not that she could think of a good reason why not. Maybe since he’d grown up with money she’d expected someone entitled or spoiled.

And yet now wasn’t the time to think about how off her perception had been or that her pulse kicked up a few notches when he was close. She chalked her adrenaline rush up to the morning’s events and closed the door on that topic.

Lack of sleep was beginning to distort her brain. No one had prepared her for the fact that she’d worry so much or rest so little once the baby arrived. No way would she admit defeat to her parents, either. They’d been clear about how much disdain they had for her decision to have a baby alone. Her mother had been mortified when she found out Kate was getting a divorce, so adopting a baby by herself was right up there on the list of ways she’d let her mother down.

Kate had expected her mom to come around once she met Jackson, but was still waiting for that day to happen.

This battle was hers to fight alone.

And none of that mattered when she held her little guy in her arms. No matter how tired she might be or how distanced she was from her family, she wouldn’t trade the world for the baby of her heart.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Allen asked, sounding surprisingly alert for five fifty in the morning. The phone must’ve startled him.

“I need your help. Can you open the kitchen for me?” she asked, trying to think up a reasonable excuse to sell him. Then she went with the tried-and-true. “Jackson kept me up all night again.”

“Oh, poor baby. And I’m talking about you,” Allen said with a laugh. He yawned, and she heard the sound clearly through the phone. “His days and nights still confused?”

“Yes, and I have the bags under my eyes to prove it,” she said, hating that she had to lie to cover what had really happened. Allen had been nothing but a good employee and friend, and she hated deception.

“No problem. I’ll throw on some clothes and head over,” he said.

“You’re a lifesaver, Allen.”

“Don’t I know it,” he quipped. There was a rustling noise as if he was tossing off his covers and getting out of bed.

“I’ll owe you big-time for this one,” Kate said.

“Good. Then get a babysitter for Friday night and let me take you out to dinner.” He didn’t miss a beat.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Dallas’s jaw muscle clench. She couldn’t tell if his reaction was good or bad.

“I don’t know if I’ll be in today,” Kate said awkwardly. She quickly glanced at Dallas, realizing that she needed to redirect the conversation with Allen. “The Patsy family’s donation should hit the bank today. Would you mind watching for it and letting me know when it arrives?”

“Got it,” he said. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that you changed the subject.”

“We’ve already gone over this, Allen. He’s too little to leave with a sitter,” Kate said quietly into the phone. Her cheeks heated as she talked about her lack of a life in front of a complete stranger, and especially one as good-looking as Dallas.

“That excuse doesn’t fly with me and you know it,” Allen said flatly.

Kate had no response.

“Fine. At least take me as your date to the Hackney party next weekend,” he offered.

“I’m skipping that one, too. Can we talk about it later? I’m too tired to think beyond today,” she said, then managed to end the call without any more embarrassing revelations about her life. The truth was her perspective had changed the instant Jackson had been placed in her arms. There was no man worth leaving her baby for, even for a night.

“Is he usually so...friendly?” Dallas asked.

“I stay out of my employees’ personal lives,” she said, hating the suspicion in Dallas’s voice. “There’s no way Allen would do anything to hurt me or Jackson.”

“I take it there’s no Mr. Williams to notify?” Dallas asked.

Clearly, he’d picked up on the fact that she was single. She’d listened intently for condemnation in his tone and was surprised she didn’t find a hint. She’d expected to and more after cashing out her interests in the tech company she and her brother had started together and moving to a small town. If her own family couldn’t get behind her choices, how could strangers?

“No. There isn’t. Is that a problem?” she asked a little too sharply. Missing sleep didn’t bring out the best in her, and she’d been only half lying about not sleeping last night due to Jackson’s schedule or lack thereof. At his age, he took a bottle every four hours, day and night.

“Not for me personally. The sheriff will want to know, and I’m taking notes to speed along the process once we go inside.” Dallas motioned toward the small notepad he’d taken out of his pocket.

“Oh. Right.” As soon as Jackson was old enough to take care of himself—like, age eighteen—Kate planned to stay in bed an entire weekend. Maybe then she’d think clearly again. Heck, give her a hotel and room service and she’d stay there a whole week.

“Where’s the father?” Dallas asked, still with no hint of disapproval in his voice.

“Out of the picture.”

There was a beat of silence. “Ready to go inside and talk?” he asked at last, his brow arched.

“Yes. I’ll just get Jackson from the backseat,” she said defensively. There was no reason to be on guard, she reminded herself. Besides, what would she care if a stranger judged her?

Dallas stood next to her, holding the car door open. She thanked him as she pulled Jackson close to her chest. Just the thought of anything happening to her son...

She couldn’t even go there.

“Can I help with the diaper bag?” Dallas held out his hand, still no hint of condemnation in his tone.

“You must have children.” Kate managed to ease it off her shoulder without disturbing the baby, who was thankfully asleep again. Her nerves were settling down enough for her hands to finally stop shaking.

“Not me,” he said, sounding a little defensive. What was that all about?

Kate figured the man’s family status was none of her business. She was just grateful that Jackson was still asleep.

Thank the stars for car rides. They were the only way she could get her son down for a nap some days. It probably didn’t hurt that he’d been awake most of the night. He’d been born with his days and nights mixed up.

Family man or not, Kate’s life would be very different right now if Dallas hadn’t been there. Tears threatened to release along with all the emotions she’d been holding in.

Or maybe it was the fact that she felt safe with Dallas, which was a curious thought given that he was a stranger.

This wasn’t the time or place to worry about either. Kate needed to pull on all the strength she had for Jackson. He needed his mother to keep it together.

“I can’t thank you enough,” she said, knowing that she wouldn’t be holding her baby right now if not for this man. “Not just for carrying a diaper bag, but for everything you did for us this morning.”

Dallas nodded. He was tall, easily more than six foot. Maybe six foot two? He had enough muscles for her to know he put in serious time at the gym or on the ranch owned by him and his family. His hair was blacker than the sky on any clear night she’d seen. There was an intensity to him, too, and she had no doubt the man was good at whatever he put his mind to.

She told herself that the only reason she noticed was because they’d been in danger and he’d just saved her son’s life.

* * *

DALLAS WALKED KATE into the sheriff’s office and instructed her to take a seat anywhere she’d be comfortable.

Looking at the baby stirred up all kinds of feelings in him that he wasn’t ready to deal with. Not until he knew for sure one way or the other about his own parenthood status. Being in limbo was the absolute worst feeling, apart from knowing that he was in no way ready to be a father.

And yet a part of him wondered what it would be like to have a little rug rat running around the ranch. He chalked the feeling up to missing his parents. Losing them so unexpectedly had delivered a blow to the family and left a hole that couldn’t be filled. And then there was Dallas’s guilt over not being available to help them out when they’d called. He’d been halfway to New Mexico with an unexpected problem in one of his warehouses.

His gut twisted as he thought about it. If he’d turned around his truck and come back like they’d asked, they’d still be alive.

Dallas needed to redirect his thoughts or his guilt would consume him again. An update from his private investigator, Wayne Morton, was overdue. When Morton had last made contact, three days ago, he’d believed he was on a trail that might lead to Susan’s whereabouts. He’d been plenty busy at the ranch, trying to get his arms around the family business.

“Can I get anything for you or the baby?” Dallas asked Kate, needing a strong cup of coffee.

“Something warm would be nice,” she said, wedging the sleeping baby safely in a chair.

Dallas nodded before making his exit as she began peeling off her scarf and layers of outerwear.

A few minutes later he returned with two steaming cups of brew. He hesitated at the door once he got a good look at her, and his pulse thumped. Calling her five and a half feet tall earlier had been generous. The only reason she seemed that height was the heeled boots she wore. Without them, she’d be five foot three at the most. She had on fitted jeans that hugged her curves and a deep blue sweater that highlighted her eyes—eyes that would challenge even the perfect blue sky of a gorgeous spring day. Her shiny blond hair was pulled off her face into a ponytail.

“Wasn’t sure how you took yours, so I brought cream and sugar,” he said, setting both cups on the side table near where she stood. He emptied his coat pocket of cream and sugar packets, ignoring his rapid heartbeat.

She thanked him before mixing the condiments into her cup.

The baby moved as she sat down next to him and she immediately scooped him up and brought him to her chest.

The infant wound up for a good cry, unleashed one, and Kate’s stress levels appeared to hit the roof.

“He’s got a healthy set of lungs,” Dallas offered, trying to ease her tension.

“He’s probably hungry. Is there a place where I can warm a bottle?” she asked, distress written in the wrinkle across her forehead.

Abigail, Tommy’s secretary, appeared in the doorway before Dallas could answer. She’d been with the sheriff’s office long before Tommy arrived and had become invaluable to him in the five years since he’d taken the job. She threatened to retire every year, and every year he made an offer she couldn’t refuse.

“I can take care of that for you,” she said. “Where’s the bottle?”

“In there,” Kate said, attempting to handle the baby and make a move for the diaper bag next to her. She couldn’t quite manage it and started to tear up as Abigail shooed her away, scooping the bag off the floor.

“Thank you,” Kate said, glancing from Abigail to Dallas.

“Don’t be silly.” The older woman just smiled. “You’ve been through a lot this morning.” She motioned toward Jackson. “It’ll get easier with him. The first few months are always the most difficult with a new baby.”

Dallas felt as out of place in the conversation as catfish bait in a tilapia pond. And then a thought struck him. If he was a father—and he wasn’t anywhere near ready to admit to the possibility just yet—he’d need to learn about diaper bags and 3:00 a.m. feedings. Kate’s employee had taken her up-all-night excuse far too easily, which meant it happened enough for her to be able to know using it wouldn’t be questioned.

Speaking of which, Allen seemed to know way too much about Kate’s personal life, which could mean that the office employees were close, and it was clear he wanted more than a professional relationship with her. The guy was a little too cozy with his boss and Dallas didn’t like it. She obviously refused his advances. A thought struck. Could that be enough for him to want to punish her by removing the only obstacle between them—her child?

He was probably reaching for a simple explanation. Even so, it was a question Dallas intended to bounce around with Tommy.

Dallas made a mental note to ask Kate more about her relationship with Allen as soon as the baby was calm again, which happened a few seconds after Abigail returned with a warmed bottle and he began feeding.

The look of panic didn’t leave Kate’s face entirely during the baby’s meal, but she gazed lovingly at her son.

Dallas had questions and needed answers, the quicker the better. However, it didn’t feel right interrupting mother and son during what looked to be a bonding moment.

But then, not being a father himself, what the hell did he know about it?

Sipping his coffee, he waited for Kate to speak first. It didn’t take long. Another few minutes and she finally said, “I want to apologize about my behavior this morning. I’m not normally so...frazzled.”

“You’re doing better than you think,” he said, offering reassurance.

“Am I?” she asked. “Because I feel like I’m all over the place emotionally.”

“Trust me. You’re doing fine.”

Her shoulders relaxed a little and that made Dallas smile.

“I do have a question for you, though,” he said.

She nodded.

“How well do you know your employees?” he asked, ignoring the most probable reason Allen’s attraction grated on him so much. Dallas liked her, too.

“Some more than others, I guess.” She shrugged. “We’re a small office, so we talk.”

The baby finished his bottle and she placed a cloth napkin over her shoulder before laying him across it and patting his back.

“What does that do?” Dallas’s curiosity about babies was getting the best of him. His stress was also growing with every passing day that Morton didn’t return his texts.

“Gets the gas out of his stomach. Believe me, you want it out. If you don’t he can cramp up and become miserable.” She frowned.

“And when he’s miserable, you’re miserable.”

“Exactly,” she said, her tone wistful. A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away and quickly apologized. “This whole parenting thing has been much harder than I expected.”

“Whoever did this to you and left should be castrated,” Dallas said. And he figured he was a hypocrite with that coming out of his mouth, given that he might have done the same to another woman. However, he had very strong feelings about the kind of man who didn’t mind making a baby, but couldn’t be bothered to stick around to be a father to the child. The operative word in his situation was that he might have unwittingly done that to someone. And he had no proof that Susan had actually been pregnant with his child, given that she’d disappeared when he’d offered to bring up the baby separately, instead of agreeing to her suggestion that they immediately marry. Her call had come out of the blue, months after they’d parted ways.

His gaze didn’t budge from Kate. He expected some kind of reaction from her. All he saw was genuine embarrassment.

“Oh, I have no one to blame. I did it to myself,” she said.

“I may not be an expert on babies, but I do know how they’re made. And I’m fairly certain there has to be a partner.” It was Dallas’s turn to shoot her a confused look.

“Adoption,” she said.

He gave her another.

“Surely you’ve heard of adopting a baby?” she asked tartly.

“Of course I have. I just didn’t know that was your circumstance,” he said stupidly.

Looking closer at the baby, Dallas couldn’t help but notice the boy had dark curly hair.

Not unlike his own.

Chapter Three

Kate recognized the sheriff as soon as he stepped inside his office. Not only had she seen him around town, he’d stopped by the kitchen to welcome her when she’d first opened her doors.

He was close to Dallas O’Brien’s height, so at least six feet tall. His hair was light brown and his eyes matched the shade almost perfectly.

She was relieved for the interruption, after sharing the news about Jackson being adopted, and especially after Dallas’s reaction, which made no sense to her. He seemed fine with her being a single parent, but lost his ability to speak once she’d mentioned the adoption. What was up with that?

The sheriff acknowledged Dallas first and then offered a handshake to Kate.

Dallas relayed the morning’s events succinctly and Kate’s heart squeezed at hearing the words, knowing how close she’d been to losing her son. She reminded herself that she had Dallas to thank for thwarting the kidnapping attempt.

If he hadn’t been there...

She shivered, deflecting the chill gripping her spine.

“Most kidnappings involve family. Sounds like that isn’t the case here,” the sheriff said. “We can’t rule out the birth parents. What’s your relationship with them?”

“None,” Kate responded. She hadn’t thought about the possibility that Jackson’s biological parents could’ve changed their minds. “The adoption was closed, records sealed, based on the mother’s request.”

“I’ll make contact with the agency to see if I can get any additional information from them. I wouldn’t count on it without a court order, though,” Tommy warned. “What’s the name?”

“Safe Haven,” she stated.

Tommy nodded. “Good. I know who they are.”

Kate held tighter to Jackson. Could the kidnapper have been the birth father? If an investigation was opened, could the birth mother change her mind and take her son away?

“Can you give a description of the man from this morning?” Tommy asked.

“Everything happened so fast. All I can remember is that he was wearing a hoodie and a high turtleneck. He was medium height and had these beady dark eyes against olive skin. It didn’t look like he’d shaved in a few days. That’s about all I can remember,” she said.

“It’s a start,” Tommy said, and his words were reassuring.

He turned to Dallas with that same questioning look.

“He was young and I didn’t recognize his voice, so I don’t think he’s from around here,” Dallas added.

“Is it possible that he’s the father? If he’s not local, then maybe he just found out about the baby and tracked us down,” Kate said, fear racing through her at the thought.

“We can’t rule it out, but that’s just one of many possibilities,” Tommy said. “What about your neighbors on Main? I heard some of them weren’t too thrilled when you moved in.”

“That’s the truth,” she said.

“Someone might have tried to scare you enough to get you to close shop and leave town. That’s a best-case scenario, as far as I’m concerned, because it would mean they never intended to hurt you or the baby. I need a list of names of family, friends, anyone who you’ve had a disagreement with, and your employees.”

The last part caught her off guard. Employees?

That had been Dallas’s first suspicion, too.

“Sheriff Johnson, you don’t seriously think one of my people could be involved, do you?” she asked, not able to fathom the possibility that one of her own could’ve turned on her.

“Please, call me Tommy,” he said. “And I have to search for all possible connections to the guy we’re looking for. You’d be surprised what you find out about the people you think you know best.”

In his line of work, she could only imagine how true that statement was. How horrible that anyone she trusted might’ve been involved.

No, it had to be a stranger.

“I have received threats from some of my business neighbors,” she said.

“Tell me more about those,” Tommy said, leaning forward.

“A few of the other tenants got together to file a complaint with my landlord. They said they didn’t think Main was the appropriate place for a soup kitchen,” she explained.

“And what was his response?” Tommy asked.

“He didn’t do anything. Said as long as my rent was paid on time and I wasn’t doing anything illegal, it wasn’t anyone else’s concern,” she said.

“I’ll send one of my deputies to canvass the other tenants and see what he can find out. We’ll cover all bases with our investigation.” Tommy glanced up from his pad. “How long ago did they make the complaint?”

“Right after we first moved in, so about six months ago,” she said.

“Anyone make a formal complaint since?”

She shook her head.

“What about direct threats?” Tommy asked.

“Walter Higgins threatened to force me out of town,” she said. “But that was a while ago.”

“The town needs your services,” Dallas said through clenched teeth. “What kind of jerks complain about a person doing something good for others?”

Jackson stirred at the sound of the loud voice and Kate had to find his binky to pacify him. She shuffled through the diaper bag and came up with it. Jackson settled down as soon as the offering was in his mouth.

“Sorry,” Dallas said with an apologetic glance.

“It takes all kinds,” Tommy agreed. “I’m guessing they figured it would hurt their business. We’ll know more once my deputy speaks to them.”

“It’s not like people hang around after they eat. There’s no loitering allowed downtown,” Kate said.

“It’s a big escalation to go from complaining to your landlord to a personal attack like this on your son.” Based on the sheriff’s tone, her neighbors weren’t serious suspects. Tommy fired off a text before returning his gaze to Kate. “Now tell me more about your people.”

“We have a small office staff,” she conceded. “Allen Lentz is my second in command and takes care of everything when I’m not around. Other than that, there are about a dozen cooks and food service workers. Only one is on payroll. The others are volunteers.”

Dallas’s posture tensed when she mentioned Allen.

Kate registered the subtle change and moved on. She rattled off a few more names and job descriptions.

The sheriff nodded and jotted a few notes on his palm-sized notebook.

“And then there’s Randy Ruiz. He keeps the place running on our tight budget. He’s our general handyman, muscle and overall miracle worker. Anything heavy needs lifting, he’s our guy. He’s been especially helpful and dependable in the six months he’s been with us.” Despite Randy’s past, she knew full well that he would never hurt her or Jackson.

Dallas seemed to perk up and she was afraid she’d tried to sell Randy a little too hard. True, she could be a little overprotective of him. He’d had a hard road and she wanted to see him succeed.

“Tabitha Farmer does all our administrative work,” Kate added quickly, to keep the conversation moving. “Her official title is volunteer coordinator.”

“How close are you with donors?” Tommy asked.

Thinking about the possibility that anyone in her circle could have arranged to have her child kidnapped was enough to turn Kate’s stomach. She clasped him closer.

For Jackson’s sake, she had to consider what Dallas and the sheriff were saying no matter how much she hated to view her friends and acquaintances with a new lens.

Maybe she was being naive, but she’d been careful to fill her life with genuine people since moving to Bluff from the city. “I maintain a professional distance. However, I do get invited to personal events like weddings and lake house parties.”

“And what do you do with your son during these outings?” Dallas interjected, no doubt remembering her conversation with Allen earlier.

“I don’t usually go. But I used Allen once,” she replied.

“Allen?” Dallas looked up from intensely staring into his cup of coffee.

“We’re like a family at the kitchen, and we take care of each other,” she said defensively.

Dallas’s cocked eyebrow didn’t sit well with her. She could feel herself getting more and more defensive.

“Despite what you may be thinking about my employees, they really are a group of decent people,” she stated, making eye contact with him—a mistake she was going to regret, given how much her body reacted to the handsome cowboy.

“In my experience, that doesn’t always prove the truth,” he said, holding her gaze. “When did Allen babysit for you?”

“It’s been a while. I used Tabitha one other time recently.”

“There a reason for that?” Dallas asked, lifting one dark eyebrow.

“Yes, but it doesn’t mean anything,” she said quickly. Then she sighed. “Okay, I thought Allen was getting a little too...involved with me and Jackson, so I thought it would be best to use Tabitha instead. He’s made it clear that he’d like to date.” She involuntarily shivered at the thought of going out with anyone, much less someone from work. “And I’m just not ready for that.”

She’d probably emphasized that last bit a little too much, but what did she care if they knew she wasn’t in the mood to spend time with a man, any man.

“How old is your son?” Tommy asked, after a few uncomfortable seconds had passed.

“Jackson? He’s almost three months old.” Kate gently patted her baby on the back, noticing something stir in Dallas’s eyes.

“What about friends and family?” Tommy asked, his gaze moving from her to his friend. “Anyone in the area?”

“I didn’t know anyone when I moved here, and everything about preparing for the baby was harder than I expected, so, yes, I bonded with my employees.”

“You don’t have family in this part of Texas?” Tommy asked.

“It’s just me and Jackson.” She shook her head. “My brother and I are close, but he lives in Richardson, which is a suburb of Dallas. He works nonstop. We started a tech company together after college and made enough to do okay. I sold my interest in the business to have a baby, and now he’s running it alone.”

“Forgive this question...” Tommy hesitated before continuing, “But how did your brother take the news about you leaving the business the two of you started?”

“Carter? He was fine with my decision. He knew how much I wanted to start a family,” she said defensively, a red rash crawling up her neck. And if he hadn’t been the most enthusiastic about her choice at first, he’d come around.

“Again, I’m sorry. I had to ask,” the sheriff murmured, taking a seat across from her in the sitting area of the office.

“Mind if I ask why you decided to move to Bluff?” Dallas asked.

“There was a need for a soup kitchen, and it’s one of the most family-friendly towns in Texas three years running, according to the internet,” she said with a shrug. “I thought it would be a good place to bring up a baby.”

“Even without family here?” Tommy asked.

“My parents didn’t approve of my decision to have a child alone.” She didn’t really want to go down that road again, explaining the quirks of her family to a stranger. The one where her mother had flipped out and pretended to have a heart attack in order to alter Kate’s course.

She glanced at Dallas, ready to defend herself to him, and was surprised by the look of sympathy she got instead.

“I guess I don’t understand that particular brand of thinking. It’s my personal belief that families should stick together even if they don’t agree with each other’s decisions,” Dallas said, his steely voice sliding right through her.

The sincerity in those words nearly brought her to tears.

Why did it suddenly matter so much what a stranger thought about her or her family?

* * *

DALLAS NOTICED KATE’S emotional reaction to what he’d said about family. If she really was at odds with hers then they couldn’t rule them out as suspects.

“If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to speak to the sheriff in the hallway for a minute,” he said to her.

“Do we have to wait around? Can we go home now?” she asked, clearly rattled from their conversation.

“I don’t think it’s safe,” Dallas said, before Tommy could answer. “This attack was ambush-style and planned.”

His friend was already nodding in agreement. “The kidnapper had a knife and a getaway vehicle,” he added. “This indicates premeditation. I’ll need to run this scenario through the database and see if there are similar incidents out there. In the meantime, I’d like to send a deputy to your house to take a look around.”

Kate gasped and the baby stirred. She immediately went into action, soothing the infant in her arms. He was such a tiny thing and looked so fragile.

“You think they know where I live?” she asked when the baby had settled into the crook of her arm.

“It’s a possibility we can’t ignore, and I’d rather be safe than sorry,” Tommy said.

“Can I see you in the hallway?” Dallas asked Tommy as his friend rose to his feet. Dallas’s protective instincts were kicking into high gear.

“If you’re going into the hall to discuss my case, I have a right to know what’s being said.” Kate’s gaze held steady with determination.

Dallas paused at the doorjamb. He couldn’t deny that she was right, and yet he wanted to protect her and the baby from hearing what he needed to ask Tommy next.

“Whatever it is, I deserve to hear it,” she insisted.

A deep sigh pushed out of his lungs as he turned toward her and stepped back inside, motioning for Tommy to do the same. “The person who did this could be someone who sees Jackson as in the way of being with you,” Dallas said, and it seemed to dawn on her that he was talking about Allen.

“Is that why you zeroed in on Allen when I called him earlier?” she asked Dallas pointedly.

“Yes,” he answered truthfully.

“We won’t stop searching for whoever is behind this,” Tommy interjected. “And we’re considering all possibilities.”

She sat there for a long moment. “What about those other possibilities, Sheriff?” she finally asked.

“It could be that someone wants revenge against you. It’s obvious that your child is very important to you and that snatching him would be one way to hurt you,” Tommy said. “Or a teen mom has changed her mind about giving up her child. She might’ve figured out who you were and told the father.”

“The adoption was sealed based on the mother’s request. However, I made sure of it to avoid that very circumstance. How on earth would she know where Jackson is?” Kate asked.

“You can find out anything with enough money or computer hacking skills,” Dallas answered, even though he knew firsthand either option could take time. And in this case, maybe it had. Jackson was nearly three months old, so that would give someone plenty of time to find the two of them. Grease the right wheels and boom.

“I have to think that if this was a teen mother, then she’d be destitute. Wouldn’t she? If she had money or family support, would she really be giving up her baby in the first place?” Kate asked.

Good points.

“How well did you vet this adoption agency before you used them?” Dallas asked.

“They’re legitimate, from everything I could tell. I hired a lawyer to oversee things on my end and make sure everything was legal,” Kate stated.

“I’ll need the name of your lawyer,” Tommy said.

“William Seaver.”

“Is he someone you knew or was that the first time you’d dealt with him?” Tommy asked.

“My brother connected us. He’d heard of Seaver through a mutual friend. I’m sure he checked him out first,” Kate replied.

“I’ll run his name and see if we come up with anything in the database,” Tommy offered. “We’ll be able to narrow down the possibilities once I get all this information into the system and talk to a few people. Also, I’d like to send someone to take a look at your work computers. I need permission from you in order to do that.”

Kate gave her consent even though she seemed reluctant. Her reaction was understandable given the circumstances. Dallas would feel the same way if someone wanted to dig around in the ranch’s books.

Tommy called for Abigail.

The older woman appeared a moment later and he asked her to send someone to Kate’s house to look for anything suspicious, and after that to run information through the database to see if she got a hit on any similar crimes.

As soon as she left, Dallas turned to Kate. “That’s everything I wanted to ask or say about your case. If you’ll excuse us, I need to discuss a personal matter with the sheriff.”

Dallas motioned for his friend to follow him down the hall and into the kitchenette.

“I’m sorry we lost the guy earlier,” Tommy said once they were out of earshot. “If we’d caught him, this nightmare could be over for her.”

“Whoever it was seems to know how to disappear pretty darn quick,” Dallas commented.

“It’s difficult to hide something that weighs more than four thousand pounds,” Tommy agreed, obviously referring to the minivan.

“You think this whole thing might’ve been a setup to scare her out of town?” Dallas asked, unsure of how to approach the subject of his possible fatherhood to his friend.

“I thought about that, as well,” he admitted. “It’s too early to rule anything out even though it’s not likely. I’m anxious to see if we find similar crimes in the database. And, of course, we’ll look at her personal circles.”

Dallas leaned against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve been looking into adoption agencies myself lately.”

“Come again?” Tommy’s eyebrows arched and Dallas couldn’t blame his friend for the surprised glance he shot him. “I know you’re not looking to adopt.”

“You remember Susan,” Dallas began, uneasy about bringing this up. Susan had grown up in Bluff, so Tommy knew her well.

“So glad you finally saw through her and moved on.” His friend rolled his eyes. “She was a head case.”

Dallas couldn’t argue. His judgment had slipped on that one. As soon as he’d figured her out, he’d broken it off. “She might be more than that. She might be the mother of my child.”

The possibility that Dallas could be that careless had never occurred to his friend, a fact made clear by the shock on his face. “There’s no way you could’ve done that!” he declared. “Have you considered the possibility that she’s lying?”

“Of course I have,” Dallas retorted.

“If this is true, and I’m not convinced it is, where is she? And why didn’t you come to me before?” Tommy asked.

“Those are good questions,” Dallas admitted. “As far as where she went, I’m looking to find an answer. She disappeared from New Mexico and not even her family here in Bluff has seen her since. We both know that she loved it here. Why wouldn’t she come back?”

“She didn’t say anything to you before she left?” Tommy folded his arms, his forehead wrinkled in disbelief.

“And I didn’t get a chance to ask where she was headed before she disappeared.”

“What makes you think she used an adoption agency?” Tommy said, after carefully considering the bomb that had just been dropped. “And why didn’t you come to me sooner?”

“She told me she was pregnant and said we should get married right away,” Dallas said. “I told her to hold on. That I would be there for my child, but that didn’t mean we needed to make a mistake.”

“That probably went over as well as a cow patty in the pool.” His friend grunted. “She seemed bent on signing her name ‘O’Brien’ from when we were kids.”

Dallas had been an idiot not to see through her quicker.

“But that still doesn’t answer my question of why you didn’t come to me right away,” Tommy said.

“I needed answers. You have to follow the letter of the law,” Dallas said honestly. “I wanted someone who could see those lines as blurry.”

Tommy took a sip of his coffee. “That the only reason?”

“I knew you’d want to help, and you have a lot of restrictions. I wanted fast answers and I wasn’t even sure there’d be anything to discuss,” Dallas said. “Plus I didn’t want to tell anyone until I was sure.”

“Didn’t you suspect she was seeing someone else?” his friend asked.

Dallas nodded. “I’m certain she was. I figured she was making a bid for my money when she played the pregnancy card with me.”

“She probably was.” Tommy grimaced. “Which was a good reason for her to disappear when you refused to marry her. She couldn’t get caught in her lies.”

“I thought of that, too. There’s another thing. I used protection, but it’s more than that. We didn’t exactly... It’s not like...” Hell, this was awkward. Dallas didn’t make a habit out of talking about his sex life with anyone, not even his best friend. “There was only the one time with Susan and me. Afterward, she got clingy and tried to move into my place. Started trying to rearrange furniture. I caught her in lie after lie and broke it off clean after I witnessed her in the parking lot with that other guy, looking cozy. I’d suspected she was seeing someone else and she got all cagey when I confronted her and asked her to leave. I couldn’t prove my suspicion, though. But when she called a few months later and said she was pregnant with my child, I didn’t believe her.”

“I can’t blame you there,” Tommy said. “I wouldn’t have bought it, either.”

“But I can’t turn my back until I know for sure.” If what Susan said was true, then he’d already messed up what he considered to be the most important job in life—fatherhood.

Dallas had known Susan could be dishonest, and that was the reason he’d broken it off with her. He couldn’t love someone he couldn’t trust. But he never imagined she’d lie about something this important.

“If there was another guy involved, and I believe you when you say there was, then he could be the father of her child.” Tommy sipped his coffee, contemplating what he had just learned.

“You know I can’t walk away until I know one way or the other,” Dallas said. “This isn’t something I can leave to chance.”

“And there was that one time,” his friend finally said, his forehead pinched with concentration. “So, there is a possibility.”

“If I’m honest...yes.”

“But it’s next to impossible. I know you. There’s no way you would risk a pregnancy unless you were one hundred percent sure about a relationship staying together,” he stated.

Dallas nodded.

And then it seemed to dawn on Tommy. “But she could’ve sabotaged your efforts.”

“Right.”

“Well, damn.” His friend’s expression changed to one of pity. “I’m sorry to hear this might’ve happened. Any idea how old the baby would be now?”

“According to my calculations...about three months old.” And that was most likely the reason Kate’s case hit him so hard. If he had a son, the boy would be around the same age as Jackson.

“Any idea where Susan and the baby may be? It’d be easy enough to get a paternity test once you find them.”

Tommy said the exact thing Dallas was thinking.

“I don’t know. Neither does the man I hired to find them. She literally disappeared.” Ever since hearing about a possible pregnancy with Susan, Dallas had found his world tipped on its axis and he didn’t exactly feel like himself.

“There might not even be a baby,” Tommy said.

Dallas’s phone buzzed. He fished it out of his pocket and then checked the screen. “Susan had a boy,” he said, focusing on the message from his private investigator’s assistant, Stacy Miller. “And Morton was able to link her to an adoption agency.”

Tommy rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

Yeah, Dallas felt the same way right about now. Especially when the next text came through, and he learned the adoption agency was named Safe Haven.

Chapter Four

“I’d say that’s a strange coincidence, but I know Safe Haven is the biggest agency in the area, so I guess I’m not too surprised to hear their name again,” Tommy said. “And just because Susan had a baby doesn’t mean it’s yours.”

“That kid in there is around the age Susan’s baby would be,” Dallas supplied.

“Doesn’t mean he’s Susan’s,” Tommy said. “Odds are against it.”

“I know.” Dallas nodded, still trying to digest the news. His plans to help Kate Williams get settled with the sheriff and then head back to the ranch to start a busy day exploded. They had a record number of bred heifers and there’d be a calf-boom early next year that everyone was preparing for. But nothing was more important than this investigation.

“In fact, I’m inclined to think that’s the closest thing we have to proof that the baby isn’t yours.”

Dallas made a move to speak, but his friend raised his hand to stop him. “Hear me out. If Susan was telling the truth and the baby was yours, she would stick around for a DNA test. If she couldn’t have your last name, then at least her son would, and he’d have everything that comes with being an O’Brien, which is what we all know she’s always wanted anyway.”

Dallas thought about those words for a long moment. “I see your point.”

“And I’m right.”

“Either way, if she used Safe Haven, then everything should be legit, right?” Dallas asked, hoping he’d be able to gain traction and get answers now that a child had been confirmed and he had the name of an adoption agency. His investigator was making good progress.

“They’ve been investigated before and came up clean.” Tommy took another sip of his coffee. “That doesn’t mean they are. They could be running an off-the-books program for nontraditional families. Kate’s case gives me reason to dig into their records. I’ll make a request for access to their files and see how willing they are to cooperate.”

“Will you keep me posted on your progress?” Dallas asked, knowing he was asking a lot of his friend.

Tommy nodded. “I’ll give you as much information as I legally can.”

“As far as Susan goes, you’re the only one who knows, and I’d appreciate keeping it between us for now.”

“You haven’t told anyone in the family?” Tommy asked in surprise.

“Everyone’s had enough to deal with since Mom and Pop...” Dallas didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t have to. Tommy knew.

“If you have a child, and I’d bet my life you don’t, we’ll find him,” Tommy said, and his words were meant to be reassuring.

He was the only person apart from Dallas’s brothers who would know just how much the prospect would gnaw at him. And if his brothers knew, they’d all want to be involved, but Dallas didn’t want to sound the alarm just yet. There might not be anything to discuss, and he didn’t like getting everyone riled up without cause.

Another text came through on his phone.

“Looks like my guy left to investigate Safe Haven last night and hasn’t checked in for work this morning,” Dallas murmured. “His assistant said he’s always the first one in the office. She’s been texting and calling him and he isn’t responding.”

“We need to talk to her,” Tommy said. “You know I’m going to offer my help investigating Susan’s disappearance. She’s originally from here and that makes her my business.”

“And I’ll take it,” Dallas declared. He wouldn’t rely solely on Tommy, because his friend was bound by laws. Dallas saw them more as guidelines when it came to finding out the truth. “We can work both cases and share information. As far as Kate’s goes, I’m not sure I like Allen Lentz.”

The sheriff leaned against the counter with a questioning look on his face.

“He sounded possessive of her when she called him this morning, and I got the impression he sees the kid as an obstacle to dating her,” Dallas explained. The news that Susan had had a boy was still spinning around in the back of his mind.

“I’ll have one of my deputies bring him in for questioning this morning,” Tommy said. “See if I can get a feel for the guy.”

“I’d be interested to hear your take on him,” Dallas stated. “I told her not to clue him in to what had happened this morning when she phoned him to open the kitchen for her. And I asked her to put him on speaker so I could hear his voice.”

“What was your impression of how he sounded?”

“I didn’t like the guy one bit.” Dallas would keep the part about feeling a twinge of jealousy to himself.

“Wanting the kid out of the way would give him motive,” Tommy said. “I’ll run a background check on him when I bring him in. See if there’s anything there.”

Tommy’s phone buzzed. “This is my deputy,” he said, after glancing at the screen.

Dallas motioned for them to return to Kate as his friend answered the call.

She was cradling the baby and Dallas got another glimpse of the little boy’s black curly hair—hair that looked a lot like his own—as they walked into the office. Dallas wasn’t quite ready to accept that possibility completely as he moved closer to get a better look at Jackson. There was no way that Kate’s son could be Susan’s baby.

Right?

Tommy was right. All of this would be way too much of a coincidence. The adoption agency was large and there had to be dozens of dark-haired baby boys who had been adopted around the same time. Not that logic mattered at a time like this.

Plus, Dallas hadn’t considered the fact that if Susan had had his baby, then wouldn’t she sue him for support? Or blackmail him to keep the news out of the press?

Until he could be certain, would Dallas look at every boy around Jackson’s age with the same question: Could the child be his?

Not knowing would be mental torture at its worst. Every dark-haired boy he came across would get Dallas’s mind spinning with possibilities. What-ifs. Was he getting a glimpse of the torment he’d endure for the rest of his life if he couldn’t find Susan?

Morton had confirmed there’d been a child, which didn’t necessarily mean Dallas was a father. And Morton had been able to link Susan to Safe Haven Adoption Agency. Dallas had every reason to believe that his PI would figure out the rest and Dallas would get his answers very soon. Being in limbo, not knowing, would eat what was left of his stomach lining.

Kate was watching him with a keen eye as Tommy entered the room.

“Can I go home now?” she asked, cradling Jackson tighter.

“This might sound like an odd question, but do you close and lock your doors when you leave your house?” Tommy asked.

“Yes. Of course. I’m a single woman who lives alone with a baby, and I wouldn’t dream of leaving myself vulnerable like that,” she said, and her cheeks flushed.

Embarrassment?

Dallas noted the emotion as his friend moved on. “Well, then, your place has been broken into,” Tommy said.

“What happened?” Kate’s face paled.

Dallas’s first thought was Allen. But wouldn’t he already have access to her house?

Not if she never let him inside. Maybe the date bit was a ruse to get into her home.

“The back door was ajar and the lock had been tampered with. My deputy on the scene said that nothing obvious is missing inside. All the pictures are on the walls and the place is neat.” Tommy listened and then said a few “uh-huh”s into the phone.

“Do you have a home computer?” he asked Kate.

“A laptop on my desk,” she answered.

Tommy repeated the information to his deputy and then frowned.

So, someone took her laptop?

“Are you sure it was on your desk the last time you saw it?” Tommy asked.

“Certain. Why? Is it gone?”

He nodded. “The cable is still there.”

That same look of fear and disbelief filled her blue eyes.

“Can you think of anything on your hard drive someone would want?” Tommy asked. He also asked about work files, but Dallas figured whoever broke into her house wasn’t going after those. This had to be personal, especially after the failed kidnapping attempt.

If someone was trying to scare her, then he was doing a great job of it, based on her expression.

“No. Nothing. I keep all my work stuff at the office. I vowed not to work at home ever again once I left the corporate scene. I have a manila file folder in the drawer, right-hand side, about Jackson’s adoption,” she added, holding tighter to her baby. “Is it missing?”

Once again Tommy relayed the information and then waited. “There’s nothing labeled Safe Haven or Adoption,” he said at last.

“Then that’s it,” she murmured, almost too quietly to hear.

Tommy thanked his deputy and ended the call. “How did you get connected with Safe Haven?”

“Through my lawyer. He was the one who arranged everything,” she said, and based on her expression, Dallas figured her brain was most likely clicking through possibilities.

He made a mental note that they needed to speak to her brother, and the rest of her family, as well. Dallas didn’t like to think that her family wouldn’t be 100 percent supportive of her choices, but he wasn’t stupid. He couldn’t fathom it, but if her mother was really against the adoption, then she could be trying to interfere by shaking Kate up. Maybe even hoping that she’d realize she’d made a mistake.

If that were true, then Kate’s mother hadn’t seen the woman holding Jackson.

A family intervention, albeit misguided, would be so much better than the other options Kate faced. Such as an employee’s fixation or the fact that this could’ve been a shady adoption gone bad for Safe Haven.

* * *

KATE HELD ON to Jackson as if he’d drop off a canyon wall if she let go. She’d walked away from the only life she’d ever known to have a chance at a family. Her husband, Robert Bass, had filed for divorce within weeks of learning that she had a 4 percent chance of ever getting pregnant. Four percent.

Half the reason she’d worked so hard at the start-up was so she could sell her interests when she became pregnant and be home with the baby. And then suddenly that wasn’t going to be an option, ever.

At thirty-three, she’d had everything she thought she wanted, a nice house, a Suburban and a husband. She’d believed she was on the track to happiness, and it was easy to ignore shortcomings in her marriage to Robert considering how much time she spent at the office. He worked all the time, too.

Within weeks of learning the devastating news, her entire life had turned upside down, and all she could do was kick herself for not seeing it coming earlier. All those times Robert had decided to stay late at the office even when she’d made special arrangements to leave early... And she’d been too busy to really notice how frequent his ski trips had become—ski trips she later realized hadn’t been with his best friend, but with his coworker Olivia Gail.

In fact, he’d been on the road more than he was home and Kate felt like an idiot for thinking he was working hard to secure a future for their family, too.

Whatever love had been between them had died long before she’d been willing to acknowledge it. Or had she kept herself too busy to notice? Too busy to face the reality of the loneliness that had become her life?

She’d been trapped with a husband who cared for her but didn’t love her. And the worst part was that she’d kept convincing herself that they’d be able to get back what they’d had in the early days of their relationship as soon as she had more time or had a baby. How crazy was it to think a child would somehow make things better, make them a family?

To make matters worse, Kate Williams didn’t give up. Hard work and staying the course had made her business a success. It had gotten her through a difficult childhood with a mother who was bent on controlling her. Was her mother’s lack of real love the reason Kate had fallen for Robert in the first place? Was she seeking approval from someone who would never give it?

Robert had been all about keeping his tee time and staying on track with his future career plans. He even seemed content to have a family with Kate though he no longer loved her.

And then when the disappointing news had come that having a baby would be next to impossible, he’d started traveling even more. He’d lost interest in her sexually.

Kate had reasoned that he needed time to process the news, as she did. It was a bomb she’d never expected to be dropped on her, especially not when her biological clock wouldn’t expire for years.

Robert’s decision to give up on the marriage shouldn’t have come as a complete shock. Except that she’d ignored or made excuses for every single one of the signs that it was coming.

Given the amount of time he had spent calculating return on investment with his stock portfolio, she should’ve realized he’d cut his losses with her when she was no longer a good deal. Apparently, she hadn’t been worth the risk. It had taken Robert about six weeks to divest himself of her.

Kate had signed the divorce papers and then made a life-changing decision.

She was going to have a family anyway.

When she’d told Carter, her brother, he’d scoffed at the idea, initially telling her to take a long vacation instead. Then he’d reminded her how much she’d be hurting their mother, as if Charlotte Williams hadn’t already made her position clear throughout the whole divorce. Chip and Charlotte had been the perfect parents, to hear her mother talk about their life.

Kate had been clear on what she wanted, and being a mother had more to do with love than DNA, so she’d decided to adopt.

Carter came to his senses, apologized and then located the best adoption attorney he could find.

Not long after, Kate had sold her interests in the company and moved to Bluff.

Life might have thrown her a twist, but that didn’t mean she had to roll over and take it.

The move had given her a new lease on life. Becoming Jackson’s mother was the greatest joy she’d experienced. And, dammit, no one would take that or him away from her.

A voice she immediately recognized as Allen’s boomed from the other room.

Kate popped to her feet. “Why’s he here?” she asked, glancing from Tommy to Dallas.

“I’ll be interviewing everyone on your staff,” the sheriff said, drawing her gaze back to him. “Would your family members be willing to come down and speak to us, as well?”

“My family?” she echoed, as Allen walked into the office.

“What’s going on?” he asked, concern widening his eyes as he zeroed in on Kate and the baby.

Dallas stepped in front of her, blocking his path.

“Did something happen?” Allen shouted over him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine now,” she said, hating that her employees would be worried.

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Allen begged, and there was desperation in his voice as he was being hauled away.

* * *

DALLAS POSITIONED HIMSELF near the two-way mirror on the other side of the interview room. His cup of coffee had long ago gone cold, but holding on to it gave him something to do with his hands.

“Miss Williams authorized my department to take a look at your computer,” Tommy said to Allen.

“So what?” The confusion on the guy’s face was either an award-worthy acting job or he really didn’t have a clue.

“Would you agree to give one of my deputies access to your house?” Tommy asked. He knew full well that an innocent guy would have nothing to hide.

“Not until you tell me what this is about,” Allen retorted.

Fair enough.

“We’re looking for information that will aid an ongoing investigation,” Tommy hedged.

“One that involves my boss.” It wasn’t a question.

The lawman nodded.

“Look, I would do anything to help Kate. She’s like family to me,” Allen said. “But I have no idea what’s going on.”

So asking out a family member was okay in Allen’s book? Dallas covered up his cough.

“And I’m not sure how invading my privacy will accomplish your mission, so I’m afraid you’ll have to tell me a little bit more about what you think you’ll find,” Allen added.

Dallas had been sure this guy was guilty as sin, but something was gnawing at him and he couldn’t figure out what. He might be covering for a crush he had on his boss and didn’t want to be embarrassed any further.

Based on his actions so far, Allen was coming across as a concerned friend. But then, he might just be that good at acting.

Dallas returned to Tommy’s office, where Kate waited.

“How long has Allen worked for you?” he asked.

“He was my first hire,” she said, looking as if she was about to be sick. “So, about six months now.”

“Do want water or something else to drink?” Dallas asked.

She shook her head and mumbled that she was fine.

Tommy walked in.

“How would you characterize your relationship with Allen Lentz?” he asked Kate.

“Professional,” she retorted.

“I had to ask.” Tommy brought his hand up defensively.

“But he wasn’t kidding about our office being like a family. Do you really think he broke into my house and stole my laptop and adoption files?” she asked Tommy, looking as if she was trying to let that possibility sink in.

“Not completely, no,” he answered. “It doesn’t mean he’s not involved, though. The kidnapping attempt could’ve been a distraction while the burglar got what he really wanted.”

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose as though staving off a headache.

Tommy’s cell buzzed. He glanced at the screen. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Kate nodded as Tommy hurried out of the room.

Dallas didn’t say that none of this added up quite in the way he wanted it to. All her employees would know that she was already at the soup kitchen. If someone wanted her laptop and adoption files, all he had to do was break in while she was gone. But it was clear that her adoption was at the center of the kidnapping attempt. Could someone be trying to erase the paperwork trail? “Do you ever go back to your place after leaving for work?”

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