Secret Delivery (10 page)

Jack cursed. So did Alana. This was a huge setback. There would almost certainly have been some kind of incriminating evidence in that house that might point to one or more of their suspects.

“There’s more,” Reyes said. “The mailbox didn’t burn, and there was a note inside it. It was from our kidnapping suspect, Eldon Thatcher. The Ranger read it to me, and I wrote it down word for word.”

Reyes looked at the paper he held in his hand. Then looked at her. “I’ll give you the clean version. Thatcher says he’s gonna kill you.”

Alana had already suspected that, so she was more than a little surprised at her reaction. Maybe it was hearing the threat aloud that did it, but fear and worry dropped on her like a ton of bricks.

Jack took the note, read through it and then as if he’d declared war on it, he crumpled it into a ball.

“What did it say?” Alana asked, not at all certain that she wanted to know.

“Thatcher’s a sick SOB,” Reyes mumbled.

“What did it say?” Alana repeated.

“He thinks you sold him out to the FBI.” Jack didn’t look at her when he spoke. “He wants revenge. And he says he’ll get it by taking Joey.”

The sound of Joey’s laughter cut through the silence in the hospital waiting room.

Joey grabbed on to a magazine-laded table and pulled himself to a standing position. He slapped at the surface as if to announce his victory. Joey had learned to pull himself up two days earlier, and he’d already mastered it. According to the baby books Jack had read, it wouldn’t be long before Joey was walking.

Tessie applauded the feat, causing Joey to giggle again. From the other side of the room, Alana sat and watched. She was smiling, cataloging Joey’s every move. She hadn’t taken her eyes off him during their ten-minute wait for Dr. Bartolo to appear for her checkup.

Reyes was blocking the doorway that led to the corridor. Unlike Alana, his attention wasn’t on Joey. Reyes was standing guard.

Jack had a dozen important things to do. Beefing up security at the ranch. Following up on the search for Eldon Thatcher. Helping Reyes process Thatcher’s car and the crime scene in the hospital parking lot. Oh, yeah, and he had to keep his son and Alana safe.

That was primary in his mind.

And that was the reason both he and Reyes were at the hospital waiting. If the doc gave her a clean bill of health, the first thing Alana would want was to hold Joey. Jack wouldn’t stop her.

But Alana wouldn’t settle for just holding Joey. She’d want to be a major part of his life. And that meant Jack had something else to add to his to-do list. He had to consult his attorney. He had to do whatever it took to keep primary custody of Joey. Then he could control the situation and give Alana visitation rights.

Jack glanced in Alana’s direction. She still had her attention fastened to Joey. That intense look told him everything. She might have offered to share custody with him, but she would probably change her mind.

First, though, she had to battle for her safety.

Jack heard footsteps in the corridor and eased his hand over the butt of his holstered gun. “It’s the doc,” Reyes let him know.

Reyes stepped inside, clearing the path for Dr. Bartolo to enter. The doctor glanced at Jack’s posture. Then at Alana. “Go ahead into the examining room.” He pointed to a door just a few yards away. “I need to run over to the lab and pick up your results.”

Alana nodded and stood. Jack stood, too. He didn’t intend to let Alana out of his sight. Reyes would do the same for Tessie and Joey.

“I see the worry in your eyes,” Alana whispered as they went into the examining room.

Jack didn’t deny it was there. He left the door open just a fraction so he could respond faster if there was an emergency.

“I had some time to think last night,” she added.

He’d heard her tossing and turning. “You were supposed to be resting.”

“I managed to do that, too.” Her face said otherwise. Still, her chin lifted up, a gesture she probably hoped would make her appear resolved. It didn’t work. She still looked tired. “All that thinking led me to a decision. I’ve decided to move to Willow Ridge.”

Jack froze. “Move here?” He didn’t like the sound of that. Not that he thought she would just disappear. But having her underfoot was not going to cool this attraction between them. And it would put her near Joey every single day. “We’re back to talking about splitting custody?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“No?” Jack forced himself to unfreeze, and walked closer so he could study her expression. She was tired, yes. But her eyes were suddenly a lot clearer than they had been.

“I decided you should keep custody for now.”

Jack blinked. And replayed each word. After doing that several times, he was still certain he’d misunderstood. “Excuse me?”

She swallowed hard. “For the time being, I want you to have custody.”

He’d heard her all right. It was exactly what he’d wanted to hear, but what he couldn’t understand was why she was saying it. “Why the change of heart?”

“More like a reality check.” She scrubbed her hands up and down her arms. “I don’t need to remind you that my life’s a mess. Someone wants me dead, and that’s spilled over to Joey. I know you’re doing your best to
keep him safe. I heard you talking on the phone this morning. You’re trying to increase security at the ranch.”

He was. He’d even borrowed some ranch hands from neighbors and would have them patrol the pastures. “What does that have to do with custody?”

“Everything.” She looked him straight in the eye. “I know you’ll do what’s necessary to protect Joey.”

He would. But he didn’t need full custody for that.

“I won’t continue to be a burden to you,” she added. Her words rushed out as if she’d rehearsed them. “Once we’re at the ranch, I’ll call and make arrangements for my own security. I can hire a P.I. Several of them. I want them searching for evidence to link Margaret and Ted or even my brother to what’s going on. I can also press the Rangers to do more to find Eldon Thatcher. Then I can—”

Jack touched his fingers to her mouth. That simple reminder to slow down worked—she hushed and stared at him. “I can’t let you do all the work, okay?” she continued. “Especially since I’m responsible for this.”

Oh, man. He didn’t want to go there. “Eldon Thatcher is responsible,” he reminded her.

She shook her head, but her frustration and fear were evident. Jack knew those emotions well. He felt the same.

“I have this beautiful son,” she muttered. Her voice was beyond shaky. “A son who’s in danger, and everything I do still feels as if it’s not enough. I should probably get out of town and put some distance between Joey and me, but I’m afraid if I leave, I won’t be here to help protect him.”

Again, he was right there on the same page with her. Nothing short of jailing Eldon Thatcher would be enough, and even that wouldn’t solve all their problems.

“The fight’s just started,” Jack said. “It’s a fight we’ll win.” Because the alternative wasn’t an alternative at all.

And then he did something stupid.

He pulled her into his arms.

The embrace didn’t seem so uncomfortable this time.

It felt natural.

What was it about Alana that made him want to get close? He didn’t have time for sex. Heck, he didn’t have time for a kiss. But that didn’t stop him from brushing his lips over her forehead. Nor did it stop him from thinking about where all of this could go after everyone responsible had been caught.

“Let me deal with security,” he told her. “Put everything else on hold for now.”

She pulled back and stared at him. “I’m not as weak as I was yesterday or the night before when I staggered into your office.”

“Yes.” For some stupid reason, that nearly made him smile. “I can see that.”

That strength would be trouble. As long as she was dazed and weak, he could pretend this closeness was all about protection. He could rationalize that she needed his shoulder. His arms. Heck, maybe she still did need them, but Jack was betting at the moment neither of them was feeling very protective.

She had a unique way of capturing his attention, and she did it by just being her.

Alana no longer wore his clothes. Reyes had brought
her one of his girlfriend’s outfits. A snug denim skirt, lavender sleeveless top and flat sandals. The items probably weren’t her usual fashion fare. After all, Alana came from money, and the outfit screamed
discount store
. But the clothes fit her like a glove.

A tight glove, that accentuated her every curve.

And suddenly those curves seemed as interesting and enticing as her mouth.

Oh, yes. She could definitely get his attention.

The door opened, and they jumped apart as if they’d been doing something wrong. Which wasn’t far off the mark. Jack had been on the brink of kissing her blind.

“Everything okay?” Dr. Bartolo asked, noticing their contact and the reaction to being caught.

“You tell me,” Alana countered. She cleared her throat, straightened her clothes and tried to look indignant. “What do my lab tests say?”

The doctor stayed quiet a moment. “That you’re good to go.”

Alana let out a gasp. Of relief, no doubt. Jack wasn’t quite so relieved. “What about the virus?”

“No signs of it. The nurse took Alana’s vitals when she checked in. No fever. Blood pressure and pulse were normal. It appears the virus was just a twenty-four-hour thing.”

“I can hold Joey,” she said, heading for the door.

Jack didn’t stop her, but he did follow. So did Dr. Bartolo, but he only hung around a couple of seconds before he mumbled “good luck” and started for the corridor.

Tessie must have realized what was about to happen because she got to her feet. Joey was still batting the
magazines on the table, and he turned, apparently aware that something major was going on.

Alana didn’t make a mad run toward Joey. She slowed her steps and approached him with caution. She paused just a few seconds before she reached down and scooped him into her arms.

Joey looked at Jack for reassurance. After all, Alana was practically a stranger. But Joey didn’t cry when she pulled him into a long embrace. His son babbled a little, but Alana’s hair soon caught his attention. Joey tugged at one of the strands.

Jack looked around the room at everyone’s reactions. Tessie had her hand pressed to her chest and was watching the embrace as if it were a train wreck. Alana’s eyes were shiny with fresh tears. And Reyes was watching Jack. The deputy had his eyebrow cocked, questioning how Jack was taking all of this.

Jack didn’t have a clue.

He didn’t have to examine his feelings, either, because Reyes’s cell phone rang. The man answered it, and Jack knew after just a couple of seconds that this call involved something major. He moved closer to Reyes in case they had to discuss business.

“That was Kirby,” Reyes informed him. Kirby Ward, the night deputy who was manning the office. “He just got a visitor. Margaret Vargas.”

The nurse from Sauder. Interesting. And surprising. “What does she want?”

“To talk to you and Alana. She told Kirby she needed to discuss the fire at Sauder.”

Even more interesting. But Jack’s first instinct was to refuse to have Alana present when he talked with the
nurse. He didn’t want to put her through that stress, and he wanted to get her settled into the ranch.

But maybe Margaret would say things to Alana that she wouldn’t say to him. Better yet, it would get Alana away from Joey so that Jack could take a deep breath and figure out how he was going to deal with everything that’d happened.

“Go ahead and take Tessie and Joey to the ranch,” Jack instructed Reyes. “Alana and I will meet with Margaret, see what she has to say.”

Then he could finally get Alana to the ranch so he could get some work done. How, exactly, he didn’t know, but he was thinking he might have to rotate Kirby, Reyes and himself at the ranch so they could get the evidence processed. Bodyguard duty was a necessity, but so was catching the man who’d tried to kidnap Alana. Added to all of that, he had to keep the town safe.

Tessie stepped forward to take Joey from Alana. His aunt did so hesitantly, and Alana was also hesitant about giving up the child. She kissed Joey’s cheek and gave him a little wave. His son waved back, but not at Alana. At Jack.

Jack could almost feel Alana’s heart breaking.

There wasn’t time to dwell on it. Jack caught her arm to get her moving. The sooner they met with Margaret, the sooner he could do his job and get her to safety.

Tessie, Joey and Reyes were ahead of them in the corridor, but Jack had no trouble spotting Dr. Bartolo, and the man talking to the doctor.

Parker Howell.

“What’s he doing here?” Alana mumbled.

But she didn’t get an immediate answer to her question. The conversation abruptly ended, and Parker
hurried off. Jack stopped in front of Dr. Bartolo, and they all watched as Parker exited through the front doors.

“Was Agent Howell looking for us?” Jack asked.

Dr. Bartolo shook his head. “Not exactly. He said he was in town to drop off some more flyers about a missing woman.”

Right. Kinley Ford. Reyes had told him that the FBI and the Rangers wanted to find the woman, and he wished he could help. But he had enough to deal with.

“Parker also wanted to know Alana’s medical condition,” the doctor added. “He especially wanted to know if she was still experiencing memory loss. I told him I’d give the information to him if he got a court order.”

Good. Jack didn’t want to share anything with the man who seemed determined to take custody of Alana.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Agent Howell around here,” the doctor added. “He’s was at the hospital eight months ago, the night Alana disappeared.”

Alana’s eyes were wide when she looked at Jack. “Any reason you didn’t mention this sooner?”

“I didn’t remember it until I saw him today. All I recall was seeing him in the hall. I didn’t make the connection to Alana until he asked about her just now.”

“He saw me that night?” Alana clarified.

“Probably. Visitors weren’t restricted.”

That meant Parker might have been the last person to see Alana before she disappeared. Funny that the man hadn’t come clean about his visit sooner.

That made Jack wonder. What else had Parker failed to mention?

With Alana in tow, Jack hurried toward the doors so
he could catch the agent and get some answers that Parker had obviously been dodging.

But Parker was nowhere in sight.

That made Jack even more suspicious. Even though he had a long list of things to do, he really needed to make the time to have a thorough chat with Parker. While he was at it, he needed to call an old friend in the FBI and make sure Parker was legit.

“I take it you don’t remember anything about Parker’s hospital visit eight months ago?” Jack asked.

“Nothing.”

He was afraid of that.

Jack led her out the side exit where he’d left his SUV. Ahead of them, Reyes got Tessie and Joey into the cruiser and drove away in the direction of the ranch. Jack started for his office, which was four miles away in the opposite direction.

“I was obviously drugged that night,” Alana continued. “I’ve been thinking about who and how that could have happened.”