Delores Fossen - Drury

He took out his phone, but before he could do anything, Grayson stepped into the doorway. One look at his face, and Caitlyn knew something was wrong.

“Ronnie called Child Protective Services,” Grayson said. “He wants the baby in their custody.”

That robbed Caitlyn of her breath, and she stood, as well. She also pulled the baby even closer to her. “It’s some kind of trick. Ronnie probably figures it’ll be easier to snatch the baby from foster care than from me.”

Grayson made a sound of agreement. “But that won’t stop CPS from taking her. They’re on their way here now.”

Caitlyn would have bolted for the door if Drury hadn’t stopped her. No. This couldn’t be happening.

“If I let them take the baby, it’d be like giving her back to Ronnie,” Caitlyn pleaded. “I can’t do that.”

She braced herself for an argument, but one didn’t come.

“Ronnie tried to kill me,” Drury reminded Grayson. “Anything he does is suspect, and Caitlyn is right. He or one of his thug friends would have a much easier time getting the baby from CPS. In fact, the plan could be to kidnap her as soon as she’s taken from the building.”

Still no argument from Grayson, but he did stay quiet a moment. Before he nodded. “I don’t trust Ronnie, either. Or rather I don’t trust the person he’s working for.” Grayson looked at Caitlyn. “That still doesn’t mean I can give you a blank check on this. How much time will you need to prove she’s your daughter?”

Caitlyn had to shake her head. “How much time for you to arrange another DNA test, one that would hold up against a court order?”

“Forty-eight hours, maybe even sooner, if we put a rush on it,” Drury answered. “We’ll need the lab you used to process Grant’s DNA, though.”

Yes, because she didn’t want to take the time to try to find another hair sample. “I used Bio-tech in San Antonio. They’ll have both Grant’s and my DNA on file there.”

She could see the debate Grayson was having with himself. He was a lawman. A good one, judging from everything she’d heard. And it likely didn’t set well with him that this would essentially be an obstruction of justice since he was allowing Caitlyn to walk away with the baby rather than turning her over to CPS.

“All right,” Grayson finally said. “Forty-eight hours. I’ll get the DNA test kit. After that, go ahead and get Caitlyn and her out of here.”

The relief was instant, and it left her just as breathless as the news of Ronnie calling CPS. She wasn’t going to have to give up the baby. Not just yet anyway. But that didn’t mean she had a safe place to take her.

“Where?” she asked Drury and hoped he had some idea.

“Don’t tell me where you’re going,” Grayson quickly added. “I don’t want to have to lie to CPS. Oh, and figure out how the baby can get a checkup from the doctor.” He walked away, no doubt to get that kit.

She certainly hadn’t forgotten about the checkup but didn’t know how to make it happen.

“It’s not a good idea to go back to my place,” Caitlyn insisted before Drury could say anything. “Or yours.”

“Agreed. But there’s a guesthouse on the back part of the ranch. It’s out of sight from the other houses, including Grayson’s, and we can use it just for tonight. Since my cousins have lots of babies, it’ll be easier for us to get supplies.”

“It’ll also make them a target if Ronnie and his goon friends attack again,” she quickly pointed out.

“We can lock down the ranch, close the security gate and use some of the hands for extra protection.”

Maybe, but Caitlyn still wasn’t sold on the idea. Think. Where else could she go? And preferably some place that didn’t put others in danger.

“It’s just for tonight,” Drury said as if he knew what was going through her mind. “The baby will need to be fed soon, and it won’t be long before CPS arrives.”

True. Still, Caitlyn didn’t like it one bit.

“Are you, uh, okay with this?” But she immediately waved off her question. “Of course you’re not okay. First thing in the morning, I promise, I’ll start looking for bodyguards.”

He didn’t give her his opinion on that. “I’ll pull an unmarked car to the back of the building.”

Drury headed out as Grayson came in with the DNA test kit. He’d obviously done this before because he did the cheek swab in just a few seconds. The baby still stirred a little and made a whimpering sound of protest, but she went right back to sleep.

“I’ll have this couriered to the lab,” Grayson explained as he started toward the door again. But he stopped. “If the child’s not yours, I’ll expect you to turn her over to CPS. Got that?”

She nodded. Caitlyn understood that’s what would have to happen. Well, she understood with her head anyway. It was her heart that was giving her some trouble because Caitlyn felt as if this baby already belonged to her. It would crush her to learn differently.

Caitlyn heard the footsteps in the hall and automatically tensed, but it was just Drury. He glanced at the DNA packet.

“I’ll call you as soon as we have the results,” Grayson assured them.

Drury took her by the arm and led her to the back of the building and through a break room. He paused at the exit, opening the door and glancing around. He also drew his weapon before he helped her out and into the backseat of the waiting unmarked car.

Which wasn’t empty.

Drury’s brother Lucas was behind the wheel.

“Lucas came when he heard about the attack,” Drury said.

Since Lucas was a Texas Ranger, it made sense that he would know about the attack, but it surprised her that he would involve himself in this. Like most of the Rylands, Lucas disliked her, maybe even hated her, because of the nasty breakup between Drury and her.

Lucas didn’t say a word to her, though he did spare her a glance in the rearview mirror. He took off as soon as Drury had shut the door.

Drury kept his gun drawn, and he looked all around them. No doubt for any thugs who might be watching for them to leave.

Suddenly, a new wave of fear crawled through her. As bad as it’d been inside the sheriff’s office, this was worse.

“Is the car bulletproof?” she asked, and she hated the tremble in her voice.

“Bullet resistant,” Drury corrected.

She wasn’t certain, but Caitlyn thought that meant they could still be shot. Drury was certainly aware of that possibility, too. And this had to be bringing back god-awful memories for him.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

There was no way Drury could have known what the blanket apology meant. Or at least she hadn’t thought he would know, but when he glanced at her, she saw it in his eyes. The memories.

Or rather the nightmare.

Of his wife. Lily. She’d been killed by a gunman’s bullet in a botched store robbery, and while Caitlyn didn’t know all the details, she knew Drury had still been grieving her loss when they’d met. Heck, he probably still was.

And she hadn’t helped with that.

Just as Drury had started to risk his heart again, she’d stomped on it. It didn’t matter that she thought she had a good reason. Several of them in fact. No. It didn’t matter.

Drury’s phone buzzed, and Caitlyn prayed this wasn’t another round of bad news. However, that wasn’t a bad news kind of look on Drury’s face when he looked at the screen.

“Don’t say anything,” he warned her. He pressed the answer button and put the call on speaker.

It didn’t take long for her to hear the caller’s voice. “What the hell did you do?” the man asked.

Caitlyn immediately recognized the voice, and it only tightened the knot in her stomach. Because it was her former brother-in-law and one of her suspects.