Margaret Daley - Lone Star Christmas Rescue

“Please let me know when you find Kay and Kaleb.”

“Did she remember the baby’s name?”

Rosa pushed to her feet, tired lines carved into her features. “‘Kaleb’ came to her, and the child responded to it. It was obvious the baby knew her. But she hadn’t recalled anything else. At least that I know of.”

Had she recognized the man who entered her room? “If you think of anything else unusual that happened on the floor today, give me a call. You have my card?”

She nodded and walked with him to the foyer. “I’m off for the next two days, but I’ll help any way I can. I’ll be here.”

“Thanks.”

Weary, Drake needed sleep after the past two long days, but he still wanted to see if Amy Grafton could help him ID the man in the photo. The police were working on identifying the man. At the moment, he was the only lead Drake had other than the security camera showing Kay leaving the hospital by the back door, dressed in the clothes she’d worn the day before. Then she’d disappeared.

At least she had three hundred dollars. But the money without having ID was strange. Had she been faking not knowing who she was? Was the baby hers? The locket indicated she knew the child somehow. He hoped he would hear soon about the latent prints he took off the inside door handle of the storage closet. He couldn’t shake the sense of urgency he felt, as though someone was homing in on Kay and the child—someone she’d been fleeing when he found her?

* * *

Kay shrank farther into the shadows of the dimly lit café, the ambience more for couples looking for a night of romance than a woman with a baby. She’d cased the place for an hour before she’d come inside to get off the street and order something to eat. Kaleb was finally asleep, strapped against her chest. The only other place she’d gone after leaving the hospital was a store where she’d used the money she’d found in her jeans pocket to buy necessary items for Kaleb and a clean shirt that didn’t look like she’d rolled around in the dirt. She used less than a hundred to equip herself and Kaleb to disappear somewhere in the area until she decided on her next move.

She had no idea who was after her, but deep inside she knew someone was hunting her. She didn’t have to remember how she ended up on the canyon floor with a head wound or who she was. That man’s appearance earlier sent every alarm bell ringing in her head.

The waitress put the hamburger in front of Kay. “Anything else, miss?”

“Please keep the water glass filled. That’s all.”

“Be thankful it’s not as hot as it was in early fall. I’m looking forward to the holidays and colder days.”

What had her previous Christmases been like? As usual when she tried to remember, nothing came to mind.

Kay gave the waitress a smile, then took a bite of the hamburger, thick and juicy. Although she ate as fast as she could because she didn’t want to stay too long, she savored the delicious flavors of her meal, especially the onion rings, while trying to figure out where she would sleep tonight. If she got a motel room, her three hundred dollars wouldn’t last long. She needed to lie low until she figured out who she was. Maybe she could go to a shelter. Earlier she’d seen one while walking here, across the street from a church.

When she finished her dinner, she relaxed, stroking Kaleb’s back. For the past half hour, she’d been able to forget she was totally alone. In the hospital room, she’d contemplated staying and waiting for Drake to return, but as time passed and he hadn’t come back, she’d realized she really could only depend on herself. But he was a Texas Ranger. A good guy. Surely she could rely on him to help her.

At the moment, she didn’t know whom to believe. Good men had turned bad.

Where did that come from?

Did she have firsthand experience with that?

Her head still throbbing, she retrieved a couple of over-the-counter pain relievers and took them with a gulp of water.

The café door opened, and a large party entered, followed by a single man. Nothing about him seemed familiar, but the more people who came into the restaurant, the more she took a risk—why did she feel that way? Overriding every confusing feeling bombarding her, she knew she couldn’t sit here any longer. She needed to find a place for the night—even if that meant backtracking into the more populated part of Cactus Grove—and come up with a plan.

She put ten dollars on the table on top of her bill and made her way to the restroom. Inside the family one, she locked the door, laid the blanket on the changing table and put Kaleb on it. He’d been sleeping for the past hour. His eyes slid open, and he began to screw his mouth into a frown.

“I’m here, sweetie.” Kay splayed her hand over Kaleb’s chest and gently patted him as his eyes closed again. “I won’t leave you.” As she said those words, she meant every one of them. She didn’t need to know officially that Kaleb was her child. Every time she looked at the little boy she saw glimpses of herself in Kaleb’s face. Kay’s heart swelled with an overwhelming love.

Carefully so Kaleb didn’t wake up again, Kay changed the baby’s diaper. It was nice being in a room where she didn’t have to be constantly vigilant for anyone who could be after her. The café, on the outskirts of town, was getting crowded. She couldn’t put off looking for a place to stay any longer.

She strapped Kaleb against her chest, swung the backpack she’d bought for their belongings over her shoulder, then shoved her hand into her pocket to make sure her money was there. Her fingers grazed a card—the Texas Ranger’s.

Call him. He said he would help.

I did, and he didn’t call back. Where could he have gone that he’d be out of cell reception that long?

Okay, maybe she hadn’t given him that much time to call her back before she left the hospital. But when she’d cracked open the door, peeked into the hallway and seen the stranger who’d come into her room sneaking out of a storage closet, she’d known her decision to leave was the correct one. Something wasn’t right. He’d gone to the elevator. She’d used the stairs after she was sure the stranger wouldn’t return.

No, she couldn’t depend on anyone. Someone close to her had recently said that to her. Who?

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine who it had been. Nothing materialized.

Lord, I need more than a brief glimpse. Help me.

When nothing came to mind, she covered the remaining distance to the door and inched it open. The short hallway was empty. She left the family restroom and crept toward the large room, which held more diners than earlier. All she needed to do was cross the expanse and get outside without drawing attention. She scanned the café, filled with couples and families.

It was now or never. She took a step forward. The main entrance opened, and the stranger from the hospital entered.

Kay froze.

* * *

Drake pulled up to his family ranch house, needing to catch some shut-eye, but he didn’t think he could sleep. Not when he couldn’t find Kay and the baby. Amy Grafton had only confirmed what he suspected. The stranger who had barged into Kay’s room didn’t have any ties to Mrs. Grafton. So why had the guy been on the second floor? The latent prints he’d taken off the storage closet doorknob had all belonged to people who worked there, except one. It was a partial that didn’t match anyone in the database.

Before coming home, he’d gone to his office and grabbed the satellite phone, since there was no cell reception at the ranch—only a landline—because it was too far out of town. He’d wished he’d thought to do that earlier today—then maybe he would have received Kay’s call for help. When he’d worked in Fort Worth, he hadn’t had to worry about so many dead zones.