Barb Han - Rancher Rescue

If Katherine Harper wanted to do this her way, he wouldn’t block her path.

The sheriff asked a few more routine-sounding questions, listening intently to her answers. “You fight with anyone lately? A boyfriend?”

Caleb tried not to look as though he cared about the answer to that question. He had no right to care.

Katherine looked down. “Nope. No boyfriend.”

“What about other family?”

“None. My parents died during my freshman year of college.”

He didn’t want to think about what that would do to a person.

Coleman asked a few more questions about family. Katherine looked uncomfortable answering.

“I’ll notify my men to keep an eye out for your belongings. What were you doing out here with your nephew?”

“I wanted to take his mind off things. Get him out of the city. We planned our trip all day yesterday. He’d never seen a pumpkin patch. He loved the open space. I didn’t think much about letting him run around. We’ve been in my small apartment all week. Didn’t look to be anything or anyone else around for miles. He followed a duck out to the tree line. When I went over to take pictures, two men came from nowhere and snatched us. I panicked. Couldn’t believe what was happening. I remember thinking, ‘This can’t be.’ I fought back. That’s when I ended up tangled in the barbed wire and they took off. If only I hadn’t been so stubborn. If I hadn’t fought.”

“Don’t blame yourself for this,” Coleman said quickly.

“They told me if I came any closer or called the police, they’d kill him.”

The sheriff nodded, but Caleb caught a flash behind Coleman’s eyes. Caleb made a mental note to ask about that when they were alone.

“Ever see them before or hear their voices?” Coleman’s gaze was trained on his notepad as he scribbled.

“No. Nothing about them was familiar. They asked for a file, but I don’t have the first clue what they were talking about. Wondered if they’d confused us with someone else.”

Katherine continued, “I don’t remember tossing my purse or jacket, but I must’ve ditched them both somewhere along the way. Noah needs his medicine.”

“We’ll check between here and the Reynolds’ place.” The sheriff glanced at his watch. “Should have another half hour of daylight to work with.”

“My car’s still over there. Can’t move it until I find my keys.” She made a move to stand.

Caleb took a step toward her. The real estate between them disappeared in two strides. “You’re too weak. Matt can get your car as soon as we find your purse. For now, I’ll give the Reynolds a call. Make sure they don’t have it towed.”

Caleb phoned his neighbor and gave a quick rundown of the situation. He asked if anyone had reported anything or found a purse.

They hadn’t.

Caleb finished the call solemnly. There wasn’t much to go on, and time ticked away.

“I feel like I should be doing something besides sitting here,” Katherine said to the sheriff.

“Best thing you can do is wait it out. Let my men do their work. I’ll put out an AMBER Alert.” Sheriff Coleman shook her hand and then walked to the door. “In the meantime, sit tight right here in case I have more questions. Let me know if anything else suspicious happens or you remember anything that might be important.”

If Caleb heard things right, he’d just picked up a houseguest. Couldn’t say he was especially disappointed. “You’ll call as soon as you hear anything, right?”

“You bet.”

Caleb thanked the sheriff and walked him out the door.

Outside, Caleb folded his arms. “What do you think?”

Coleman scanned his notes. He rocked back on his heels. “Not sure. Kids are most often taken by a family member. Don’t see many kidnappings. Especially not out here.”

“Doesn’t sound good.”

The sheriff dropped his gaze for a second and shook his head.

“What are the chances of finding him alive?”

“The odds are better if he was taken by a relative. Doesn’t sound like the case here.” Coleman broke eye contact. “That’s a whole different ball game.”

The words were a sucker punch to Caleb’s chest.

“I’d appreciate hearing any news or leads you come across firsthand.” Last thing Caleb wanted was for Katherine to learn what had happened to her nephew over the internet or on the news.

“Of course. There’s always the possibility he got away and will turn up here. The first twenty-four hours are the most critical.”

The thought of a little boy wandering around lost and alone in the dark woods clenched Caleb’s gut. “Why’d they threaten to kill him if she called the police?”

“They probably want to keep this quiet. To scare her. Who knows? She’s not a celebrity or politician. Why would someone target her? We need to find her phone. In the meantime, have her make a list of enemies. Ask her if she’s gotten into a fight with anyone lately. Could someone have a problem with her or her sister? Without her cell, we don’t know if anyone’s trying to contact her to make demands.”

Caleb shook Coleman’s hand before he got in his cruiser and pulled away.

He stood on the porch for a long moment, looking out at the landscape that had kept him from getting too restless for years. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. This was home. And yet, an uneasy feeling crept over him.

Chapter Three

Matt’s black pickup roared down the drive. Caleb walked to meet his foreman. “Find anything?”

“There’s nothing around for miles. Whoever did this got away fast.”

The whole scenario seemed calculated, ruling out the slight possibility this was a case of mistaken identity. “You checked with the McGraths?”

Matt nodded. “They haven’t seen or heard anything all day. Gave us the okay to search their property and barn. I sent Jimmy and Greg over to the Reynolds’, too. Not a trace. No one saw anything, either. There’s nothing but her word to go on.” Worry showed in the tight muscles of his face. “I gotta ask. You think it’s possible she could be making this up?”

Caleb ground his back teeth. “This is real. She has the bumps and bruises to prove it.”

“It was a crappy question but needed to be asked. There’s no trail to follow. No other signs she’s telling the truth. Could the marks be from something else?”

“You didn’t see her. The terror in her eyes. The blood. I had to cut her free from the fencing. Dig barbs out of her leg.”

“Stay with me for a minute. I’m just sayin’. Where’s the proof she even has a nephew? How do we know all the mechanical stuff upstairs is oiled and the cranks are working with her?”

The point was valid. If he hadn’t been the one to find her, he might wonder if she was crazy, too. But he had been the one. Her tortured expression might haunt him for the rest of his life. She’d faced the hell in front of her with her chin up. He didn’t doubt her. “I hear you and I understand your concerns. I do. But you’re off base.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just know.”

Matt cocked one eyebrow. “Okay...how?”

“Call it gut instinct.”

“Then I’ll take your word for it. I’ll give her a ride wherever she wants to go.” He took a step toward the house.

“Sheriff wants her to stick around.”

Matt hesitated. His doubt about the situation was written all over his face. To his credit, he seemed to know when to hold his tongue. He turned toward the barn. “Be careful. You have a tendency to get too involved with creatures that need saving. I’ll check on the boys out back.”

It would be dark before too long. The sun, a bright orange glow on the horizon, was retreating. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”