Patricia Thayer - Rocky Mountain Brides - Raising the Rancher's Family

“We lost him.”

“I thought you were watching him,” she said accusingly, hating that she let this man affect her.

He combed his fingers through his hair. “I was until you decided to be a participant in the kiss.”

“Me? You’re blaming me for distracting you? It was your idea.”

He came up to her, displaying the heat in his eyes. “Yes, and it was a really bad idea.”

Holt was silent all the way back to the ranch. Fine. Leah wasn’t taking the blame for losing sight of the boy. And she was still blaming herself for losing herself in the kiss, no matter how incredible. But just because there were sparks didn’t mean they should do anything about it.

Outside the barn, they dismounted. “Okay, now I have to call the sheriff,” she told him.

“Go ahead, but I’m telling you that kid doesn’t want to be found,” Holt argued.

“Then we’re going to have to persuade him we want to help him.” She tugged on the reins and led her horse into the barn. Once in the stall, she began to unfasten the cinch straps, then she lifted the saddle off and put it away in the tack room. They’d had three days, and hadn’t been able to find one young boy. It was time she called the sheriff.

After putting everything away, she returned to the stall. That was when she saw Zach and Holt at the other end of the aisle and went to tell them of her plans.

Holt took her by the arm. “We need to go up to the house and talk.” He started to walk, pulling her along with him.

Leah resisted. “What do we need to talk about?”

His eyes narrowed. “Things.”

This time Zach joined in. “Yeah, things.”

Leah allowed the two men to lead her outside and up to the house. Once in the kitchen, she swung around.

“You’re not going to talk me out of calling the sheriff. We can’t find the boy on our own, and it’s going to be pretty cold tonight.”

“He’s living in the barn,” Holt said calmly.

“You’re kidding.” She could believe their good luck. “Really?”

Zach nodded. “I had to go up to the loft earlier. I found a blanket, some clothes and a stash of food.”

“That kid has been stealing things right from the house,” Holt said accusingly.

“He’s trying to survive the only way he can,” she pleaded, wondering if this man actually had a heart.

“Well, he can’t do it in my barn.”

Leah shook with anger. “Of course not. That would be too much trouble for you. That child needs help and you’re only worried that he’s taken a few of your precious things. I bet you didn’t even miss them.”

Holt glared. “You know I’m getting tired of being the bad guy. I just meant that a barn is no place for a kid to live. Go ahead, call the sheriff and tell him to come out here.” He walked out, letting the back door slam shut.

She looked at Zach. “What’s he going to do?”

“Nothing as bad as what you’re thinking. He’s probably going to find the boy.”

“Great,” she grumbled and had started after him when the phone rang.

Zach answered it and called her back. “It’s your sister.”

Leah took the receiver. “Hello, Morgan.”

“Leah, the sheriff is on his way out. There’s a report of a missing boy from Durango. The boy that fits your description is Corey Haynes. He ran away from his foster home.”

“He’s been hiding in Holt’s barn, in the loft. I’ve got to go.”

Leah hung up and ran for the door. “His name is Corey,” she called to Zach.

Running down the steps, she saw Holt with Corey in tow. His hand was around the boy’s skinny arm, pulling him toward the house. His clothes were filthy, shirt and jeans were torn, and his white tennis shoes nearly black. The child cursed as he resisted their forward progress.

Leah ran to meet them. “Corey, it’s okay. You’re safe now,” she told him.

He continued to fight Holt. “Just let me go and I’ll leave.”

Holt finally managed to get the kid into the kitchen. Pulling out a chair, he parked him there, but he jumped up. Holt pushed him back down, feeling the tender spots on his shins, knowing he’d probably have bruises tomorrow.

“Sit down, or I’ll tie you down.”

Fear filled the kid’s blue eyes, but also defiance. Then surprising Holt, he sat down. Holt grabbed another chair, swung it around and straddled it in front of the boy. “Okay, kid, I need a name and where you came from.”

“I’m not going to tell you shi—nothin’.” Head bent, he stared at the kitchen floor.

“Is it Corey?” Leah asked. “Corey Haynes?”

The boy looked at her and blinked those innocent blue eyes at her. “I don’t know any Corey.”

Leah squatted down beside the boy. “Corey, you don’t have to be afraid. We’re here to help you.”

“Yeah, I heard that before,” he muttered. “Just let me go.”

“No way,” Holt said. “You can’t live in caves.”

“Why not? It was a lot better than where I was.” Tears flooded his eyes and he swiped them away.

Leah gave Holt a pleading look. He could see she’d already lost her heart to this kid. “Were you mistreated?” She touched the boy’s arm and he didn’t pull away.

“What difference does it make? Nobody cares.”

“I care, Corey,” she insisted. “I want to help you.”

He looked up and his dirty face was streaked with tears. “Why?”

“Because you deserve better than you’re getting.” She moved in closer and pulled the child into an embrace. Her nurturing touch seemed as natural as her next breath. “No child should have to live in a cave, or a barn. You should feel safe and secure. And clean.” She wrinkled her nose. “You don’t exactly smell too great.”

She rose and looked again at Holt. “He needs a shower. Is it okay?”

How could he deny her? “Sure…why not.”

“How about I take him?” Zach said.

“Will you go with Zach, Corey?”

The boy hesitated. “Will you be here when I get back?”

Smiling, she brushed his shaggy hair off his forehead. “Yes. Just scrub from head to toe.”

“I’ll make sure he does,” Zach said as he led the boy down the hall and into the bath.

Leah turned toward Holt. “Oh, I never thought to ask, do you have anything Corey can wear?”

“Zach will come up with something.”

The last thing Holt wanted to do was get involved with this kid’s problems. But from the moment he’d found Leah on his property, she’d managed to draw him into her search. He’d followed her around, looking in every cave and mine shaft for a kid who didn’t want to be found. He’d gotten far more involved with her than was good for him, especially after the kiss. Not one of his best ideas.

“You think just because he gets cleaned up that’s going to make things better?” he told her.

“It’s a start,” she said, folding her arms over her chest stubbornly. “And I’m not going to abandon him.”

“Looks like you might not have a choice,” he said. “The kid’s a runaway. And once the sheriff gets here he’ll have to go back to his foster home.”

“The kid’s name is Corey Haynes. And he’ll never go back to an abusive home. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“You don’t know anything about his situation. And you won’t have anything to say about whether or not he goes back.”

She stood there and stared at him. “What in your life has made you so bitter?”

He didn’t need her snooping into his private life. “Not everyone has had a life as secure and charmed as the Keenan girls.”

Leah started to speak when there was a knock at the back door. Holt went to answer it.

“Hello, I’m Sheriff Reed Larkin,” the man standing outside said.