Caridad Pineiro - The Coltons - Fisher, Ryder & Quinn - Soldier's Secret Child

Relieved at the momentary peace that his slumber brought, she retired to her room where she changed into her pajamas, slipped beneath the covers and grabbed her book, intending to finish it.

A few hours passed and she was near the end of the novel when she thought she heard a noise.

T.J.? she wondered and eased from her bed to check on him.

He was still tucked safely in bed and she returned to her own, finished off the last few pages, smiling at the ending.

It was with those happy thoughts that she turned off her light and lay down to sleep.

She drifted off in that blissful state, her mind turning to thoughts of happier times. With T.J. and her husband Tim before the cancer had robbed him of life. With Fisher on the one night that had forever changed her destiny.

Her memories muddled together in dreams, becoming ones of her, Fisher and T.J. together until the phone rang beside her, rudely pulling her from her dreams.

Barely awake, she grabbed the phone, raking her sleep-tousled hair away from her face as she realized that it was barely six in the morning.

No good news at such an hour.

“Macy?”

It was Jewel on the line and she came instantly awake.

“What’s wrong, Jewel?”

“Sara’s missing.”

The police combed every inch of the ranch house looking for clues as to Sara’s disappearance.

They questioned everyone on the ranch, including T.J. and Joe who unfortunately, had little to offer as to Sara’s possible whereabouts or why she would run away from the ranch.

When the police had left, Jewel and she had questioned the two teens once again, but they had little information to offer. Sadly, she knew as did Jewel that the two boys were being evasive. Despite that, hope remained within her that T.J. was not involved. He had eaten dinner with her and gone to bed early. She had seen him in his bed last night not just once, but twice.

Twice because she had heard something, she thought.

As she watched T.J. and Joe during the afternoon break, she wondered what it was that she had heard. If there had been more to it that she hadn’t realized.

Her worst fears were confirmed when Deputy Rawlings returned to the ranch shortly after four.

As he walked toward the corral where they were offering the children rides on Papa’s Poppy, she understood it was no social visit and so did the children. They stopped what they were doing and huddled together by the split rail fence. In the corral, T.J. and Joe helped the one child down from the horse and then also stood there, clearly anxious.

Deputy Rawlings dipped his head as she and Jewel approached him and removed his hat. “Miss Jewel. Miss Macy.”

“Do you have news, Adam?” she asked, striving for a friendly tone.

He looked down for a moment, seemingly ashamed before he lifted his face and looked at her directly. “We started asking some of the Hopechest’s neighbors if they had seen anything.”

He continued with his report, his tone hesitant. “About a half mile up the road, one of the neighbors heard a car door slam. It was late so she looked out the window to see who it was.”

A cold chill filled her as he motioned to T.J. and Joe with his hat. “She saw a young girl getting into a car with a dented front fender. From her description of the girl it seemed like it could be Sara. When we showed her pictures of the boys, she picked T.J.”

Jewel laid a hand on her shoulder and stepped closer in a show of support. “You don’t think T.J. had anything to do with—”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to take him into custody. Ask him a few questions and find out why one of your neighbors thinks that she saw him last night with Sara.”

“Can’t you just question him here?” she said and he shook his head.

“There’s procedures to follow and—”

“Jericho wouldn’t do this,” she insisted.

A strong flush of color filled his cheeks and a muscle ticked along his jaw. “Sheriff Yates isn’t here and he left me in charge. There’s procedures I have to follow, Mrs. Ward.”

Without waiting for her, he once again motioned to the boys and called out, “T.J. I need you to come with me, son.”

Her stomach clenched as she waited, hoping that he would be obedient. That he wouldn’t give the deputy anything else to use as ammunition against him.

Blessedly, he did just what Deputy Rawlings asked.

With a worried look that he shot at Joe, who clapped him on the back, T.J. turned the reins of the horse over to his friend and walked to the edge of the corral. Easing beneath one of the rails of the fence, he approached the officer and said, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

But she realized that with those words, he also wasn’t denying any involvement with Sara’s disappearance.

“Thank you for cooperating, son.”

“I’m not your son,” T.J. said with gritted teeth.

Deputy Rawlings nodded, laid a hand on T.J.’s shoulder and walked him around the side of the house toward the driveway.

Macy glanced at Jewel out of the corner of her eye and said, “I need to follow them into town. Find out what Adam plans to do.”

Jewel squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll go with—”

“No, you stay here. The kids will need you to talk about this and so will Joe,” she immediately said, appreciating Jewel’s offer. The children were clearly upset by what was happening which was understandable. Some of them may have had run-ins with the law or been disappointed with the systems put in place to protect them. They would need Jewel’s reassurance about what was happening.

“I’ll call you as soon as I know anything more,” she added and without waiting, rushed after T.J. and the police officer.

As she caught up to them, Deputy Rawlings eased T.J. into the backseat of the cruiser, then he took the wheel.

Macy quickly got settled in her own car and followed a safe distance behind the cruiser. She followed it into the parking lot for the police station and got out of her car, but as she headed toward the door, Deputy Rawlings stopped and faced her.

“It might be best for you to go get a coffee while T.J. and I talk.”

She thought about her son being interrogated by the officer. She didn’t like the thought of it, but she also didn’t want to anger the deputy. Taking a deep breath, she looked away and realized Fisher and his dad were across the street in front of Miss Sue’s.

They watched intently, clearly aware that something was up. A condemning look immediately came to Fisher’s face, but Buck’s features were more supportive. A second later, the older man took a step toward them and after some initial hesitation, Fisher followed his dad.

Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the police officer and decided to voice her concerns. “I’m not sure it’s such a good idea that T.J. speak to you alone.”

Deputy Rawlings’ lips tightened into an ascetic line as he ripped off his hat, frustration and anger evident in every brusque movement. “Why do you want to make this difficult? I’m not taking T.J. into custody. I just want to ask him a few simple questions.”

“Is there a problem, Macy?” Buck Yates asked as he stood beside her.

She glanced up at Buck, avoiding Fisher when he took a spot just to the right of his dad. “One of the teens has gone missing from the ranch and Deputy Rawlings wants to speak to T.J. about it.”

Buck nodded and pushed his hat back, adopting a stance that was more casual than that of the officer. “I’m sure the deputy understands how troubling this is for both you and T.J. That he needs to handle this carefully. Right, Deputy?”

A muscle clenched along the officer’s jaw, but he nodded slowly. “Certainly, Buck. I know how to deal with this.”