Sandra Robbins - Point Blank

“I am. I’ll talk to her teacher, and we’ll work something out. She’s only four and in kindergarten. It’s not like I have to worry about her missing tests or important homework. It will be good for her to see a different culture, and it will give us a chance to spend some time together. Don’t worry. We won’t be gone long.”

He swallowed the sick feeling he had at the thought of Hannah and Faith being away from him and nodded. “Okay. If that’s what you want. I’ll do anything I can to help you finish training and prepare for your trip before you leave.”

She smiled. “I appreciate that Ben. I have a lot to do before I leave. There are passports to get and travel to plan. And I need to find out if we need special visas or vaccinations, but I think this trip is going to be good for us. It will give me a chance to reevaluate my life and see what I want to do in the future.”

Having said that, she climbed from the truck and slowly made her way up the steps to the front porch. Ben sat in his truck for a moment as he thought about the things Hannah had said. He’d sensed a new determination in her tonight that hadn’t been there in a very long time. She wanted a new life for herself and her daughter. If that’s what she wanted, he was going to do everything he could to make it happen. He’d been doing that for years, and he’d keep on as long as he had breath in his body.

Before she could get on with her life, however, there was still the question of why she’d been kidnapped today. If she and Faith were to have a secure future, he had to find out who had a reason to hurt her. From the things she’d hinted at but left unsaid tonight, he realized that there might be a lot of secrets in the past that could hold the answers. If there were, he intended to find the answers.

THREE

Faith came running to meet her the minute Hannah walked in the door. Her blond ponytail swung back and forth as she hurled herself at her mother. “Mommy! I thought you’d never get home.”

Hannah caught the child and swung her up in her arms. For a minute she stood there with her arms wrapped around her daughter with her eyes closed and said a prayer of thanks for coming home safely. This day could have had an entirely different ending.

Faith straightened in her mother’s arms and was about to say something when her eyes opened in alarm as she stared at the bandage on Hannah’s head. “What’s wrong with your head, Mommy?”

A feeble smile pulled at Hannah’s lips. “It’s nothing, darling. I just cut my head, but it’s all right. Ben took me to the hospital, and the doctor fixed it. He said I was fine.”

Faith tilted her head to one side and continued to stare at the bandage. “Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore,” she said as she stared into Faith’s blue eyes. “But enough about me. How was school today?”

Faith looked at the bandage once more before she smiled and patted her mother’s cheek. “It was a good day. It’s still my turn to be the teacher’s helper. It made Janie Culver jealous because I got to do more than she did when it was her turn.”

“Well, did you remind Janie that her turn will come back around when Miss Morris draws her name again?”

Faith nodded. “I did, but she still wouldn’t play with me.”

Hannah kissed Faith on the cheek and set her down so that she was standing in front of her. “What do we always say when someone’s not nice to us?”

Faith tilted her head to one side and put her finger up to her chin, looking as serious as it was possible for an adorable four-year-old to look. “We treat them like they’re a friend and keep on being nice to them.”

“That’s right,” Hannah said as she glanced up and saw Valerie coming into the entry where they stood. Although she’d been with them only a few weeks, Hannah had come to depend on her.

Over the past year, her classes in mounted archery had increased to the point that she’d often found herself in need of someone to help out with Faith. Her ad in the local newspaper had attracted several applicants for the job of Faith’s nanny, but none of them had impressed her like Valerie had. From the first day she’d fit in like she’d always been at their ranch, and Hannah had found herself depending more and more on her assistance.

Valerie held a dish towel, and she wiped her hands on it as Hannah came to a stop. A frown puckered her forehead as her gaze quickly scanned Hannah’s face. “How are you feeling?”

Hannah glanced down at Faith, frowned and shook her head. She didn’t want to discuss what had happened earlier in front of Faith. “I’m fine,” she answered. “What’s that wonderful smell?”

Faith grinned as if she had a big secret. “Maria had to leave early, so I helped Valerie make spaghetti, and it’s good.”

Hannah frowned. Maria, the cook who had begun work at the ranch years ago when her grandparents were alive, hadn’t said anything to her about needing to take off early.

“Why did Maria have to leave?”

“Her sister called and said she was sick. Maria wanted to go check on her, and I told her not to worry. Faith and I could make dinner tonight,” Valerie said.

Hannah started to make a comment about the sister who seemed to always suffer from some ache or pain. Instead she let her mouth drop open and bent over so that she was staring into her child’s eyes. “You helped Valerie make dinner? Then it must really be good.”

Faith’s chest puffed out with pride. “We saved you some.”

Hannah closed her eyes and smacked her lips as if she was getting ready to devour a feast fit for a king. “I can hardly wait.”

Valerie smiled and started to turn back toward the kitchen. “I’ll warm up your plate. You must be starved.”

Hannah reached out and stopped her before Valerie could leave the room. “I can get it. I know you’re in a hurry to get home. I’ve kept you later than usual.”

Valerie cast a quick glance at Faith before she replied. “I don’t mind. Anytime you need me, I’m glad to help out. I’d rather be here with you two than watching TV alone in my apartment.”

Hannah studied the young woman for a moment. Valerie Patrick was only a few years younger than Hannah, but something about her made her seem much older. Perhaps it was the way her eyes appeared to fill with sadness sometimes when she looked at Faith. Hannah had never questioned Valerie about her past, but she had confided in her before she’d come to work at the ranch that she’d had a miscarriage several years ago when her husband died unexpectedly. She had come to the Smokies in hopes of starting a new life and was grateful to Hannah for giving her the opportunity to make a living doing something she enjoyed.

Sometimes, though, Hannah thought she asked too much of Valerie. She had taken on more and more responsibilities since coming here, and Hannah felt guilty about taking up so much of her time. “I keep telling you to get out more. Maybe if you’d go to church with us Sunday, you could meet someone near your age.”

Valerie seemed to consider it for a moment before she smiled. “I think I’d like that. Let me know what time you’re leaving, and I’ll be here to go with you.” She reached for Faith’s hand. “But for now, why don’t I go help Faith through her bath and get her ready for bed while you eat? Then you can come up and tuck her in for the night.”

Suddenly Hannah felt so tired. It had been a long day. She was exhausted and hungry, and that spaghetti smelled really good. “Thanks, Valerie. Go on upstairs with Faith, and I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

Hannah watched as her daughter grabbed Valerie’s hand and dragged her toward the stairway. Her eyes sparkled, and she giggled in her little girl way as they climbed toward the upstairs. “Can I have some bubble bath tonight?”