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Chapter Two

Unwilling to involve the whole family in this until he had a better idea what he was dealing with, Langston had taken Gina to the screened back porch that served as the most popular gathering spot of the big house. Gina was perched in a wooden rocker, sipping from the tall glass of lemonade Lenora had pushed into her hand the second she saw how hot and sweaty the girl was. Langston took a seat opposite her on the wicker sofa, moving a few of the pillows so he could lean back.

Gina stared at him, and he sensed that it was not only fear but suspicion that shadowed her dark eyes. “How do you and my mother know each other?”

“We both worked for the same company when we were in college.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And you haven’t seen her since then?”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t get it,” Gina said. “If you haven’t seen my mother in years, why would she tell me to come to you now?”

“I don’t know, but if you tell me everything, maybe we can figure this out together. Start at the beginning, and don’t leave anything out.”

“I don’t know much. That’s the problem—or at least one of the problems.”

“What makes you think she’s been abducted?”

Gina’s hands shook, tinkling the ice in her glass. “Mom called me this morning.”

“What time was that?”

“Eight minutes after ten, according to the record on my cell phone.

“Did it record the number she called from?”

“It was her cell phone, but when I tried to call her back, there was no answer.”

Langston leaned in closer. “What did Trish say when she called?”

Gina shook her head. “I don’t remember exactly, but she said I should not try to get in touch with her—or to call the police. She said that she’d call me again as soon as she could, but she didn’t know when that would be.”

Langston noticed the teenager’s eyes were red-rimmed.

“Are you sure she said not to call the police?”

“I’m sure. I wanted to call 9-1-1, but then I was afraid to. I didn’t know what to do except come here.”

“Did Trish mention anyone’s name?”

Gina shook her head again. “But she also talked to the camp supervisor and told her there was a family emergency, and that she needed someone to drive me to the nearest bus station so that I could go to a relative’s home. When I got back on the phone, she told me to buy a ticket to Colts Run Cross and tell the driver to let me out at Jack’s Bluff Ranch. She said he’d pass right by here on his route and that once I got here, I should stay until she could get in touch with me.”

“But she didn’t say she was in danger or that she’d been abducted?”

“No, but she hasn’t called back. She knows I’m upset…but I can’t reach her. That’s not something my mom would do.”

“Who’s this camp supervisor you mentioned?”

“Ms. Bulligia. I’m working as a junior counselor in a summer camp south of Dallas. That’s where we live—Dallas.”

So Trish had moved back to Texas. He wondered when that had happened, not that it mattered. Their lives had gone different ways long ago—which made this all the more bizarre. “Is there a husband, other siblings?”

“No. My father’s dead. There’s just Mom and me. She owns a boutique, not far from our house.”

“What about a boyfriend?”

“Me? Or Mom?”

“Your mom. Is there someone she might have had a fight with?”

“There’s no boyfriend, at least not lately. She’s off guys,’ cause they’re jerks. This one guy used to come into the boutique to buy gifts for his wife, but he started hitting on Mom and then showing up everywhere she went.”

“What happened with him?”

“She called the cops, and they scared him off.”

So she did normally go to the cops, instead of telling her daughter not to call them. “When was that?”

“A year ago.”

“And she hasn’t been bothered by him since?”

“I don’t think so.”

Which didn’t necessarily mean the man had lost his fascination for Trish. She was not an easy person to forget. Langston could definitely vouch for that. They sat without talking, with only the whir of the ceiling fan and the occasional whinny of a horse in a nearby pasture to break the silence.

“Think carefully, Gina. Did your mother say anything else when she called?”

“Only that…” Gina’s voice broke completely and she hugged her arms around her chest. “She said that she loved me. That’s the last thing she said before she hung up.”

“Who did you tell that you were coming here?”

“No one.”

“Not even a girlfriend?”

“No. I was afraid they’d call the police and make this worse for my mom.” Gina shuddered. “I have to find her, but I don’t know where to look. I don’t know how to start.” A tear spilled from her right eye and started to roll down her cheek. She brushed it away with the back of her hand.

Something tightened around Langston’s chest like a lasso. He walked over and put a hand on Gina’s shoulder. He was awkward at dealing with emotional females, always had been. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’ll find your mother, Gina. Count on it.”

Gina jumped up from the rocker. “I’ll go with you to look for her.”

“No, you stay here at the ranch. You’ll be safe and you’ll be available if Trish tries to contact you again. But you can help.”

“How?”

“Write down anything I should know. Home and boutique addresses. Names of employees at the boutique. Names and phone numbers of your mother’s friends—male and female. The name of the stalker from last year. Where she goes when she wants some quiet time away from home. Anyplace you think she might go to hide.”

He pulled a pen and small black notebook from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and handed them to her. “And I need a current picture of your mother if you have one. If not, write me out a good description.”

“I have a picture of the two of us and Selena that we took before I left for camp.”

“Who’s Selena?”

“She works at the boutique, but she’s also Mom’s best friend.”

“Be sure I have her name, address and phone number as well.”

“When will you leave?”

“As soon as I can change into a pair of jeans and throw a few things together.”

“I’ll have the information ready.” She looked up at him, eyes moist. “You must have been a very good friend for her to have sent me to you after all this time.”

“Yeah, good friends.” And that was all Gina needed to know.

He’d spent years trying not to think of Trish at all. He’d never fully succeeded. She’d always been there, skirting the back of his mind like a song that stayed in his head long after the music had stopped. Now the music was hitting crescendo again.

But this was only about finding Trish and making sure she was safe. Old songs—like old feelings—couldn’t be trusted.

THE PLANNED FAMILY MEETING had dissolved, but a new one waited for Langston when he reached the kitchen, this one between him and his three brothers, who were all having beers and killing time until they could start interrogating him.

“What gives?” Matt asked.

“Do you remember Trish Edwards?”

“Yeah, I remember her.”

“Gina is Trish’s daughter, though the name’s not Edwards now. It’s Cantrell.”

“What’s her daughter doing here?”

“She thinks her mother’s in some kind of trouble, that she may have been abducted.” Langston filled his brothers in on the little he knew.

Zach straddled a straight-back chair. “So who is this mysterious Trish?”

Matt planted a hand on Zach’s shoulder. “A woman who dumped your brother years ago.”

“You’ve been dumped?” Zach asked. “Why have I missed out on this?”

“I was still in college,” Langston said. “You were a mere snotty-nosed kid at the time.”

“Exactly,” Matt said, his tone edgy. “Trish was a long time ago. You don’t owe her anything, and even if you did, this is police business. If there’s been an abduction, they’ll be able to handle it better than you.”

“Like I said, Trish doesn’t want police involvement, but I’ll call them if it seems warranted.”

“If you don’t want go to the police,” Bart said, “I know a great private detective in Houston. He does the legwork for Phil Caruthers and some of the other leading criminal defense lawyers in the city. There’s no one he can’t find.”

“Write down his name and phone number for me,” Langston said. “I may need him before this is over.”

“So what are you going to do?” Zach asked.

“Drive to Dallas and see if I can figure out what’s going on.”

“Why not fly up in the company Cessna?” Zach asked. “It would be a lot quicker.”

“I’ll need the car when I get there, and there won’t be that much traffic this time of the night. I can make the drive in under four hours.”

“I still say call the cops,” Matt said. “You don’t even know the woman anymore. She could be involved with drugs or wanted for something and on the run.”

“She owns a boutique. That’s not your typical criminal profile.”

“If I can’t talk sense into you, I’ll go with you,” Matt said. “Bart can handle the ranch a few days without me.”

“And if I can’t, I have CEO Mother to tell me what to do.”

Matt groaned. “That is not a joking matter.”

“I’d rather go this alone at first,” Langston said. “I can keep a lower profile that way, but I’ll call if it looks like I need assistance.”

Bart nodded. “What about Gina?”

“I’d appreciate it if you’d take responsibility for her. I don’t want her to leave the ranch unless you’re with her. And all of you will need to be on guard that no one comes looking for her and causes any trouble at the ranch.”

“That’s a given,” Matt said.

“Are you going to explain all of that to Mom?” Bart asked.

“That’s my next order of business. Then I’ll pack a few things and hit the road.”

“If you don’t have what you need, help yourself to my closet,” Bart said. “The jeans and shirts should fit. I don’t know about the shoes. I’ve got man feet, you know.”

“If the man’s a giant,” Zach mocked.

“I keep some old jeans and boots and such at the big house so that I don’t have to pack a duffel every time I drive out,” Langston said. “They’ll do.”

“Anything I can do to help, just say the word,” Zach said. “I’m your man.”

“How would you like to escort Celeste to a dinner party at Mayor Griffin’s tonight?”

Zach groaned. “Let me rephrase that offer. Anything I can do for you short of riding a maniacal bull or spending an evening with your charming fiancée, just let me know.”

“And she speaks so highly of you.”

“Yeah, right.”

None of his brothers were particularly fond of Celeste, but that would change when they got to know her better. He was sure of it. Langston headed off to find his mother and was already at the top of the stairs when Matt caught up with him.

“You’ll need a handgun,” Matt said. “You can take my Glock.”

“Thanks.”

Matt put a hand on Langston’s arm. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“Sure I do. When has a Collingsworth ever turned their back on a woman in distress?”

“Never, but I’m not sure that’s what this is about. If it’s about some kind of bond you think you have with Trish, just remember that the two of you were a hell of a long time ago. You’ve changed a lot in those years. She will have to. You can’t just go back and pick up where you left off, not even if…”

“I have no plans to pick up anything. I’m engaged. I just need to check this out. That’s all.”

“Sure.” Matt delivered a brotherly punch to the arm. “Just be careful, bro.”

“I always am.”

LENORA WAS IN SEMI-SHOCK by the developments of the meeting with Nigel and then with the idea of Langston rushing off to north Texas to rescue an old girlfriend. But she could see how Gina’s story would have gotten to him. The girl was scared to death.

“This will be your room,” Lenora said, leading Gina into the guest room on the far eastern end of the upstairs hall.

Gina looked around for a few seconds before dropping her one piece of luggage to the bed. “Did you know my mom well?”

“Not well, but I’ve met her. She wasn’t a lot older than you at the time.”

“Did she come here to Jack’s Bluff Ranch?”

“Several times. She loved the horses, could never wait to go riding.”

“She still likes to ride, but she doesn’t get to do it much. We live in the city.”

Gina walked to the window and stared out. The view looked directly over the garden that they’d built around the rosebush Randolph had given Lenora for their first anniversary. Beyond that was a stretch of pines that gave away quickly to open pasture.

It was almost six, but the sun was still high enough in the sky for the roses to show off their beautiful collage of colors. Dark came late in July.

“Mom never mentioned any of you,” Gina said. “I don’t know why she sent me here.”

“I couldn’t say,” Lenora said, “but delightful young ladies are always welcome at Jack’s Bluff.”

“Thanks.”

“The bathroom is down the hall, the second door to your left. Normally you’d have to share it with the twins, my seven-year-old grandsons who have the room across the hall from you, but David and Derrick are with their father for two more weeks.”

“I won’t be here two weeks. I’ll be leaving as soon as my mom’s okay.” She walked back to the bed and unzipped her bag. “How many people live in this house?”

“Currently six, seven counting you.”

“Does Langston live here?”

“No, he lives in Houston. And Matt and Bart have their own houses here on the ranch. Zach, Jaime and Becky—the twins’ mother—all live here in the big house.”

“You have a large family.”

“Yes, I do. You met all of them except the twins. How about you, Gina? Do you have brothers and sisters?”

“No. It’s just me and my mom.” Gina started to unpack, but stopped and collapsed on the bed.

“There’s plenty of time to shower and take a nap before dinner,” Lenora said. “We won’t eat until seven-thirty. Juanita’s making a chicken enchilada casserole, at least that’s my name for it. It’s spicy, but superb.”

“Who’s Juanita?”

“Our cook. Bart hired her last year, because he and the boys wanted me to take it a little easier. Actually, I miss my kitchen and I’m a little jealous sometimes that she gets the compliments instead of me.”

“Then why don’t you fire her?”

“I can’t. She makes tamales to die for. Besides, it gives me more time for my charity work and spending time with my grandsons.” And now time to exert some influence into the operations of Collingsworth Enterprises—or at least into the development of her sons and even her daughters.

Gina kicked out of her shoes. “I’d like a shower, but I can’t really dress for dinner. All I have with me are shorts and T-shirts.”

“They’ll do fine. I tried the policy of dressing for dinner for awhile. I gave it up after I got tired of sitting at the table by myself. Now we’re back to South Texas rules. Come as you are, but the horse and spurs stay outside.”

Gina finally smiled.

Lenora did, too, though a sudden horrifying thought crept into her mind. Suppose Trish wasn’t all right. Suppose Langston was too late and something had gone terribly wrong.

Maybe she should call Billy Mack. He had a friend that had been a Texas Ranger before he retired. Langston might not appreciate her calling their neighbor in on this, but Billy was older and had a level head on him. And he’d been a friend of the Collingsworth family all his life.

If Langston didn’t call back with good news by morning, she might just give Billy a call. Lenora forced a smile and left the room quickly before Gina saw her fear. The girl had more than enough of her own.

LANGSTON HIT THE ACCELERATOR of his sleek black Porsche as he pulled out of the gate of Jack’s Bluff and headed north. No matter what Matt said, this wasn’t about his old relationship with Trish. Those feelings were dead, had been for years. He might have thought he’d loved Trish once, but what had he known of love at nineteen?

Yet the old memories began to haunt his mind. Slow dancing with Trish in Cutter’s Bar. Watching her float along the surface of the water when they’d gone skinny-dipping in the moonlight. Holding Trish in his arms. Tasting her lips.

His muscles grew taut as a new wave of adrenaline rushed through his veins. Trish was in danger and she needed him. That’s all he’d deal with now.