Читать книгу The Cowboy's Texas Family - Margaret Daley - Страница 13

Chapter Two

“Why do you want to help?” This was the last thing he thought Darcy Hill would offer. “I’m only ten minutes away from the Blue Bonnet Inn. You said you were tired and hungry.” Nick gripped the steering wheel and stared at Darcy in the dim light from his dashboard. He couldn’t believe he’d told her so much about Corey’s situation, but after his meeting with Fletcher today, frustration churned his gut.

“Because a child is missing on a cold winter’s night. You’ll need everyone you can get to search for him. I couldn’t go to the inn without trying to help.”

The worry in her expression lured Nick. She showed more feelings toward an unknown kid than Ned did toward his son. Her caring nature appealed to him and made it easy to talk to her. “Corey lives in Dry Gulch. It might take a long time if we can’t find him right away.”

“I don’t care. A child is in trouble.”

Her words touched a cold place in Nick’s heart, forged from years living with an alcoholic father like Corey’s, and calmed his earlier anger at Fletcher. “You can’t go looking for him in what you’re wearing.” He couldn’t believe he was arguing with her about helping Corey. She was right. In the dark, it would be doubly hard to find the child. Did he have a coat on? Did he run away or had something else happened?

“I have some boots in one of my bags. It won’t take me long to change into them.” She gave him a smile. “I should have when I stopped in Houston and heard the weather report about the cold front moving through this part of Texas.”

“Fine. I can’t guarantee how long this will take.” Nick made another U-turn and headed out of town. He handed her his cell phone. “Slim’s number is in my contact list. You can call him and have him tow your car to his garage, and then you can check with him tomorrow morning about what’s wrong with it.” He shot her another look before pressing on the accelerator. “That way your car will be moved off the shoulder of the highway.”

“Thanks. Do you have the number for the Blue Bonnet Inn? I’d like to tell the owner I’ll be late.”

“Under Carol Thornton. I’ve got to warn you, she’ll ask a ton of questions about why you’ll be late.”

“I guess she’ll think it’s strange I’m helping out.”

“No. She’s one who will jump in when someone is in trouble, whether she knows the person or not. If I had the time, I would recruit her and a few others. Most townspeople are like family.” He increased his speed outside of Haven, pushing the limit.

“Except for Fletcher Phillips?”

“You pick up fast. I won’t bother calling him to let him know Corey is missing.” Nick tossed a glance at Darcy as a car came toward his truck. Her blond hair hung in thick waves about her shoulders while her blue eyes held a frown. “I hope you have a hat to wear.”

“A cowboy one like yours?”

“Nope. A warm one like a beanie.”

“Yes, I do, and gloves.” She studied the list of contacts on his phone and then connected with one of them.

While she called Slim and Carol, Nick focused on the last twelve miles to Corey’s house. The unknown ate at Nick the whole way to Dry Gulch. Nick kept replaying his promise to Doug to keep his little brother safe. When he made a promise, he kept it. What if he couldn’t now?

When Darcy finished talking to Carol, she gave him his phone back. “You’re right. She drilled me with questions, most of which I couldn’t answer. I have a feeling when I finally show up at the inn, I’ll have to tell her everything we did.”

“I guarantee you will. Carol is like a mother hen.”

“Does she have children of her own?”

“No, but not from want of trying. It’s a shame. She would have been a great mother.”

“I’m assuming Corey doesn’t have a mother around since you’ve only mentioned his dad. Do you know what happened to her?”

“She died years ago.”

“That’s sad.” Her voice caught on her words, and Nick chanced another look at Darcy. Her forehead knit into a thoughtful expression. “Did Mrs. Scott tell you the details of Corey’s disappearance?” she finally asked, her tone still emotion-filled.

“Not a lot. Usually Corey will call me, and we’ll talk. Mrs. Scott lives next door to Corey and keeps an eye out for the child. All I really know is that Corey is gone and a deputy sheriff is at Ned’s house.” No doubt Ned had gone out to get some more liquor.

“So he was staying home alone?”

“Most likely.” His own feelings warred inside him—from anger at himself for not going earlier, to fear. Apprehension won out. Why didn’t Corey call him again instead of running away? What if he couldn’t find the boy? “I don’t know anything else. Mrs. Scott didn’t go into a lot of details. The neighbors are forming a search party to help the deputy. We can join them.” Hopefully he’d find out more when he arrived in Dry Gulch. Better yet, maybe Corey was already home and safe.

Nearing the town, Nick slanted another glance toward Darcy, her hands clasped together as though she were praying. It wouldn’t help. He’d tried that. Nick had given up on the Lord answering his prayers. At least Ned so far hadn’t physically harmed Corey, but neglect of a child was a form of abuse. Corey hungered for love and acceptance.

“We’re almost there. Ned and I have exchanged a few words concerning Corey, but nothing will keep me away. I promised Doug, Corey’s older brother, that I would watch out for him. I just wanted to let you know things could get tense.”

“Does Ned know about what Doug asked you to do?”

Nick turned down a street on the outskirts of Dry Gulch, a town about the size of Haven. “Yes, and he isn’t too happy about that.” He pulled behind a long line of cars crammed into every parking spot available. A few floodlights illuminated the area as though it were daytime. “It looks like a lot of people are here. Good. Corey could be in town somewhere, in the woods or on a ranch nearby. Lots of hiding places, and with the darkness he’ll be harder to find.”

“So you think he’s hiding, not taken by someone?” Darcy asked as she opened the passenger door.

“More likely hiding or running away.” He hoped. The alternative was even worse. When he hopped down and looked over the hood of his truck at Darcy, he was glad she’d come with him. Although he barely knew Darcy, her presence comforted him. Her immediate response to his news earlier had been to help. There was more to her than too many clothes and shoes. She might come from money, but she didn’t act like a spoiled socialite.

He waited for her to join him and then he made his way toward the group of people on the front lawn of Corey’s home. Mrs. Scott stood near Ned, talking to him as more neighbors joined the throng. The furious expression on Ned’s face alerted Nick that the man probably hadn’t been the one who’d called the sheriff’s office.

Mrs. Scott saw him and came toward Nick. “We’ve searched the neighborhood and there wasn’t any sign of Corey. We’re reorganizing to cover the areas away from here. The sheriff is arriving soon and some more deputies. They’re bringing in a couple of tracking dogs too. Five to six inches of snow are predicted tonight. We need to find him before he freezes.”

“What happened?” Nick stared at Ned.

“After you called me earlier to check on Ned and Corey, which I did, I left Corey’s house because Ned woke up and assured me he was fine. He practically kicked me out. I decided then to make some cookies to share with Corey and Ned as an excuse to check on them after an hour and a half. When I went over to the house, Ned finally opened the door. He looked like he had just woken up, so he’d probably continued to drink after I left. At least that’s how he smelled. He invited me in while he called Corey. The boy never came. I helped Ned search his house to make sure Corey wasn’t hiding. That man was getting madder by the second. I discovered just a few minutes ago Ned went to the store not long after I left the first time.”

Nick swung his attention to Mrs. Scott. “The liquor store?”

Mrs. Scott nodded.

“Are you the one who called the sheriff?”

“Yes. Ned didn’t want to. He was sure Corey would show up. By that time it was getting dark. I went home and called.”

Nick nodded toward Darcy. “Mrs. Scott, this is Darcy—a friend who heard about Corey and wanted to help.”

Darcy shook Mrs. Scott’s hand. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. Where do you think Corey would have gone?”

“He isn’t at any of his friends’ houses. The deputy checked those first, so I don’t know.” Mrs. Scott patted Nick’s arm. “If anyone can find him, it’s you. I don’t know any of his favorite haunts and neither does his father.” Anger infused the last sentence. “I declare I haven’t seen a man quite like that one.”

A conversation Nick had had with Corey last month came to the foreground of his thoughts. The child had been so mad at his father for forgetting to pick him up at his friend’s house. He’d ended up walking home. Since it was getting dark, he had used the woods as a shortcut and stumbled upon a thicket—a great hiding place, according to Corey. “There are a few places that Corey and I have talked about. A couple we’ve been to. But one he said was his secret fort. He told me the general location in the woods. I think we should look there first.” Nick didn’t want to stand around while the deputies organized the search.

Mrs. Scott’s mouth pinched into a frown. “But it’s so dark at this time of night. How are you going to look there?”

“I have some flashlights, one in my glove compartment and another in my toolbox. That’s all I need.” He turned to Darcy and added, “But you might want to stay here—”

“I’m game. It’s getting colder.” Darcy shivered. “I won’t be surprised if there’s snow in the next hour or two. We need to find Corey.”

“Mrs. Scott, please tell the deputy where we’re going and that we could use more people. It’s the wooded area behind the elementary school.” It would be better if Nick didn’t go near Ned at the moment. He threw one last look at the man, who was still frowning as if this whole affair was an inconvenience. Although Nick’s and Corey’s situations were different, Nick knew the emotional whirlwind the boy was going through and how alone the child must feel.

“Will do, but, dearie,” Mrs. Scott said, peering at Darcy’s high heels, “you can’t go in those shoes.”

Darcy grinned. “I’m going to change.”

As Nick and Darcy headed for his pickup, she said, “I think you and Mrs. Scott are right—Corey’s dad has been drinking a lot. His eyes are bloodshot, his hands are shaking and his skin is pasty. In my job I’ve encountered enough alcoholics to know when I see one.”

Nick opened the passenger door. “It’s been getting worse. That may be what made Corey leave.” When his own dad drank, all Nick had wanted to do as a child was hide. He shut the truck door, made his way to the driver’s side and switched on the engine, throwing a glance at Darcy. “What’s your job?”

For a long moment Darcy didn’t answer. Nick turned the truck around and headed the way they had come. Still no reply.

He was about to tell her to forget the question when she murmured, “I’m a lawyer—for Legal Aid.”

Surprise flitted through him. He wasn’t sure what he’d pictured her doing. When he thought about it, the fact that she was a lawyer wasn’t what astonished him—it was that she worked for Legal Aid. The clothes she wore and the car she drove didn’t fit his image of the belongings of someone working for the poor. And yet, she’d quickly volunteered to search for a child she didn’t know. He was discovering there was a lot under the cool, composed facade she presented to the world.

“You can close your mouth now. I’ve been working at the office in Mobile since I got out of law school a few years ago. My father comes from old money. Giving back to the community is very important to both my parents. When I was young, no more than five, he had me volunteering right alongside him or my mother. By the time I went to college I knew I was going to fight for people who often can’t fight for themselves.”

“You need to give Fletcher Phillips a lesson in how to give back. Instead, he pushes his own agenda to make more money.”

“Are you talking about Ned and Corey?”

“Yes, that’s one example, but the boys ranch is another.”

“What boys ranch?”

“We have a Lone Star Cowboy League Boys Ranch here in Haven, founded in 1947 by Luella Snowden Phillips. She used her own ranch as a place for troubled boys around the state to receive support and care and to learn a better way to deal with their problems.”

“Any relative to Fletcher Phillips?”

“Yes, his grandmother. But he wants to close the place down.”

“Why would he want to shut down something his grandmother started and supported?”

“Good question. Now you see why he isn’t one of my favorite people. He says it devalues the property around the boys ranch and hurts Haven’s economy. All he sees is a bunch of troublemakers, not young children and teens who have problems. His father, Tucker, was actively involved in the ranch. He isn’t alive, but if he were he would be so disappointed in his son.”

“I can see why you feel that way about Fletcher, but has anyone invited him to the ranch to see firsthand what’s going on? Maybe even volunteer and get to know the children?”

Had they? Nick didn’t know. “The townspeople are always welcomed at the boys ranch.”

“Sometimes the obvious has to be pointed out to some people.”

Nick chuckled. “That would be Fletcher, but I can’t see even a grand tour of the boys ranch changing that man’s mind. And I certainly can’t see him volunteering there.” He pulled into a parking space at the elementary school. “I met my share of people in the army who had to have it their way or no way. They were rigid and never wanted to compromise.”

“There are people like that in every facet of life. I try to look at things from their perspective.”

Nick climbed from the truck, paused and asked over the hood, “How’s that working for you?”

“Actually pretty well, but I’ll admit there are some who can make it hard for a person.”

Nick studied her profile as she stared at the woods across the field. Was he one of those people? The thought didn’t sit well with him. “So why do you think Ned drinks himself into a stupor and ignores his son?”

“I imagine the second part comes because of the first—Ned’s drinking problem. Most people drink to excess because they aren’t happy and don’t know how to make it better. What happened to Corey’s mother?”

Nick walked to the back of the truck and let the tailgate down. “I don’t know. Corey was a toddler when she died. He said his dad wouldn’t talk about her.” And that topic never came up with his army buddy, Corey’s older brother. Her question brought thoughts up about Nick’s own mother, who died when he was seven. Was that what led to his father’s drinking problem? Even so, that didn’t give him the right to hit Nick whenever he felt like it. He was thankful that by the time he was fifteen his dad had backed off. Probably because Nick was stronger and bigger than his father.

He gestured to her multiple bags. “Which one do you need?”

Darcy pointed to two of them, and Nick slid them to her. “Maybe Corey running away will shake up his dad,” she said as she changed her shoes and found her hat and gloves.

Nick shut the tailgate, handed her a flashlight and then started across the school playground toward the woods. “Probably not. This isn’t the first time he’s gone missing, but usually the sheriff isn’t involved. No doubt he is this time because Mrs. Scott knew something was wrong and called them. Ned never would have. I don’t know what would have happened if Mrs. Scott didn’t help me out by keeping an eye on the boy. If she hadn’t come back with cookies, Ned would have resumed drinking and still might have been oblivious to the fact that Corey could be freezing to death.”

“Did you know Doug before y’all were in the army?”

He switched on his flashlight, the crunch of fallen leaves sounding in the quiet. “Yes, the family lived in Haven for a while when I was a freshman in high school. That’s when Doug and I became friends. Then his family left and went to Dry Gulch. When I enlisted, I met up with Doug again at boot camp. He was escaping his father like I was.” The last sentence came out before he could censor himself. Darcy was too easy to talk to.

“You were?”

He didn’t share his past with anyone. Even he and Uncle Howard didn’t talk much about what had happened as Nick grew up. It just brought up hard feelings toward his dad, and Nick had enough to deal with keeping the ranch afloat due to his father’s mismanagement. Nick had used all his savings to bail the Flying Eagle out of debt, but he didn’t have enough left to do much else. “I was a teenage boy who thought he knew what was best for him.”

“Where is Doug now?”

“He was killed on a mission.”

Darcy slowed her step. “I’m sorry to hear that. I see why you’re trying to help Corey.”

Frustration at his inability to help Corey as much as the kid needed plagued Nick. It brought back all the helplessness he’d felt as a child.

* * *

As they moved deeper into the stand of trees, Darcy followed a step or two behind, sweeping her flashlight over the left area while Nick searched the right side.

She’d never imagined she would be spending her first night in Haven looking for a lost child. But there was no way she would have stayed away. Corey and she were kin.

Family had always been important to her—something she didn’t take for granted. What if her mom and dad hadn’t adopted her? Then where would she be? Until she’d begun the search for her biological parents, she hadn’t really thought much about where she’d come from. When her birth mother rejected the offer to meet with her, it had devastated her more than she thought possible. And after hearing about Fletcher, she didn’t think meeting her birth father would be any different. The thought saddened her.

She shouldn’t unpack. Instead, she should just leave when her car was fixed. She should forget the father who had never cared for her—and, from what she was discovering about the man, would never care in the future. He’d turned his back on a ten-year-old cousin. She always tried to look for the good in others, but with each bit of information she found out about her father, it was becoming more difficult. Lord, how could Fletcher Phillips do that to a child—in fact, to a whole ranch full of boys in need?

She didn’t realize she had slowed her step until suddenly Nick was several yards in front of her. She hurried her pace and the toe of her boot caught on a root, throwing her off balance. She floundered and nearly fell.

But Nick grabbed her, halting her ungraceful descent. “You okay?” He steadied her, close enough that she got a good whiff of his citrus-scented aftershave.

Her heartbeat picked up speed. “I tripped. That’s all.” She needed to keep her thoughts centered on finding Corey, not why she came to Haven—or the man she was with. There was something about Nick—the way he talked about Corey—that attracted her.

Her breathing shortened. He was too close for her peace of mind. “Thanks.” She stepped back and inhaled deeply. “Are we near the place Corey was talking about?” she asked, wanting to focus on the child, not the racing of her heartbeat. “I noticed a few snowflakes falling.”

“I know. His fort should be up ahead. I just hope he’s there. If not, I’ll call Mrs. Scott and see if Corey has been found.”

“What if he hasn’t been?”

“Then I think we really need to comb these woods. He uses it as a shortcut from school as well as to his friend’s house. It’ll be harder in the dark. We’ll need a lot more people. I’m glad they’re using some tracking dogs. In the meantime, we can at least rule out his fort and this part of the forest.”

Darcy scanned the towering trees, some leafless, others evergreens or ones that retain their dead leaves until spring. A black veil dominated the area beyond the glow of their flashlights. She quaked. “I guess for a boy this would be a great place to play in during the daytime.” But not at night.

“But not for a girl?” Nick continued forward, glancing back to make sure she was behind him. Even from a distance she sensed the concern that gripped him.

“No, for some it would be. Not for me though. I wasn’t much of a tomboy, except when it came to fishing. I love to go fishing. My dad owned a boat, and we often went out in the Gulf of Mexico. So much fun. What did you do for fun growing up?” Maybe concentrating on something other than Corey’s predicament would reduce Nick’s stress. She’d learned in her work that tension only made a situation worse, sometimes leading to bad decisions.

“I played football and baseball. I was also part of the junior rodeo.”

“I took ballet and played the violin. I did learn to ride a horse English-style.” As a teen she gave up the other two interests to focus on her mare and going to horse shows.

“We come from different worlds.”

The more she was around him, the more she realized that, and yet there was something about Nick that intrigued her. He’d made a promise to a comrade to take care of his little brother, and he was determined to keep it. Like her, he fought for the underdog. She admired him for that. For that matter, he’d stopped to help her when her car died even though he was going the other way.

Finally Nick halted and pointed to a large thicket of bushes up ahead. “That’s the fort,” he said and then he called out loudly, “Corey, it’s Nick.”

Darcy held her breath. Please, Lord, let him be here and okay.

Nothing but the sound of the wind blowing through the woods.

Nick closed the distance between them and the dense undergrowth. “Corey, I want to help.”

“I’m glad it’s cold enough that things like snakes are hibernating,” Darcy said as they approached.

“So am I.”

“Are you scared of snakes?”

“Nope. But we have a lot of rattlers around here, and I don’t want Corey to encounter one. Oh, and by the way, snakes don’t hibernate. I’ve seen some in the winter.” He winked and then started to the side. “You stay here. I’m gonna circle this brush and see if there’s an easy way in.”

Oh, good. He’d said that bit about the snakes on purpose and then left. She scowled at his back. As Nick moved farther away, Darcy hugged her chest and tried to see through the green-and-brown barrier in front of her where she was shining her flashlight. What if a rattlesnake was keeping warm under the thicket—and Corey had been bitten by it? What if...

Darcy quickly shut down those thoughts. She liked frills and lace. She liked girly things, and a snake wasn’t one of those. She and Nick were definitely opposites and that was fine by her. And yet, she remembered his quick reflexes when he caught her before she could hit the ground. Okay, they might be opposites, but there was an appeal to the cowboy who dropped everything to look for a child.

Whoa. Where were these thoughts coming from? Exhaustion after driving all day? She wasn’t in Haven for anything but gathering information about her birth father. She was going to be here only a short time. The more she heard about Fletcher the less she wanted to talk to him, but it wouldn’t be right to pass up discovering what she could about her biological family since she wanted children of her own.

To her left Nick shouted, “Stop, Corey!”

The next thing Darcy saw was the boy rounding the end of the undergrowth, coming to a halt when he spied her and then darting to the side to avoid her. Nick closed in on him from behind. Darcy shot forward, trying to block his escape. When she was within a few feet of him, she took a flying leap and tackled Corey to the ground.

“Get off me! Get off me!” the child yelled.

Still clutching her flashlight, Darcy threw her body across his stomach while Corey wiggled and twisted. Was this what riding a wild bronco felt like?

Through her strands of blond hair she saw two cowboy boots planted near Corey’s shoulder, a pool of light coming no doubt from Nick’s flashlight. She thought it was safe for her to sit up, but the second she did, the boy jumped to his feet and tried to race away.

With lightning speed Nick grasped the child’s upper arms and held him still. “What’s going on with you, Corey?”

“I don’t want to go back. I’ll run away again if you make me go.”

The anger in the boy’s voice made Darcy forget about the dead leaves clinging to her coat and the bruises she was sure to develop from stopping him. Beneath his fury was desperation. She’d heard it enough in her job at Legal Aid. Not long after desperation came hopelessness. She tried to stop that from being someone’s reality. Who was going to give Corey hope? His father? Not unless something changed.

Corey tried to yank his arms away from Nick, tears running down his face now.

All Darcy wanted to do was hold the boy until he calmed down, but she couldn’t, even though he was her cousin—family. Besides Fletcher, she was probably his closest relative in the area. But no one knew that but her.

“Let me go. Dad doesn’t care.” A sob caught in Corey’s throat.

Nick still held Corey, but when he knelt in front of the boy, his expression softened. “But I care about you. It’s gonna snow and get really cold tonight. Did you think about that?”

Corey looked to the side. His blue gaze—so much like Darcy’s—landed on her. “Who are you?”

The words I’m your cousin almost slipped out. Instead she smiled and said, “I want to help you.”

“You can’t. No one can.”

The hopelessness leaked into his words and broke her heart. Coming to Haven was so much harder than Darcy had ever thought it would be.

“That’s not going to stop me from trying. I don’t know about you, Corey, but Miss Hill and I are cold. Let’s settle this somewhere warm.”

Her cousin stuck out his lower lip. “Fine. Nothing’s gonna change.”

“There are a lot of people searching for you and worried about you. Mrs. Scott was beside herself. She called the sheriff.” Nick kept his hand clamped on Corey’s shoulder and started back toward the elementary school parking lot.

“Dad will be mad about that.”

“What did you think was going to happen if you ran away?” Darcy boxed the boy in on the other side and prepared to go after him if he broke loose from Nick’s hold.

“Somethin’ better. Anywhere would be better than here,” Corey mumbled and dropped his head as he shuffled his feet toward the edge of the woods.

When Darcy returned to Mobile, the first thing she would do was hug her parents. She knew raising kids was difficult, but seeing someone like Corey only made her want to have her own children more than before. She had so much love to give a child.

She’d been blessed to have a wonderful mother and father. But others, like Corey, hadn’t been. Maybe while she stayed in Haven, she would check out the boys ranch. Her biological father might not want to have anything to do with the place, but she did.

The minute they returned to Nick’s truck, he settled Corey inside. While the boy sat sandwiched between them, Nick called Mrs. Scott to let her know they had found Corey.

The child folded his arms over his chest and hunched his shoulders farther down as Nick drove closer to Corey’s house. In that moment Darcy felt like a fish in the Gulf taking the bait and being caught. It would be hard to drive home to Mobile without making sure something long term was done for Corey. The question was what. Nick, one of the few people who cared for the child and the person who had stopped to help her tonight, might be able to assist her with that.