Texas-Sized Trouble

“You need a coat,” Ryder said.

“What?” She seemed surprised.

“You look cold.” Ryder motioned toward her arms.

“Mine’s in the car,” she said. “And I’ll get it as soon as you agree to help.”

“Can’t you microchip kids these days? Or, better yet, why not just call him and wait for him to get back to you like a normal person?” He put his hand up between them. “Oh, wait, I forgot. You’re not a normal person. I should’ve known a McCabe wouldn’t have time for common sense or following the rules.”

Faith sucked in a burst of air. That comment scored a direct hit. Ryder should feel a sense of satisfaction. He didn’t.

“He’s somewhere hurt or he’s been taken and I’m worried,” she said, recovering. Her gaze locked onto his.

“Take out an ad or check his social media pages. Kids love to broadcast their locations for the world to see.” Besides, Ryder had other, more pressing things to focus on, like bringing justice to the person who’d murdered his parents.

“He’s not that kind of kid and I already checked—” her tone rose in panic before she seemed able to recover and reel it in “—or I wouldn’t be here.” She had that no-other-choice quality to her tone. Again, Ryder had to ask himself why she thought it was a good idea to come to him. He didn’t figure she’d give an honest response. So, she was genuinely concerned about her half brother. Good for her. Maybe it proved she had half a heart in that chest of hers after all. That was about as far as Ryder was willing to go.

“I’m sorry about your family being messed up, but being in the perfect one isn’t as easy as it looks. Everyone’s got problems,” Ryder snapped, needing to keep emotional distance between them. In truth, he loved his brothers. They were a close-knit bunch and about as perfect as a genuine family could be. Sure, they had issues from time to time, but they always managed to work out their differences. He and his twin brother, Joshua, were especially close. “And I’m done here.”

“I have to find him and I’m not giving up. It will put me in danger if I go alone but I don’t have a choice, Ryder. I have to do it,” she said, standing her ground yet again. The sound of his name rolling off her tongue had always stirred his chest in a way he couldn’t afford to allow. This time was no different. All his warning bells sounded.

“Sounds like you’re making a big mistake.” He shrugged. “Free country.”

“Do you really hate me that much?” she asked, and the desperation in her tone struck a chord. “You’d allow an innocent kid to be hurt just to prove a point?”

Now it was his turn to take in a sharp breath.

“No. But I can’t help you, either.” Maybe he could take a second to talk her out of being stupid. “If you’re really worried about this kid, call Tommy. The sheriff would be better at tracking down a missing teenager than me. Besides, you know the reality as much as I do. The kid’s most likely having fun with his friends. He’ll check in once he sobers up in a couple of days.”

“Tommy is friends with your family, not mine. He won’t help a McCabe and you know it,” she said defensively.

The chilly air goose-bumped her arms and Ryder had to stop himself from offering his jacket. Chivalry was ingrained in him, and he had to fight against his own cowboy code so that she wouldn’t think she was getting to him. Give her an inch and she’d stomp on him again with those fringed boots.

“Even so, he’s the law and he’ll help you,” Ryder said. “He took an oath, and he takes it seriously.”

“Braxton is a few counties over and out of his jurisdiction. That’s where Nicholas lives,” she said.

“Tommy can make a few calls, do a little digging. If it makes you feel better, I’ll ask him myself.” Ryder had no clue why he’d just volunteered himself like that. He’d have time to curse himself later. The sheriff in Braxton wasn’t exactly known for being cooperative.

An anguished sound tore from her throat. “That’s not good enough, and Tommy doesn’t care about Nicholas. I need answers now and I’m afraid something very bad has happened to him. I can’t afford to lose any more time, and someone follows me when I check on him.”

Didn’t that get all of Ryder’s neck hairs to stand on end?

“What makes you think so?” he asked.

“I drove to Nicholas’s house to check on him when he stopped responding to my texts three days ago and an SUV followed me to the county line.”

“Could’ve been random,” he said.

“I’ve been out there every night, and last night the SUV tapped my bumper,” she said, rubbing her arms as if the memory gave her chills instead of the cold night air.

Ryder didn’t like that. He’d take a minute to consider her position. He could concede that she’d had a point a few seconds ago. Tommy wasn’t likely to go above and beyond the call of duty for a McCabe. He’d arrested her brothers, who were immediately bailed out by the family lawyer too many times to have sympathy for any of them, even Faith.

Her concern for her half brother seemed genuine. Ryder could tell based on the desperation in her honey browns. If the situation were reversed and one of his brothers had gone missing, he’d do whatever it took to find him. All five of his siblings were grown now, and good men, but they’d gotten themselves into a few tricky situations as teenagers. Ryder could buy the idea that a good kid could get into trouble. He had a harder time swallowing the idea that a McCabe offspring could be anything but trouble. Bad was in their blood. He’d believed Faith to be different from her family, and look how that had worked out for him.

“How do you know he’s missing exactly?” he asked.

“We talk every day without fail. I was supposed to help him with geometry homework and he stood me up. He’s never done that. Ever.” Her wide eyes conveyed panic and worry. When he examined her features, he saw how tired and worried she looked.

“Have you spoken to his mother?” The teenager could have gotten himself in over his head or involved in drugs. Even so, none of this concerned Ryder, and Faith hadn’t given him one solid reason he should get involved. With her family’s money, she could hire an investigator.

“We’re not exactly on good terms and I have nothing to say to the woman,” Faith said, and her left shoulder shot up. He’d seen that move before. She was being indignant.

From his viewpoint, a quick phone call could most likely clear this whole thing up. If Faith was too stubborn to make that call she didn’t need to be reaching out to him to do her dirty work.

“Then I can’t help you. That was my only card. I’m folding. If you really believe he’s missing, then you should talk to someone in law enforcement. His mother might’ve reported his disappearance already.” He threw his hands up in surrender. As it was, he was having a difficult time keeping a wall between them and maintaining his neutral position. A woman in trouble wasn’t something he could normally turn his back on. He blamed his Texas upbringing and the fact that he’d had amazing parents.

“I’ll sweeten the pot,” she said quickly.

“You don’t have anything I want,” Ryder said, pushing thoughts of how soft her skin had been when he ran his finger along the curves of her stomach out of his mind. Or how much the sound of her laughter had temporarily suspended the pain of losing his parents.

“You want to know the real reason I walked away from you, Ryder O’Brien?” Now she was the one who was angry. He could see the fire in her eyes. Good. She’d get mad, spit out a few hostile words meant to offend him and then leave.

Problem solved.

“It doesn’t matter.” But his wounded pride said something else entirely—he wanted to know.

“You sure about that?” she asked in her one-last-chance tone.

“Have never been more certain of anything in my life.” If she wanted his help, making him angry was the wrong way to go about it. He didn’t like the idea of her putting herself in danger if that was the case, and he’d tried reasoning with her by telling her to bring in the law. If she didn’t have enough sense to stay out of harm’s way there wasn’t much he could do about it. “Why ask me to help in the first place? You had to know that I would refuse. You’re not exactly high on my list of people I want to see again.”

“You won’t turn me down. I know you and there’s something I’ve been keeping from you...” She paused long enough to put her hands on her belly. “Anything happens to me and your child goes with me. You’re going to be a father, Ryder. And that’s why I left you. If anyone found out this was your child, then my life, heck, your life, would be over.”

“Good one, Faith.” She wasn’t afraid to pull out all the stops on...

Hold on a damn minute. The look on her face slapped him with a new reality. Was she serious?

“That’s right, Ryder. I’m carrying your child.” Her lip quivered even though her words rolled off her tongue steady as steel.

She wasn’t lying?

He stood there for a long moment and stared at her, daring her to break the glaring contest and tell him she was joking. There was no way...

Was there?

A memory came back to him in a rush. He remembered one time when they’d been so lost and so into each other during their lovemaking neither had noticed that the condom he wore broke.

Okay, so it was possible. But that didn’t mean...