Lucas

Hell. Lucas had wanted him alive so they could get answers. But maybe they could still do that. “Did he have a phone on him? Maybe his boss’s number is in his contacts?”

Mason nodded. “Grayson will check for that, but there’s more.” He paused. “The ranch hands did a thorough search of the fence line in that back part of the ranch, and it appears the dead thug didn’t come alone. There were enough tracks back there for three people.”

Lucas bit back the profanity that he nearly blurted out, something he’d been training himself to do now that he was a father. Still, it was hard not to curse about that. “Any other signs of the men?”

“No. They’re apparently gone. For now, anyway.”

That didn’t mean they wouldn’t be back. Maybe even tonight, since the darkness would give them an advantage for an attack.

“I’ve got men patrolling the entire ranch,” Mason went on. “I also called everyone and told them to lock down and stay inside.”

By “everyone” he meant his brothers and their cousins. No one would be leaving and coming onto the ranch unless Mason gave the okay. Which he wouldn’t do until he was certain it was safe. And Lucas knew what that meant.

This time he wasn’t able to stop himself from cursing.

Because it meant Hailey would have to stay there.

Of course, he probably wouldn’t have been able to talk her into budging since she’d want to be near the baby, but Lucas had planned on having her sleep far away from the Silver Creek Ranch. Far away from Camden, too.

“I’m so sorry,” Hailey whispered. Maybe she was apologizing again for the danger. But one look in her eyes and Lucas knew the reason for this “I’m sorry.” She had also figured out what the sleeping arrangements would be.

“You can stay in the guest room,” Lucas growled. It was at the end of the hall, as far away as he could get her while still having her under the same roof.

Hailey mumbled a thanks, and while Lucas thought part of her looked relieved, that was still fear he saw in her eyes. Worry, too. Especially worry when she looked at Mason again. His cousin wasn’t budging. Mason continued to stand there, his hands bracketed on the doorjamb.

“What else happened?” Hailey asked Mason. Her voice was shaky again, probably because she knew they were about to get another dose of bad news.

“Grayson tried to get in touch with Colleen, so he could bring her in for questioning.” Mason paused again. “But there’s a problem. Colleen is missing.”

* * *

HAILEY HOPED THIS medical exam wasn’t a mistake.

She wasn’t certain about the ER physician, Dr. Parton, but Lucas had assured her that Parton wasn’t the one who’d planted that bug in her hospital room, that the doctor was trustworthy. So, that’s what Hailey was going to do—trust him. Besides, she needed to make sure she was okay. Not just for her sake but to soothe some of the concern on Lucas’s face.

Of course, she had plenty of her own concerns, too.

There were so many things for her to worry about, and that’s what she’d done through the night and now the morning. The constant threat of an attack. Her missing sister. The obvious tension between Lucas and her. Between her and his family, too.

But it was hard for Hailey to focus solely on all of that when she was looking at her son’s face while Lucas was holding him.

For the entire time she’d carried him, she had considered how he might look. Considered as well the love she would feel for him, but she’d way underestimated that love. She couldn’t believe how deep it was for this child, and even though it crushed her heart, she knew that same feeling of love was the very reason that Lucas would do everything to hang on to his child.

Everything, including attempts to exclude her.

Those attempts wouldn’t work, of course. Or maybe they wouldn’t. If they couldn’t stop the threat of another attack, then she might have no choice but to disappear. She’d do that if it meant keeping Camden safe.

She’d started that process by using Lucas’s laptop and putting in her password for the storage cloud for the files she’d gathered on Eric DeSalvo. It’d be a few more hours before she could open them, but once Lucas had a chance to go over them, maybe he could find something he could use to arrest Eric. It might not put an end to the attacks, but at least it would get him off the streets for a while.

“Follow the light with your eyes,” Dr. Parton instructed her.

Hailey did, though it meant taking her attention off her son. And Lucas. Lucas was feeding the baby his bottle while he had his phone sandwiched between his shoulder and his ear. She wasn’t sure who was on the other end of the phone line this time, but Lucas had obviously adapted to juggling his work with fatherhood.

“From what I can tell, you’re fine,” the doctor said, stepping back from her. “You’ll need a thorough exam, though, and some tests that I can do only at the hospital. Any idea when it’ll be okay for that?”

It was the million-dollar question, and Hailey didn’t have a clue what the answer was. She shook her head. “We’re waiting on some information.” Information that would ideally lead to an arrest.

The doctor didn’t seem especially pleased with an indefinite delay to those tests, and Hailey knew why. There could be brain damage. And damage to her legs. The muscles felt a little stronger, but she was nowhere near a hundred percent and might need physical therapy to regain all her strength. No way could she risk going to PT or taking those tests now, though, and she didn’t want to speculate how long it would be before that happened.

The doctor gathered his things and headed to the door, where Mason was waiting to escort him back to town. They left, leaving Hailey to sit there and watch as Camden finished his bottle. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Lucas put the bottle aside and moved the baby to his shoulder to burp him.

A year ago, if someone had told her that the tough cowboy cop would be the doting father, she wouldn’t have believed it. Lucas likely wouldn’t have, either.

Tillie came out of the kitchen and made eye contact with Lucas. “You want me to take him?” Tillie mouthed.

“No, thanks. I’m finished with my call.” He put away his phone and looked at Hailey. “That was Grayson. Still no word on your sister, but Eric DeSalvo should be arriving at the sheriff’s office any minute now.”

Good. Hailey figured the best place to start with getting those answers would be with Eric. And Colleen. It sickened her to think that her sister might be involved in this.

“What about the other gunmen who were around the ranch last night?” she asked. “Any signs of them?”

“No. And the dead guy, Darrin, was using a burner cell phone and didn’t have any contacts stored there. In fact, the phone hadn’t been used, so there’s nothing to trace.”

Another dead end. Literally. Since Darrin had lived only long enough to accuse her of hiring him.

“Grayson had the medics take Darrin’s picture,” Lucas went on. When he reached to take his phone from his jeans pocket, it caused the baby to move, and Camden stirred, lifting his head just a little.

Hailey figured Camden was too young to see her from across the room, so she went closer. Lucas didn’t scowl, exactly, but it was close. He took out his phone and handed it to her.

“Take a look at the picture Grayson sent, and see if you recognize Darrin. Is he the same man who went after you the night you were trying to get away?”

She took the phone, her fingers brushing against his. Lucas noticed. Noticed, too, that she was volleying glances between the baby and him. He pulled in a long, weary breath.

“Sit down,” he growled. “You can hold Camden while you tell me about the picture.”

Hailey moved as fast as she could, making her way back to the chair. Lucas went to her, easing the baby into her arms.

There it was again. That punch of emotion.

Though it was hard to focus with Camden staring up at her, Hailey studied the photo. It wasn’t the best shot since the man’s face was twisted with pain, but Hailey picked through the features.

And remembered.

She sucked in her breath so fast that she nearly got choked. “He definitely looks like the man who ran me off the road.”

Other memories came flooding back. The car following her. Her frantic attempt to get away. Then the crash.

“He rammed into the back of my car, forcing me into a ditch,” she explained. “That’s when I hit my head.”