GI Cowboy

“I want to try.” However, she didn’t sound as certain as she had earlier. “I’ll talk to my staff and the parents and tell them what’s going on. If they want to keep their children away from here, then that’s their decision, but I’ll stay open for those who want to stay.”

Parker took a deep breath, to gear up for round three with her, but he heard someone coming down the stairs. It was Sheriff Hale, and he was taking the steps two at a time.

“I just got a call,” the sheriff told Parker. “That black car with the bogus plates that you saw on the surveillance tapes—my deputy just spotted it.”

“Where?” Bailey immediately asked.

“On Main Street, just a few blocks away, and he’s headed in this direction.”

Chapter Three

Bailey paced across the reception area of the day care and checked the time on her cell phone. Five minutes since the last time she’d looked and over two hours since Sheriff Hale had told Parker and her about the black car.

Time was crawling by.

So was one of the toddlers, Bailey noticed.

She had to smile at the irony. Elijah, who was almost a year old, was trying to escape from the front play room. He didn’t get far before one of the workers, Audra Finmore, hurried out to scoop him up. Elijah giggled, obviously unaware of a menacing black car and her vandalized office.

“Any news?” Audra asked.

Bailey shook her head and checked her phone. Nothing other than the six calls from her mother, which she had let go straight to voice mail. Ditto for the two from her mother’s personal bodyguard, Tim Penske, whom her mother had no doubt pestered to call Bailey, as well. But Bailey didn’t want to talk to her mom or Tim until she had some answers, and right now she was very short of those.

She still wanted to believe this was nothing. Bailey wanted to stick with her bored-teenager theory to explain the slashed tires, the hang-up calls and the mess in her office. But until the sheriff spoke to the driver of that black car and got a reasonable explanation for why he was in town, then Bailey figured the knot in her stomach was there to stay.

“Enough of this,” she mumbled.

The exteriors doors and windows were all locked, the security system was on and the sheriff would call the moment he knew anything. Since she couldn’t use her office, Bailey decided to go to the playroom because she wanted the welcome distraction of the children.

First though, she stopped by the bathroom and touched up her makeup. There wasn’t much she could do about her eyes that were red from crying, but she added some powder so that her cheeks wouldn’t appear so streaked. She didn’t want anyone to know that this situation had caused her to shed a single tear.

She strolled to the playroom where the staff and children were. There weren’t many.

Two workers and seven children.

Normally, there would be six other staff members and close to fifty kids since parents from nearby towns brought their children to Cradles to Crayons. However, when Bailey had told everyone what was going on, only those with no other childcare choices left their children—even after she had assured them that she would do everything humanly possible to protect their children. And she would. But it wouldn’t bring back the children anytime soon.

It broke her heart.

This wasn’t just her business. It was her life. And that idiot stalker was trying to rob her of what she loved most.

She fought back tears, again, and looked around the room. The tears dried up instantly when she spotted Parker. He was sitting on the floor, keeping watch out the front window where he’d pulled down the shade halfway.

But there was also a baby in his lap.

Maddie Simmons was almost two years old and had blond curls that haloed around her cherub cheeks. Unlike some of the other children, Maddie wasn’t afraid of strangers.

Obviously.

She was right in Parker’s face and was babbling while she wiggled her fingers in front of him. Parker continued to glance out the window, but his attention kept returning to Maddie.

Intrigued at this cowboy warrior’s interaction with the angelic little girl, Bailey walked closer. Parker looked up, and their gazes collided. He had a strange expression on his face, a mixture of shock, concern, amusement and a little of get-me-out-of-here.

“She’s teaching me the ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ song, I think,” Parker explained.

Maddie verified that by smiling and babbling, “Bitty, bitty pider.” She clapped her hands and then started another set of sounds. “Tinkle, tinkle.”

Bailey recognized this one. “‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.’ I think she wants you to sing it.”

Parker looked at Bailey as if she’d had just asked to jump out of plane without a parachute. “I don’t think so. I can’t sing.”

That only encouraged Maddie to get closer. “Tinkle. Tinkle.” She exaggerated the sounds as if trying to teach him.

Parker shook his head again, but Maddie persisted by pinching his mouth, and Parker finally mumbled the first line of the song. He was totally off-key, sounding very froglike, but it delighted Maddie so much that the little girl laughed and plopped a kiss on his cheek.

Despite the knot in her stomach, Bailey couldn’t stave off a smile. Children were magical.

She walked closer and eased down on the floor beside them. She positioned herself so that she too could keep watch. “Anything from the sheriff?” she asked Parker.

“Fifteen minutes ago he called and said several deputies from the surrounding towns have joined the search.”

“Good. If they’re still looking, that means they still have hopes of finding the driver of that car.”

“Maybe.” Parker paused. “And what if they don’t?”

That required a deep breath. “Then life goes on as usual.” She glanced around at the handful of kids. “Or as close to usual as possible.”

“Without me?” he pressed.

Another deep breath. “I’m sure with your credentials, Bart Bellows will have another job for you.”

“We’re back to that part about not wanting your mother to win.”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation. But then she hesitated. “You won’t have trouble getting work elsewhere?”

“No,” he also said without hesitation. “As soon as the sheriff gives us the all clear, I’ll call Bart and tell him I’m off the case.”

Bailey nodded. Good. This was what she wanted.

The knot in her stomach tightened.

Maddie tried to get up, but she got off balanced. Bailey reached for her, but Parker beat her to it. He gently caught onto the toddler’s arm and steadied her.

“You’re good with kids,” she commented.

There it was again—the total shock in Parker’s eyes. “I’m not.”

Bailey flinched at his suddenly rough tone. “But Zach—”