A Texas Hero

Walt had to blink every time he looked at his granddaughter. Long black hair hung around her face. Dyed black hair. That crazy mother of hers let the child dye her hair with a purple streak. Her T-shirt and jeans were black, as were her fingernails and toenails. It felt like an alien had been dropped among them.

Levi took a step toward her. “We’ll do everything we can to find him.”

“Like I care.” She turned on her heel and marched back to her room, slamming the door.

Walt pointed a finger at Levi. “Find Ethan and bring him home. My patience is wearing about as thin as the hair on my head.”

“Try not to worry,” Levi told him.

“Yeah. That’s what the bobcat said to the chicken right before he took a big bite.”

“I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”

Walt went out the back door to the wood deck Ethan had built for Kelsey, complete with a barbecue pit and lawn furniture so she could have friends over. He’d also installed a trampoline. Kelsey never used any of them. She stayed locked in her room watching vampire movies. He’d always wanted a grandchild, but he never dreamed it would be like this.

He sank into a cushioned redwood chair and buried his face in his hands. His boy had to come home. And then he did something he hadn’t done in a long time. He prayed.

* * *

ABBY FOLLOWED ETHAN’S rigid back through the woods. Her sweat-soaked body ached, but she trudged on, determined not to slow them down. She hoped her dad wasn’t too worried. He’d had a spell with his heart a few months ago and she didn’t want it to turn into something more. Dealing with Doug wasn’t going to be easy. He’d demand to take Chloe, if only to show the world he was a good father and to prove Abby was inept as a mother.

Her game plan of the morning had changed drastically. Doug would appear all concerned but he would use the morning’s events against her when it came to custody of Chloe. Her job was dangerous; he’d said that so many times, especially since there had been a rash of bank robberies lately.

She’d been a vice president in the corporate offices of the Bauman bank. When she had Chloe, she’d stayed at home to be a mom. Even after the divorce was final, Doug continually pleaded for her to come back to her old job where it was safe, but she stuck to her guns of being independent and on her own. Being a teller was a long way from her cushy job.

Instead of thinking of the past, she concentrated on the man ahead of her. He really went out of his way to be rude. Why would he do that? She’d read somewhere that victims often fell in love with their rescuers. That was one concern he didn’t have to worry about. She wasn’t in the mood to fall in love, especially with a hard-ass like him.

She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in his life to make him so harsh and disillusioned about women. In that area they had a lot in common. She wasn’t sure if she knew what love was anymore.

God, she was so thirsty. And hot. When was he going to stop? No sooner than the thought had left her mind, he stopped, and, of course, she ran into him.

“Oh.” She stepped back. “You startled me.” His back was like a wall of steel. She’d never touched anything that powerful, and she was really glad he was on her side. Or, at least, she thought he was. Sometimes it was difficult to tell.

“Time for a break,” he said and slid to the ground beneath a huge oak. He sat, his back against the tree, his arms by his sides, his legs outstretched—totally at rest.

“How far do you think we’ve walked?” she asked, sitting beside him.

“Maybe two miles.”

“And nothing but more woods.”

“Yep.”

“This is frustrating.”

“Yep.”

“Do you think our families have been notified?”

“Yep.”

She gritted her teeth and immediately stopped when she realized how bad her jaw hurt. “Can’t you say something besides yep?”

“Nope.”

He was one cantankerous man. “It’s just you and me out here. You could be a little more cordial.”

“This isn’t a party.” He turned his head and she looked into his dark, dark eyes. It was like staring into the darkest of nights and seeing nothing, but feeling the power all around her. Fear. Frustration. Warmth.

She had to search deep to find the warmth, but it was there. And if she looked long enough she felt she’d find that Ethan James was a soft cuddly puppy inside—all warm and loving. A side this hard-nosed cop never showed to anyone.

“Some woman really did a number on you.” She hadn’t realized she’d spoken the words out loud until she heard them coming out of her mouth.

“Yep.”

She laughed and it startled her. She didn’t think she had any laughter left in her.

His eyes narrowed. “You find that funny?”

“Yep,” she replied in his stern, husky voice.

The corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly, but she saw it.

“You know you’re not the only one who has had their heart stomped on.”

“Listen, lady...”

“You keep calling me lady even though I’ve asked you not to. Somehow you feel if you say my name it makes our relationship personal. Let me tell you something, we’ve been through a bank robbery and barely escaped with our lives. That’s personal and frightening and anything else you want to tag on to it, but if you think I’m going to fall madly in love with you because of it, you better think again, Mr. Hard As Nails. I’ve had one jerkface in my life and I’m not looking for another.”

“Are you through?”

“No. If you keep yepping me, I’m gonna yep you right back.”

He stared at her and she stared back. “I can’t imagine anyone taking advantage of you, with your fiery tongue.”

“I was very naive back then. Did your mother ever read fairy tales to you?”

“What?”

“Fairy tales. Cinderella? Sleeping Beauty?”

“Hell, no.”

“You’re lying, Ethan James.”

“Well, yeah, she read me stories like Cowboy Billy and horse ones. I didn’t pay attention to the others.”

“I did. I dreamed of one day finding my prince. He’d be handsome, charming, compassionate, have a great sense of humor and high values and morals. We’d fall madly in love, get married and live happily ever after on Fairy Tale Lane.” She stuck a finger in her mouth and pretended to gag. “I can’t believe I was that stupid but, sadly, I was a clone of millions of women looking for a prince and ending up with a big toad.”