Sawyer (5 page)

“That’s right.” Diane spared him another frosty glance with her cool green eyes before fastening her attention on Sawyer. “I’ll try to answer any questions you have. I want to help you catch April’s killer.” And judging from the quick glare she gave Willy, she thought he was that killer.

“Come on,” Bree instructed Willy, and she led him to the first interview room.

“Don’t believe a word that quack says,” Willy warned them. “And if she tries to pin this murder on me, she’ll be sorry.”

Other than a single soft sigh, Diane had no reaction to Willy’s threat. Bree, however, did. She put her hand on Willy’s shoulder and practically shoved him into the interview room. Sawyer waited a moment to see if Bree needed some help, but obviously she didn’t. Bree might be on the petite side, but she had a tough lawman’s attitude and a whole lot of Ryland muscle to back her up if the attitude didn’t work.

“Tell me where you were this morning,” Bree ordered Willy.

While the doctor made her way toward them, Sawyer listened in on Willy’s answer.

“At home sleeping in. And before you ask, no one can verify that ʼcause I live all by my lonesome. That still don’t make me a killer.”

No, but it made him a violent man with no alibi and a strong motive for murdering April.

Sawyer stepped into Grayson’s office with Cassidy, and Diane followed him.

“We’ve met,” Diane said to Cassidy and extended her hand for Cassidy to shake. “At a fund-raiser last year in San Antonio. I don’t expect you to remember, but someone introduced me to you and your brother.”

Judging from Cassidy’s reaction, that wasn’t much of a surprise. Probably because she attended a lot of functions like that.

“Now, back to April,” Diane went on. “Like I said earlier, she was a troubled woman. I’d be happy to help you in any way that I can.”

So, her offer of help was one possible roadblock removed, and Sawyer didn’t waste any time. “When’s the last time you saw her?”

“Two weeks ago for our regular counseling session. When she didn’t show for her appointment yesterday, I had to report it to the judge. It’s part of her parole agreement.” She opened her mouth, no doubt to ask some questions of her own, but Sawyer went first.

“April was still pregnant two weeks ago?”

Diane nodded. Then she gasped, touching her perfectly manicured peach fingernails to her color-coordinated mouth. “Oh, God. Please tell me her killer didn’t hurt the baby, too.”

“I don’t think so. We’re trying to determine if it’s her baby that we found. Any idea if April was involved in something illegal? Like kidnapping maybe?”

Diane’s eyes suddenly weren’t so cool. There was concern in them. “She didn’t say anything about breaking the law again. Why, is that what happened?”

“I’m not sure.” And that wasn’t a lie. Sawyer didn’t know. Just because the woman associated with thugs and had a criminal record, it didn’t mean she was up to no good this time around. She could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Did April say anything about my brother, Bennie?” Cassidy blurted out.

“Only that she was seeing him. Why?” Diane asked. “Does your brother have something to do with her murder?”

Sawyer hoped not. For Cassidy’s sake. “When you last saw April,” Sawyer continued, “did she seem unnerved about anything?”

Diane drew in a weary breath. “Only Willy. She was trying to hide from him, but she was worried that he was going to track her down at one of our appointments. That’s why we changed the dates several times, and then I finally just moved our sessions to my home. She was terrified that Willy would do something to make her lose the baby.”

Because Willy thought the baby wasn’t his. “Why did Willy think April was afraid of you?”

Diane shrugged, then huffed. “Probably because the counseling sessions with April were court-appointed. He’s a career criminal with a violent streak. I suspect he doesn’t trust anyone or anything associated with the law.”

That made sense. In a way. Still, Sawyer had to wonder if that was all there was to it.

Diane opened her purse, extracted a business card and handed it to Sawyer. “Call me if you hear anything. Or if I can help. As I said, I’m anxious to help catch whoever did this to April.”

She turned to leave, but Sawyer stopped her. “You didn’t ask how April was murdered,” he said.

Diane blinked, and for just a split second there seemed to be some panic in her eyes. “I assumed you’d tell me if you could. Police hold that type of information back sometimes.”

“Sometimes,” he repeated, continuing to watch her and continuing to give her a suspicious once-over.

No crack in the composure this time. Diane issued a crisp goodbye and walked out, her pricey heels clicking on the tile floor.

“You don’t trust her?” Cassidy asked.

“The jury’s still out on that.” He wasn’t about to distrust her only because of the things Willy had said. Because Sawyer definitely didn’t trust April’s tattooed ex.

Sawyer glanced at the interview room. “I’ll call one of the other deputies, and once he’s here, we can leave for the ranch.”

Where maybe Cassidy would get some rest. She looked ready to fall on her face. Sawyer took out his phone, but Cassidy’s rang before he had a chance to make the call. There was no name or number. The caller had blocked the info.

He pushed the button to answer it and put the call on speaker so Cassidy could hear.

“Ms. O’Neal?” the caller said in a mechanical voice. It was obviously being filtered through some kind of voice-alteration device. “We’re the people who have your brother.”

“Is Bennie all right?” she immediately asked.

“For now. You were late bringing that photo, and it’s going to cost you. Or better yet, it’ll cost your brother—”

“No, please. Don’t hurt him.”

“We won’t if you do exactly as we say. Tomorrow morning at ten, you and Agent Sawyer Ryland are to deliver the money to us. We’ll be calling back with details of the location.”

“We need to speak to Bennie,” Sawyer insisted. “To make sure he’s still alive.”

“Tomorrow you’ll get the chance to talk to him and see him if you follow the rules. A half-million dollars, and only the two of you will come for the exchange. Mess it up again, Ms. O’Neal, and you’ll get your brother killed.”

“Please, let me talk to him,” Cassidy begged.

But she was talking to the air because the kidnapper had already hung up.

Chapter Six

Cassidy stepped into the sprawling ranch house just ahead of Sawyer, and the first thing she heard were the sounds of children.

Lots of them.

“This way,” Sawyer said, and he led her down a corridor and to a massive playroom, where she spotted a man and three kids. Two dark-haired toddler girls and a little boy about the same age. The room was filled with all sorts of toys, books and games, and there were several playpens and cribs positioned against the walls.

The man was stretched out on the floor while the children ran circles around him. Occasionally, the man would reach up and goose out of them on their bellies. They were clearly enjoying the game because they howled with laughter.

Despite the happy scene, Cassidy’s heart dropped when she didn’t immediately see the baby, but then she spotted her in a wicker basket on the table next to the man. She was sound asleep, though Cassidy didn’t know how she managed it with all the noise.

“This is Gage,” Sawyer said, tipping his head to the goosing man. “Another cousin. He’s a Silver Creek deputy, and the father of that one.” He pointed to the boy. “His name is Luke. And the other two are Bree and Kade’s twins, Leah and Mia. Folks, this is Cassidy.”

Gage sat up, flashing a smile that was familiar. Apparently, it was a Ryland trait, because she’d seen the same smile on Sawyer. She’d called it a bedroom smile because that’s exactly where it had caused her and Sawyer to land.

Cassidy pushed aside the heat that came with those memories and wondered when she was ever going to forget them. Maybe once she managed to put some space between Sawyer and her, but heaven knows when that was going to happen. She just seemed to keep getting in deeper and deeper with him.

Now they were supposed to do a ransom drop together.

That definitely wouldn’t give her any space.

“I see you got babysitting duty,” Sawyer remarked to Gage.

“Yeah, everybody’s tied up with the investigation and other stuff. The baby’s already had her bottle and a diaper change. Much easier changing her than my boy.” He hitched his thumb toward his son. “Luke thinks diaper time is practice for hosing me down.”

The little boy paused, only to grin at his dad, and continued the game.

“Any breaks in the case?” Gage asked.

“None,” Sawyer answered. “Ransom drop’s supposed to be tomorrow. The kidnappers will give us the location and details then.”

Cassidy needed to focus on the conversation, but it was hard to do that when the three children started running around her. Apparently, they were resuming their game, and she was to be the new gooser. She truly sucked at it because on her first attempt, she nearly poked one of the little girls in the eye.

“And what about her?” Gage asked, glancing at the baby.

Sawyer lifted his shoulder. “The doctor took a sample of her DNA and blood. We could know soon if the dead woman was her mother.”

And they’d also know who the father was.

She didn’t miss the way Gage volleyed glances between Sawyer and the baby. “You think she’s yours?”

Sawyer didn’t jump to answer. “Maybe. I’ve ruled out one woman, but there was someone else. Just a one-nighter, and I haven’t been able to track her down.”

A one-nighter. Like Cassidy. It shouldn’t have stung, but it did, and it made her wonder just how many women that smile and those hot looks had seduced.

She really didn’t want to know.

“Just give me a call if you need any help,” Gage offered, and he motioned toward the diaper bag next to the baby. “I think you’ll find everything you need in there.” He paused though, glanced at both Sawyer and her. “You two sure you’re up to this? A newborn’s a lot of work.”

“We’re up to it,” she heard herself say, though Cassidy had no idea if they truly were. All she knew was she didn’t want the baby to have to spend the night in the hospital and she didn’t want to have to stay the night at the Ryland ranch with all of Sawyer’s kin around. It would be bad enough with just the two of them at his place.

Three of them, she corrected.

Having the baby around would make her stay with Sawyer seem less, well, intimate. Not that he had any notion of intimacy happening between them.

Sawyer looped the diaper bag over his shoulder and reached for the baby, but the sounds of footsteps and voices stopped him.

Even though she figured the ranch was safe, Cassidy still went on alert. However, it was a false alarm because Mason and a very pregnant brunette came into the room. They were kissing and seemingly ignoring the kids trailing along with them.

The woman broke the kiss with Mason. His wife, no doubt. And her face flushed a little when she saw Cassidy and Sawyer. Smiling, she made her way to Cassidy and offered her hand.

“I’m Abbie Ryland. I hope Gage welcomed you to our
quiet
home.”

Cassidy nodded and watched the children stream in.

Abbie laughed at her slack-jawed reaction. Mason mumbled something about them having their own baseball team. But there seemed to be a lot more than just nine of them.

“That’s Robbie,” Abbie said, pointing to a little boy who was about three. “He’s Dade and Kayla’s son.” She looked around the room, spotted a toddler with loose brown curls and enormous gray eyes. “And that’s their daughter, Meggie. Be careful, she bites.”

Cassidy felt more than a little foolish when she dropped back a step. The little girl looked like an angel. But she did have teeth.

Mason scooped up one of the boys and tossed him over his shoulder. “This is Grayson’s boy, Chet. The rest are Nate and Darcy’s brood. Kimmie, Noah and Bella.”

Kimmie was a red-haired girl about four. Noah appeared to be about the same age, and the other girl, Bella, looked to be around two.

“How do you keep them all straight?” Cassidy asked, and even though Abbie chuckled, it wasn’t exactly a joke.

The red-haired girl made a beeline for Abbie. “Hello, Max.” She got on her tiptoes to kiss Abbie’s very pregnant belly. “When can he come out and play with us?”

“Hopefully, very soon,” Abbie said at the same moment Mason said, “Not soon enough.”

The little girl made a
hmm
ing sound. “You sure Max knows how to get out of there?”

Gage sputtered out a cough, laughing. Sawyer covered a laugh, too. Mason just looked his normal ornery self. Well, until he patted his wife’s belly, and some of the orneriness vanished.

“Don’t worry,” Mason told Kimmie, ruffling her curly red hair. “The doctor will give Max directions.”

That answer seemed to satisfy Kimmie, and her attention landed on the baby. “Aw, she’s still sleeping. When’s she gonna wake up?”

“Pretty soon if you don’t lower your voice,” Gage teased.

But Kimmie gave her uncle a play punch on the arm and peered into the basket again. “Can we name her Emma?”

“Isn’t that your doll’s name?” Abbie asked.

“Yeah, but she could share it. It’s a good name, and I can spell it already.” Kimmie did exactly that and looked at Sawyer, obviously waiting for his approval.

He finally nodded. “All right. We’ll call her Emma until we find out what her real name is. But you know that she can’t stay with us, right?”

That sent some yelps and rumbles of disapproval from the three girls and Noah. It was amazing that with all these playmates, they would want more.

They were family.

And that hit Cassidy hard, too.

It had only been Bennie and her for the past fourteen years. Their parents had been killed when she was only a teenager. Bennie had been just ten. Hard to make a family under those circumstances, but Cassidy had tried.

For all the good it had done her.

Now Bennie’s life was on the line, and she might not even be able to save him.

The touch on her arm nearly caused her to gasp, until Cassidy realized it was Sawyer. “Ready to go?” he asked over the chatter of the children. She wasn’t sure when he’d done it, but he had the baby, basket and all, tucked beneath his arm.

She nodded and managed to say, “It was nice to meet you,” to the Ryland clan.

“Social Services will probably be by your place first thing in the morning,” Mason told them. “You’re sure you don’t want her to stay with one of the nannies tonight?”

Sawyer shook his head. “The nannies and the rest of you have your hands full. But I’ll need a vehicle with an infant seat. Is there one out back?”

“Several,” Gage verified. “The keys are in the mudroom. Pick one with a pink key chain.” He shrugged when Sawyer and Cassidy stared at him. “Hey, with this many kids, you gotta keep things simple.”

Sawyer smiled, shook his head and brushed a kiss on Abbie’s cheek before he ushered Cassidy out of the chaos and back into the hall.

“You okay?” he asked her.

She nodded, but it was a lie. “I’m worried about tomorrow.” First, though, she had to get through the night.

“Yeah.” And that’s all he said. It seemed to be enough, especially considering she’d just witnessed how important family was to him. Still, Bennie wasn’t just her family. He was more like her own son.

When they reached the mudroom off the kitchen, she spotted the key rack near the door, and there were indeed two sets with a pink plastic key ring. Sawyer plucked one, opened the door and clicked the keypad. The lights on a dark green SUV came on, and they hurried to it. It had finally stopped raining, but there was a cool mist in the air, so it was best to get the baby inside.

She watched as Sawyer moved the baby from the basket to the car seat. “I’ve gotten good at this,” he mumbled when he caught her staring at him.

Yes, he had, and somehow it didn’t hurt his bad-boy image.

Sawyer took a narrow dirt-and-gravel road that led away from the main house. They passed several other houses, some barns and plenty of pasture before she spotted his place. He hadn’t exaggerated when he’d said it was on the back part of the ranch. Sawyer had to go through a cattle gate to reach the one-story white limestone house.

“The place didn’t used to be part of the Silver Creek Ranch,” he told her. “But after I moved back two years ago, my uncle Boone repositioned the fence to include my house.”

“Does that mean there’s a security system?” she asked.

He nodded. “Both inside and out. There are sensors on the fence that’ll trigger an alarm if anyone tries to get to the house by cutting through the woods.”

Good. She wanted all the precautions they could take, especially since the baby was with them.

Sawyer didn’t waste any time getting them into the house, but the movement woke the baby. The moment he set the basket on the kitchen table, she started to cry. Not a loud wail but rather soft, kittenlike sounds. Still, it was more than enough to get their attention. Cassidy was ready to scoop her up, but the baby closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Cassidy’s shoulders dropped. She was far from a pro at baby holding, but it would have given her suddenly restless hands and mind something to do.

Other than worry about her brother.

Sawyer used the keypad by the door to set the security system, and he tipped his head to the fridge. “Help yourself. I know you must be hungry.”

She wasn’t. Her stomach was still in knots.

“This way to the guest room.” He picked up the basket, and they moved toward the side of the house. “I’m here,” he said, pointing to one bedroom. “You’re there.”

There
in this case was directly across the hall from his room. That sent some heat running through her, but the heat cooled when she looked at the baby.

“What about Emma?” she asked.

He lifted an eyebrow, probably at the easy use of the name that Kimmie had given her, but it was better than just calling her “the baby.”

“I’ll put the basket on the cedar chest at the foot of my bed. I’m guessing she...Emma,” he corrected, “will wake up at least a couple of times. So, if you want to get some rest, you’ll have to close the door.”

“I’ll be fine,” Cassidy settled for saying. And she’d keep the door open. Not just so she could hear and maybe help with the baby but because she wanted to know if someone tried to break in.

Sawyer studied her a moment, frowned. “You don’t look fine. Your nerves are showing.”

Until he said that, Cassidy had thought she’d been keeping those nerves at bay. Well, almost. But his words brought them right back to the surface. “I’m worried about Bennie. About tomorrow.” Her voice cracked, causing her to silently curse.

Tears and a shaky voice weren’t going to help, but she couldn’t seem to stop, either.

“It’s part of the adrenaline crash,” Sawyer supplied, and he eased the basket onto the cedar chest. “A hot shower might help.”

She nodded but didn’t move. “I have the ransom money waiting at the bank, but maybe I should have brought it here. Just in case they give us a short window for delivering the money.”

He walked to her, huffed. “
Us,
again? I’m going to try hard to make sure there is no
us
for the money drop.”

“That didn’t work out so well last time.” She’d meant to sound tough, but her quivery voice told a different story.

“It’ll work this time,” he said with complete assurance. It was probably wishful thinking at best and a lie at worst, but Cassidy decided to accept it.

For now anyway.

He reached out as if he might touch her but then drew back his hand. “Probably not a good idea,” he mumbled.

It wasn’t.

Still, that didn’t stop him from running his hand down her arm. It was a friendly soothing gesture, and she was surprised how much it helped with those unsteady nerves.

“I’ll take that shower now,” she said. But Cassidy didn’t move.

She stood there, her gaze connected with Sawyer’s, and his hand on her arm. A dozen things went through her mind, including an attempt to convince him once more that she hadn’t slept with him to get info about his investigation into her brother. However, she doubted she’d ever convince him of that.

Then Cassidy saw it. The fire burning in his sizzling blue eyes. And she also saw that he was as disgusted with it as he was with her. But despite the fierce battle in those eyes, she also saw it was a battle he was losing.