Stockyard Snatching (22 page)

“Don’t do that. Don’t bring up a wall between us.” Hurt registered in his dark eyes.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to deal with this,” she said, her gaze focused on the patch of floor in front of her. Feeling a sudden chill, she rubbed her arms.

“How about we take it one day at a time,” he suggested. He covered well, but she detected a note of disappointment in his voice.

The last thing Kate wanted to do was hurt the one man helping her. The emotions she felt for Dallas confused her, and even though it made no sense, they felt far more dangerous than anything else they faced.

“I don’t know if I can do that,” she admitted.

“Will you at least tell me why not?”

“I’m scared.”

* * *

“
T
HEN
LET’S
NOT
overthink whatever’s happening between us,” Dallas said, moving to her and then kissing her forehead.

She smiled up at him, which wasn’t the same as agreement, and his heart stuttered.

His cell phone buzzed. He fished it out of his pocket and answered, deciding the two of them needed to have a sit-down when this mess was all over to talk about a future. Dallas had no idea what that meant exactly, but he wanted Kate and Jackson in his life.

After saying a few “uh-huh”s into the phone, he ended the call.

“Doc’s here,” he said, moving to the front door.

He opened it before she could knock. Dallas was ready to get an answer to at least one of his questions.

After introductions were made, he asked, “What do you need from me to get the ball rolling?”

Dr. McConnell smiled, winked and set down her bag. “A swab on the inside of your cheek should do the trick.”

Kate brought Jackson over, sat on the couch and then put him on her lap for easier access. She dropped his toy at least three times before the doctor managed to obtain his swab.

“How long before you’ll get the results?” Dallas asked, mostly wanting to ease Kate’s concern.

“I’ll walk this into the lab myself as soon as I leave here,” Dr. McConnell said as she secured the samples. “So I should have news tomorrow around this time.”

Kate’s eyes grew wide and then she refocused on her son. Dallas could almost feel the panic welling inside her.

“Thank you for taking care of this personally,” he said, standing to offer a handshake.

“You’re not getting away that easily,” Dr. McConnell said, pulling him in for a hug. She and his mother had been close friends. “I said it before, but I’m sorry about your folks. I miss my friends every day.”

“Same here,” Dallas said, appreciating the sentiment. “There’s something I need to tell you before you go.”

She looked up at him.

“It’ll be in the news soon enough, even though Tommy is doing his level best to suppress the story, and I told my brothers this morning,” Dallas said. “I thought you should know before everyone else.”

“What is it, Dallas?”

“The toxicology results came back with a suspicious substance, cyanide. Mother and Pop were poisoned,” he said.

It looked as though the doctor needed a minute to let that information sink in.

“That would explain your father’s heart attack. He was in excellent physical condition and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about him having a heart attack while driving.” Dr. McConnell touched his arm and drew in a deep breath. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me, too.”

“Why? How?” Her voice was soft. Tears streamed down her face. “They were such good people. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt your parents. Is there any chance the substance was accidentally ingested?”

“That’s the question of the day.” Dallas brought her in for another hug. “No matter what, I pledge to get to the bottom of this. If someone killed my parents, then I won’t rest until they pay for what they did.”

“I’d like to have the poison expert at my hospital take a look at the report. Give another opinion.” Dr. McConnell wiped away her tears and straightened her rounded shoulders.

“Any additional eyes we can get on the case, the better,” Dallas said. “Any help you can give is much appreciated.”

“This happened the day after the art auction,” she said. “So they were around a lot of people that night and the next day.”

“If they were murdered, we’ll find the SOB,” he said, his mind already clicking through possibilities. He’d have Tommy request all the pictures taken that night so he could figure out exactly who had attended the party. The guest list would be easy enough to locate and there’d be dozens of others—waiters, bartenders and cooks.

There was a professional photographer hired for the party, as well as Harper Smith from the society page of the local newspaper.

“I can’t think of one person who would want to hurt your parents,” Dr. McConnell said, still in disbelief.

“Me, either,” Dallas stated.

She took a breath, pursed her lips and nodded. “If I can be of any help, you know my number.”

“I won’t hesitate,” Dallas said.

She hugged him again before taking up her bag and saying goodbye to Kate. Stopped at the door, she shifted her gaze from Kate to Dallas. “I hope everything works out the way it’s supposed to.”

Dallas saw the doctor out, then turned to Kate. “Are you doing okay?”

Her shoulders sagged and sadness was written in the lines of her face. “I didn’t know about your parents.”

“I just found out yesterday. I’m still trying to process the news.”

“From Tommy?” Kate seemed hurt that he hadn’t shared the information with her sooner.

Dallas moved to her side and sat down next to her, ignoring the heat where his thigh pressed against hers. “The only reason I didn’t bring it up last night was because there was so much else going on.”

“It’s okay, Dallas. You don’t have to tell me anything,” she said, trying to mask her pain and put on a brave face.

“I’d planned to tell you, but with everything else happening I was trying to process the news myself and then tell my brothers. I overloaded last night, and being with you was the only thing keeping me sane.”

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers. “I just hope you can understand.”

She didn’t say anything right away. She just breathed.

“I do,” she murmured at last, and Dallas finally exhaled.

The deputy and sketch artist stopped by next. It took Dallas only fifteen minutes with the artist for him to capture the image in Dallas’s mind. He thanked them before walking them both out.

For the next hour, Dallas played with Jackson on the floor alongside Kate. He sensed that her nerves were on edge.

“I wasn’t expecting to feel this stressed about the test,” she finally admitted.

“One phone call is all it takes to make it go away, if you don’t want this to go any further,” Dallas said.

“Between you and some random criminal being Jackson’s father, I’m hoping it’s you,” she said.

“That’s quite an endorsement,” he responded, and he couldn’t help but laugh despite all the heaviness inside him.

Kate joined him, a much-needed release of nervous tension for both of them, despite the tragic circumstances.

“Well, if I have to have a child out there, this little guy isn’t a bad one to have,” Dallas said. “You hungry?”

“Starving,” she said. “I need to feed Jackson and put him down for a nap first.”

“What sounds good?” Dallas asked, ignoring her comment. He might not be able to take care of Jackson on his own, but he could order lunch.

“A hamburger and fries,” she said, making a little mewling sound.

Dallas remembered hearing a similar one earlier that morning while they’d made love. He cracked a smile, thinking how much he’d like to hear it again.

* * *

E
ARLY
THE
NEXT
MORNING
, the door to the guest room opened a crack. Kate pushed up to a sitting position, careful not to wake Jackson.

“Thought you’d want to know that Stacy’s going home this morning,” he said in a whisper.

“That’s great news,” Kate said. “Or maybe not. I’m worried about her being home alone.”

“I’m sending Reece to stay with her just until this case is resolved,” he said, and then his expression sobered. “I got a text from Tommy that Seaver has been picked up and is being brought into the station. From what I’ve been told, he’s not real happy about it. Janis is on her way over to stay with the baby. I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”

Kate kissed her son, got dressed and met Dallas in the kitchen.

He walked up to her, gaze locked on hers, cradled her neck with his right hand and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“There,” he said, after pulling back. “That’s a better way to start the day.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she said, smiling. “I missed you last night.”

He kissed the corners of her mouth as a soft knock sounded at the door.

“I’ll get the coffee.” Kate had already noticed the travel mugs on the counter.

Dallas opened the door for Janis.

“Is my baby sleeping?” she asked.

“Yes. But probably not for much longer.” Kate filled mugs and brought them with her into the living room.

“Then I’ll read quietly. Is he in the guest room?”

Dallas nodded as he took his mug from Kate. “Ready?”

“Let’s do this,” she said.

“We’ll take my brother’s Jeep. Colin drove it over this morning for us,” Dallas said.

He had a big family. She’d met Tyler so far. She wanted to get to know the others, too.

As she said goodbye to her son and hauled herself into the Jeep, Kate wondered what it must’ve been like growing up in such a large family. It had been only she and Carter as children. Maybe that was why his recent closeness with their mother seemed like such a betrayal.

Dust kicked up on the road, which was barely visible in the predawn light.

“We’re going to exit on the east side of the ranch, near Colin’s place. He’s similar in height and build, so I’m hoping no one will recognize me. You might want to get in the backseat and lie on your side until we clear the area safely.”

Kate unbuckled her seat belt and climbed into the rear. “Tell me when to duck.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The ride to the sheriff’s office went off without a hitch. Dallas’s plan to throw off whoever might be watching by switching vehicles seemed to be working, and Kate finally breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled into the parking lot.

Facing Seaver had her nerves on edge, knowing he was somehow involved if not completely behind the abduction attempt.

Tommy met them as soon as they walked through the door. “He’s confessed to everything,” he said.

“What?” Kate could hardly believe what she was hearing.

“We’re making arrangements for Seaver to turn state’s evidence against Raphael Manuel,” the lawman added, ushering them into his office. “Manuel was Susan’s boyfriend. We connected him using the sketch you gave us yesterday.

“The man you identified is a known criminal who’s wanted for murder in New Mexico and Texas. And Seaver confessed that he happens to be the father of Susan’s child.”

Kate’s head spun as she tried to wrap her mind around the information coming at her at what felt like a hundred miles an hour. It occurred to her that while Dallas was in the clear, her son’s situation still hung in the balance. Susan and this man could be Jackson’s parents.

“You know this for certain?” Dallas asked.

“One hundred percent,” his friend declared. “There’s no way you fathered Susan’s child.”

The paternity-test results would prove that, but Dallas was relieved not to have to wait. “What about Susan?”

“Found out from the marshal who will handle Seaver that she is safe and tucked far away until the trial,” Tommy said. “She broke off her relationship with Manuel after she caught him engaging in criminal activity, and made a desperate call to you. The Feds have been building a case ever since. With her and Seaver’s testimony, Manuel will go away for a long time.”

“How is Seaver involved?” Dallas asked.

“Manuel had his henchmen kidnap babies, but he learned from Harold Matthews that some of the adoptions were kept off the books at Safe Haven. Manuel tracked several to Seaver and threatened to kill the lawyer’s family if he didn’t help locate his son.”

“And he had worked with me and Jackson,” Kate said quietly.

Both men nodded.

“Which accounts for the change in MO,” Dallas said.

“Seaver is deathly afraid of guns and he didn’t want to take the chance that someone would get killed. The assignment was to take the babies and test them, not hurt them or their mothers,” Tommy explained.

“So, Seaver arranged Jackson’s abduction,” Dallas said.

“And admitted to setting up Allen to throw us off the trail,” Tommy stated.

“Which almost worked,” Kate mused.

“Where’s Manuel?” Dallas asked.

“We don’t know. The marshal is processing a warrant right now so they can pick him up.”

“They have to locate him first,” Dallas said.

Tommy’s cell buzzed. “Hold on. I need to take this.”

Dallas’s arms were around Kate, and for the first time in a long time, she felt a glimmer of hope.

And then Tommy looked at her with an apologetic expression. Her stomach dropped.

“Manuel must’ve followed Seaver’s trail to your brother. Carter has been abducted.”

“What?” Kate’s heart sank. This could not be happening. She’d spoken to him just yesterday. Carter had to be fine.

The only thing keeping her upright was Dallas’s arms around her. Her head spun and she could barely hear the quiet reassurances he whispered in her ear.

“We have to find him,” she said, her knees almost giving out.

“They want Jackson,” Dallas said, holding her tight. “They won’t hurt Carter.” His words wrapped around her, kept her from succumbing to the absolute panic threatening to take her under.

She gasped. “My phone. What if Carter tried to call? I have to get to my phone.”

“Where is it?” Dallas asked.

“In the diaper bag at the ranch.” Hold on. She could check her messages from anywhere.

Dallas must’ve realized what she was thinking, because he made a move for his own cell. “Try this.”