Her Rocky Mountain Protector

“Come on, boy. We’ve got a kid to find.” The shepherd jumped out of the backseat and waited for his next command.

Grady reached back inside the vehicle, took the Glock from under the driver’s seat and tucked the gun in the waistband of his jeans against his back. He was going to be prepared for anything.

Reed appeared. “I see you don’t need me to issue you a weapon.” The sheriff looked concerned. “I’m going to send one of my men with you.”

“No. Alone. I’ll move faster and with less chance of being seen.” He stared at the sheriff. “You have to trust me on this.”

“Okay.” Reed Larkin handed him a small radio. “Here, you’ll need this to communicate with us.”

Grady took it, then walked over to Gina Williams, seeing the fear on her face. “I’ll do everything I can to bring the boy back. So don’t try anything stupid, or the sheriff will send you back to town. Let us handle this.”

She nodded. “Just hurry. Please!”

Grady settled her in the truck and then he went to the sheriff. Grady knew these mountains. His grandpa had taken him around every mine and cliff along this face of the mountain range. He glanced at his dog. “Come on, boy, let’s find Zack.” He prayed that his words would come true. Maybe this time he would be there when someone’s child needed him.

Gina watched as Grady and Scout started up the back side of the mountain. She began to pray that they would be able to get to her son before any harm came to him. She closed her eyes and could feel her ex-husband’s slap across her face just as if it were happening again.

But it never stopped at just a slap. There were also those closed fists that slammed into her body. A tear dropped to her cheek and she quickly wiped it away.

No! She wasn’t going to let Eric win again. She was going to make a life for her son here in Destiny. Zack was going to have a happy childhood. She wasn’t going to let Eric hurt her little boy again. Even if she had to stop him herself.

“Gina.”

She opened her eyes to see Reed standing next to the truck. “I wish I could tell you everything is going to be all right, but I can’t. Only you know your ex. Has he ever hurt his son?”

“He hadn’t until the last time. That’s when Eric learned that he could inflict more pain on me by making Zack his target.”

Reed’s nostrils flared. “I swear, Gina, we’ll do everything possible to get Zack away from him. Grady Fletcher is retired army. He’s served overseas and is combat trained.” The radio squawked. “That’s Fletcher.”

He pulled the radio out and spoke into it. “Larkin, here.”

“I’ve reached the mine. He could be inside, or Zack could be there. Since I can’t see Lowell, I don’t know. You need to draw him out.”

“Roger.” The sheriff looked at Gina. “We need to draw Eric out in the open.”

“Use me,” she said, and started out of the truck. “I can distract him.” She wanted Grady Fletcher to get a good shot at him.

“Give me a few minutes,” the sheriff said, then signed off. “Gina, don’t do anything foolish. Your ex isn’t worried about leaving here. He wants revenge on you.”

“I don’t care. Zack is the only thing that matters.”

“But he needs his mother, too.”

“Just not a mother who’s let him down so many times,” she breathed. “But not this time, not any more.”

Grady was pressed flat against the rock wall as he moved toward his target. He gave the hand signal for Scout to stay behind and continued around the boulder. There he heard the sheriff call to Lowell.

“Hey, Eric, your wife wants to talk to you.”

Nothing. There was no movement, no sign of the guy. “Come on, you bastard,” Grady breathed.

Then he heard Gina’s voice. “Eric!” she called. “Eric, please talk to me. I know you don’t want to hurt Zack. So I want to make a trade. Zack for me.”

Lowell finally spoke. “I’m not falling for that,” he told her.

Grady got a location. The kidnapper was just on the other side of the boulder. He looked down at Scout to see the animal’s ears go up. He gave a hand signal to stay. The animal obeyed.

Again, Gina called out. “Please, Eric. I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt Zack. Please.”

“I like to hear you beg, Gina,” Lowell said. “Come on, convince me some more.”

That was when Grady saw him. The man came out just enough to get into his line of sight. He looked to be around six feet tall. His body was lean and strong, probably from working out in prison. Grady wasn’t impressed. Not by a man who used his strength to beat up on women. He just hoped the guy wasn’t too smart.

Lowell called his ex-wife a few choice names. “Tell me what you want, wife. You always want something.” The man moved toward the ledge. He knelt down for protection. “I’ll need more than just you, if you want my son. That big sister of yours inherited a boatload of money. I want a cut.”

“How much?” Gina asked without hesitation.

“A few million should get me where I want to go. I’ll also need transportation.”

There was a pause, then Gina said, “It’s going to take some time.”

“You got an hour,” he told her.

Grady saw his chance and took it. He came out behind the guy, just as he turned around. Grady managed to knock Eric’s rifle out of his hand, but that didn’t stop him.

Lowell charged at him, landing several blows, then Grady got in a good one, knocking the man down. He called to Scout once he had subdued Eric on the ground in a choke hold.

“I got him,” Grady yelled down to the sheriff, then to Lowell he said, “I wouldn’t move if I were you.” He nodded toward the growling dog. “Scout will catch you. And I haven’t fed him today.”

Eric cursed but didn’t put up a fight as Larkin and his men showed up. One of the deputies took charge and cuffed Lowell. Larkin finished reading him his rights when Gina Williams showed up.

She ran to her ex. “Where is Zack?” she demanded.

“Go to hell,” he said. His words were slurred, his eyes glassy. Drugs, in all likelihood.

Grady walked up. “Let’s check the mine,” he said, taking out his penlight and heading to the opening that had once been boarded up but now showed signs of some of the boards having been pulled away. He stepped through the slats, Larkin and Gina right behind him.

“Come, Scout,” he called to his dog.

The shepherd immediately went into the darkness and Grady turned on the flashlight, and followed.

Gina cried out, “Zack! Mom’s here and you’re safe. Zack!” There wasn’t a sound, then a bark from Scout. They walked carefully through the maze of rocks and mining equipment. Then they reached the wide opening. That was where they saw the light and sleeping bags and camp lanterns. There was a pile of ropes abandoned on the blanket.

Gina searched around. “Where’s Zack?”

“Not sure,” the sheriff said. “Maybe Eric moved him.” He flashed the light around the cave and over the piles of blankets to the empty food containers. Then he picked up the knotted ropes. “Do you think Zack could have got away?” He glanced at Grady. “Is there another way out?”

Grady had to think a minute. Then he heard Scout’s bark again. “This way.” He started off and the others followed. They were led through a maze of rocks until they saw some light and were outside in the back of the cliff. There was no sign of the boy.

“Where is he?” Gina demanded.

Not waiting for an answer, she returned to the front of the cave. Marching over to her ex-husband, she began pounding him with her fists. “Where’s Zack? Tell me. Damn you, tell me.”

Lowell tried to move, but the deputies held him there. “Get her the hell away from me.”

When Reed Larkin finally pulled Gina back, Grady could see her tears on her face. He was about ready to give her something to beat the SOB with.

Gina couldn’t hold back any more and sobbed. “Where’s my son?”

An evil grin appeared on the jerk’s face. “Hell, Gina, I hid him so deep, you’ll never find him.”

Suddenly Grady reached out and gripped Eric’s shirt, getting the man’s attention. “You’d better hope that’s a lie, because if anything you said has one ounce of truth in it, I’ll personally take care of you myself. So I suggest you don’t push any more of my buttons, or I’ll bury you so deep no one will find you,” he said through clenched teeth, then he finally released Lowell, causing him to stumble backward.

“Hey, he threatened me,” Eric cried.

“I didn’t hear anything,” the sheriff told him, and the deputies agreed. “Maybe you better talk, and fast.”

“Who the hell are you?”

Fletcher moved closer. “Your worst nightmare. I’ve done two tours of duty in Afghanistan. I know a lot of ways to torture someone, and get rid of the body.”

Lowell’s eyes grew wide. “I swear, I left Zack back in the cave and he was tied up when I came out. I don’t know where he is now.”

Grady got in his face again. “I’d better not find out you’re lyin’.”

Eric cringed, looking like the coward he was. “Sheriff, get him away from me, I told you everything I know.”

“Take him down to the truck,” Reed said.

After the deputies took Lowell off to the vehicle, Gina turned to the sheriff. “We’ve got to go look for Zack.”

“We will, Gina,” Reed promised, and turned to Grady. “Could Scout find the boy?”

“We can try.” Grady looked around the dark area, but Scout wasn’t there. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. “Scout. Come.” There wasn’t even the sound of a bark. Now it was time for Grady to panic.

“Please, don’t hurt me,” Zack cried as the big wolf came toward him. He raised his shaking hand and waved, hoping the animal would leave his hiding place. “Just go away. Please.”

Zack took off running. He wasn’t sure what he was more afraid of, the animal or his dad finding him. He climbed the rough hillside, and went through a group of trees, but every time he looked back the big wolf was still following him. He tripped on a rock and cried out as he fell. He rolled over and saw his bloody palms. It hurt so bad, but he wasn’t going to cry. He just had to get away.

He got up and started to walk again, hoping he could find someone who would get him back to his mom. He looked up at the sky. It was getting late and it was going to be dark soon. That scared him. Nighttime was when bad things happened. He glanced over his shoulder to see the wolf was still following him. Zack climbed over the next rock and stopped. There was a coyote, then soon there were three of them.

Suddenly the wolf following him took off after the wild dogs. The animals fought, and soon the coyotes ran away, but not the wolf, who came back to him. Afraid, Zack backed away, but the animal still came closer. Then he saw a collar and a tag hanging from his neck.

“You’re a dog?”

As if he understood, the animal barked at him.

All at once the wind began to blow and Zack hugged himself. It began to rain, and lightning and thunder weren’t far behind.

The dog barked again and started off, but stopped and waited for him. Maybe the dog was taking him home. Zack went after him, but they came to another mine and the dog slipped inside, showing him the way.

Shivering, he went inside the dark old mine. He didn’t know what else to do. Inside, he stayed close to the opening, and the fading light, but couldn’t help but be curious by all the treasures. An old mining car sat on tracks. He wished there were some blankets to keep him warm. It began to pour rain outside and he stepped back. The dog came up beside him, and Zack stood very still, then he reached down and petted him. His fur was soft.

“Good dog,” Zack managed to say.

The animal nudged him away from the entrance and Zack sat. The dog sat, too. “Can I see your collar?” Zack carefully reached for the silver tag and read the letters.

“U.S. Army. Your name is Scout. Wow, you’re an army dog. You can protect me.”

Scout laid his head on Zack’s leg, and he was beginning to feel a little better. Now, if only his mom would find him.

CHAPTER THREE

THREE hours later, and exhausted from the search, everyone stood next to the sheriff’s vehicles to figure out the next move. They’d had to wait out the heavy rain, then had gone back out and combed the area once it let up, but any trail of her son had been washed out.

“But we can’t leave Zack out there,” Gina cried.

A frustrated Reed Larkin said, “Of course not, Gina, but it’s getting dark. I need to go back to town and get more volunteers and we’ll start out again at first light. The men need to eat, and get some rest.”

“It could be too late by then,” Gina argued.

The sheriff turned to Grady Fletcher. “Is there a chance your dog might be with Zack?”

Gina was hopeful. “Is that true?”

Grady nodded. “Scout might have got the boy’s scent and gone after him. If the dog couldn’t get the boy to follow him back to us, he’d stay.”

She was hopeful. “So Zack’s not alone out there?”

“It’s a possibility,” Grady told her. “I don’t know for sure.” He hesitated. “Scout had some injuries while in Afghanistan.”

Gina frowned. “Injuries? So you don’t know how he’ll act? Could he harm Zack?”

Grady shook his head. “Scout wouldn’t hurt anyone unless he’s given provocation. If he found your son, he’s been trained to stay with him. He’ll protect him with his life.”

The sheriff stepped in. “I know I can’t get you to go back to town, Gina, but I can call Lori.”

“No, I don’t want her out in this weather. She’s pregnant and Jace is out of town.”

“So you’re going to spend the night in a truck?” the sheriff argued. “And there’s more rain expected.”

“I’ll be all right.” She turned to Grady. “That is, if you’d be willing stay, too. Of course I’ll pay you for your time.”

The man straightened. “I don’t want your money. I’ll stay for the boy and for my dog. But a better plan might be to go to my grandfather’s cabin up the road. At least dry off and get something to eat.”

Reed Larkin stepped in. “That’s a good idea, Gina. You can’t just keep wandering around these mountains. You’ll get lost. That isn’t going to help Zack.”

How could she leave her son? “How far away is the cabin?”

“About a half mile from here,” he offered. “You’ll at least be close by, and if Scout leads the boy out, he’ll bring him to the cabin.”

She looked back at Reed. “Go, Gina,” he told her. “You’re chilled to the bone. I’ll be back at first light.”

It had been a long time since she’d trusted a man, outside of her new brother-in-law, Jace, and a few of the townspeople. It looked like she didn’t have much of a choice.

“Thank you, Grady,” Gina said. “I promise I won’t be a problem.”

Grady knew that wasn’t true. Gina Williams had already caused him the kind of trouble he didn’t need right now. “I know. And you’ll at least dry off and get some food in you.”

The sheriff stopped Grady. “I’ll be back at dawn.” He handed him his card. “If anything happens before then call my cell phone.”

Then the men loaded into the vehicles and drove down the road.

“Come on, let’s get you warmed up.” Grady helped Gina into the truck, then turned on the heater, trying to stop her shivering. The temperature had already dropped with the fading daylight, and with the combination of the rain, it was damn cold. He, too, was worried about the boy, praying he had found cover.

He drove along the bumpy road that led to the old log cabin that he’d called home for the past three months. In the dim light, the place didn’t look much better than when he’d officially moved in a few months ago, knowing his grandfather needed a lot of help for his recovery.

After parking the truck, he got out to help his guest, but she’d already jumped down by the time he reached her. He climbed the steps to the porch that sorely needed to be replaced. It was one of the many things on his list. He would get to that in time. But it meant he wasn’t exactly ready to have guests.

He unlocked the door and swung it open and allowed Gina to step inside. He followed and quickly went to the back room and switched on the compressor, then returned and turned on the table lamp.

“Oh, my,” she said. “It really is rustic.”

He glanced at her. “There’s a generator for the refrigerator and lights, but wait until you need to use the facilities. They’re still out back.”

She shrugged. “Then maybe I should head there now.”

With a nod, he showed her the little house toward the back of the cabin. He waited on the porch as the last of day turned into night. It only took a few minutes before she came hurrying back to the cabin.

Inside again he watched her examine her surroundings in the main room. A huge stone fireplace and rough log walls were as far as the rustic charm went. It got worse with the old sofas and two chairs that were covered in a faded fabric. A big scarred table took up most of the kitchen area. He’d like to get rid of a lot of it.

Old Fletch had had the entire space crowded with furniture. His grandfather never threw out anything. Thank goodness he hadn’t inherited that trait from the old man. Since he’d heard about his grandfather’s accident, he’d been doing double duty. Once he’d arrived here from Texas, he’d been going to the nursing home to oversee Fletch’s recovery from his broken hip. He’d also been trying to clean up this place by hauling things off to the dump.

He handed her a blanket and lit the logs in the fireplace. “It’ll be warm soon.”

“I’m fine, really,” she said, unable to stop her shivering. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you letting me stay here. I just need to be close by.”

“I understand.” He went into the kitchen area. “I’m going to reheat some stew I made last night.”

“Please don’t feel you have to wait on me.” She stood by the fire. “I’ll probably just sit right here.”

“I’m going to eat, so you might as well.”

She nodded. “Okay, what can I do to help?”

He nodded toward the cupboard as she came into the kitchen area. “The bowls and spoons are in there.”

Gina did as he asked. She was surprised at the cabin, especially the array of furniture crammed inside. The cabinet that held the dishes was an antique. “You have a lot of … things.”

“It all belongs to my grandfather. He’s been in a nursing home. I’ve been trying to clear out most of this stuff since I came here a few months ago.”

She looked at him. “Are you selling the furniture? I might know of someone who’s interested.”

“In this junk?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Your grandfather has some nice pieces. This cabinet is probably an antique. It’s a Hoosier.” She glanced over the scarred wood. “It might need work, but it’s worth some money.”

He turned up the flame on the camp stove and set the pan on top. “Really?”

Gina once again saw on his neck the long burn scar that ran past his collar. She didn’t want to stare, but it was hard not to. “You said Scout was injured by a bomb. Were you with him?”

He stopped, but didn’t answer for a while. Then he looked at her with those dark brooding eyes. “Are you asking if that’s where I got my scar?”

She nodded.

“Yeah. It’s not pretty, but I was one of the lucky ones.”

Grady tried not to think about that day, or the two men he’d lost.

“I’m sorry. It must have been horrible.”

“Yeah, war usually is.”

Grady thought back to the two young soldiers, Jimmy and Vince. After he’d been well enough to leave the hospital, Grady had made a trip to West Virginia to visit Jimmy Prescott’s family, then he’d gone on to Georgia to see Vince Johnson’s kin.

Gina drew his attention back to the present. “What about you?” she asked. “Do you have any family?”

He didn’t like where this was headed. “You sure are full of questions.”

She shrugged. “Seems you know everything about me and my sordid past.”

He frowned. “It’s not sordid. You did nothing wrong. The man beat you. There’s nothing lower than that. You did the right thing by sending him to jail.”

“Not as soon as I should have,” she admitted. “I had the misconception that I could love Eric enough to make him stop.” She raised her chin. “He just didn’t love me enough to want to. Now, my son is paying for it.”

He stopped himself from going to her. She didn’t need the kind of comfort he was willing to give. “Hey, we all have regrets,” he told her. Hell, he had a boatload of them. “Sometimes love isn’t enough.” Removing the pan from the stove, he carried it to the table and emptied the stew into the bowls. “Sit down. You need to eat.”

She did as he asked. “I’m really not hungry.”

He sat across from her. “Eat anyway. You need strength to hike around the mountains. I don’t need to have to carry you out of there tomorrow.”

She took a small bite and chewed slowly. “You’re good at giving orders.”

He swallowed a spoonful of stew. “I’ve had a lot of years to practice.”

Those deep green eyes widened and he felt a stirring of awareness. “How long were you in the army?”

He watched her take another bite. “I went in the day I turned eighteen, and got discharged last December. Twenty years.” When had he suddenly become such an open book?

“You don’t look old enough.”

And she looked far too young for him to think about anything beyond helping to find her son. So he needed to stop the direction of his thoughts. “Spoken like a respectful youngster.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not so young.”

“What, twenty-five?”

“Twenty-seven … my next birthday.”

Still far too young for him. Think of her as a kid sister. That didn’t work, either. He was drawn to her intriguing eyes once again, then his gaze lowered to her mouth and he felt the reaction like a slam in the gut. He glanced away. It had been nearly two years since he’d reacted so strongly to a woman. Not since his marriage had fallen apart. Definitely not since the accident. He stood. “Do you want any more?”

“No thank you. I’m finished.”

“Okay, if you need to use the bathroom again, I suggest you go now.” He looked out the window. “It’s started to rain again.”

She nodded. “I’m fine.”

Well, he wasn’t. So the sooner they found the boy the better. Then he could get back to his life.

“You think you can get away from me? Think again, bitch.”

Gina huddled in the corner, trying to protect her body from Eric’s vicious blows. “Please stop!” she cried, praying he’d tire and let her alone.

“Never. I’ll always find you. You’ll never get away. Never.” He stepped back, stumbling drunkenly.

Zack suddenly appeared. “Stop hurting my mom,” he cried, and began hitting his dad. “Go away. Leave us alone.”

Eric grabbed the boy, swung back his fist and she screamed. “No! Don’t hit him! No!”

“Gina! Wake up”

She felt someone shaking her. She finally opened her eyes and saw the large figure leaning over her. She gasped and pushed him away. “Please, don’t,” she cried and scurried to the end of the sofa.

Grady stepped back and raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, it’s me, Grady. You had a bad dream. I woke you, that’s all. I’m not going to hurt you, Gina. You’re safe here.”

Gina brushed her hair back, trying to slow her breathing. “Oh, God, Grady, I’m so sorry.” She glanced up to see the man standing there in the dark shadows in a pair of Levi’s and a T-shirt over a well-toned body. “Please tell me I didn’t hit you. Are you all right?”

In the shadowed light, Grady stared back at her, knowing it best to keep his distance. He wished he could get his hands on Lowell again. “Question is, are you?”

She nodded, but avoided any eye contact. “The nightmare must have been triggered by Eric taking Zack.”

At least she’d got a few hours of sleep. He’d covered her with a blanket before going into the one bedroom in the cabin.

She finally looked at him. “Is it light enough to start searching again?”