Ranger's Baby Rescue

With his time running out, Joseph had resorted to desperate measures to secure his sister’s help. He felt bad about taking the baby, but really, Emma had only herself to blame. If she had simply agreed to help him instead of being stingy, he never would have had to take Christina.

The baby in question was apparently bored with her ball. She began to crawl, her gaze focused on the open backpack lying a few feet away.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Joseph muttered. He reached out to snatch the bag from her grasp, depositing it on the other side of the tent.

Deprived of her goal, Christina opened her mouth and let out a piercing wail. Fat tears began to roll down her chubby cheeks, and her face turned pink with distress.

“It’s okay,” Joseph said, scrambling to find some kind of distraction to stop the crying. The sound of her voice was like nails on a chalkboard, and he felt his hackles continue to rise with every passing second.

“Are you hungry?” In desperation, he twisted the top off a pouch of baby food and stuck it in her mouth. Christina blinked in surprise at this unexpected development. She gummed the nozzle for a moment, testing the plastic. Apparently deciding the offering was acceptable, she began to suck on the pouch, restoring a peaceful quiet to the tent.

Joseph let out his breath, grateful for the reprieve but knowing it wouldn’t last long.

Bringing the baby to Big Bend hadn’t been one of his smarter decisions, but there was no other place he could think of to hide while Emma got the money together. He’d camped here so much as a kid, but now that he was responsible for a child, he realized how difficult those trips must have been for his own father. There weren’t a lot of creature comforts out here in the wilderness. But fortunately Christina was too young to notice that. He’d grabbed diapers and baby food before taking her, figuring that was all he’d need. Camping with an infant was not exactly fun, but at least they were isolated enough that her cries wouldn’t bother anyone else. A single man with a baby would raise suspicion; all he had to do was lie low for a few more days, and his problems would be solved.

He knew Emma had called the police. They were probably searching for him now, thinking he was a danger to his niece. It wasn’t true—he had no intention of hurting the baby. As soon as he got the money, he’d make sure Emma got her daughter back. But he wasn’t going to stick around for the reunion. He was going to have Emma leave the money at a public location. Then he was going to tell Karnov where to find it. Let the Russian deal with the police when he sent his goons to retrieve the funds. Joseph smiled at the thought, imagining the square-jawed thug taking a few on the chin as he was arrested. Karnov would be pissed to learn he’d been double-crossed, but Joseph didn’t care. He’d be long gone by the time it all got sorted out. Besides, he was technically paying his debt. It wasn’t his fault Karnov wasn’t going to get to keep the money.

Joseph retrieved the ball and set it in front of Christina. She eyed it with interest, the now-empty pouch dropping from her mouth.

“Ba, ba, ba,” she babbled. She rocked forward to grab the ball, treating Joseph to an eye-watering whiff of her diaper.

“Didn’t I just change you?” he grumbled. He reached for a fresh diaper and the wipes as the baby cooed happily to her toy.

“Almost done,” he told himself as he set about the unpleasant task. “Just a few more days.”

They couldn’t pass quickly enough.

Chapter 3

“Is this going to take much longer?”

Matt glanced up from the computer screen to offer Emma what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She’d been pacing in front of his desk for the past twenty minutes, clearly on edge. She was obviously anxious to start the search, but there were things they needed to deal with before heading out into the park. He sympathized with her desire to do something, but he wasn’t about to head into an unknown situation without doing a little prep work first.

“I’m almost done,” he said. “Do you have a photo I can add?” He was putting together a flyer to print, a sort of wanted poster that showed the baby and briefly explained the situation. He wanted his fellow rangers to know what was going on, so they too could be on the lookout.

“A picture of Christina?” Emma asked. “Or Joseph?” Matt could tell by the way she practically spat her brother’s name that there would be no forgiveness for her sibling. Not that he blamed her—kidnapping wasn’t exactly something a mother could forget.

“I’ll take both, if you have them,” Matt said. It would be good to show Joseph’s face as well, especially since he might have the baby in a tent or otherwise have her face obscured when people were around.

Emma pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. After a moment, she flipped it around so he could look at it.

“That’s my love,” she said, choking up a bit.

Matt had to admit her daughter was a beautiful child. She had her mother’s curly dark hair and heart-shaped face. But her eyes were startlingly blue, like a cloudless summer sky. Deep dimples reminded him of a cherub, and her toothless smile held such joy Matt couldn’t help but smile back.

Seeing her made his heart ache for the child he’d lost. Even though he hadn’t been the father of Jennifer’s child, he’d been well on his way to falling in love with the little guy.

“How old is she?” he asked, unable to take his eyes off the picture.

“Ten months,” Emma replied.

Almost a year, he thought. A little older than Fisher had been when the DNA test results had proved Matt wasn’t his father. Did babies that young have memories? It broke his heart to think that Fisher, now three years old, might remember him or feel abandoned because he’d left.

Matt cleared his throat, trying to cast off his melancholy. “Too young to be away from you for long,” he said.

Emma nodded. “She’s eating solids now, so as long as Joseph has baby food she won’t starve. But she still likes a bottle, and he won’t know that.”

“We’ll find her,” Matt said. The thought of that innocent baby crying from hunger made his own stomach twist with anxiety. He hadn’t considered all the logistical reasons why Christina needed her mother—he’d just assumed maternal love was driving Emma’s sense of urgency. But now he realized all the practical issues involved—the diaper changes, feeding, dressing, rocking. All tasks that could technically be completed by anyone with half a brain, but from the baby’s perspective, her needs had only ever been met by her mother. To have a stranger caring for her now had to be stressful and frightening.

All the more reason to get out there and start looking.

“Send me that photo, please.” He rattled off his email address. “And send me any pictures you have of your brother.”

Her fingers flew across the screen of her phone. “Done.”

A moment later he heard the chime indicating a new email. He inserted the photos into the flyer and hit Print.

The printer across the room hummed to life and began spitting out pages. He walked over and grabbed the stack, bringing it back to his desk.

Emma reached for a sheet. She studied it carefully, her gaze lingering on the page. Her scrutiny made Matt self-conscious; hopefully he hadn’t made any spelling errors or other glaring mistakes.

It was a simple flyer, showing both Christina and Joseph and asking visitors to report any sightings to the park rangers or the police. He’d distribute some among his coworkers as well, so they all knew to keep their eyes open. The more people aware of the situation, the better the chance of finding Emma’s daughter.

“This looks good.” Emma returned the page to the top of the stack and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hands.

Sympathy welled in Matt’s chest at the sight of her obvious pain. “I can change things if you want,” he offered, unsure of how to comfort her. Had it been a mistake to create the flyers? But how else could they spread the word?

She shook her head. “No, they look great. I just never imagined I’d see my baby’s face on a missing person poster, you know?”

“I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you,” Matt said. Walking away from Fisher was the hardest thing Matt had ever done, and he’d only known the little guy for a few weeks. Emma was functioning amazingly well for a mother whose child had been kidnapped—he didn’t think he would be so tough if he were in her shoes.

“She’s my world,” Emma said, sniffing. “I’ll never stop looking for her.”

But why are you searching alone? he wondered. Based on the little he knew, he didn’t think Christina’s father was in the picture. Why not? Emma didn’t look like the anonymous one-night stand type; being deployed while in the army had made him an expert of sorts at spotting the women who hung around base, only wanting a quick roll in the hay. No, he could tell Emma was the kind of woman who did relationships. She had a girl-next-door appeal that screamed “wife and family.” She was the type he and his army buddies had talked about settling down with after they’d had their adventures.

Of course, Jennifer had been like that, too. That hadn’t exactly turned out well for him. Maybe something similar had happened between Emma and the father of her baby?

It really wasn’t any of his business, but curiosity got the better of him. “Where is Christina’s dad?” Not the most delicate way to ask the question, but since Matt was going to be spending the foreseeable future with Emma, he wanted to know why the father of her child wasn’t out beating the bushes, as well.

Her lips tightened, and for a second, he thought she wasn’t going to answer the question. Then she spoke, her voice low. “He’s dead.”

“Oh.” It wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting, and Matt felt like a world-class idiot for pressing the issue. “I’m so sorry.”

Emma jerked one shoulder in a dismissive shrug. “You couldn’t have known.”

No, but he could have been a bit more sensitive. He had to stop thinking the worst of people; not every woman was a liar like Jennifer.

He cleared his throat, needing to change the subject. “I’ll leave these out front, so people will see them. Let’s start getting supplies together, and then I can hit the trails.”

“You mean we can hit the trails,” she said.

Matt bit his bottom lip, cursing silently. Did the woman ever miss anything? “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea for you to accompany me—” he tried, but she cut him off.

“I have to go with you. I can’t stay here doing nothing.”

Matt took a deep breath and tried a different tack. “I know you’re frustrated and feeling helpless, but it’s best if you stay behind. What if your brother tries to call? Cell service in the more remote areas of the park is patchy at best.”

Emma frowned, as if she hadn’t considered that possibility before. Matt began to relax, thinking she’d accepted reason.

But she shook her head again. “It’s a chance I’ll have to take.”

Okay, he was clearly going to have to be a little rude to get her to listen. “Look, I can’t take you with me. You’ll slow me down and limit how much ground I can cover at a time.”

“No, I won’t.” She sounded supremely confident. He ran his eyes over her body, looking for clues as to her fitness. Her oversize T-shirt didn’t reveal much—from this angle, he couldn’t tell if she was all softness and curves or lean, toned muscle.

Did it matter? At this point, he knew she would follow him whether he wanted her to or not. Perhaps he should give in. If it turned out she couldn’t keep up with him, he could send her back to the ranger station. But if he remained stubborn and refused to let her join him, he’d be distracted by worries that she was out there wandering the park alone and with no one to help her should she find trouble.

“All right,” he said finally. “I guess we’ll find out if that’s the truth.” It shouldn’t take long for her to realize she was out of her depth, and by that time, she’d likely be all too happy to return to the refuge of the ranger station. “We can start as soon as I get my bag packed. Do you have supplies?” Maybe he’d get lucky and she’d say no.

“Yes,” she replied. “I’m all set in that area.”

He nodded. “I’d like to look at what you brought, make sure you have the essentials.” Experience had taught him that hikers didn’t always bring the necessities when packing for a trip. People tended to skimp on some of the supplies, filled with misplaced confidence that their journey would be free from accidents.

“That’s fine. I’ll go grab my bag.”

Matt nodded. She returned a moment later with a pack that looked broken in, and his impression of her capabilities inched a little higher. This was not the bag of a novice—she’d clearly done some kind of camping in her life.

Emma placed the bag on his desk and unzipped it, pulling it open with a little flourish. “Search away,” she said, the barest edge to her voice.

He met her eyes and could tell she knew he was looking for a way to discredit her. But he wasn’t going to apologize for his resistance. He’d been roped into this investigation without warning, and he wasn’t about to take her on a search without first knowing she could handle herself on the trails.

He combed through her bag, feeling a little self-conscious under the weight of her gaze. A sense of grudging admiration built as he realized she’d brought all the essentials, plus a few extra small conveniences. She was definitely prepared, at least from a packing perspective.

Matt zipped her bag closed and pushed it toward her. “Okay,” he said. “Let me get my stuff and we’ll set out.”

Emma nodded, relief flashing across her face. “That sounds great.” He could tell she was anxious to get started, and truth be told, he was eager to begin, as well.

“Have you ever done anything like this before?”

“Not exactly,” Matt hedged. He’d never mounted a search like this in his time as a park ranger, but it reminded him of one of the missions his squad had been sent on overseas. They’d been tasked with providing extra man power to a small group of Special Operations soldiers as they hunted for a well-known terrorist operative. They’d spent days combing the desert and beating down doors, but ultimately their search had proved unsuccessful. It wasn’t exactly the kind of encouraging story Emma needed to hear right now.

Hopefully this time, he’d have better luck.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky, a fiery ball that made her eyes water from its brightness. Emma was grateful for her hat, and hoped that Joseph was keeping Christina in the shade. Her baby skin was sensitive to the sun, her blue eyes even more so.

For the millionth time, she wondered what her brother had been thinking. He’d always been impetuous, acting on emotion rather than reason. And after their dad’s death a few years ago, Joseph’s self-control had practically disappeared. That’s when his gambling had gone from a hobby to a problem. But kidnapping was beyond the pale, even for him. She’d never thought him capable of endangering a child, especially one he’d held and played with before. Had she simply missed the signs, or was this a new, dangerous aspect of his personality? Joseph was a stranger to her now, and Emma knew that later, after she had Christina back safely in her arms, she’d mourn the brother she’d lost.

She glanced over at Matt, walking alongside her. It was clear he’d been reluctant to let her join the search, but he wasn’t being an ass about it now. With his long legs, he could easily have set a pace designed to make her quit. Instead, he’d kept them moving at a steady, sustainable clip. She appreciated the consideration, more determined than ever to prove she could keep up with him for as long as it took.

“How long have you been a park ranger?” She normally wasn’t a chatty person, but the silence was getting to her. She needed a distraction from her own thoughts, or else fear and panic would take over, leaving her unable to function.

“A little over a year,” Matt replied.

“What did you do before then?”

He slid her a glance. “I was in the army,” he said neutrally.

It was clear Matt wasn’t a big talker, but Emma didn’t care. Anything was better than being trapped in her head at the moment. “Joseph was in the military, too,” she commented. “He joined right out of high school, except he signed on with the navy.”

“Really?” Interest sharpened Matt’s tone, and he looked at her fully now. “How long did he serve?”

“Only a few years. He got into some trouble and was dishonorably discharged.”

“Ah.” Matt nodded as if that made perfect sense. She got the impression he didn’t think much of her brother. Why would he, though? Any man who kidnapped a baby was no better than pond scum.

“He’s always been impulsive,” she said, stepping around a large rock in the path. “Loves to gamble. It used to be under control, but after my dad died a few years ago, Joseph couldn’t be bothered with moderation anymore. And since he was a single man, he didn’t need to worry about sending money home to a wife.” Emma wasn’t sure why she was telling Matt all this, but it was something to talk about. “He set up a gambling ring on his ship. Got caught eventually. The navy didn’t take too kindly to his actions, so they kicked him out.”

“The military is tough like that,” Matt said. “It’s not a perfect institution, but the service does hold its members to a high standard.”

“Yeah.” Emma was quiet for a moment, remembering her mother’s distress when they found out what had happened. “He came home, tail between his legs. We hoped he would learn from the situation, get some help for his addiction. But he refused.” She shook her head, the sound of their arguments still fresh in her mind. She and her family had tried everything to convince Joseph he had a problem and needed to take action, but his denial was too strong to overcome.

“That must have been hard.”

“It was. On my mother, especially. Joseph swore he was in control and didn’t need help, and for a while, he kept his nose clean. But I guess the lure of gambling was too strong to resist.”

“What kind of gambling?” A fallen tree trunk bisected the trail in front of them. Matt stepped over it, then reached back to help her. Emma slipped her hand into his, grateful for his assistance.

“Horse races,” she replied. She stepped carefully onto the trunk, trying to maintain her balance. But the bark was smooth and worn, and her boots lost traction. She began to slide forward, her heart leaping to her throat as she lurched toward the ground.

Suddenly, Matt was there. He stepped in front of her, stopping her fall with his body. His arms slid around her waist, his broad chest absorbing her forward motion. Emma had a split second to register the feel of his strength surrounding her before her head jerked from the sudden stop, her nose smashing into his shoulder. A starburst of pain filled her head, making her cry out.

Matt loosened his grip. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Emma stared up at him through watery eyes. “Not your fault,” she said, holding her nose. “I appreciate you catching me.”

“It’s the least I could do.” He reached out and gently pulled her hand away from her nose. “Let me take a look at that.”

She felt wetness on her skin and figured she was bleeding. Matt’s look of horror confirmed it.

“Here, sit down.” He helped her sink onto the log and quickly wriggled the pack off his back. He dug through it and withdrew a small plastic box, from which he extracted a few squares of gauze.

“Let me,” he said softly. He gently applied the gauze to her nose, then moved her hand into place to keep it from falling. “Here’s an ice pack.” She heard a crunching sound, and he handed her a small pouch that was rapidly growing cold to the touch.

“Thanks,” Emma said, gingerly applying the pouch to her nose. It hurt, but after a moment, the cold seeped into the tissue and numbed it.

“May I see?” At her nod, Matt reached out and gently lifted the cold pack to examine her nose. He frowned.

“That bad, huh?” she asked.

He shook his head. “It’s not pretty, but I don’t think it’s broken.”

“That’s good, then.”

“Yeah,” he replied. But his tone made it sound like the news was anything but.

“Don’t sound so happy,” she joked.

Matt winced. “I’m sorry. I just feel bad. I’ve never made a woman bleed before. It’s not one of my finer moments.”

“It’s not your fault,” Emma said. “If anything, you saved me from much worse. If you hadn’t caught me, I would have fallen flat on my face, and that would have done more damage than a busted nose.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he said.

“Trust me, I’ve had worse,” she said.

“Oh?” His gaze sharpened on her face, his brows drawing together in a slight frown. “Who hurt you?”

Emma realized he had misinterpreted her statement. “It wasn’t deliberate,” she said, wanting to clarify that from the beginning. “But my fiancé and I were moving furniture together once and had a bit of an accident. I thought he was going one way, he thought I was going the other, and we wound up dropping the couch. Onto my foot.” She crinkled her nose at the memory, wincing as a fresh bolt of pain zinged into her brain. “I fell and hit my face on the corner of the table and wound up with a broken foot and two black eyes.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, it was like a comedy of errors. Would have been funny if it hadn’t hurt so bad.”

Matt dug two water bottles out of his bag and passed her one. “What happened to him?” he asked softly. “If you don’t mind my asking.”

Emma took a swig from the bottle, stalling for a second as she debated how to answer his question. She didn’t talk about Chris very often, and especially not to people she’d just met. But Matt was different. He was helping her search for Christina, and while they hadn’t been looking very long, she already felt like they were a team. It was a sensation she hadn’t had since Chris was alive, and it made her heart ache a bit.

“He was killed in a car accident,” she said. “We were a week away from the wedding, and he was stopped at a red light. The driver behind him was texting and didn’t see.” Emma took another swallow, trying to dislodge the lump that always formed in her throat whenever she thought of the accident. “His car plowed into the back of Chris’s, sending him into the intersection. He was hit by a bus and then a garbage truck.”

“My God,” Matt said softly.

Emma shook her head and blinked away tears. “The firemen couldn’t even get him out of the car.”

“I’m so sorry.” His big hand covered hers, his skin warm.

She sniffed, immediately regretting it as pain spiked through her nose. “Thanks. I found out I was pregnant a couple weeks later. It was a shock, but I figured it was Chris’s last gift to me.”

“So he didn’t know about the baby?”

“No.” Emma shook her head. It was one of the most painful aspects of his death for her—the fact that he’d been killed before knowing he was going to be a father. Chris would have been over the moon at hearing the news. Another moment she’d never get to share with him, all because someone figured that texting their friend was more important than paying attention to the road.

“Damn,” Matt said softly. “That makes it even worse.”

She nodded, a little pleased to know he saw things the same way.

“What happened to the other driver?”

“Physically? Not more than a few bumps and bruises. There was some legal loophole that he used to keep from going to jail, so I sued him in civil court. Wrongful death. It didn’t seem right that he would get to go on with his life like nothing had ever happened while my life had been shattered into a million pieces.”

“Can’t say I blame you for that,” Matt said. “I’m surprised he was able to get out of a criminal conviction.”

“He had a fancy lawyer,” Emma said. A bitter taste formed in her mouth at the memory of the man in his expensive suit and perfectly cut hair. He’d waltzed into the courtroom like he owned the place, and a few moments later, after spewing a bunch of incomprehensible legalese Emma hadn’t been able to follow, he’d gotten the charges against the other driver dropped. The district attorney’s office hadn’t been able to give her a satisfactory explanation, and so she’d been left feeling enraged and helpless to do anything about it.