Ranger's Baby Rescue

“But you won the civil suit?”

“Oh, yes,” she said, smiling. “His attorney couldn’t get him out of that one.” She still recalled the look of shock on both of their faces—driver and lawyer—when the verdict had been handed down. It was almost enough to ease the pain of her loss.

“I was awarded a pretty hefty sum, which is why Joseph thinks I have the money to bail him out of his gambling debts.”

“But you don’t?”

Emma shook her head. “The settlement is awarded in a series of payouts and, to be honest, the other driver used up most of his money paying for his hotshot attorney. I’m getting a little bit here and there, but nothing like I should be and nothing that would help Joseph.”

Matt frowned. “Does your brother know that?”

She shrugged. “I tried to explain it to him several times. He came to me before taking Christina, begging for funds. I told him I couldn’t help, but I know he didn’t believe me. A few days later, Christina was gone.” Her throat tightened around the words, as if she could change her reality by leaving them unspoken. If only it were that easy...

Matt was quiet a moment, studying her face thoughtfully. His blue eyes reminded her of a wolf, intelligent and assessing. She tried to figure out what he was thinking, but he kept his emotions close to the chest. He was a puzzle, that much was clear. In another time, she would have been intrigued enough to want to get to know him. What secrets hid behind his handsome face? What made this man tick?

But now was not the time for distractions. Not while her baby was still in danger.

She took the gauze from her nose and inspected it for fresh blood. She didn’t find any, so she crumpled it and stood, grabbing her backpack off the ground and slipping it back on. “We should go,” she said. “We’ve lost too much time already.”

Matt nodded, getting to his feet and shouldering his own pack. “All right,” he said agreeably. “Lead the way.”

Emma started down the trail, determination driving her on. Matt had proved to be a good listener, and he was dangerously easy to talk to. It had been a long time since she’d had a conversation with a man that went beyond the polite, superficial level. But she couldn’t allow her loneliness and selfish desire for comfort interfere with her search. Finding Christina was her sole focus—nothing else mattered as long as her daughter was missing.

* * *

Matt had to hand it to Emma—she was one tough woman.

She set a brisk pace, even though he knew her nose had to be throbbing with every heartbeat. But she wasn’t letting her pain slow her down; if anything, it seemed to make her even more determined.

Once again, he marveled at her strength. Not a lot of people would be able to function in the wake of their child’s kidnapping, much less drive several hours alone and strong-arm someone into mounting a search.

He felt a twinge of guilt at the way he’d initially treated her. At least he’d kept the worst of his doubts to himself. He might have thought she was crazy at first, but he was glad he hadn’t shown it. The more he got to know Emma, the more convinced he became that she was someone special.

He was a bit surprised to find himself wanting to get to know a woman better. It wasn’t just sexual attraction driving him, though he had to admit she was quite pretty. He let his gaze drift across her body to land on her rear, and for a split second, he wondered what it would feel like to cup her there. She’d been a tangle of heat and curves in his arms when he’d caught her earlier, but he hadn’t really registered the contact between their bodies until after it was over. And while he certainly hadn’t meant to cop a feel, he wouldn’t object to getting his hands on her again.

Not gonna happen, he told himself silently. Emma was searching for her lost baby—no way in hell was she going to be interested in anything but finding her daughter. He felt a little skeevy for even considering it, but he’d never been good at controlling his imagination.

He cleared his throat. If they kept talking, he wouldn’t have to worry about his fantasies taking over his thoughts.

“I just realized,” he said as they rounded a bend in the trail, “I don’t know what you do for a living.”

“Oh.” Emma sounded surprised, as if she hadn’t realized she hadn’t shared that information with him yet. “I’m a nurse.”

Her answer didn’t surprise him. She had a no-nonsense vibe that likely served her well in the job. But he knew underneath her tough exterior she had a caring heart.

“What kind of nurse?”

“Emergency room,” she replied.

No wonder she was so calm under these trying circumstances. That explained her stamina, too—she probably spent her entire shift on her feet or running from one place to another. It was no mystery why she was in such good shape.

“I bet you’ve seen some interesting stuff,” he said.

She smiled briefly. “I’ve had my share of entertaining patients. It’s the funny or strange cases that help get me through the tragic ones, you know?”

“Kind of,” Matt said. “I saw some pretty messed up things while I was deployed, but there were also a few absurd situations where I just had to laugh or I’d go crazy.”

Emma nodded. “That’s exactly it. You take the humor where you can find it, even if it’s pretty dark at times.” She smiled at him, and he felt a moment of true understanding pass between them. For the first time in years, he felt like someone else got him on a visceral, soul-deep level. It was a kinship he’d found in the army but had missed after returning home. Even the park rangers, while a close-knit community, were missing that vital spark he’d shared with his fellow soldiers. He was a little surprised to feel that connection now, of all times, but he wasn’t about to dismiss it.

The question was, did Emma feel it, too?

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her, but how could he phrase it so he didn’t sound creepy? He didn’t want to give the impression he was trying to hit on her. He just wanted to know if this sensation was all one-sided, or if she shared it.

But before he could find the right words, she darted off the trail like a bloodhound who’d found a scent. Matt hurried after her, pushing past bushes and wading through a bit of tall grass until she stopped in a small clearing a few feet away.

She stood in the middle, eyeing the ground intently. He followed her line of sight, but saw nothing. Why had she suddenly veered off to this spot? Was this one of the places she’d camped as a child?

“Emma?”

She ignored him and began to slowly turn in a circle, her gaze locked on the grass and dirt as she moved. It was clear she was looking for something, but what?

After a moment, her shoulders relaxed and she frowned. “Sorry,” she said. “I could have sworn I saw a glint of something from the trail.” She sounded dejected, and he could tell she was getting discouraged.

He glanced around, hoping to see something she had missed. But all he saw was dirt and gravel and a bit of grass—nothing that would have gleamed in the light of the afternoon sun.

“I’m sorry,” he said, stepping forward. “Is this close to where you camped a lot as a child? Is that why you thought to look here?”

She shrugged. “We did camp nearby once, but it wasn’t one of our regular spots. I really did think I had seen something, though. That’s why I left the trail.”

“We can stay and search if you want,” he said. It was getting too late in the day to go much farther. Might as well go through this spot carefully so they could mark it off their list.

“That’s fine,” she said. But she didn’t sound enthusiastic.

“I bet you did see something,” he said, trying to boost her spirits. “People leave trash behind a lot.”

“Yeah, but it’s probably just an empty chip bag or something equally generic,” she said. “That won’t help us.”

“No.” He began to walk in an ever-widening circle, scanning the area near his feet for debris of a man-made variety. “But at least we’ll know.”

They were quiet a moment as they worked, moving in opposite directions so as not to step on each other’s toes. He’d just about completed his circuit when he heard Emma suck in a breath.

“Matt,” she said, her voice tight. “Look at this.”

He turned to find her holding up what looked like an empty foil pouch. A plastic nozzle stuck out of one end and as he moved closer, he realized it was a squeezable yogurt that had been left behind.

Emma’s brown eyes sparkled with excitement. “This is what I saw—the light reflecting off the foil.”

He nodded. “Probably so. You look like you recognize it?”

She grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet a little as she held it up for his inspection. “Yes, I do. I give them to Christina all the time. She loves them—can’t get enough.”

And you think your brother left this trash behind. It was clear Emma had made that assumption, and Matt’s heart ached a bit for her. While it was technically possible her brother and baby had camped here, it was a lot more likely the wrapper had been left behind by a random innocent hiker. Who knew how long the trash had been here?

“It might not be from your brother,” he said, trying to manage her expectations. He understood her need to believe they were on the right track, but he didn’t want to see her get her hopes too high. Even if the wrapper did turn out to be from Joseph and Christina, there was no way of knowing where they had gone after leaving this site. Assuming he had brought the baby here in the first place, he might be long gone by now. Perhaps he’d crossed into Mexico and had disappeared in one of the border towns? It was a possibility he didn’t dare bring up to Emma, but one he had to consider nonetheless.

“It is,” she said with certainty. “I’m sure of it.”

“How do you know?” He was curious to hear her logic, to assess if she was merely engaging in wishful thinking, or if she had a solid reason for believing this particular piece of trash had been left by her brother.

“This is Christina’s favorite flavor,” she said.

Matt smiled sadly. “How would your brother know that?” he asked gently.

Emma’s confident expression faltered a bit, but then she shook her head. “He took some food from me when he kidnapped her. I didn’t notice it until later, after the police had left. But there were several baby food and yogurt pouches missing. This was one of them.” She shook the wrapper slightly in emphasis.

Matt held up a hand. “Okay,” he said, conceding the point. He knew no matter what he said, Emma believed the trash in her hand had been left behind by Joseph. And maybe that was the truth. But her brother wasn’t around now, and that was the most important point.

He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. “Any idea where he might have gone now?”

Emma shook her head, a troubled light chasing away the gleam of excitement in her eyes. “No. But I have to think we’re getting close.”

Maybe, Matt thought.

For her sake, he hoped she was right.

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