Someone's Baby Read online

  "Take it easy, Jayne. You're exaggerating."

  "Am I? The men who came out to your ranch had phony IDs. Who knows what sort of ID this man has, or what story he may have told your sheriff. If the sheriff decides to listen to me, what do you think this man is going to do, calmly sit there and wait to be arrested? We have to go somewhere else. Someplace where I can call my brother. Trust me, Cade!"

  Her fear was real. So was the bullet wound. And the man in the silver car had originally claimed to be her husband. Plus, she'd been right about the two men yesterday. They hadn't sent Beaufort out to the house.

  Before he could tell her that he did trust her, he saw Zed pulling up behind him. The cowboy stepped from the truck and started toward the SUV. Jayne was out of the vehicle, running back to Zed.

  She'd run to Zed.

  "Hey there, easy now," Zed was saying as she repeated her story for the other man.

  "Go back to the ranch," Cade ordered sharply, striding up to them.

  "Hold up, Cade. I think you should listen to the lady."

  "This isn't your problem."

  Zed looked from one to the other. "Damn. You have to be the dumbest man on the planet."

  "Get out of here, Zed."

  "If you're too stupid to listen—"

  "Stop it!" Jayne demanded. "Both of you, stop it! We don't have time for male posturing. I have to get away from here!"

  "Get the baby," Zed said.

  For a moment, blind rage threatened to take control of Cade's emotions. The last time that had happened was when Cade found his wife in Zed's arms. He'd nearly shoved the other cowboy through a wall then. This was worse somehow. He wanted to kill his former friend.

  Cade forced back the fury riding his chest. "Stay where you are, Jayne. You're fired, Zed."

  "Fair enough," Zed agreed "but Jayne is coming with me."

  "Over my dead body."

  "What is wrong with the two of you?" Jayne whispered.

  "Cade has a problem with his listening skills."

  Jayne had told him the same thing.

  "Get back in that truck right now, Zed or I'll do worse than try to put you through a wall."

  "Damn." Zed took a step forward. "Dumber than mud."

  Cade saw the punch coming. He blocked Zed's swing with his arm but his fingers went numb as the blow struck a nerve. Before he could recover, Zed landed another strike against his jaw that sent him reeling. Zed followed with a body blow. Air whistled from Cade's lungs even as his own fist bounced off the other man's shoulder. He started to lunge forward when a familiar silver car pulled alongside them on the road. A tall, muscular man jumped from the car.

  Cade recognized him instantly.

  "Break it up," the newcomer ordered. He started reaching inside his suit pocket.

  Cade leaped forward even as Zed yelled a warning. "He's got a gun!"

  Cade smashed his fist into the bigger man's stomach. Zed circled around behind, pinning the man's arms so he couldn't move.

  "I'm a cop!" The man wheezed.

  "That's what they all say," Zed told him.

  "Hold him while I get his wallet," Cade ordered.

  "And his gun," Zed agreed.

  Cade removed the semiautomatic weapon from the belt clip. There was a wallet and an identification folder. He opened the folder and frowned.

  "What is it?"

  Cade held up the folder so Zed could read the badge as well. Zed swore. Cade opened the wallet. "The driver's license matches the identification card."

  "Aw, hell. Better release him."

  Zed stepped back quickly. The man leaned forward, planting his hands on his well-muscled thighs, breathing heavily.

  "Dallas Police Department?" Cade asked.

  Zed's expression turned rueful. "I got a bad feeling it isn't fake."

  "Of course it's not fake," the man identified as Dylan Garrett said.

  "Two men showed up at my ranch claiming to be FBI agents yesterday," Cade told him. "They had badges, too, only we're pretty sure they weren't who they said they were."

  Dylan straightened up. "Burly guys in bad-fitting suits with red ties?"

  Cade and Zed exchanged glances.

  "So they tracked her to you too. You are Cade Mc-Govern, aren't you?" Dylan asked rubbing his stomach. "You pack a pretty mean punch."

  Cade stopped rubbing his sore jaw where Zed's fist had landed.

  "I was on my way out to your place," the officer continued. "I'm looking for a woman."

  "Your wife?" Cade asked sarcastically.

  Garrett shrugged, not looking the least bit embarrassed. "She's a private investigator by the name of Jayne Bateman."

  Cade heard the words, but he'd already stopped paying attention because he'd just realized Jayne was gone. He scanned the surrounding area. There was no sign of her anywhere nearby. She hadn't had time to get far, but he didn't have to look to know the baby was no longer in the car.

  Zed followed his gaze. His expression said he'd come to the same conclusion. Jayne had run.

  Cade faced Dylan Garrett. The policeman watched the two of them speculatively. Cade hesitated. Garrett was a big, good-looking man with a rugged muscular build. His light-brown hair was sun streaked and his hands were work roughened like a rancher's hands.

  Cade's words were for Zed. "Officer Garrett may be a cop, but that doesn't make him a clean cop."

  Zed arched his eyebrows, but nodded.

  "What are you talking about?" Garrett demanded.

  "Jayne believes you're part of the baby ring."

  Garrett's hands fisted at his sides, then relaxed. "Of course she does. I understand that now. I thought she was part of the ring, too. This was all a large misunderstanding. Look, my boss had a tip about the exchange. Unfortunately, one of the thugs spotted me at the shopping center before I was close enough to intercept. He' started shooting. Next thing I knew, this girl jumps in the car and takes off with the baby. I didn't know who she was so I gave chase."

  His expression turned rueful. "She drove like a crazy person and I lost her. I was riding around trying to catch her again when I stopped for gas. That's when I saw you and asked if you'd seen her. I figured calling her my wife was easier than long explanations."

  "How can we know if he's telling the truth?" Zed asked.

  "I've got a cell phone in my truck," Garrett told him. "You can call Sheriff Beaufort or my boss, Zach Logan. Better yet, why not call one of Jayne's brothers? Judge Bateman can vouch for me."

  Cade knew if he erred, he'd be putting Heather and Jayne at risk.

  "Get the phone," he told Zed.

  The tiny wail of a baby spun him around. Jayne stood up in the bed of the pickup truck. She had Zed's rifle in her hands and she was pointing it directly at Dylan Garrett. She had climbed in the pickup truck to hide again, he realized. And she might have gotten away with it if the baby hadn't given her away.

  "Jayne, he said—"

  "I heard what he said. You called him Officer Garrett. What's the first name?"

  Cade scowled. "Dylan."

  "That's what I thought. I have a different number for you to call, Zed. Call information and get the phone number for Finders Keepers. It's a detective agency outside of San Antonio."

  Dylan Garrett relaxed. The corners of his mouth edged into a smile. "So you know my sister."

  "Yes, I know Lily."

  The smile became a grin. "That'll make this a whole lot easier. We run Finders Keepers together when I'm not coerced back to work for the Dallas Police Department. Glad to see you're all right, Ms. Bateman. After we found the car and all that blood, well, your brothers have been a bit upset. She has some pretty powerful brothers," he added as an aside.

  Cade's relief was tempered by the knowledge that it was all over. There was little doubt Garrett was exactly who he claimed to be, and by the time the phone call was completed, there was no question in anyone's mind.

  They adjourned to the sheriffs office where more telephone calls were made.
/>   "Now that I see you up close, I can see the resemblance to your sister," Jayne told Garrett.

  The man smiled easily revealing a single dimple. "We're twins."

  "Lily said you were her younger brother."

  "By eight minutes," he confirmed wryly. "And she doesn't let me forget it for a second."

  "What's going to happen to Heather?" Cade interrupted.

  Deputy Sheriff Stuckley glanced up from where he was making goo-goo noises at the baby. "Darn if she doesn't remind me of my granddaughter. Noah called social services. They've got someone on the way over right now."

  Sheriff Noah Beaufort nodded in agreement.

  "Foster home?" Cade asked grimly, remembering his own past all too clearly.

  "Until we can determine her parentage," Dylan agreed. "They have foster homes that specialize in infant care. Don't worry, she'll be well cared for," he added more gently. "If there is no family, we'll put her up for adoption legally. She'll get a good home."

  Something inside Cade tightened another notch.

  "Well, tell whoever takes her to keep an eye on that umbilical cord. I've been putting rubbing alcohol on the area but it bled a little again this morning. I don't want it getting infected."

  "You can tell them when they get here," Dylan said kindly.

  Jayne walked over to where Cade rested on the edge of a desk. The expression in her eyes made the back of his throat tighten. She laid her hand in his. For just a moment he allowed himself to hold her slender fingers. He sensed her own grief at parting with the baby.

  "I have to get going," he said gruffly.

  "You'll wait until my brother gets here, won't you?"

  Cade tore his gaze from the yearning he read in her crystal blue eyes. He dropped her hand and reached for his hat, shaking his head. "I have to get those tires fixed and the radio looked at."

  "Phone company said they can't get to you until tomorrow at the earliest, but I'll be out to talk with you about these incidents later this afternoon," Sheriff Beaufort said. "I'll want to talk with Hap and your men."

  "Fine. They should have the herd moved by now, assuming there're no more cut fences."

  He was aware that Jayne watched him sadly. What did she expect of him? It was obvious she was waiting for him to say something more, but he'd told her he wasn't a forever sort.

  He walked over and stroked the baby's cheek. So soft and beautiful. Like Jayne. He prayed they were right, that someone would adopt Heather right away and give her a loving, happy home.

  "Have a good life, little one," he whispered.

  She smiled that foolish baby smile of hers and the back of his eyes burned as they hadn't done since he was a boy. He pulled his hat down low and strode for the door. He couldn't bear to look at Jayne because he was afraid he'd make a total fool of himself if he did.

  He had work to do. A ranch to run.

  And he hadn't felt this empty since they came to tell him his parents were dead.

  Chapter Eleven

  In the three days since she'd been at her parents' ranch, there hadn't been a word from Cade. Jayne had been so certain he'd come to his senses. He loved her. She was sure of it. Together, they could adopt Heather and raise a few of their own children if only he'd stop being so stubborn. He was not too old for her and she was not Bonita.

  So while her family fussed over her, alternating between chiding and comforting, her mind played out various scenarios for making Cade see what they could have together.

  Watching him say goodbye to Heather had been almost harder than saying goodbye herself. She'd asked her mother to foster the infant, but social services placed Heather with someone who specialized in infant care, as Dylan Garrett had said they would do.

  As a young single woman, it was no use trying to adopt the baby herself when so many couples desperately yearned to give an infant a good, two-parent home. But she missed Heather's soft cries and wide baby smiles.

  And she missed Cade.

  She leaned against the fence post and watched her brother Rory working with a new, high-spirited mare.

  "He's got a real knack," her father said.

  Jayne offered a weak smile. "It's genetic, Dad."

  "Possibly," he said seriously. "You have the gift as well." Her mouth dropped in surprise.

  "Your mother says you have to follow your own course," her father said absently, "but I always hoped one day you'd join Rory and me."

  "I didn't know that."

  Her father shrugged. ' 'Your mother said if I told you, you'd think it was to keep you from trying your hand at this detective business."

  Ruefully she accepted his words. "Mom's probably right. I might have thought exactly that."

  "You're mother's generally right, girl. You need to keep that in mind. We're both a little worried about you, Jayne."

  "Why? The doctor says my shoulder is healing fine. Oh. You mean me going back to work as a detective?"

  "That too, but…you seem different. Distracted. Is there something you want to talk about?"

  Jayne wondered what he'd say if she told him she was in love with an ornery cowboy ten years her senior? "Nothing you'd probably want to discuss, Dad."

  He twisted to regard her. "Why don't you try me?"

  His wide blue eyes, so like her own, regarded her seriously. The need to talk to someone suddenly seemed overwhelming.

  "I'm in love with a cowboy."

  "I see." Her father turned away with a thoughtful expression and stared out over the fence. Jayne was pretty sure he wasn't really watching his son work the fractious horse.

  "This cowboy doesn't feel the same way?" he asked after a few minutes.

  Jayne turned her attention to her brother as well.

  "I think he does, but he was married before. It didn't work out. If he'd just open his eyes, he'd see that I'm nothing like her!"

  "Divorced?"

  "No. She ran off with one of his hands and died in a car accident."

  At least everyone believed that. She never had gotten around to asking her brother the cop to run a check on Bonita's death.

  "Do you see your brother Rory out there?"

  Jayne jerked her thoughts from that direction to watch as Rory stroked the mare's neck, speaking low to her.

  "Sort of hard to miss him, Dad."

  Her father ignored the jibe.

  "Courting a person's a lot like courting a horse. The critter's usually skittish and half wild. You don't charge up to him and throw a saddle over his back. Especially not if he's been abused, Jayne. And there's some horses that it's best not to put a saddle on again."

  She stared emptily at the corral, her father's words creating an ache in the back of her throat.

  "You can break any horse to saddle, sweetheart. But if you break his spirit, he isn't worth much in the long run."

  She struggled against the burning sensation and turned to her father. He pulled her into his arms and held her as he hadn't done since she was a child.

  "Then what am I going to do?"

  Her father smiled down at her. "Show me what sort of trainer you are."

  "Jayne!"

  She gave her father a thankful squeeze and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand as her mother approached holding the telephone receiver.

  "Phone call, Jayne. It's some cowboy."

  Her gaze met her father's as she suddenly felt brimming with elation.

  . "Some horses are worth the work. Thanks, Dad. I'll remember what you said."

  She took the instrument from her mother with a quick thank you and set off toward the house for some privacy.

  "Now what was that all about?" she heard her mother ask.

  "Our little girl just grew up."

  HE'D CALLED.

  Finally.

  "Hello?"

  "Jayne?"

  Her hopes and dreams dashed themselves against reality as she recognized the voice. "Zed?"

  "Yeah. Look, sorry to call you like this, but I don't know anyone else close
by to call."

  "What is it? Is it Cade? Is something wrong?"

  "You could say that. We're in jail."

  "In jail!" Her mind reeled with possibilities. "What happened?"

  "Uh, could the explanations wait? Deputy Stuckley's getting a might impatient here. Look, Jayne, is there any chance you could come and, uh, bail us out?"

  "You're in Darwin Crossing?"

  "'Fraid so."

  Cade was in jail.

  "It will take me almost an hour to get there."

  "We aren't goin' anywhere."

  "Okay, I'm on my way."

  "Jayne?" he interrupted before she disconnected. "Don't expect too much, okay? I've never ridden a meaner bull in my life."

  "Are you talking about Cade?"

  Zed grunted an affirmative. "He won't be happy to see you. Well, he probably will be, but he won't want to admit it."

  You don't charge up to them and throw a saddle over their back.

  Her father's word echoed in her head.

  "Okay, Zed. I understand. I'll be there in an hour."

  "Take your time, darlin'. It's my turn to judge the cockroach races anyhow."

  She managed a smile that quickly faded as she disconnected and walked inside the house. Cade and Zed were in jail. What was going on?

  An hour and ten minutes later she walked into the sheriffs office in Darwin Crossing. She'd taken the time to change clothing, comb her hair and run a tube of lipstick over her lips. She knew she looked cool and in control no matter what her insides felt like. The blue shirtwaist dress with matching high heels complemented her eyes. And because she'd be seeing Cade, she unbuttoned an extra button in front. Her heart raced in anticipation.

  "Afternoon, Miz Bateman."

  "Deputy. I came to post bail for Cade and Zed."

  "Little late for Cade. I released him half an hour ago. Once he dried out and got over whatever was eating at him, he was willing to pay the fine and cover the damages over at Sully's."

  Her excitement shriveled away. Cade wasn't here.

  "Dried out?"

  Stuckley snorted good-naturedly. "That man was on quite a toot. Tore up Sully's place real good."