Stockyard Snatching (2 page)

The baby wailed and Dallas came to a stop.

This situation had gone sour in a heartbeat.

To make matters worse, all Dallas could see clearly of Ms. Williams was a set of terrified blue eyes staring at him. She had that desperate-mother look that said she’d do anything to save her son. Dallas’s heart squeezed as she held tight to her baby with the determination only a loving mom could possess.

He hoped like hell she wouldn’t do anything stupid.

Tires squealed from behind the building and Dallas instantly wished it would be his best friend, Sheriff Tommy Johnson. No way would Tommy be dumb enough to come roaring up, however. His friend was smarter than that and a better lawman.

A vehicle rounded the corner and lurched to a stop nearby. The white minivan’s sliding door opened.

The attacker broke eye contact to look. If Dallas had a shot at taking the guy down, he’d grab it.

“Toss your keys to me,” the kidnapper shouted to him.

Dallas dug a set from his pocket and pitched them forward.

If he didn’t make a move soon, this jerk would disappear into that van with mother and baby. She’d most likely be killed and her body dumped before they left the county. Dallas had read about vicious illegal adoption rings in the area and stories of mothers being killed for their infants.

Between the hoodie pulled over the thug’s forehead and the turtleneck covering his jaw, Dallas couldn’t get a good look at his face. The guy glanced away again, as if calculating the odds of getting inside the vehicle before Dallas could catch him. Then he bent to grab the keys.

It was now or never.

Dallas lunged toward his target and knocked the guy’s arm away from Kate’s throat. The sheer amount of fabric she had wrapped around her neck made certain the blade wouldn’t get anywhere near her skin. For the first time in his life, Dallas thanked the cold weather.

Breaking free, Ms. Williams bolted toward her car, while trying to soothe the crying infant.

In the bustle, the attacker broke out of Dallas’s grip and darted toward the vehicle. Damn. No plates.

“The sheriff is on his way,” Dallas said in desperation, knowing full well his target was about to hop into that van and disappear.

Just as expected, the guy hurled himself in the open door and, without waiting for it to close, shouted at the driver to go. On cue, the van swerved, then sped away.

Dallas muttered a curse. Pulling out his cell, he told Ms. Williams to stay put. Even though his pickup wasn’t far, he couldn’t leave her to give chase. No way would he risk this guy circling back or sending others to finish the job. Dallas would have to stay with her to ensure her safety.

At least this morning wasn’t a total bust. The baby was safe in his mother’s arms. Dallas could call his friend the sheriff, who would track down the minivan while Dallas guarded Ms. Williams.

“Where are you?” he asked as soon as Tommy picked up.

“A couple of blocks from Main Street,” the lawman replied. “Why? You okay?”

“I’m in the back parking lot of the soup kitchen and a man just tried to abduct Ms. Williams’s baby. There’s a white Mazda minivan heading in your direction. He hopped inside it before I could get to him. No tags in front,” Dallas reported, noticing for the first time that he was practically panting from adrenaline. He took a deep breath and then finished relaying the details of what had just gone down.

“Is there a high point you can get to for a visual on the minivan?” Tommy asked.

Dallas kept an eye on Ms. Williams as he climbed on top of the closed Dumpster to see if he could spot the vehicle. She had managed to settle the baby. Dallas was certain her hands would be shaking from her own adrenaline, and he was grateful for the few extra minutes he’d get while she fumbled with securing her son in the car seat. The panicked look on her face said she’d get as far away as possible the second she could.

“No. I don’t see him,” Dallas said.

“I’m on Main now. A couple of blocks from your location, but I don’t see anyone on the street.” Tommy asked Dallas to stand by while he gave his deputies a description of the vehicle. “I’m sending someone over to you just in case the guy is on his way back or sends someone else.”

“Call me back when you know anything. I have to check on Ms. Williams and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid,” Dallas said, knowing full well that her eyes would haunt him if he didn’t ensure she was okay. It would be a long time before he shook off the image of those frightened sky blues, and he had to admit to being a little interested to see what the rest of her face looked like. He told himself it was protective instinct mixed with curiosity and nothing more.

Besides, she’d been as blindsided by all this as he had. He hopped down and jogged toward her sedan. “Ma’am.”

She spun around with a gasp. “Kate. It’s Kate.”

He brought his hand up, palm out, to help communicate the idea that he wasn’t there to hurt her.

“I’m Dallas O’Brien.” He offered a handshake. She was most likely still in shock, and from the look of her wild eyes, she was in full get-the-heck-out-of-Dodge mode. “The sheriff is sending someone over to talk to us.”

She stood there, frozen, for several seconds, as if her mind might be clicking through options. She didn’t seem to realize there was only one: talk to Dallas.

“Do you know who that was?” he asked, figuring he already knew the answer. But he wanted to get her talking.

“No. I’ve never seen him before in my life.” Her breath was visible in the cold air as she spoke, and even though she had on a thick layer of clothes, she was shivering. That, too, was most likely caused by residual adrenaline.

“First of all, I want to make sure you and your baby are safe. Can we go inside the building?” Dallas’s own adrenaline surge was wearing off and he was starting to feel the biting wind again. He’d stay with her until law enforcement arrived and then he’d get supplies and head back to the ranch.

“Okay. Yes. Sure. I was going in anyway before—” She stopped midsentence, as if she couldn’t bring herself to finish.

Then another round of panic seemed to set in.

“No. Never mind. We have to go somewhere else,” she insisted, her gaze darting from left to right.

“He’s gone. They won’t be back, especially not while I’m here,” Dallas stated.

“You can’t know that for certain,” she said quickly.

“Kate, I can assure you—”

“No. You can’t. We can talk, but we have to do it somewhere else.” She glanced about, her terror and desperation mounting.

Dallas’s cell phone buzzed. He fished it from his coat pocket and checked the screen. “This call is from the sheriff. I need to answer.”

She nodded.

“Give me some good news,” Dallas said into the phone.

“Wish I could. Seems your white Mazda minivan is just as slippery as your suspect. There’s no sign of either anywhere. We have no plans to give up searching. You’ll be the first to know when we locate him,” Tommy said with a frustrated sigh.

Dallas thanked his friend for the update and then ended the call, cursing under his breath.

An expectant victim stared at him, needing reassurance.

He shook his head.

“I have to get out of here before they come back,” she said, making a move toward the driver’s side of her sedan.

“Hold on,” Dallas cautioned. “What makes you so sure he’ll try again?”

CHAPTER TWO

“I feel too exposed here. Can we go somewhere besides my soup kitchen? I need to get away from this place,” Kate blurted out. It was then she realized that she’d been holding her breath. She exhaled, trying to calm her rapid pulse.

“A deputy is on his way,” the handsome cowboy said, and his name finally sank in. Dallas O’Brien. She knew that name from somewhere. But where?

Her mind raced. She was still shocked that anyone would try to rip her baby from her arms in the middle of town. She’d waited so long for him, had been through hell and back. What kind of horrible person would try to take him away?

Tears threatened, but Kate forced herself to hold them at bay.

“My son will need to eat soon and I’d rather not feed him in the parking lot, whether a deputy is coming or not,” she said, glancing from Dallas to Jackson.

The cowboy looked around and then checked his watch. “Fine. We’re going to the sheriff’s office to give statements, then,” he said.

Jackson would be safe there, so she nodded.

“I don’t have a child safety seat in my truck, so we’ll have to take your car,” he added, his voice sturdy as steel.

As calming as his presence was, her body still shook from fear of that man coming back and the horror of him trying to pry Jackson out of her arms.

“You gave him your keys,” she reminded Dallas, wasting no time slipping into the driver’s seat, while he took the passenger side of her sedan.

“Those? That’ll get him into my old post office box,” he said with a wry grin. It was the first time she really noticed Dallas’s good looks. He had a strong, square jaw and intelligent dark eyes.

“I’d like to go home,” Kate said as she turned the ignition. “Can the deputy meet us there?”

“Too risky,” Dallas said.

It took a second for her to realize that he meant the men might know where she lived.

Could they?

Being single and living alone, she’d taken great pains to ensure her personal information remained private. Then again, with the internet these days, it seemed there was no real privacy left, and most people in the small town knew each other anyway. All a determined bad guy would have to do was ask around and he’d be able to figure out where she lived.

“All of Jackson’s supplies are there, except what’s inside the diaper bag in the backseat,” she said as she pulled onto Main from the alley.

Dallas surveyed the area and she realized that with her driving, he would be able to keep watch for the minivan in case it returned. She racked her brain, trying to figure out how she knew him.

“We can pick up new diapers if need be. I don’t want to go to your place until we know it’s safe. For now, take a right at the next stoplight,” Dallas said. He sent a text and she assumed he was telling the sheriff about their change in plans.

Normally, being told what to do was like fingernails on a chalkboard to Kate. In this case, she decided it was better to do as Dallas said. At least he was strong and capable. She already knew he could handle himself in a fight, and he had just saved her and Jackson, so she knew she could trust him.

“Three blocks ahead, take another right, then a left at the stop sign,” he instructed.

She did. The horror of what had just happened was finally sinking in and it dawned on her how lucky she’d been that someone was there to help.

“I owe you an apology for being rude to you. Thank you for stepping in to save my son,” she said. “You didn’t have to get involved.”

“You’re welcome,” Dallas replied. “I’m just glad I was there to help. I don’t normally go to the supply store on Wednesdays.”

“Your change of plans probably just saved Jackson’s life.” She shivered at the thought of what might’ve happened if this cowboy hadn’t been there to intervene. “I know it saved mine.”

Reality was setting in, which also made her realize there was no one to open the kitchen this morning. She needed to call her assistant director or dozens of people would go hungry.

“I have to make sure the kitchen opens on time. Is it okay if I make a quick call before we go inside?” She parked in the lot of the sheriff’s office and gripped the steering wheel. “A lot of people are counting on me for a meal.”

Dallas nodded, while staring at the screen of his cell. “Make an excuse as to why you can’t do it yourself, and put the call on speaker. I don’t want you to give away what happened yet. Got it?”

She shot him a sideways glance. “Why?”

“That was a planned attack. Those men knew exactly when and where you’d be alone. The sheriff will want to know if someone close to you gave them that information, and we have to assume it could’ve been anyone, even people you trust.”

An icy chill ran down her spine. “You think one of my employees might’ve supplied that?” she asked, not bothering to mask her shock. Who would want to hurt Jackson or her? He was just a baby. Her mind could scarcely wrap around the fact that someone had tried to take him in the first place. Panic flooded her at the memory. “Who would plan something like this?”

“The sheriff will help find the answer to that question,” Dallas said, his voice a study in composure, whereas she was falling apart.

“None of this seems real,” she said, bile rising, burning her throat. “I think I might be sick.”

“Take a few deep breaths.” His voice was like calm, soothing water pouring over her.

She did as he suggested.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes.” She apologized again.

“Don’t be sorry for wanting to protect your child,” Dallas said. And there was an underlying note in his tone she couldn’t easily identify. Was he a father?

“You have every right to be upset,” he said.

“It’s just that I moved here for a safe environment.” And now it felt as if everything in her life was unraveling. Again.

“Who are you going to call to open the kitchen?” Dallas asked.

Oh, right. She’d gotten distracted once more. Her mind was spinning in a thousand directions. “Allen Lentz. He’s my second in command and my right hand.”

Her phone weighed almost nothing and yet shook as she held it. She paused. “You don’t think…?”

“Get him on speaker.” There was a low rumble to Dallas O’Brien’s voice now, a deep baritone that sent a different kind of shiver racing down her spine—one that was unwelcome and inappropriate given the circumstances.

Her rescuer’s name seemed so familiar and she couldn’t figure out why. Wait a minute. Didn’t his family own the Cattlemen Crime Club? She’d received an invitation to a Halloween Bash in a few weeks, which was a charity fund-raiser, and realized that she’d seen his family name on the invite.

In fact, her kitchen was one of the beneficiaries of his family’s generosity. She hadn’t met any of the O’Briens yet. She’d read that they’d lost their parents in an accident a few weeks ago.