Loe raamatut: «The Baby In The Back Seat»

Chapter One

A baby cried.

Clicking off the car radio, Sam peered anxiously at the map furnished by the car-rental agency in Grand Junction and frowned. He didn’t know what bothered him more: finding himself on an unmarked county road or the unwelcome reminder he’d left his infant daughter behind with his ex-wife a few hours ago.

As much as he would have liked to be a real father, he’d never managed to spend more than an hour or two with Annie. First, because he’d never felt welcome in his own home, and second, because his obsession with photography kept getting in the way. Which condition had contributed to his divorce was beyond him, but this proposed shared custody when Annie was older twisted in his gut.

He consoled himself with the thought that he’d be able to see the baby between assignments. And that when she got old enough for him to care for, he’d call in his shared-custody rights. Until then, she was better off with someone who knew how to take care of her.

Suddenly aware he should have been at his destination by now, his thoughts turned to the immediate problem.

As a photojournalist, he’d flown, driven and hiked to more offbeat and secluded places than he could count. He’d won half-a-dozen awards for his photo stories and had the trophies to prove it. Heck, he was even an internationally known photojournalist.

Until today, he’d managed to find his way around without a problem. So how in hell had he managed to get himself lost on a dirt road on the western slopes of the Colorado Rockies?

He didn’t really mind getting lost, he told himself as he peered out the window, trying to pinpoint his present location. The surrounding terrain was beautiful and so photogenic his fingers itched to grab his camera. He’d start shooting the miles of fresh green grass that, after last night’s rain, glistened in the afternoon sun. Or he’d capture the shadows cast by the ragged mountains just beyond the horizon.

Too bad he’d packed his cameras in the back, he thought wryly. He couldn’t reach one without pulling off the road and rummaging through the boxes packed on the back seat of the car. Or in the cargo space, which was full of his belongings.

With a rain-soaked dirt road under the wheels, capturing on film the majestic green peaks was tempting, but it would have to wait until he reached his destination. If ever.

Getting lost really bothered him. Losing control. He was a man who wrote his own rules, traveled when, where and how he wanted and lived the good life. In his book, that meant being in charge.

To his growing disgust, he wasn’t in charge now.

In the background, he heard a baby whimper.

Sam frowned and checked the car radio. It wasn’t on. With a shrug he laid the sound down to an overactive imagination triggered by a guilt trip at having driven away from the one person he loved more than life itself—Annie.

The baby whimpered again, a demand for attention if he’d ever heard one, he thought miserably as he glanced through the rearview mirror.

The sight of the back of an infant car seat buckled on the back seat sent his adrenaline into overdrive.

A baby? Annie? If this was Paige’s idea of a joke, it was a damn poor one.

His attention momentarily diverted, the large white rented SUV bumped into a pothole, slid and, to his mounting horror, shot across a narrow ditch and aimed straight for an ancient weathered fence. His heart thundered as he threw all of his 180 pounds into stomping on the brakes. To his mounting dismay, the car skidded on the muddy road and continued on its wayward course straight for the fence.

Cursing his luck, Sam broke into a cold sweat. A giant stab of pain tore at his forehead. Terror washed over him as he realized the wheels had no traction. Heaven only knew where he would wind up. Or, if he was lucky, that the SUV would end up in one piece.

It wasn’t himself he was thinking about—it was the baby in the back seat he’d heard crying. He gritted his teeth.

Instead of coming to a stop, the SUV tore through the fence rails, careered up a small slope and crashed into a small water tower, with predictable results. As if in slow motion, the tower swayed, toppled and showered the car with a torrent of water. With a muffled curse, he wrested the door open, bounded out and headed for the rear door to rescue the baby in the back seat.

The baby was indeed Annie, and she was demanding attention in the only way she knew how. Tears rolled down her pink cheeks. Hiccups shook her tiny frame. To his relief she opened her eyes and smiled through her tears when she saw him.

Shielding her from the water with his body, Sam hurried to unfasten the baby carrier, grabbed it in his arms and stumbled away from the soaked SUV to dry land.

Annie’s brown eyes, golden-brown hair and teary smile brought a lump to his throat and questions to his mind. How had Annie gotten into the SUV?

A close look revealed a note pinned to her blanket.

“Sam,” he read with dismay, “I saw the way you looked at Annie when you said goodbye. I realized then she was better off with you than with me. By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to Paris. Don’t bother to call me. I’ll call you. Paige.”

His heart beat double-time as he realized this was the reason Paige had been so anxious to help him load his belongings and to send him on his way.

He managed to muster a smile to reassure his infant daughter. There was no use scaring her, he thought as he regarded tiny teeth between quivering lips. A little dimple on her chin, a duplicate of his own larger one, clinched the deal. Annie was his responsibility.

Annie had been the unplanned result of a brief visit home fifteen months ago. Because of his commitments, he’d only seen her twice since she’d been born six months ago. Once, when she was born and her mother had shocked him by telling him she planned a divorce. The second, a few short hours ago when he’d kissed Annie goodbye.

His heart finally slowed enough so he could take a deep breath. It wasn’t only the accident that gave him pause. It was the thought of taking on the responsibility of raising a child on his own. Especially one as young as Annie.

One thing for sure, fatherhood had to be a daunting experience under any circumstances.

In his case, he honestly knew zip about babies. If Annie didn’t fit into her mother’s schedule, she didn’t fit into his own nomadic career, either.

He gazed at his infant daughter. She might have been unplanned and her presence in the SUV unexpected, but he loved every tiny inch of her.

His lifestyle was definitely going to have to change.

His immediate problem, aside from having Annie with him, was the car’s busted radiator. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and smiled his reassurance at the baby. Good thing she couldn’t know he hadn’t the foggiest idea of what to do now. Not with her or the car, either.

Shouts, the excited barking of a dog and the sound of a galloping horse drew his attention. In the distance he saw a rider bearing down on him. Thank God, he thought as he jiggled the baby carrier; help was on its way.

He drew a deep breath and fought to think of a lucid answer to the question that was surely coming. What in hell had caused him to crash through the fence and take down the water tower?

A baby’s cry? No one in his right mind would believe him. After all, from his limited experience he knew babies cried all the time.

He hadn’t known the baby was there? How could he explain he hadn’t known Annie was in the back seat until he heard her cry? True, but no one would buy that story, either.

Explain that his ex-wife must have put the baby in the SUV while he was picking up the last of his belongings and about to leave home for the last time? That was the truth but just as unbelievable.

The rider bore down on him. There was something about the guy’s body language that told him not to expect a welcome. He clutched the baby carrier and took a step back.

“Just what did you think you were doing?” the irate rider shouted. He pulled the horse to a halt inches away from Sam’s nose and glared down at him.

Sam swallowed hard. He didn’t blame the guy for being angry, but the look on his face was more than anger. The guy was furious.

“Sorry, mister,” Sam began, then stopped short when he realized the person confronting him was a woman. And not an ordinary woman. This one had a rifle resting in the crook of her elbow and looked ready to use it.

He did a double take and took another step backward. He couldn’t help himself. Up close the woman looked interesting, if dangerous. She was dressed in a well-washed blue cotton shirt and tight worn jeans. Long trim legs were encased in soft leather boots that, like the ranch behind her, had seen better days. From her boots to her gold windblown hair, she was all woman. A woman with sparkling green eyes that would have reminded him of green meadows in springtime if she hadn’t been so angry. Right now, her eyes looked like twin tornadoes.

Her eyes widened when she finally focused on the infant carrier in his arms. She let loose with the barrage of questions he’d known were coming. “What in heaven’s name were you thinking? How could you drive so irresponsibly with a baby in the car?” Before he could answer, she went on, “Is the baby all right? You’re lucky the two of you weren’t killed!”

“I didn’t know she was there,” Sam protested when the woman stopped to catch her breath. He straightened his back and attempted a smile. What was he apologizing for? After all, he was innocent. “That is, I didn’t know she was there until I heard her cry. Her crying startled me and made me lose control of the car.”

Behind him, the last wooden support of the water tower fell with a thud, and the last of the water it had contained drained out like a creek that had broken through its banks.

Sam and the woman on the horse surveyed the scene in silence. He was trying to think of something to say when she spoke for him. “Great driving,” she finally said with a look of disgust.

Sam had intended to try to charm his way through the confrontation, but it was obviously no use. The lady was mad as hell at the destruction of her property. He looked back over his shoulder at the muddy tire skids, the broken fence, the pile of wood and corrugated tin that had been a water tower. Considering the amount of devastation he’d caused, he couldn’t blame her. He hoped she had no thoughts of using the gun she held. “Don’t worry. I’ll pay for the damages.”

“You didn’t know the baby was there?” she echoed, ignoring his offer. Her eyes narrowed, and she studied him closely. Close enough to make him shiver under his soaked clothing, even though the sun was shining. “Been drinking?”

“No way!” Sam answered, juggling the carrier so that Annie wouldn’t think he’d forgotten her. “The God’s honest truth is that my ex-wife put the baby in the back seat of my car without telling me.”

“Try again,” his inquisitor said dryly. “Sounds like a custody argument to me. Are you sure you didn’t take the baby when your ex wasn’t looking?”

Sam was insulted. He’d been called a lot of things, but never anything as bad as this. “Good Lord! Do I look like a kidnapper?”

When the woman raised an eyebrow, Sam felt like a fool. She was right. He might not look like a kidnapper, but he did look foolish.

Between the damaged SUV, his own wet and muddy condition, the baby in the carrier and the woman on horseback holding a gun, things were beginning to look like a TV sitcom. Only he didn’t feel like laughing.

“It’s the truth. When I stopped to pick up my belongings at my ex’s request, Paige must have put the baby carrier with Annie into the car. I swear, this came as a complete surprise.”

The rider’s raised eyebrows suggested her disbelief, but he was beyond caring. It was beginning to look as if this mishap could wind up as a case of life or death. Or jail.

He was ready to admit that in his case truth was stranger than fiction. He might be innocent of kidnapping, but he sure hoped smashing a fence and a water tower weren’t shooting offenses around here.

Now that she’d cooled down, Laura had to bite her lip to smother a laugh. The man’s story was too ridiculous to be a fabrication, but it didn’t get him off the hook. The damage he’d caused couldn’t have come at a worse time. She silently surveyed the destruction. Repairing the fence and putting up a new water tower would set her back months if he didn’t have the funds to do the job. She saw hundreds of dollars, maybe thousands, in repairs facing her. Money she didn’t have and wasn’t likely to borrow in time to prevent the loss of her herd, small though it was.

As for the baby smiling at her from the infant seat, she definitely had her father’s coloring and, in any case, was too cute to ignore. From the way things looked, she was in need of some tender loving care.

Laura studied the baby’s father. She’d been around men long enough to sense he was a man’s man, even if he didn’t know how to drive. He was larger than life, handsome, tall and lithe. A brown-and-white shirt was stretched taut across his chest. Long legs were encased in stone-washed jeans and ended in brown leather boots. His clear chocolate-brown eyes, so like the baby’s, met hers in a way that made her all too aware of him. So what if his glance and the muscular chest showing under his wet shirt warmed her middle? She had more important things to think about than a sexy man.

Keeping her mind on saving the ranch from being sold from under her was her number-one priority, and he wasn’t helping.

She smothered a sigh. Whatever the outcome of his unexpected arrival, the stranger was someone she wouldn’t easily forget after he was gone. As for the baby…well, she couldn’t afford to dwell on her, either.

“Who are you, and where did you think you were going?”

“The name is Sam Harrison,” he answered. “I’m a photojournalist. Actually I was on my way to photograph the New Horizons Spa when I managed to get lost.” He gestured to the sodden road map lying in the mud at his feet. “According to the map the car-rental agency gave me, the spa should have been somewhere around here.”

It wasn’t the first time some tenderfoot had gotten lost on his way to the spa. She was used to strangers driving up to her door expecting a glamorous health spa instead of a run-down sheep ranch. But it was the first time anyone had managed to trash her property in the process. Frowning, she swallowed an angry retort and gazed at the unhappy culprit. “You took the wrong turn at the crossroads about two miles back.”

The baby cried again. Sam unbuckled the infant carrier, took the baby in his arms and tried to soothe her. To his chagrin, her bottom was damper than the tears that lingered in the corner of her eyes. He felt like a heel. No wonder the poor kid had been crying her heart out for attention. What kind of father did that make him?

“What do you intend to do now?” the rider asked.

“Beats me.” He glanced at the busted SUV and ran his fingers through the shock of hair that fell over his forehead. “Outside of calling the rental agency, I haven’t a clue.”

“Try.” She gestured to the fallen water tower, now a limp mass of corrugated tin, and the pieces of fencing scattered over the road. “And while you’re thinking, don’t forget to figure out how you’re going to pay for the damage you caused. Without a fence, my livestock can wander out onto the road. That is, if they don’t die of thirst first.”

That caught Sam’s attention. “Good Lord! You can’t possibly mean it’s as bad as all that!”

He looked horrified, but she didn’t take the time to explain. The sheep wouldn’t die of thirst, not after a spring storm that had left pockets of water standing in the meadow, but they would undoubtedly head for greener pastures if the fence wasn’t fixed soon. What she’d told him came too close to the truth for her own peace of mind.

She leaned on the pommel of the saddle. “Every word, Mr. Harrison. Hope you can afford it, because repairing the fence and replacing the water tower at double time are going to cost you a bundle.”

“Don’t worry. I told you I’ll take care of it.” He felt in his back pocket, then shrugged. “I’ll give you a check as soon as I get someplace dry.” He held the baby away from the damp spot on his shirt and mustered a weak grin. “I’ll have to find a motel where I can clean us up.”

Laura eyed him thoughtfully and relaxed her vigilance. The guy was a lousy driver, but she’d bet her last dollar he was honest. She would have sent him packing after he wrote her a check, but the SUV clearly wasn’t going anywhere. Besides, there was a baby to consider.

First things first. She gestured to the ranch house behind her. “I’m Laura Evans, and this my ranch, the Lazy E. As for a motel, there aren’t any. Not around here, anyway.”

Obviously dismayed, Sam eyed her. His grin faded. “You’ve got to be kidding! There are motels everywhere. Except maybe when you need them,” he added with a distracted look around. “I guess we can bunk in the SUV until help comes.”

Laura’s conscience stirred. The man needed help, and his infant daughter definitely looked as if she needed some attention. What could it hurt if she took them in for a few hours while he waited for a tow truck?

She gestured over her shoulder. “My place back there is the only building around for miles. If you like, you can follow me and get yourself and your daughter cleaned up before you move on.”

“Move on? I wish.” He gestured at the banged-up SUV sitting in the mud. To Laura it looked like a drowned duck with its nose stuck in the mud and its rear end in the air. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go anywhere for a while.” He sighed and gently rocked the baby. “But if it’s okay with you, I’d like to take you up on your offer. First I have to make a telephone call.”

“Local?”

“Don’t worry, I have a cell phone.”

Satisfied, Laura nodded. “Want to hand me the baby? You can follow me to the ranch house when you’re ready.”

He pointedly eyed the rifle and the dog poised at attention at her feet and shook his head. “No thanks. I’ll carry her.” As an afterthought, he added, gesturing to the rifle, “Had some trouble around here?”

Laura met his gaze. “You don’t have to worry. I’ve been bothered by a couple of unsavory characters lately and had to run them off. I wasn’t sure you weren’t more of the same. Or if you’d been sent to deliberately wreck the fence and the water tower to harass me.”

“Harass you? What for?”

“To get me to sell the ranch.”

Without taking his gaze off the rifle, he nodded warily. “You’re not planning on using that, are you?”

She leaned on the pommel of the saddle and looked him squarely in the eyes until he squirmed. “Should I be?”

Sam shuddered. “I told you the truth. I’m a photojournalist. I shoot with a camera, not with a gun. In fact, I’d feel a heck of a lot better about all this if you’d put that thing away.”

“No problem.” She slid the rife into the leather scabbard attached to the saddle. The dog poised at the horse’s feet relaxed, but to add to Sam’s discomfiture, continued to eye him warily. “So do I get the baby? Looks to me as if you have enough on your hands without her.”

“Her name is Annie,” he said. He tramped back to the SUV and reached inside for the diaper bag that had been sitting beside the car seat. Back on dry land, he handed the bag and the baby to Laura. “Whatever her mother had in mind when she stashed Annie in my car, I hope she remembered to provide the fixings for Annie’s care.” He managed a grin. “Too bad she didn’t take the time to explain what I need to do with them.”