Hidden Away, page 22
part #2 of Hearts of Montana Series
And now wasn’t the time for anger. She needed to try to get control of this situation. To diffuse her cousin’s temper, not spark it further.
She tried once more for rational, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice and sound as calm as possible. “This is not the way to do this. You’re just making it worse on Sam. Why don’t we all get together when everyone has settled down? We can talk this through and come up with an arrangement that will make everyone happy.”
“What you fail to understand is that I don’t give a shit about your happiness. I care about that kid and making sure he doesn’t get stuck growing up here in this piss-ant town with you as a single mother. You’re a joke, Cherry. You live in a run-down, piece of shit apartment, and you spend your days serving pie to old farmers who leer at your tits then leave you nickel tips. Your mom took off on you, and your dad was a drunk. You have nothing to offer to the kid, and I won’t let my only nephew grow up to be the clichéd subject of a country-western song.”
Who did he think he was? Emotion choked her throat as she fought to deny that most of what he’d said was true.
Except that she had nothing to offer Sam. She did have something to offer him. She had love. Buckets and bushels and baskets of love.
Love to the moon and back.
And she loved that boy with the ferocity of a mother bear.
That fierceness welled inside of her now. Anger and strength filled her.
She would not back down. Not again.
And she would not let Reed bully her.
Not anymore.
She pulled at her arm, trying to yank it free. “Reed, let go of me. Right now.” She drew her phone from her pocket. “I’ll call the police.”
He slapped the phone from her hand, and it bounced into the tall grass. “You can call whoever you want. You’re missing the big picture, cousin. You are a nobody who doesn’t even have two nickels to rub together. I have wealth and power on my side. I’m a lawyer who owns a nice house and has a wife. No one is going to side with you against me.”
His fingers dug tighter into her arm, as he loomed over her.
It didn’t matter. Didn’t matter if he was six feet tall or ten feet tall. She was fighting for her son. She struggled to free herself from his grasp. “We’re not kids anymore, and you don’t get to push me around.”
He sneered down at her, his face ugly with contempt. “You’re wrong. That’s exactly what I get to do. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Then he actually pushed her.
Shoved her with enough force that she stumbled back, losing her balance and fell to the ground.
She landed hard on her rump, scraping her hands on the gravel as she tried to gain purchase.
Her teeth knocked together when she hit the ground, and she tasted the coppery tang of blood as she bit her tongue.
Reed turned and raced for the SUV, climbing in and slamming the door. He threw the car in reverse and backed up, then slammed it into gear and took off, spraying gravel as his tires spun in the soft dirt.
Sam pounded at the window, yelling her name.
She scrambled to her feet, the blood rushing to her head. She chased after the car, her lungs burning as she sprinted toward it.
But it was no use. The car sped down the driveway and turned onto the highway.
And it was gone.
Sam was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Taylor turned into the driveway of the cabin.
His dad had called to say that he was heading to pick up Cherry and Sam, and Taylor had asked him to come to the vet clinic instead. He’d rather have his dad wait around for the dog and let him get back out to his family.
And he knew that Cherry and Sam were his family. It didn’t matter that she’d lied.
Well, it did matter.
But he could forgive her. Because that’s what you do when you love someone.
You forgive them.
Falling in love was a risky business. You had to put it all out there. Take a chance by offering someone your heart, knowing that they could cherish it or stomp on it.
And Cherry had done both.
She had both treasured his love and torn his heart to shreds.
But the great thing about the heart is its incredible power to heal. He hadn’t been sure if he could forgive her. If he could let go of the hurt and betrayal.
Until he got the call that Sam was missing. And then all he wanted, all he needed, was to be with her. When he walked into the diner and saw her sitting in that chair, he knew.
He knew none of the other stuff mattered.
Only her.
She and Sam were his everything. And he didn’t care what he had to do to prove that to them. To prove that he was staying.
That he was going to fight for them.
He knew Cherry was scared of him leaving, and he shuddered at his earlier thoughts of how easy it would be to just take off.
But he didn’t.
He didn’t fill a suitcase or pack a bag. Hell, he hadn’t even packed a lunch for the day. Because he knew in his heart that he was staying. That all he wanted was to be a dad to a precious eight-year-old boy and to have a wild redhead curled against his side every night.
What the hell?
Through the windshield, he could see that redhead now, but he couldn’t figure out what the heck she was doing. She appeared to be looking for something as she crawled frantically around in the grass in front of the cabin.
Her red hair was a mass of tangles, and her lips were moving as if she were talking to herself. By the look on her face, she wasn’t saying anything nice.
Taylor parked the car and stepped out.
“Mother-F-er. Penis-hole. Asshole. Ass-face. Ass-wipe. Scumbag.”
Yep. She was swearing all right. A laundry list of hostile titles fell from her mouth.
“Cherry, are you okay there, darlin’?”
She looked up at him, and he swore his heart stopped.
“What the hell happened to you?” He rushed forward and knelt beside her. Salty tear-tracks showed through the dirt on her face, and dried blood crusted the corner of her mouth. Her upper arm was a mess of dark bruises, and her hands and arms were scraped up.
“Taylor, help me find my phone. I have to call the police.” Her eyes held that glassy look that told him she was probably in shock.
He spied her phone in the grass and picked it up.
He couldn’t have been gone more than twenty minutes. What had happened here while he was gone?
He reached to grab her arm and realized the bruises were shaped like a large hand. Fury filled him at the thought of someone touching her.
He lowered his voice, containing all the anger and fear he felt, and calmly took her hand. “Cherry, I am the police. And right now, I need you to take a deep breath, and tell me what’s going on. Where’s Sam?”
She blinked up at him, and her eyes cleared as if she just realized he was here. She threw herself into his arms. “Reed. That mother-f-ing arrogant asshole Reed Hill. He took Sam. We need to call someone.” She thrust back and pushed to her feet. “We need to go get him.”
Cherry turned and ran to the cruiser. She threw open the door and jumped in the front seat.
Taylor ran after her, comprehending her frantic words as he leaped into action.
Reed took Sam?
That bastard.
Cherry could add that one to her list.
He started the ignition and got the car turned around and headed back to the highway. “Tell me everything, Cherry. Where is he taking him?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Home, I guess. Yes, I’m sure he’s taking him back to Great Falls.”
Taylor turned that direction and stepped on the gas. His speedometer inched to ninety as he flew down the highway.
He passed her a half-empty water bottle that had been stuck between the seats. “Here. Drink some of this. I need you to focus. Sam is counting on us.”
She nodded and drank some water. She took a deep breath and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. “Okay. Okay. You’re right. I’m all right. I lost it there for a few, but I’m back. I would do anything for Sam.”
“I know you would. Take another sip.”
She took one more drink then screwed the lid back on the bottle. “I’m good now. I’m ready to tear that bastard cousin of mine a new one.”
And there it was. He knew “bastard” would eventually make the list. “How much of a lead does he have on us?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t know what to do. He showed up at the cabin with Olivia, and he was so angry. I can’t figure out how he even knew Sam was missing, let alone that we were at the cabin.”
He grimaced. “I can. I was talking to my dispatcher on the way back out here, and she told me that she’d overheard one of my deputies in his office on the phone. She said he was talking to a guy named Reed, and that he’d been telling him about Sam and giving him directions to the fishing cabin. I guess she flat out confronted him, and he said Reed was an old classmate of his and that he owed him a favor.”
He would deal with the deputy later. He wasn’t about to put up with that kind of disloyalty on his force. He reached for Cherry’s hand. “I’m sorry. I had no idea I had a spy in my own camp.”
She squeezed his hand back. “It’s not your fault. Knowing Reed, he probably has something he’s holding over the guy.”
He sped past a blue pickup. “I don’t understand how he took Sam.”
“Neither do I. He said some terrible things to me, and he told Olivia to put Sam in the car. I tried to stop him. I swear I did. Sam was screaming, and I tried to fight him. But he shoved me back, and I fell. And then he took off. I ran after the truck. I don’t know what I thought I was going to do, grab the bumper and hang on, I guess.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I tried. Reed knocked the phone from my hands. After they turned out of the driveway, I ran back and was searching for the phone. I couldn’t remember exactly where I’d been standing. I don’t know how long I was searching before you got there.”
Rage flared in him, and he wanted to punch Reed Hill in the throat. “Your cousin is a bully.”
“I know. He has been his whole life. And I swear to you, Taylor. This is it. This is the last straw. I’m done backing down to him. Sam is my son, and I will do whatever it takes to fight for him.”
There she was. That was the Cherry Hill that he knew. “Correction. Sam is our son. And you’re not in this fight alone. I’m right beside you.”
“I thought you needed time to think. Time to be alone.”
“I’ve had time. And I’m sick of thinking. Too much thinking just gets you in trouble. I love you, and I love Sam.”
He shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m declaring my love for you while we’re flying down the highway at ninety-five miles an hour. It’s not very romantic. But maybe that’s what love is supposed to be like. Like this highway, where sometimes you’re just steadily driving along, and it’s easy, and sometimes you’re flying down the road at break-neck speed, heart racing, hitting bumps and hoping you don’t crash. Maybe being in love is like one big long road trip.”
Squeezing her hand, he kept talking, afraid to look at her. Afraid if he paused, he wouldn’t get out what he wanted to say.
What he needed to say.
He felt like his words were coming out as fast as they were hurtling down the road. But he couldn’t stop. “And I don’t want to be taking this trip alone. Alone sucks. I want you in this car with me. You and Sam. Playing the music too loud and obnoxiously telling me when I miss a turn. I want a messy car filled with toys and snack foods and laughter. But I’ll tell you what I don’t want. I don’t want to miss this trip. I don’t want to miss my chance to be on this road with you.”
He stole a glance at her. She had turned in her seat, and her eyes were filled with tears.
And filled with love.
Love for him.
He recognized that look. Had dreamed about seeing that look in her eyes again.
He cleared his throat, swallowing back the deep emotion that had settled there. “So, are you okay with that?”
“I guess that depends.” Her voice was light, teasing.
“Depends on what?”
“If you agree to sometimes let me drive.”
He grinned. “Okay, it’s a deal. I will sometimes let you drive.”
She smiled and squeezed his hand. “And sometimes you’ll let me play with the siren.”
He laughed and gave her a naughty grin. “Babe, you can play with whatever you want.”
She let loose a hearty laugh, and it was music to his ears.
Keeping his eyes on the road, he reached up and cupped his hand around her neck. He ran his thumb along her cheek. “So, we’re okay then?”
She tilted her face, and laid a tender kiss against the knuckles of his hand. “Yes, we’re okay.”
A shiver of sensation ran through him at the feel of her lips on his skin. He hazarded another glance her way.
She smiled at him, and he was sunk.
Yeah, he had it bad. And he was in this thing all the way up to his ears. He grinned back. “You are ridiculously beautiful.”
“Not hardly.” Putting a hand to her tangled hair, she pulled down the visor of the passenger seat and gasped as she caught a glance at herself in the mirror. “I can’t believe you took pictures of me looking like this.”
She scrubbed at the dirt on her face and opened the glove box of his car. “Do you have some napkins or something in here? I should at least wash the blood off my face before we get there.”
She found a stack of napkins and used the water bottle to wet a couple and wash her face. “Nice shirt by the way.”
He looked down at the yellow T-shirt he was wearing. The words, Cooper Veterinary Clinic, were printed on the right breast side. “Zack gave me a shirt to wear when I got to the clinic. I’m sure he’ll tack it on to my bill.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m almost afraid to ask about Rex. Was Zack able to save him?”
“Yeah, he said the wounds were superficial, and he should be able to just stitch him up. He’d lost a lot of blood, and it’s good that we got him there so quickly. I left my dad there to wait with him so I could come back for you and Sam. Now I’m kicking myself for leaving you guys alone.”
“Don’t do that. You did the right thing. Saving Rex was the most important thing to do at the time. Reed might have taken Sam but he’s okay. Reed’s not gonna hurt him.”
“But he hurt you.”
“I’m okay, too. Actually I’m more than okay. I’ve backed down to my cousin my whole life. He’s always used bullying and scare tactics, and they worked. Until today. Today I had something important enough to fight for, and I stood up to him. For the first time in my life, I stood up to him. And I’m okay.”
“Have you seen the bruises he left on your arm?”
She held out her arm and winced at the purplish marks. “Yeah, those are pretty bad. But they’re just bruises. They’ll heal. I bit my tongue, and I’ve got a sore rump where I fell, but that’s it. I still stood up to him. I didn’t back down. He did his worst, and I’m okay. In fact, I’m good. I feel like I’m finally free. Free of his hold on me.”
“Good for you. I still intend on punching him in the face when we get to his house.”
“You’ll have to stand in line.” She laughed. “But I think we need more of a plan to get Sam back than just a face-punching receiving line.”
Cherry was right. He mulled over their options in his head. “You said earlier that we needed to call the police. That we needed to call someone for help.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
“It’s okay, but it’s got me thinking. Maybe it is time we called in some help. Some real help. But it means people are probably going to find out. Find out that you and I are Sam’s birth parents. Are you okay with that?”
He could tell by her pause that she was thinking it over. “Yeah, I am. Sam already knows, and so does your dad. I’m not ashamed that I tried to do what was best for my baby. I was practically a child myself when it happened. I hadn’t even turned eighteen yet. And Stacy and Greg were great parents. They loved Sam.”
“I know they did. But now they’re gone, and it’s up to us to make sure that their wishes are carried out and that Sam stays in a home where he’s still loved. That he stays with us.”
“Agreed. But how do we do that?”
He dug his phone from his pocket. “I’ve got some ideas. And some calls to make.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cherry and Taylor pulled up in front of Reed and Olivia’s lavish home. They’d made one stop on the way into Great Falls, but it had been an important one.
“You ready to go get our boy?” Taylor asked her.
“You bet your sweet buns I am.”
She felt like she was ready to take on the world. She was no longer afraid of standing up to her cousin, and with Taylor in her corner, she felt armed for anything he threw at her.
She nodded. “Yes. Let’s do this.” She got out of the car and pushed back her shoulders. Taylor came around and took her hand.
He didn’t look quite as official as he usually did in the yellow vet clinic’s T-shirt. But the holstered gun riding on his hip and the gold badge clipped to his belt gave him plenty of authority.
Olivia answered their knock and let them into the house. She shook her head at Cherry. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he was going to do that. I thought we were just going out there to check to see if Sam was all right. Are you okay?”
Cherry gave her cousin’s wife a serious look. She felt sorry for Olivia, but she wasn’t ready to let her off the hook that easily. “I’m fine, but we’re here to get Sam. And we are going to take him home with us.”
“I know,” she answered in a soft voice. She pointed down the hall. “Reed’s in the study. I’ll go get Sam.”
They crossed the room and found Reed in his study sitting at his desk.
He looked up from his computer when they walked in, a startled expression on his face.
