The Texas Ranger's Family

* * *

NATALIE HAD ALREADY used up a week of her ten-day paid leave for family bereavement. She was thankful for a few more days to play with her golden-haired daughter before going back to work.

She was just the sweetest little thing, Natalie thought, as Amy ambled around the house on fairly steady legs, pushing her little grocery cart. Natalie adored her and sang her favorite songs over and over again while she got her dressed and fed her breakfast.

One day Amy would have to know about her father, but that time wouldn’t come for years yet. Since he hadn’t been around at all since moving to the hotel, she rarely said “dada.” Her vocabulary consisted of about twenty words. She loved her farm animals and had cow and pig down pat. Amy particularly loved the “Eensy Weensy Spider” song and always said the word spout very loudly when the time came.

At quarter to eleven Natalie let Amy drink her milk from a sippy cup then put her down for a nap and sang nursery rhymes until the toddler’s eyelids fluttered closed. After tiptoeing from the bedroom, Natalie walked back to the kitchen to clean off the high chair and straighten up. The Ranger would be arriving in a few minutes.

She hurried into the bathroom to give her hair a brush-through and put on some lipstick. Today she’d dressed in a blue-and-white print blouse with jeans and sandals. When her cell rang, she went to her bedroom where she’d left it on the bedside table.

She knew when she saw that there was no name on the Caller ID that it had to be him. Miles. The two hang-up calls had come in on her landline. She clicked Answer. Maybe he wouldn’t be coming, after all. “Hello?”

“Mrs. Harris? Ranger Saunders here. How are you this morning?”

The vibrancy of his deep voice curled through her. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d believe you. I’ll be by in a minute. I’ll be driving a dark red Altima and I’ll come to the front door this time. You mentioned putting your little girl down for a nap—I’ll knock so I don’t disturb her.”

“That’s very considerate of you. I’ll listen for your knock.”

“All right, then.” He clicked off.

Natalie left her bedroom and paused at the nursery door. She’d played hard with Amy and figured she’d stay asleep for an hour, but probably no longer. By that time, presumably, the Ranger would have finished whatever it was he needed to do and gone.

The news had been shocking enough when she’d learned that Rod had been found shot. But whatever news the Ranger still had to share couldn’t possibly be as ghastly as what she’d learned about her husband yesterday. He’d committed murder.

Rod hadn’t even been his name... She shuddered to think that she’d been married to him all that time. They’d had a baby together. Natalie felt violated. She hadn’t slept well.

She was still deep in torturous thought when she reached the living room and heard a soft knock. As she opened the door, another shock awaited her. The Ranger who’d left her home yesterday had been so transformed she almost didn’t recognize him except for those fabulous hazel eyes and dark brown hair.

Standing in front of her was a tall, well-honed priest carrying a suitcase. He wore a traditional, short-sleeved, tab-collared clergy shirt in a vivid blue color and a pair of black pants. His white collar stood in contrast with the tan of his complexion, and even more brilliant was his smile. It took her breath.

“If you’ll invite me in, I’ll explain.”

Natalie had been staring at him. His remark caused the blood to rush to her face. She opened the door wider so he could pass.

He put the suitcase down on the floor in the small entry hall before following her into the living room. “Your daughter is asleep?”

She nodded. “Please sit down. Can I offer you coffee or a soda?”

“Nothing for me, thanks.” This time he opted for the couch while she chose the same chair as before.

“Once in a while we get a case that requires full-time watch to protect an endangered party. After talking to my captain, I see two ways to go about handling your case. We can continue to guard you with a surveillance crew outside your house 24/7 or you can have someone living with you on the inside.”

Her pulse started to race. “When you say someone, do you mean you?”

“That’s right. How would you feel if your fictitious cousin Todd Segal from Wyoming spent his retreat from his parish here, to help you through your bereavement for the next week or so? The choice is yours, of course, but I’d prefer to protect you myself.”

The gorgeous Ranger was resourceful, too. She was awed. “I have to admit you look the part.” Inwardly she was shaken by the idea of his living in her home.

“Good.” His lips twitched. “Being a priest who happens to be your only living relative, aside from your absentee father, won’t raise any eyebrows. Those who know your situation will be happy you have someone from the clergy who is family and looking after you since losing your husband. I’ll be able to protect you while I carry out the investigation.”

Natalie couldn’t sit still and got up from the chair. “You think that inmate who escaped with Rod is after the money, don’t you?”

He studied her features. “I only mentioned him in passing. After eight years, anything’s possible. We have no idea what new contacts Rod’s made in that time. I’ve barely scratched the surface of this investigation. How soon do you plan to go back to work, by the way?”

“On Wednesday.”

“That’ll have to change, I’m afraid. Until the culprit is caught, it’s not safe for your little girl to be left with your friend. This person might resort to kidnapping to get the money.”

The color drained from Natalie’s face but the Ranger quickly continued.

“Since we don’t want any harm to come to you or your daughter, it makes the most sense for you to stay home and take care of her until we know it’s safe for you to go back to work. This is an emergency situation. My boss will make the arrangements with Mr. Willard at the pharmacy so your position isn’t jeopardized while you take more time off.”

Natalie could hardly keep up. She was reeling. “Thank you for that.”

“The sooner we can get this case solved, the sooner you can get back to the life you’ve made for yourself. While you’re home, we can work more quickly.”

We? “What can I do to help?”

“I need to know your husband’s habits, his friends. I’ll be going through your personal accounts and phone records. Did he have a laptop?”

“Yes, but he took it with him.”

“It wasn’t found at the hotel, but the police impounded his car. Maybe it will have turned up there, along with his cell phone. I’ll find out when I get the forensics report. Have you gotten rid of any clothes and belongings he may have left here?”

“He only left a few things behind. I don’t want anything he owned. I don’t even want to see it. Whatever was found at the hotel can be donated or thrown out.”

“I’ll let them know. As for his things here, we can go through them together. You might recognize clues that wouldn’t make sense to anyone else. I guess the crucial question is...would you be uncomfortable with me staying here for a while? Will it make your daughter unhappy? If the answer is yes to either of those questions, then I’ll have you watched and proceed on my own.”

Everything was happening so fast she could barely process it. Natalie put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. “I can tell you’d prefer working from here.”

“I would. I came dressed for the part, just in case.” He sensed her hesitation. “But please don’t let that sway you. We’ll get the job done either way.”

He seemed decent up front. She didn’t know why, especially given the way Rod had deceived her, but she trusted him even though they hardly knew each other. “I want this menace gone from my life as soon as possible. I have confidence in you.”

“Thank you for that. My gut tells me the person who ransacked your house isn’t finished, and if I’m here ’round the clock I may be able to speed up the process of catching him. But you have to be absolutely comfortable with the decision.”

She’d been pacing the floor but came to a standstill. With her own personal Texas Ranger guarding her and Amy day and night, what was there to be worried about? “I am comfortable with it,” she stated quietly, “but I don’t have an extra bedroom.”

“That’s not a problem. I have a bedroll out in the car. I can put it down anywhere. Hopefully, I won’t prove too much of an inconvenience.”

“If there’s any inconvenience, it will be my daughter waking you up in the middle of the night when she starts crying. It doesn’t happen very often, but I’m warning you now her lungs are in perfect working order.”

His half smile melted her insides.

“While she’s asleep I’ll go out to the car and bring in my bedroll and groceries.”

“Groceries?

“I told you I came prepared. I stopped at the store on the way here. I’ll put my things in the den, out of sight.”

He’d thought of everything, she marveled. “Let me give you the second remote for the garage so you can pull your car in. I’ve got an extra house key for you, too. I asked Rod to give them back to me when he left for good.”

“Thank you.” He followed her into the kitchen where she started searching through a drawer.

“How soon do you think the police will release his car?”

“I’ll find out tomorrow.”

“I only ask because the baby quilt I made for Amy is missing. I can’t think why it would be in his car, but it’s the only place I haven’t looked. We only ever went places as a family in my car. He said his was for business only.”

“Everything they found when it was impounded will be returned to you.”

She nodded and handed him the key chain with the remote.

“Be right back.”

* * *

SO FAR, SO GOOD.

Kit walked outside, aware the surveillance team was still parked a little ways down the street. He phoned them and told them they could leave, but he wanted them back at six-thirty in the morning.

After activating the remote, he drove into the straightened-up garage and then pulled Natalie’s car inside, next to the laundry room door. He got out and made a first trip into the house with the groceries.

While she put the items away, he went back for his tool bag and suitcase. He took his things to the den with its floor-to-ceiling bookcase on one wall. The entertainment center took up the other wall. He noticed more framed pictures on the end tables; pictures of Natalie with a woman he guessed must be her mother.

He could see where Natalie Harris got her beauty. And the barefoot little girl in a ruffled, lemon-colored top and shorts who now came into the den with one of her push toys had the look of both of them. She stopped short of bumping into Kit’s shoe and looked up at him with her grayish-green eyes.

Was she about to cry at seeing a stranger? It didn’t even matter—Kit decided she was the cutest little girl he’d ever seen.

Natalie had come into the den and leaned down to address her daughter. “Amy? This is Ranger Saunders. He’s going to stay with us for a while.”

“Ranger Saunders is too hard to say. You can call me Kit.”

Surprised, Natalie stood. “Kit? I thought you said your name was Miles.”

“It is, but most people call me Kit. It’s my nickname.” He hunkered down next to Amy. “Hi, honey. What’s your name?”

“Tell him you’re called Amy,” her mother urged. “You can say it. Ay-mee.”

“Me,” her daughter mimicked, leaving out the A.

He smiled and pointed to his chest. “I’m Kit. Kit.”

“You can tell her mind is working on it,” Natalie murmured.

“Kit,” the little girl finally pronounced.

“Yes.” He nodded, pleased she’d picked it up so quickly. “I’m Kit, and you’re Amy. Now what’s that toy you’re pushing?”

She immediately started moving it around, showing him she understood.

“That makes a fun noise,” he said, encouraging her.

Pretty soon she’d circled the room. When she looked to see his reaction and smiled, it tugged on his emotions.

“Cow,” she said and ran out of the den on her sturdy legs.

Natalie eyed him in amusement. “She’s gone for her favorite animal in her toy box.”

While they exchanged a silent glance, Amy came back clutching the brown-and-white-spotted plush cow in her hand. She toddled over to Kit, almost stumbling, and held it up. “Cow.”

“That’s right. It’s a cow.” Kit took it. “Moo.”

“Moo-oo,” she repeated with all the earnestness in her then hurried out of the den.

“Oh, Kit. I’m sorry. Now that she’s got a captive audience in you she’s going to bring you all her farm animals.”

“I’m not complaining.” He sat on the couch and put the cow on the coffee table. Before long the golden-haired cherub returned and handed him a purple pig. “What’s this?” he asked her.

“Pig!”

Her enthusiasm caused him to burst into laughter. “That’s a colorful pig. What sound does it make?”

Amy tried to imitate the oink. He couldn’t believe she was so adorable.

“Oink, oink,” he grunted. Her giggle delighted him. “You’re without a doubt the cutest, smartest little girl on the planet. That’s because you’ve got a terrific mother.” Though her father had been a criminal, he’d done one thing right in his life to have helped create this angel.

“Come on, sweetie.” Natalie swept her up in her arms. “Let’s go out to the kitchen and give you a little snack.”

Kit followed them, enjoying the interplay between mother and daughter. After Amy had been put in her high chair, Natalie fastened a bib around her neck. Then she sliced half a banana into small pieces and put them on the tray. He took a seat at the table to watch while the little girl took her time eating each mouthful of the fruit.

He glanced at Natalie. “Since you weren’t expecting a guest to stay with you, I thought I’d fix us some lunch with the groceries I bought. How does that sound?”

“I was just going to ask if you’d like a sandwich.”

“Sounds good, but I’ll do it.”

She smiled, but he didn’t know what else was on her mind because her cell phone rang, reminding him of the reason he was here.

“Go ahead and answer it, but put it on speaker.”

Her smile faded before she reached for the phone and checked the Caller ID. “It’s Jillian.”

“Good. Let her know a cousin is visiting you and you won’t be going to work for a while, so you won’t be needing her services. The less she knows, the better.”

“I agree.” Her voice trembled. She clicked on. “Jillian—”

“Hi. I just want to know if you’re okay.”

“I’m much better today.”

“That’s good. You sound better. I saw a car in your driveway earlier. If you have company, call me when you have time to talk.”

“It’s all right, I have time now. I was going to call you today, anyway. My cousin Todd is here from Wyoming for a few days, so I’m taking more time off of work and won’t be needing you to look after Amy next week.”

“Oh. Okay... I’m glad you have family with you.”

“Me, too. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Jillian. I’m hoping life can get back to normal soon.”

“I hope so, too. Take care, Natalie.”

“You, too. I’ll call you soon.”

“Okay. ’Bye.”

She’d done well. The plan was in place.

Chapter Three

Natalie disconnected and turned to Kit, who was making sandwiches. “Jillian knows there’s a lot I haven’t told her.”

“But you told her enough so she won’t be planning on babysitting for you next week. This way she and her daughter will be safe.”

“Thank heaven for that. If anything were to happen to her because of Rod...”

“It won’t. That’s why I’ve taken precautions.”

While he assembled cold cuts and cheese, she reached for a paper towel and got busy cleaning up the pieces of banana Amy had thrown on the floor. Natalie darted the Ranger a look of frustration. “A week in my house and you’ll find that half her food doesn’t make it to her mouth. If you have any little nieces or nephews, you know what I mean.”

“Not yet. My brother, Brandon, is a professional steer wrestler—he’s headed for the championship competition in Las Vegas in December, as a matter of fact. One day he’ll settle down and have a family.”

“How old is he?”

“Twenty-eight. Two years younger than I am. This will be his last year on the circuit.”

“How exciting! Are you a rodeo fan, too?”

“I used to be a steer wrestler myself. We took turns being wrestler and hazer for a long time. But I quit when I went into law enforcement.”

“From steer wrestler to Ranger. Both put your life at risk.”

He studied her features. “Have you ever been to a rodeo?”

“Many times while I was in college. Remember my friend in Phoenix? She used to be a barrel racer. We rode horses on her parents’ property and it was fantastic to watch her speed around the barrels. I tried it, but I was a complete failure. She taught me about the various events. Steer wrestling is incredibly dangerous.”

“But you liked it?”

“I loved it all!”

Kit was enjoying their conversation so much he almost forgot he should be working on her case. Talk about crossing the line. Already he was getting too close to it.

Within ten minutes they sat eating lunch while Natalie fed Amy some Cheerios. Kit chuckled to watch her tease her daughter. She’d move her hand around and Amy’s little mouth would follow, open in anticipation.

“Tell me something, Natalie. Has Amy ever ridden on a jet?”

Her eyes widened. “No.”

“What would you think if we took her for her first ride tomorrow morning to Denver? I need to talk to Rod’s grandmother in person. The detective said she’s been told her grandson passed away. Seeing Amy would do her a world of good and could jog her memory. I’m hoping she’ll be able to give me some background information about his teenage years that might help me fit some of the pieces of the puzzle together.”

Natalie’s face lit up. “If she was a loving grandmother, then I know she’d be thrilled to see her great-grandchild. I could take some pictures of them together for Amy’s baby book.”

Kit was pleased with her reaction. “I’ll make the arrangements. It’s less than a two-hour flight. We won’t have to be there long.”

“I thought about her last night...Rod’s grandmother. What’s her name?”

“Gladys Thomas Park.”

“He never said a word about a living relative. The poor thing lost a married son and a grandson. How cruel life can be...” Her voice trailed off.

“All the more reason for us to go there and surprise her. In the meantime, where will you be the most comfortable to answer some more questions?”

“The living room. Amy will bring her trove of treasures from the nursery and stay busy going back and forth for another few hours.”

He got up and cleared the table while she wiped Amy’s hands and face and got her down from her high chair. When she told him she’d finish up, Kit went to the den for his suitcase. He took it to the bathroom and swapped his clerical shirt for a casual sport shirt. Any time he needed to answer the door, he’d quickly put it back on.

When he returned to the living room, Natalie and Amy looked up from the floor where they were working on a puzzle. They made a beautiful sight. Both pairs of eyes wandered over him. “So my cousin is on vacation from the priesthood this afternoon?”

“Yup. It’s Ranger Saunders reporting for duty. If you’re ready to get started, I’ll turn on the digital recorder.” She nodded and he proceeded. “First question. Your income taxes. Where do you keep a copy?”

“Rod prepared them at work and kept everything there.”

“Then I’ll have to speak to the people at LifeSpan. Did he have the Sentra when he met you?”

“Yes. He said he’d bought it three years earlier.”

“From a dealership here in Austin?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did he continue making monthly payments on it?” Amy toddled over to give him a horse from her farm collection. “Thank you, honey.” She smiled and got busy again.

“No. Rod said he’d paid it off.”

“Do you know where he kept the title?”

“At the office with everything else. You’ve probably never met a wife so in the dark about her husband’s dealings. It never occurred to me not to trust him. I’ve been so naive, I’m embarrassed and ashamed.”

He grimaced. Harold Park had put her on a short leash. He sat forward in the chair and handed Amy a dog she’d dropped. He made a barking sound she tried to imitate before handing him a goat. “There’s no shame in trusting someone.”

Natalie looked up at him. “My mother never trusted my father and always questioned him about everything. They had a lot of fights. At twelve I was old enough to understand their marriage wasn’t happy. I swore that if I ever got married, I would never do that to my husband. If she were still alive, I’d ask her to forgive me.

“After what’s happened to me, I’m thinking my father must have done something to ruin their marriage from the beginning, but Mom tried to shield me from the worst of it. She didn’t believe in divorce. Thank heaven, she didn’t live long enough to find out I married a true, hardened criminal. Mother and daughter both lucked out, didn’t we?”

Kit took a deep breath. “Bad marriages happen to wonderful people. Tell me about the early days before Amy came along. What did you do? Did you take trips, go out a lot? Did you make friends with other couples? Did he have a favorite sport or hobby? I’m trying to get a picture of the pattern of your lives.”

The answers to those questions and many others—How much time did he spend away from home? Did he take the occasional business trip? Was he an early riser? Did he get home from work late? If so, how often? Did she go to his work once in a while? Which people at work did he associate with?—took up the rest of the day. Natalie’s observations led Kit to realize Harold Park had been the worst kind of controlling husband.

By nightfall Natalie had fed Amy dinner and now whisked her off for her bath. Kit took advantage of the time alone to prepare for the trip and make half a dozen phone calls to get his investigation started.

Their flight to Denver was booked for eight fifteen. It meant they’d have to be at the airport by six thirty. Kit hadn’t been on a trip since April when he’d flown to Billings, Montana, to watch his brother compete at the Wrangler Rodeo Competition.

Natalie peeked into the den to say good-night. Kit looked up from the desk. “We’ll need to leave the house at six.”

“We’ll be ready.”

“I’ve already taken the liberty of putting Amy’s car seat in the back of my car. When we reach the airport, it will go on the plane with us. Technically, Amy qualifies as a lap baby, but I want her secured no matter what. In Denver we’ll install it in the rental car.”

“Thank you for taking care of that. I’ve been wondering how it was all going to work. Don’t stay up too long. Good night, Kit.”

“Good night, Mrs. Harris.”

“Please call me Natalie.”

He nodded.

Once she’d vanished, he walked through the house to make sure windows and doors were locked. When he finally stretched out on the floor of the den in his sleeping bag, Kit rolled onto his side. He’d put his .357-caliber SIG Sauer halfway under his pillow, very much hoping he wouldn’t have to use it while he stayed here. Natalie was living through a horror story with her daughter and didn’t need anything else to add to her pain.

He was determined to solve this case as soon as possible because already he could tell he was emotionally involved to a greater degree than he should be.

“Be careful not to cross the line,” Cy had warned him.

Unfortunately that advice had come too late. In truth Kit found himself looking forward to tomorrow with more excitement than the occasion warranted.

* * *