a promise you might not be able to keep, Cade. We talked about a lot of things when we were young, and they didn’t come true.”
“That was then. This is now. I’m good at my job.” He moved closer and lowered his voice even more. “And that’s my daughter in harm’s way.”
Tension vibrated between them. She had a right to be angry. He hadn’t ever wanted to be a father. He’d had his chance and didn’t even get in touch with her to tell her it didn’t make any difference if she was pregnant, that he wasn’t going to marry her or be part of his child’s life. The only thing she’d heard from him was through Derek, who had contacted him. Cade had sent his congratulations. When her husband told her that, something inside her died that day. She at least thought he would want to be a part of his daughter’s life even if he hadn’t wanted to marry her. That was when she decided Derek would be Michelle’s father in every sense of the word.
She climbed into the passenger side of the front seat. Too much was happening at once. Mederos had sent a terrifying message today. Michelle met Cade for the first time. They were going to his ranch to stay. Even she felt shell-shocked so she could only imagine how her daughter was doing.
Cade started the engine and backed out of the driveway.
“When can we go back home? I still don’t understand why I can’t stay at my grandparents’.”
At a stop sign, Cade fixed his gaze on her daughter through the rearview mirror. “When this is all settled.”
The lights from the street lamps lit the interior of Cade’s Jeep enough so that Tory could see Michelle’s confusion in her knitted forehead and her teeth digging into her bottom lip.
Seeing Cade and Michelle together highlighted their similarities—height, both taller than most, the shape and color of their eyes, a crystalline blue that drew a person in, and a birthmark on their lower back. Thankfully that was where the resemblances ended, especially his black hair and angular jawline. Her daughter took after her with her long curly blond hair.
Tory started to say something, but Cade cut her off. “Y’all are staying at my ranch. I grew up there and know the lay of the land. Not a lot has changed since I was a boy.” He drove through the intersection. “I’ll be able to protect you both better there.”
“Will I be able to go to school?” Michelle asked, her voice quavering.
“We have two days to figure that out. Maybe one of the fingerprints will lead the detective to who’s responsible for breaking into our house.”
“What am I supposed to do about meeting Emma and Jodie tomorrow afternoon at the church to decorate for the fall festival? I’m running the ring-tossing booth.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a possibility anymore,” Cade said.
“So, I can’t go anywhere? I’m going to a strange house, and I have to stay there? What am I gonna do?”
“Honey, I don’t know what’s going to happen. But whatever we do will be in the best interest of keeping us safe.” Being in a house with Cade wasn’t what she really wanted either. But maybe it was a good thing they would be on a ranch outside of town. Michelle could be headstrong and could do something to put herself in danger.
* * *
Cade pulled into the drive-through lane at Juicy Burger Hut. Within five minutes he left the fast-food restaurant and continued toward his ranch. A thick silence filled the Jeep. As he drove, he kept scanning the vehicles around him. He noted each one that was behind him, making sure he wasn’t being followed.
When he left the lights of El Rio behind, a dark two-lane highway stretched out before him, the only light coming from his SUV headlights and the stars. A sliver of the moon hung in the sky. The hairs on his nape tingled. Just ten more minutes and they would be home. All his senses on alert, he riveted his attention on his surroundings.
“We’re gonna be stuck out in the middle of nowhere.” Michelle broke the silence, her voice a shaky whisper. “What else are you not telling me, Mom?”
“You know everything that I know.”
“My ranch is only ten miles out of town.” Cade slowed his speed as he took the S curve not far from his place.
Rounding the last part of the turn in the dark, Cade barely spotted the outline of a black truck in the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid the vehicle, his Jeep heading toward the drop-off on the side of the road. As his SUV bounced down the incline, a tree loomed before them. Cade cut the wheel hard to the right to avoid it. One of his front wheels hit something. The Jeep flipped over and began rolling down the hill.
At the bottom of the hill, the Jeep ended up on its roof. Tory hung upside down, penned to the seat, her safety belt cutting into her. Silence replaced the sounds of the crash for a few seconds.
As she twisted toward the backseat, a moan penetrated the quiet—it was coming from her daughter. “Michelle, are you okay?” She couldn’t see into the darkness enough to tell anything.
In the dim light from the dashboard, Cade moved. The sound of a click indicated he’d unhooked his seatbelt. As he broke his fall downward, he said in a tight voice, “Michelle?”
Another groan followed by her daughter saying, “My arm hurts. I think—” a long pause “—ouch. I’m bleeding.”
Tory released her strap and braced herself as she collapsed against the roof. “Can you move?”
“Yes, but glass is everywhere.”
“Stay put.” Cade used his feet to dislodge the remaining driver’s side window. “I need to check the area, then I’ll get you two out. How bad is the bleeding?”
“All over my fingers.” Michelle’s pitch rose.
“Keep your hand over the cut if you can, Michelle.” Cade shoved one leg out the gaping hole, glancing at Tory. “Get the flashlight out of the glove box. Use it to see what’s going on with Michelle.”
Tory retrieved it and clicked it on. Light flooded the darkness while Cade wiggled through the opening where the window had been. As he stood, she scrambled between the two bucket seats, inspecting the back area while she crawled toward her daughter. Glass shards glistened in the glow from the flashlight.
Michelle held her hand over her left arm, crimson red oozing between her fingers, reminding Tory of what had been all over her bathroom. The sight nauseated her. She’d always been queasy when she saw blood, but she couldn’t give in to that now. She gritted her teeth and removed her sweater, then used it to swipe away the pieces of glass littering the roof around her daughter, so Tory could get to her.
As she wiggled herself between her daughter and the driver’s seat, she shone the light on the wound in Michelle’s upper arm. “Take your hand away and let me see it how bad it is.”
The second her daughter removed her fingers, more blood flowed and dripped onto the roof. The cut was long and probably deep, but Tory couldn’t tell for sure. She took her sweater and tied it around Michelle’s arm to stop the flow, then she reached up and found the seatbelt
