over to a poster mounted on the wall and stopped, staring at the glossy pictures of animals without really registering what she was seeing. He has to help me. The thought circled round in her brain, drowning out everything else. If she kept repeating it to herself, it would have to be true, right? There simply wasn’t another possibility. She couldn’t search the park alone, and she didn’t have the money to hire a private guide. The ranger was her only hope, and if he refused, she didn’t know what she was going to do.
He didn’t believe her story, that much was clear. She’d seen the skepticism in his eyes and known he was writing her off as crazy. But Detective Randall would vouch for her, and then the ranger would have to understand. After discovering she was the real deal, surely he couldn’t refuse to help her find Christina, even though that wasn’t something a park ranger normally did.
She still couldn’t believe Joseph had taken her baby. He’d called a few weeks ago, asking for money to pay off some debts. When Emma had told him she didn’t have any cash to spare, he’d simply said, “Okay.” She figured that had been the end of it.
But when she’d found Christina’s empty crib, she’d called the police and then her brother. She’d wanted him to tell their mother what was going on—Emma hadn’t had the emotional energy to break the news to anyone else.
Joseph had sounded unconcerned at hearing his niece was missing. “She’s fine, Em.”
“How can you say that? You don’t know where she is!”
“Actually, I do. She’s with me.”
Joe’s confession had turned Emma’s blood to ice. She’d begged and pleaded with him to return her daughter, but her brother had refused.
“I told you, I need money.” He’d sounded exasperated, as if he was tired of repeating himself.
“And I told you, I don’t have it.”
“We both know that’s not true. You got a fat settlement after Chris’s death.”
“It wasn’t a lump sum,” she’d protested. “I don’t have a pile of money gathering dust in my bank account.”
“Anyway,” he’d said, ignoring her. “Christina and I will be fine. You can have her back once you get me what I need.”
He’d hung up then, leaving Emma feeling even more distraught. The police had tried to trace his phone, but to no avail.
“He probably dumped it already,” one of the detectives had told her.
The police and the FBI thought Joseph would stay in El Paso, figuring it was his home base and he wouldn’t want to stray far from the familiar. But Emma wasn’t so sure. The two of them had spent a lot of time in Big Bend as children, camping with their parents. Joseph had used the park as an escape before, when he’d needed to clear his head or take a break. It was a long shot, but Emma thought he might have run here again.
The thought of her baby girl out there in the wilderness sent a shiver down her spine. Big Bend was a huge park; God only knew where Joe had taken her. But the little one was here. Emma felt it in her bones, a tingling of her mother’s intuition that gave her a sense of certainty despite everyone else’s overwhelming doubt. And even though she was looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, Emma wasn’t leaving until she had her daughter in her arms once again.
Fortunately, the hospital had been understanding about her need for a leave of absence. There was a pool of nurses happy to step in and take her ER shifts while she focused on finding Christina.
“Take as long as you need,” her supervisor had said.
With that worry taken care of, Emma had been free to focus solely on the search for her baby.
She wouldn’t have picked this ranger had there been another option. But he’d been the only one in the lobby when she’d walked in, so she hadn’t had much of a choice. He seemed competent enough—tall, with broad shoulders and lean, muscled arms. She had no doubts he could handle the physical aspects of the search with ease. But there was a hardness about him that gave her pause. It was as if he wore an invisible suit of armor. She’d seen a glimmer of wariness in his blue eyes, even before she’d told him about Christina. Maybe she was mistaken, but he seemed to regard the world with a hint of suspicion. It was this air of reserve that worried her now. Would he be sensitive to the dangers facing her little girl, or would he decide she was too much trouble and send her back home?
“He can try,” she muttered. But if he thought she’d simply turn around and walk away, he was sorely mistaken.
Resolve stiffened her spine. If he refused to help, she’d ask another ranger. And another and another, if need be. She’d go through the whole damn roster of them until she found one who would search with her. And if that didn’t work, she’d call a reporter. Not that she knew anyone in the media, but it couldn’t be that hard to find somebody who worked at a news station or wrote for a paper. She’d raise holy hell until she got the help she needed. Beg, borrow or steal—Emma didn’t care what she had to do at this point. She had no pride left. All that mattered was bringing Christina home safely.
Indignation bubbled in her chest, the leash on her temper growing shorter with every passing minute. What was taking so long? It shouldn’t be that difficult for him to call Detective Randall. He wouldn’t be happy to learn she was here—he’d encouraged her to stay in El Paso while they searched for Christina, but Emma couldn’t sit in her empty apartment twiddling her thumbs while her baby was missing. Despite what the detective thought, Joseph would feel comfortable in Big Bend, and more importantly, he probably figured no one would think to look for him so far from home.
“But I know,” she whispered to herself. “And I will find you.”
The clop of boot heels on tile sounded in the otherwise quiet lobby. She turned to find the ranger emerging from the back offices, his expression inscrutable. As he approached, she saw that a hint of worry had replaced the skeptical glint in his blue eyes.
Good, she noted with satisfaction. He believes me now.
“Ms. Foster,” he said, his deep voice reminding her of tires on gravel. “I spoke with Detective Randall. I’m so sorry for your situation.”
She nodded, appreciating the comment. Under normal circumstances she would have let her manners dictate her response, but she had little patience for the expected niceties at the moment. “Will you help me?”
He hesitated, sending her heart plummeting to her toes. Her fear must have shown on her face, for he reached out and placed a hand on her arm. “It’s okay,” he said kindly. “I’m going to do my best, but I can’t promise anything.”
A wave of relief washed over her, making her feel a little light-headed. “I know,” she said. “But I need to try.”
He nodded as if he understood. “Why don’t we start from the beginning? Detective Randall told me some of the details, but I’d like to hear your side of the story.”
“That’s fine,” Emma said. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t know his name. “Uh, we haven’t actually been introduced yet. You know my name. What’s yours?”
Twin pink spots appeared high on his cheeks, making him look suddenly boyish. “Matt,” he said. “Matt Thompson. I’m sorry I failed
