Ranger's Baby Rescue

Chapter 1

Emma Foster opened her eyes in the darkness, filled with the sudden knowledge that something was terribly wrong. She listened hard, straining her ears for any noise that was out of place. Nothing sounded amiss—the refrigerator hummed quietly in the kitchen; the ceiling fan ticked softly over her head. But despite the absence of obvious issues, the house didn’t feel right.

She slipped out of bed, stepping lightly to avoid making too much noise. She’d had a devil of a time getting Christina to sleep tonight—her normally cheerful and good-natured ten-month-old daughter was teething and grumpy with it, which made for long nights. The baby had finally surrendered to exhaustion about an hour ago, and Emma had slipped off to her own bed for a few stolen moments of sleep. Everything had seemed fine at the time, but now she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

She headed for the front door, knowing that it was locked but needing to check it again for her own peace of mind. Sure enough, the dead bolt was secure, just as she’d left it earlier in the evening. The windows were all shut, the blinds lowered into place. There was no sign of any trouble, nothing to explain the sense of dread that weighed on her.

Moments like this made her miss Chris all the more. He wouldn’t have hesitated to wake up with her, to double-check all the locks and peek into the closets and under the beds until she was certain they were safe. He’d been a perfect boyfriend and fiancé—Emma had no doubt he would have been a wonderful husband to her and a fantastic father to their little girl.

For the millionth time, she cursed the driver who had decided sending a text message was more important than paying attention to the road. Chris had stopped at a red light when he’d been hit from behind and pushed into cross traffic, where he’d been hit again by a bus and a garbage truck. Chris had died at the scene before the firemen could even get him out of the mangled wreck of his car.

Emma hadn’t known she was pregnant at the time. She’d been so busy working and wrapping up the plans for their wedding that she’d assumed the fatigue and upset stomach were due to stress. After the accident, she’d been so consumed with grief she hadn’t paid attention to her symptoms. It had been her mother who put two and two together and suggested she take a pregnancy test.

She could still remember the feeling of shock that had washed over her when she’d realized the test was positive. She and Chris had talked about starting a family soon after they got married, but Emma had figured that dream died along with him. Finding out she was pregnant with Chris’s baby had eased her grief a bit and had brought a spot of joy back into her life.

Chris had been gone a year and a half now, but Emma saw his face every time she looked at their daughter. Christina had her father’s blue eyes, impish smile and love of avocados. Emma had never gotten over losing Chris, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that a small part of him lived on.

She paused in the hallway outside Christina’s door, silently debating. Should she try to slip into her daughter’s room to check on her, even though there was a very real possibility of waking her up? Or should she leave well enough alone and go back to bed?

Better not risk it, Emma decided. Christina had had a hard enough time going to bed earlier—if she woke her up, it might take hours to get her back down again.

Emma headed in the direction of her bedroom but stopped after a few steps. The sense of wrongness returned, as sudden and intense as before. The urge to see her daughter built with every heartbeat until she felt her chest might burst with it. She turned and walked back toward the nursery, forcing herself to move as quietly as possible so as not to wake the baby.

Panic lapped at the edges of her worry as she twisted the knob and pushed against the door. The dim glow of the night-light provided just enough illumination to see the crib and the still form lying on the mattress.

She’s fine, Emma told herself. But she crept closer, wanting to see her baby’s face and hear the soft sighs of her breathing.

She reached the edge of the crib and looked down, expecting to see Christina’s chubby cheeks and rosebud mouth relaxed in sleep. But all she found was a crumpled blanket lying in the spot where she had placed her daughter only an hour before.

Emma gripped the edge of the crib, her mind refusing to comprehend what she was seeing. “No,” she whispered numbly. “It’s not possible.”

The roar of blood filled her ears, drowning out the sound of her screams.

Her baby—her world, her life—was gone.

Three days later

Park Ranger Matthew Thompson knew the moment the woman walked into the station that something was wrong. She stood just inside the lobby, clutching her purse, shoulders rounded as if she were expecting a blow. She glanced around uncertainly, her gaze flickering past the educational posters on the walls and the interactive displays scattered throughout the room. She looked out of place, lost even, and Matt took a step forward to greet her. As soon as she saw him move, her eyes locked on his, and he saw a glint of determination that made him realize his first impression was wrong—she wasn’t as fragile as she seemed. This woman was on a mission.

“Can I help you?” he asked, meeting her in the middle of the room. She stopped and eyed him up and down, her expression assessing as she took his measure. It had been a long time since someone had sized him up, and Matt felt the absurd urge to fall into a parade-rest stance. Army habits died hard.

Apparently, the woman liked what she saw; she nodded slightly before looking up to meet his gaze. This close, he could see she was younger than he’d originally thought. The lines of strain around her mouth and eyes made her look prematurely old, but her skin was otherwise smooth and youthful. Her eyes were brown, lit from within by a fire that burned bright. She wore her dark hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, and given the slightly wrinkled look of her clothes, Matt guessed her appearance was the last thing on her mind.

“I’m looking for my baby,” she said.

“Ah, okay,” he said, stalling as his mind raced. Whoever she was, it was clear this lady was confused. Now he had to figure out if she needed professional help, or if he should just try to send her on her way with a minimum of fuss.

“My brother took her,” she continued, her tone low but intense. “I think he brought her here and is hiding out in Big Bend.”

Matt arched one eyebrow at her absurd story. “I see,” he said noncommittally. He glanced around the lobby, hoping another ranger would show up so he could pass this woman off to them, or at least get some backup in case she turned violent. She only came up to his shoulder and she was slender enough, but he knew better than to underestimate a woman in the grip of strong emotion.

She pressed her lips together at his reaction. “I’m telling the truth,” she said, a hint of anger in her voice. “Three days ago I went to check on my baby in her crib, only to find her missing. My brother has her—he told me that when I called him to let him know she was gone. The police are searching for the two of them in El Paso. But I think my brother ran to the park.”

Matt decided to entertain this crazy story, if only for the moment. “Why would he bring an infant here?”

“We used to camp a lot with my dad,” she said. “This was one of his favorite places. I think Joseph came here because it’s familiar and he can hide.”

Her story sounded plausible, at least on a superficial level. Matt studied her face but saw no signs of deception. She appeared to truly believe what she was telling him, but he wasn’t quite ready to buy into her tale. A missing baby would be big news, and he hadn’t heard or read anything about a kidnapping.

“Where did you say you’re from again?”

“El Paso,” she replied, sounding a little impatient now. The city was hours away from the park, which meant it was possible the news hadn’t trickled down to them just yet. Still, it sounded quite far-fetched.

“And your name?”

“Emma Foster.” She dug into her purse and withdrew a card, which she extended to him. Matt took it and glanced down. It was the business card of a detective in El Paso, assuming it was legitimate and not something she’d forged to lend credence to her story.

But why would she lie about something like this? He knew some parents hurt their own children to get attention. Was she the kind of woman to fake a kidnapping for the same reasons? A small stone of worry formed in the pit of his stomach. Had she hurt her baby?

“That’s the contact information for the detective in charge of the case,” she said. “Call him and he’ll confirm everything I’ve just told you.”

Matt nodded but didn’t reply. Emma’s story was quite compelling, the kind of thing that would make a great movie plot. And she certainly seemed earnest. But Matt wasn’t willing to suspend his disbelief just yet. He’d been lied to before, and he wasn’t about to let Emma’s pretty face short-circuit his skepticism.

“I’ll call in just a moment,” he said. “In the meantime, why are you here?”

Emma swallowed hard. “The police said they didn’t have the man power to comb through Big Bend and still follow up on other leads. So I’m here to look for myself. I need a park ranger to go with me.”

His first reaction was denial. “That’s not really the kind of thing we—”

“Please,” she said, cutting him off. “I know I’m asking for a lot. But I have to do something. I can’t just sit at home while my baby is missing. I have to try to find her.” A look of desperation crossed her face as she stared up at him. Matt felt his initial resistance softening as his curiosity grew. What would it hurt to check out her story? A few quick phone calls, and he’d have some answers.

“Stay here,” he said. Emma sucked in a breath, and he held up a hand. “I’m not promising anything. But let me make a few calls and if you’re telling the truth, I’ll see what kind of assistance we can offer you.”

She nodded vigorously. “Thank you,” she said. Her shoulders relaxed a bit. Matt wanted to warn her not to get her hopes up, but he feared it was too late for that.

He left her in the lobby and headed for his desk, tossing the business card next to his keyboard. Typing quickly, he pulled up the number for the El Paso police department and dialed. When the call was answered, he asked for the name on the card and was put on hold while the call was transferred.

So far, so good, he thought to himself. Apparently this detective really did exist. Now to find out if he knew Ms. Foster, or if she was simply delusional.

“Doug Randall,” said the voice on the other end of the line.

“Detective Randall, this is Matt Thompson. I’m a park ranger down at Big Bend.” He quickly explained Emma’s appearance in the ranger station and summarized her story. “I’m calling to verify the details.”

“It’s true,” Randall said shortly. “All of it. Her baby was kidnapped three nights ago, and her brother, Joseph Foster, admitted to taking the child when she spoke to him over the phone. We’re currently searching for him.”

“What about the FBI?” Matt asked. “I thought they were involved in kidnapping cases.”

“They are,” Randall confirmed. “But we’re focusing our efforts in El Paso and the surrounding areas. Most of the evidence suggests Joseph hasn’t gone far, despite what Ms. Foster thinks.”

“I see,” Matt said. So Emma was telling the truth, but it seemed the police and FBI didn’t agree with her conviction that her brother and baby were in Big Bend. “What would you like me to do? I don’t want to interfere with your investigation. I can try to send her home if you think that would be best.”

“That would be ideal, but I don’t think she’ll cooperate. She’s got a bee in her bonnet about her brother and that park. I explained to her we simply don’t have the man power to mount a thorough search of that area. In fact, I was just about to reach out to you guys, ask y’all to keep a lookout for anything suspicious. I doubt you’ll find anything, though—our evidence suggests her brother and the baby might still be in El Paso. One of his associates swears on a stack of Bibles he saw the pair two days ago. I just can’t see him taking a baby out into the wilderness, away from any kind of supplies or support.”

“It does seem a bit unrealistic.” Matt sympathized with the detective—searching for one man and a baby in a large city like El Paso was probably a lot like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

“I asked Ms. Foster to stay close,” Randall continued, exasperated. “I guess our definitions of the term vary widely.”

“I’ll tell her we can’t do anything and that her best bet is to go home.” Now that he knew she was telling the truth, Matt felt sorry for Emma. But he didn’t know the first thing about searching for a missing baby, and it was important she cooperate with the police.

“Actually,” Randall said, sounding thoughtful, “maybe you could help me out.”

“How’s that?” Matt replied. He had a sneaking suspicion the bottom was about to drop out of his day.

“Keep her there,” Randall said, confirming Matt’s premonition. “You can keep tabs on her while she goes on this wild-goose chase. Based on our preliminary findings, she’s not a suspect in her baby’s disappearance. But I still need to know where she is. If you stay with her, you can let me know if her brother tries to contact her or if she does actually find something relevant to the investigation.”

“Do you really think that’s a possibility?” Babysitting a stubborn, misguided woman wasn’t exactly high on Matt’s list of desirable activities, nor did it fit his job description.

“It’s worth considering, especially since she’s already there. Can you do it?”

“I suppose,” Matt said. “I’ll have to clear it with my supervisor, though.” It wasn’t unheard of for park rangers to assist law enforcement investigations, but the rangers in question usually worked directly with the officers involved. There had been such a case recently, when a ranger had teamed up with an FBI profiler to catch a serial killer who had been using the park as his hunting ground. In this situation however, he’d be working with the victim, with no clear search plans in place. How long was he supposed to help her? Unless he missed his guess, Emma was determined to comb every inch of this park. She probably wouldn’t be willing to leave until her baby was found, either here or in El Paso. He couldn’t help her indefinitely, that much was certain.

“Patch me through to him and I’ll put in the formal request,” Randall said. “I really appreciate you helping out like this,” he added.

Matt sighed, wondering how in the hell he’d gotten into this situation. I never should have made eye contact, he told himself. I should have turned around and let another ranger handle her. But it was too late for that now.

“All right,” he agreed. “I’ll be in touch, but don’t expect us to find anything.”

Randall let out a short laugh. “I don’t, but at least now I know we’re truly covering all the bases. One of us is bound to get lucky.”

It won’t be me, Matt thought sourly. He didn’t have the greatest track record where babies were involved.

Jennifer’s face flashed in his mind, the image of her accompanied by the familiar feelings of betrayal and pain. Three years ago, he’d shipped out with his army unit for a quick overseas tour and had come back to find his fiancée holding a baby. She’d sworn it was his, but even though the math just barely worked out, Matt had taken one look at the infant and known in his soul he wasn’t the father. The child was adorable, though, and he’d felt a tugging at his heart like he’d never experienced before. It would have been so easy to fall in love with the little one, even though the boy wasn’t his flesh and blood. But while he might have been willing to raise another man’s child, Matt wasn’t willing to forgive Jennifer for her deception. She’d cheated on him and spun a web of lies, trying to trick him into staying with her. He simply couldn’t spend the rest of his life with someone he couldn’t trust. After a paternity test confirmed his suspicions, Matt had packed his things and moved out.