A Cowgirl's Secret - By Laura Marie Altom Page 0,56
Cash and Wyatt were checking the rest.
Daisy wanted to help in the search, but as distraught as she was, Luke had urged her to stay with his family.
Finally, Georgina arrived and Daisy ran into her mother’s arms. “So help me, Mom, if that crazy old monster hurts our son, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Kolt’s a smart boy. He’s not going to take any funny business without putting up a mighty fight.”
Drawing back, horrified, Daisy asked, “What does that mean? Are you implying that because of what I let happen to me, I wasn’t smart?”
“Don’t go putting words in my mouth. That’s not at all what I said. I meant you’ve raised a savvy young man who knows how to protect himself.”
“Don’t you get it?” Daisy asked. “I was savvy and knew how to protect myself, but that didn’t help me. What Henry did inherently changed me. Made me feel dirty and bad. I don’t want my son bearing that kind of shame. I should’ve never come back here. Never.”
Luke’s mom marched across the room. “You dare take my grandson so much as one foot over the county line and I’ll have you arrested. Haven’t you already hurt my son enough? Luke’s a wonderful man. All I’ve ever wanted was for him to get you once and for all out of his mind. Daisy Buckhorn, you’re like a poison. As much as I love Kolt, I wish we could keep him and get rid of you. That way, Henry Pohl would never have touched our lives.”
The pain in Daisy’s chest hurt worse than any heart attack. It was a squeezing, vicelike torture that made her want to lash out and slap the woman across her condemning face.
“Peggy Montgomery,” Georgina said, hands on her hips, eyes sparking, “since you stole my lunch back in sixth grade, I never have liked you. You’re a bitter old woman who still isn’t over losing the Prom Queen title to me.”
“Stop,” Daisy begged, stepping between the two bickering women. “Mrs. Montgomery, I couldn’t care less what you think of me, but my son—your grandson—is out there somewhere, possibly hurt. Do you mind putting aside your own agenda long enough for us to get Kolt home safely?”
“THIS POP TASTES KINDA FUNNY,” Kolt said. The house where his old friend, Henry, had taken him was kinda scary. It smelled like pee and was dark inside. The only place to sit was on a sofa that had holes in the cushions.
“It’s a new flavor. You know how companies are always switching up their recipes to make you think it’s a new product when in reality, all they want is more money.”
“Um, yeah,” Kolt said, taking another drink. “I’m feeling sleepy. Are we going to go help my baby cousin soon?”
“Very soon. I have a few more things to finish up here—you know, collecting my tools and such. Then, we’ll be all ready to go.”
Kolt was so sleepy, he could hardly understand what Henry was talking about.
“That’s right,” Henry said, sitting next to him on the couch. “Close your pretty eyes and your new best friend will make all your dreams come true.”
“THIS IS BS,” LUKE SAID, slamming the heel of his hand against the steering wheel. “Where could that sleazebag be?” He and Dallas had followed the directions they’d been given with no results. The road had diminished to little more than a four-wheel-drive path leading through dense forest.
“Keep going,” Dallas urged. “I swear Wyatt and I came hunting out here once. Seems like there’s a shack where this dead-ends.”
“If we do find him, Dallas, and he has my son, you’re going to have to hold me back to keep me from killing him.”
With his fist, Dallas smacked his open palm. “Not if I get to him first. Then you’ll be the one needing to hold me. Way I see it, though, we both need to be smart. No sense in us going to jail for hurting Henry. That would only cause more grief for our families.”
“My head gets that point, but every other piece of me wants to beat Henry to a bloody pulp.”
Dallas nodded. “No one wants to pulverize this guy more than me. We’ll have to work together to keep our cool—if he’s even here.”
Cresting the next hill, Luke saw a structure built of plywood and corrugated metal. What looked to be aluminum trailer windows had been fitted to the side. Seeing no vehicle made the pain in his already tight neck burn.
“Dammit,” Dallas said.