anything about your ex. Nothing new, anyway. We’ll find her, I promise.” Brody’s hand cupped the back of her head, and she leaned back, staring into his eyes, and reading his determination and promise.
“I know.”
Brody’s arm snaked around her waist at the sound of a car speeding toward the house from the front gate, followed by a second. Rafe’s truck screeched to a stop, and he jumped out, jogging toward Brody and Beth. Ms. Patti’s white Cadillac Escalade rocked to a stop beside Rafe’s truck. Looked like Nica’s call about rounding up the posse worked, because people suddenly seemed to be coming out of the woodwork.
“Any word?” Brody asked as soon as Rafe was within speaking distance.
“Remember I told you about the woman’s car being stolen at Beth’s old apartment complex? Turns out her cell phone is missing, too. She thinks it might still be in the car.”
“Can you trace it somehow?” A tiny speck of hope blossomed inside Beth, despite knowing the chances of the woman’s phone being anywhere near Evan were slim to none. A slim chance was more than she’d had a few minutes ago.
“Chance hauled his backside over to Judge Jenkins’ house with a warrant. We’ve got also got the owner’s permission. I’ve already called the phone carrier and alerted them a warrant is coming, and they’re ready to go the second we’ve got the judge’s signature. Fingers crossed the phone is inside the stolen car and Stewart hasn’t spotted it and tossed it.”
“But we don’t know he’s got Jamie.”
“True.” Rafe studied Beth’s face, and there was something indefinable in his eyes. He was hiding something, she could feel it.”
“What aren’t you telling me, Rafe?”
He shook his head. “We need to search every place. Let’s round up everybody, and we’ll start doing a grid pattern search. Maybe she got lost, and can’t find her way back to the house. She’s not familiar with all of the property. Maybe she wandered a little too far, and we’ll find her.”
“We’ve searched everywhere in the house, Rafe,” Nica spoke up. “I even looked in the attic, in case she got bored and went exploring.” She slapped her hands across her mouth, her eyes glazed with tears. “It’s my fault. I was supposed to be watching her. Instead I went chasing after that stupid donkey. If anything happens to her…”
“Jamie’s gonna be fine. Nobody wants to hurt her. Even if Stewart somehow got hold of her, the man is her father. He won’t hurt her.”
Ms. Patti stepped into the center of the gathered family. “Rafe’s right. Let’s regroup, see who’s here, and get everybody looking for Jamie.” Beth listened as Ms. Patti started listing off everybody. “Heath’s covering the road into town, doing a slow sweep. Dusty and Sally Anne have set up a command center at the sheriff’s office. Antonio’s on his way with Serena and Tessa. They should be here within the next fifteen minutes. Nica, Camilla, and Beth already started the search of the house. Dane’s riding in, should be—there he is,” Ms. Patti gestured toward a lone man on horseback, riding at a fast clip toward them.
“Dad’s out on a job site with Liam. I talked to Liam, and they’ll be on their way ASAP.” Brody pulled Beth closer against his side, and Beth couldn’t help feeling a little bit better. He was her rock, her stability, her safe place, and once they found Jamie, she was going to tell him how she felt. Who cared they hadn’t had the traditional courtship with all the trappings? Her feelings were real and they were true. Brody had become her friend in the beginning, and every time she’d been around him, gotten to know him a little better, her feelings changed. Became more. She loved him with all her heart, and maybe, if she was really lucky, he felt the same about her.
“We’ve checked the house and the barn.” Beth turned to Brody. “What should we do next?”
Before he answered, Rafe’s phone rang, and he answered on the first ring. “Boudreau.”
He listened, gave a brief nod to Brody, and hung up. “We’ve got the warrant. Chance made the call to the phone company, and they are pinging cell towers, trying to triangulate a location.” Turning to the assembled crowd, he barked orders, handing out assignments.
“Nica, Camilla, you stay close to the house in case Jamie shows up. Beth, go with them.”
“But—”
“No buts. When Jamie’s found, she’s going to need her mother. Some place where she’ll feel safe.”
“I understand.”