Page 96 of The Cowboy and the Baby

Cody frowned. “Cade, that’s wild. If the dirt roads are impassable, the two-track will be doubly so. I’ve seen the three-to-four-foot snowbanks down there. Remember how it goes across that old ditch? They’ll sink or crash into it. Besides, it angles into the mountains. Why would he take that way?”

Wyatt shook his head. “I’m with Cody on this one. There’s no way, hoss.”

Stirring intuition said otherwise. I planted my hands on the table.

“Why not? Think about it! He grew up on this ranch, so he’d know it existed. We use it to access the back edge of the property all the time, right?”

Cody hedged an uncomfortable, “Right.”

“It leads into the forest, yes. But not just the forest.” I slammed a fingertip into hills marked with increasingly close lines to indicate steeper terrain. “The two-track leads right into the ascending hills, eventually spills onto a forest service road. That road winds through a shoddy canyon, then connects to a highway that will take them into Idaho, and out of the local counties. No one would follow them there. It gives them a greater advantage if they can pull it off.”

Wyatt’s expression softened, as if he considered it. Cody shook his head again, only more emphatically.

“No way, Cade. There’s just no way. None of our trucks can make it—not even the old tanker. You’d have to ride a snowmobile. Even then, on the slim chance you find them up there, what’re you going to do? Lily is a baby. You can’t carry her on your lap back home.”

Wyatt caught my eye with a devilish grin. “Why yes,” he drawled, “yes, he can! The Montgomerys could have their two snowmobiles here in under ten minutes, and they’re always willing to help in a roundup.”

Challenge brightened the sparkle in Wyatt’s eyes. I’d seen that look before, and it always meant trouble. Right now, we needed a little trouble. The back of my neck prickled as Wyatt slapped me on the shoulder.

“Guess there’s only one way to find out, hoss. Put me on it. I’ll get the snowmobiles and we’ll head out.”

“Make the call,” I said, straightening.

Wyatt whooped and raced out of the kitchen. The stirring instinct had billowed into full- blown certainty. I knew I’d find Richard and Ashley there, and I didn’t know how I knew it. But there had been nothing more clear in my life.

Cody hung his head.

“This is insane, hoss.”

I clapped him on the shoulder. “Welcome to being an adult, Cody. Sometimes, the right path just doesn’t make sense.”

Eighteen minutes later, I yanked on my snow pants, my boots, rooted through the diaper bag to extract the carrier that Noelle always used, and jerked it over my head. It buckled in front. Tight, but I’d deal. Then, I pulled my coat on over it.

The reverberating sound of approaching snowmobiles preceded bright headlights. Noelle came up to my side, gripped my arm, and whispered, “Please?”

A thousand other words existed behind it. I nodded, put a hand on her neck, and pulled her close. The smell of her shampoo lingered in my nostrils as I kissed her forehead.

“You know I’ll find her, Noelle. Stay here,” I whispered. “In case Hernandez hears or finds?—”

The words cut off as our door blew open and Cora spilled inside. Hawk followed close at her back. A little sob peeped out of Noelle’s mouth as Cora rushed over, wrapping her in her arms, as if they’d been sisters forever. Hawk, grim-faced, nodded to me. I returned it.

“Where are you headed?” he asked.

Wyatt opened the back door at that moment. He barked, “Ready, Cade!” and slammed the door again. I motioned Hawk into the kitchen, over to the map on the table, and flowed my finger along the two-track I’d drawn into the topography.

“Wyatt and I are going here with our neighbors’ snowmobiles. I think her parents took a Jeep to a back road that’ll drop them into Idaho and provide a clean escape. Cody knows where the entrance to it is, and how to get there.”

Hawk recoiled. “There? You really think?—”

“Yep. I do.”

To his credit, Hawk said, “Okay. We’ll stay here with Noelle. We’re prepared to stay all night and help support. I’ll call Channing, too, just to keep Noelle busy for a little while. You got your phone?”

I nodded. While I trusted Cody to handle the house while I was gone, I felt better knowing Hawk was around. Cora, also. Women needed other women.

I had a baby to find.

If I hadn’t released the throttle that revved my borrowed snowmobile at that moment, I might not have heard the phone ring.