pupâs.
Quickly, Jared followed the tracks until they disappeared into a slim cavity created between a slab of earth and another damaged drainpipe.
Oh no, he thought sickly. Surely the child hadnât squeezed into such a dark, narrow opening. But fromthe looks of the tracks in the bottom of the ditch that was exactly what heâd done.
Sensing that Jared was finally on the right track and getting the message, Fred barked excitedly into the small opening while clawing at the damp earth. The dogâs actions said as much or more to Jared than the footprints. His little buddy had disappeared and heâd been waiting around for someone to help him find him.
Not bothering with the telephone number on Fredâs collar, Jared pulled out the cell phone and dialed the sheriffâs office.
âI need to speak to the sheriff,â he quickly told the female dispatcher, adding, âThis is his brother, Jared Colton.â
âIâm sorry, Mr. Colton, but the sheriff is out on an emergency right now. Would you like to leave a message?â
Jared silently cursed at the rotten timing. âNo. I want you to radio him right this minute and tell him I think I have an emergency on my hands. A child has gone into a drainage system west of town.â
âA child? Oh. Okay, give me your location and Iâll radio him at once.â
Jared told her the location of the work site and also supplied her with the number to his cell phone. In just a matter of moments the telephone rang and his brother was on the end of the line.
âJared, I just got your message. I have half my force out looking for a three-year-old girl right now. Sheâs been missing for nearly two hours. You think youâve found her?â
A three-year-old girl! Somehow Jared had expected Fredâs young buddy to be a boy. The idea of a soft,sweet little girl exploring a muddy ditch with an adventurous bird dog had never entered his mind.
âIâm out here at the work site now, Bram, and Iâve found her dog and where sheâs been, but not the child. I think youâd better get over here pronto.â
âIâll be there in five minutes,â he assured him.
âUh, Bram,â he said, before his brother had a chance to hang up, âdoes the little girl belong to someone we know?â
âYeah. You probably remember the WindWalkers. Itâs Kerryâs daughter.â
Surprise jolted him. The last thing Jared had heard about Kerry WindWalker was that sheâd gone to Charlottesville to attend the University of Virginia. No one had told him sheâd married or that sheâd returned to Black Arrow. But then heâd not asked anyone about the young Comanche girl whoâd once snubbed her nose at him. Proud, prim and very beautiful. Thatâs the way he remembered Kerry WindWalker. He wondered if marriage and motherhood had changed her.
The persistent buzz in his ear finally made Jared realize his brother had hung up the phone. Disgusted with himself for letting his thoughts stray, he snapped the instrument shut and slipped it back into his pocket. Now wasnât the time to be thinking about the one woman in Black Arrow whoâd resisted his charms. At the moment, he had a smaller female to worry about.
Three minutes later, Bramâs pickup truck arrived, followed by several deputies in squad cars. Immediately behind the lawmen, local residents began to pour onto the scene in cars and on foot.
Jared climbed out of the ditch and hurried to meet his brother, but halfway there a petite woman dressedin a slim beige skirt, black blouse and black high heels raced up to him and frantically grabbed his arm.
âWhere is she? Where is my baby?â
Jared stared down at Kerry WindWalkerâs desperate face and wondered how the added years had somehow made her even more beautiful than he remembered. Shiny crow-black hair, high molded cheekbones, honey-brown skin, and eyes the color
Victor Milan, Clayton Emery
Jeaniene Frost, Cathy Maxwell, Tracy Anne Warren, Sophia Nash, Elaine Fox