42
Roundabouts
It was his third day in Clearbrook, and Rafferty couldn’t remember the last time he was so nervous.
If ever. His gaze swept the little playground tucked into a quiet residential area.
It was empty except for the couple sitting on a bench close to the play equipment.
Stas and Ruby. Good. Kosta and Gunner were circling the park in an SUV, on alert for approaching trouble.
Ryker was perched on a roof as overwatch.
He’d wanted a detail on the home where the kids were staying, but the sheriff assured him they were safe.
As if conjured, the man appeared at the opposite side of the park to Stas and Ruby, two of his deputies right behind him.
The deputies peeled away, moving in opposite directions around the park.
The bubbly laughter of a child drew his attention from Stirling.
A chubby little girl dressed in red dungarees and a white long-sleeved shirt toddled across the grass, an older boy in blue jeans and green sweatshirt hot on her heels.
His heart flip-flopped. Connor and Sinead.
Following them were two women. He recognized Mrs. Bronson.
The second woman must be Raegan, the sheriff’s wife.
The group reached the playground equipment, and he watched Connor lift his sister onto the roundabout and climb up behind her.
She clambered on the seat in the center and grabbed hold of the bars, laughing with glee.
Connor leaned in and spoke to her. She nodded her head enthusiastically.
The boy backed away, jumped off, and started walking, setting the roundabout in motion.
“Faster, faster,” Sinead cried.
Raegan approached Connor and said something to the boy. He nodded, leaped back on, and moved to stand in front of his sister. The woman gave a solid push, and the roundabout picked up speed.
Sinead squealed with laughter.
A soft chuckle escaped Rafferty, her joy infectious.
And then his smile dimmed.
He knew nothing about small children, and the ones he’d recently encountered shrank from him in fear.
But those two on the roundabout …?
He’d be their father .
Their role model.
He silently cursed; he was the worst person for a child to emulate. Common sense said to let them go. They had a good life here. One they were familiar with. A local family prepared to adopt them.
He could hire a protective detail for them until the danger passed.
But.
Selena entrusted him to take care of them.
Fuck .
Rafferty shifted the packages from his right hand to left. On Brandy-Lyn’s urging, he’d popped into a quaint bookstore on his way here. The task was simple, but he’d faltered within seconds. Luckily, the shopkeeper had taken pity on him and guided him with his purchases.
“I’d hoped you’d changed your mind.” Mrs. Bronson jolted him from his musing.
“Never,” he snapped, keeping his eyes on the roundabout.
“I don’t appreciate the manner in which you went behind my back.”
“You need to understand that I will do whatever is necessary to protect those children.”
He’d contacted a lawyer in Lincoln, explained the situation, and requested the man start the process for emergency custody of Sinead.
Hannigan then called the head of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, who in turn instructed Mrs. Bronson to reveal the circumstances surrounding the children to the prospective adopted parents.
The financially stable, churchgoing couple had withdrawn their petition.
“And I am sure you are exaggerating the supposed danger.” Mrs. Bronson threw a look at Stas and Ruby and snorted. “Seriously, bodyguards. Is it really necessary?”
He swung to face her full on. “The woman who killed their mother is still out there. They are in danger.” Rafferty gave a raw laugh. “The best place for those children is on the ranch with heightened security.”
“With you as their father?” she scoffed.
“I might not be father of the year material, but I will—”
“Are you my dad?”
Everything inside Rafferty stilled at the tentative question.
He slowly turned and found a very solemn-looking Connor standing a short distance from him.
He scanned the boy, searching for some trace of Oliveira.
And found nothing.
Sure, his swarthy complexion hinted at his Brazilian roots, but there was nothing in the kid’s face that screamed “Miguel Oliveira’s son”.
“It is you,” the boy declared with wonder in his voice. “Mom said if anything happened to her, you would come. And you do have the bestest blue eyes ever.”
“Your mom talked about me?”
Connor nodded vigorously, but then his mouth started trembling. “Mommy’s gone to heaven,” he whispered.
Quickly closing the gap, Rafferty sank to his haunches. “I know,” he whispered back and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. He squeezed gently. “And I am so very sorry for that.” His hand looked huge resting on Connor’s slender frame.
Big, tear-filled brown eyes stared earnestly at him. “Can me and Nadie live with you now?”
A lump the size of Texas formed in his throat, strangling his “yes”.
“And will you help me keep Nadie safe?”
Help keep Nadie safe ?
Before he could form a reply of his own, Connor continued, “’Cos Mommy said I must be brave and look after my sister if something bad happened to her.
But I’m just a kid, and if that lady comes back—” The boy’s eyes widened, and he slapped a hand over his mouth.
“I wasn’t supposed to tell,” he whispered.
“What lady?” Rafferty barked, his heart thudding hard.
Connor shrank from his grip and stumbled back, fear flooding his eyes.
Great, Raff. Off to a stellar start.
Sinking to his knees, Rafferty raised his arms in a calming gesture. “I’m sorry, Connor. I didn’t mean to yell at you. You’ve done nothing wrong. Truly. But I really need to know about the lady. It’s very, very important.”
Rafferty fought to squirm under the boy’s now probing gaze, his mind working overtime. He had no doubt Connor spoke of Kamila, but he needed more information. “Did a lady come to your house?” he prodded.
Connor’s lips trembled as he nodded. “But Mommy said I mustn’t tell anybody about that lady. Not even Jack, and Jack’s my best friend.”
“I’m pretty sure Mommy will be okay if you tell me, Connor. Especially if it helps me protect you and Nadie.”
The boy turned to search for his sister. The sheriff’s wife had since moved Sinead to a bucket swing where the girl swayed back and forth, kicking her legs. Connor’s gaze moved back, and he gave Rafferty another assessing look. “Promise you’ll protect Nadie?”
“I promise, Connor.”
Connor dropped his eyes. “I guess it’s okay then,” he mumbled. “’Cause you’re my dad.”
He kicked at the grass and stuffed his hands in his sweatshirt pocket.
“I was helping Mom wash the car when this really cool red Ferrari stopped in the street.” He glanced up at Rafferty, pride flickering through the sadness. “It was a Ferrari F8. I know ’cause I know everything about cars.”
Then his voice got quieter. “A lady got out. Mommy said really bad words when she saw her.”
His brow wrinkled. “She told me to run inside. Said I had to lock the front door and wake Nadie and hide in our special place. Not to come out till she came to get us.”
He kicked at the dirt again. “But Nadie had to go potty. I could hear Mom yelling through the bathroom window.
“When Nadie was done, we went to hide, but Mommy came back first.” He bit his lip.
“That lady made Mommy cry, Dad. Her eyes were all red and puffy.” He sniffed. “I asked what was wrong, but Mom just said it was nothing. She said I mustn’t tell anyone about the lady. That she was really bad. And if she ever came back …”
Conner looked up, his voice barely above a whisper. “I must hide with Nadie right away.” He paused, biting his lip. “Even if Nadie needed to potty.”
Rafferty’s mind reeled.
Kamila had confronted Selena.
Why?
And Connor knew to hide?
He even had a special hiding place?
Rafferty reached out and gripped Connor’s upper arms in a light but firm hold. He took it as a win when the boy didn’t flinch. “It seems like you were a very brave boy, Connor.”
“That’s what Mommy said.”
“Well, mommies are smart.”
Connor gave a lopsided grin. “Mom said the smartest thing she ever did was have me and Nadie.” His smile faded, lips turning down. “I miss her.”
The boy’s wobbling chin acted like a fist reaching into Rafferty’s chest, squeezing his heart.
Without thought, he pulled the kid in for a hug.
“I know you do, buddy.” Connor melted against him, shoving his face into Rafferty’s chest and arms around his neck.
Rafferty felt the dampness of tears on his skin, and he smoothed his hands over the boy’s back.
Any doubt he had of being capable of loving the son of the man responsible for so much pain in his life melted away as Connor cried in his arms.
The sobbing subsided, and Connor pulled away, wiping his forearm over his eyes.
Rafferty brushed back the wayward hair on the boy’s forehead. He had a sudden longing to grab the kids and haul ass to Texas. He bit back a sigh. There were still many obstacles to overcome.
He pointed to the picnic table nestling under a huge oak tree a short distance away.
A wicker basket, one he’d organized with the hotel kitchen, lay on top.
“How about we go sit at that table? I bet that the picnic basket holds some yummy treats” — he pointed to the bags on the ground — “and I have a couple of presents.”
The boy’s eyes lit up. “For Nadie, too?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.” Connor gave him a quick hug before twisting away. He rushed back to his sister, calling out, “I told you, Nadie! I told you Dad would come for us.”
And Rafferty knew he would face the demons of hell before disappointing that boy and his sister.