Chapter One
Amelia
PRESENT DAY
The front wheel of the buggy shakes wildly as I push it down the cereal aisle, but I’m in too much of a hurry to get a different one.
I already got a late start because I couldn’t find my keys, then my three-year-old daughter decided she had to use the potty the moment I buckled her into her booster seat.
If that wasn’t frustrating enough, the child seat lock is busted, so Lily’s bouncing around nonstop.
It’s been one of those days.
My eight-year-old son hasn’t been sleeping well—nightmares constantly waking him up—which means I’m not sleeping well either.
Wilder’s teenage cousin Mallory babysat him a few months ago and let him watch a scary movie, and it’s haunted him in his dreams ever since.
And tanked my sleep quality. He tends to hog the bed and—
I quickly look to my right, then my left, but his hand isn’t on the side of the buggy like it’s supposed to be. Looking behind me, the aisle’s empty.
“Sam!”
He knows he’s not supposed to run off in stores, especially when we’re rushing.
I have my online class tonight, so I need to feed them dinner before Raven comes over to help watch them. Her daughter is one and plays with my two while I try to focus for three hours at my computer.
“Sam, where are you?” My voice cracks as I turn the buggy around and sprint toward the front of the store. It’s not a huge one, but big enough for me to lose sight of him. “Sam!”
My heart beats erratically, thinking the worst, but trying not to go down that path. My anxiety’s always been high, but with two kids and a past I’m trying desperately to keep in the past, my nervous system doesn’t always know the difference between a knock at my door and a bomb going off.
“Is everythin’ alright?” one of the employees asks as I scan the next aisle.
“My son. I can’t find him. He’s eight. Brown hair. Small for his age. Have you seen him?”
“No, miss.” She rushes to keep up with me. “I can page him over the loudspeaker?”
“Yes, do that. Please!” My gaze scans down another aisle before I see him at the very end with a shadowy figure. “Sam!”
I bolt toward him, Lily giggling and enjoying every second of my panic attack, then abruptly stop when I’m close enough to kneel and pull him into my arms.
“Sam! Don’t ever run off on me like that! You know better, baby!” I squeeze him, probably too hard, but I can’t help myself. “What were you doin’?”
“Sorry, Mommy,” he says when my eyes meet his green ones that match mine. “A man said he had candy, and I wanted some.”
“What? Who?”
He shrugs his little shoulders. “I dunno.”
“We talked ’bout this. You never go with a stranger. Never!”
“He said he wasn’t a stranger ’cause he knows you. And he knew my name.”
What the fuck?
“I don’t care what anyone says, you do not ever walk away from me without tellin’ me where you’re goin’. You hear me?”
His gaze drops to the floor. “Yes, ma’am.”
I blow out a relieved breath that he’s okay, but now my head’s filled with rage.
Who the hell tried to take my son?
“C’mon, baby. We gotta go.” I grab his hand and keep it in mine while I lead us to the front.
Glancing around, I check our surroundings for anyone I might recognize or someone acting suspicious, but whoever Sam’s talking about must’ve bolted as soon as he heard me scream his name.
I’ll contact the general manager once we’re home and ask him to review their security footage. If someone was trying to coerce him, I want to know who so I can make an incident report with the sheriff. I’m too shaken up to stay and do it now. I need to get out of here.
Instead of grabbing the rest of what I needed, I push my buggy to the checkout. I’ll get the rest of the groceries another day when Mattie or Raven can watch the kids.
“Watch your sister for a minute,” I tell Sam once they’re both buckled into their seats.
Not taking any damn chances, I lock the doors while I load the bags into my trunk. As soon as I slam it shut, I gasp at the unexpected sight of the cashier standing beside my car.
“Holy—” I clasp my chest. “You scared me.”
“I’m so sorry.” She frowns. “I called out your name, but I guess you didn’t hear me.”
Fuck, I was too much in my own head.
“It’s okay. What did you need?” I ask impatiently.
“Oh, right! You left your card on the counter.”
When she holds it out for me, I quickly shove it into my pocket. “Thank you, appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
As soon as I get into the driver’s seat, I lock the doors again and start my car.
It’s a fifteen-minute drive to the retreat where we live in the ranch-hand duplexes.
Wilder Hollis and his wife, Delilah, took me in a couple years ago and gave me a receptionist job at The Lodge.
Before their help, we were living in a one-bedroom apartment that I could hardly afford since I was unemployed.
It was hard to keep a job when I couldn’t get childcare during the day or child support to help cover expenses.
Thankfully, nearby food shelters and local programs offered grants that helped keep us full and a roof over our heads.
Now I’m fortunate enough not to need that assistance, so it can go toward other families who do.
I’m forever grateful to everyone who volunteered or donated clothes so my kids didn’t go without, and I hope to pay it forward one day.
Meeting Wilder at one of the soup kitchens not only changed my life but my kids’ as well. Being able to give them a sense of family with the Hollises when we had none means more to me than anything.
Halfway home, a black SUV behind me grabs my attention, and I realize it’s been following me since I left the parking lot. Usually, it wouldn’t be a cause for concern in a small town with limited country roads, but considering what happened, I’m on edge.
Glancing in the rearview mirror once more, I push the gas pedal harder and speed the rest of the way until I spot the Welcome to Sugarland Creek Ranch and Equine Retreat sign.
When I see the SUV speed past me after I turn down the gravel road, I sigh in relief.
Thank fuck.
From the moment we walk through the front door, the rest of the evening is filled with chaos and tears.
Lily’s tears because she wants everything she’s not supposed to have and needs a bath before bed.
Sam’s tears because he wants a SpongeBob popsicle after dinner, but it’s one of the items I didn’t grab before we left.
And my tears because I feel like the worst mother in the world.
Before my online class started, I called the grocery store and asked about their cameras. The manager belly-laughed when I asked if they had security, then explained they have no budget for that.
The cameras are fake.
That’s fucking great.
Before hanging up, he added, “Keep a better eye on your kid, ma’am!”
Damn, why didn’t I think about that?
I’m still going to call Sheriff Wagner and file a report, so it’s at least on record.
But after that conversation, I can’t focus for shit during class.
My professor yaps for three hours straight on design fundamentals.
It’s a summer course for my associate’s degree, and after taking three online classes over the past two semesters, having only one to focus on is a nice change of pace.
Since I work full-time and take care of two kids, I can’t take on any more than I already do, so it’ll take me longer than two years to finish. But I’m okay with that since I can still prioritize being a mom and holding down a job.
But then mistakes were made. I slept with the wrong men, and the idea of getting a degree was so out of my reach that I didn’t even dare to dream of it.
“You look exhausted.” Raven hands me a glass of wine. “C’mon, let’s talk and get tipsy.”
I snort. “I’ll pass out from exhaustion before I get to that point.”
I haven’t gotten drunk since last April—over a year ago.
But Raven won’t let it go since she knows something’s wrong. There wasn’t any time to tell her before class, so we drink and sit on the couch while I rehash everything that happened earlier.
“That’s fuckin’ creepy! Did you tell Wilder or Delilah?”
“Not yet. I will tomorrow.”
“Good. You just never know. People think small towns are safe, but they have some of the weirdest people.”
I chuckle, nearly choking on my wine. “We’re people in a small town.”
“But we aren’t Texas Chainsaw type people. They give Southern small towns a bad rep.”
“Yeah, sure…the serial killers are why people think small towns are eerie,” I quip, stretching my legs on the couch across from her.
“And the secluded cemeteries,” she adds seriously, waving her glass. “Why’re there so many? Does no one believe in cremation anymore or what?”
“You’ll have to start a petition.”
“I will!” She nods with determination.
We chat until the bottle’s empty before calling it a night. Lily will be up by six and Sam shortly after. I have to be at work at eight but take them to the on-site daycare before then. It’s a godsend to have childcare a few minutes from my job. Makes it so much easier to drop off and pick up.
Since my night class doesn’t end until nine and her daughter’s usually passed out by then, they stay overnight in my room. I have a Pack ‘N Play for Bailey, so Raven sleeps in my bed with me.
“I’m gonna make my tea, then take a quick shower. I’ll meet you in there,” I tell her, setting our glasses in the sink before plugging in my kettle. I’ll worry about the dishes tomorrow.
“Mm’kay. I’ll be ready to snuggle when you’re done,” she drawls, grinning like a fool.
“Raven snuggles are my favorite.”
“Who needs men when we can snuggle each other?”
“Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout!”
The hot water relaxes me enough to wash my body and hair without breaking down.
It’s hard not to imagine what would’ve happened if I hadn’t found Sam when I did.
I’ve been a solo parent since before he was born and has always been my responsibility, so there’d be no one else to blame if something happened to him.