Trusting Sydney: The Temptation Saga: Book Six (11 page)

“What’s that have to do with not competing tomorrow?”

“I’m thirty-three years old. I’ve broken a few ribs over the years, strained a lot of muscles. I’m not the competitor I was ten years ago. It’s time to say goodbye to that life. I’ve got a chance to make a great living out here, and I want to focus on that.”

Sydney nodded. She couldn’t imagine giving up racing. Of course she was younger at twenty-four. But Dusty had given it up at twenty-three when she got pregnant with Sean.

She didn’t need to think about that. She wasn’t pregnant. Hadn’t been in a while. And she didn’t have a family to think about other than her parents and Duke, and they relied on her purse money.

But had she made the right choice? Maybe she should have stopped racing long ago and raised her son.

She’d been young, no doubt. But she’d also been selfish, and her selfishness was coming back to bite her in the butt. She’d made things much harder on her parents and Duke than she’d ever intended. And on Sam. And even on herself.

For a moment again, she imagined Sean as Duke and herself and Sam as the happily married parents.

Could it have happened then?

She sighed. She’d never know.

She stood. “As much as I hate to say goodbye, I have to be going. Thank you so much for dinner,” she said to Sam. Then, to Sean, “I had a great time hanging out with you. I hope we can do it again sometime.”

“Okay, as long as you bring chocolate.”

She laughed and ruffled his hair. “It’s a deal.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Sam said.

“You don’t need to bother.”

“It’s no bother. The critter’ll be fine in here for a minute, won’t you?

“Yup.”

He walked her to her car and took both hands in his. “I’m glad you came. Dessert was delicious. But”—he leaned in—“not half as delicious as you are.”

He pressed his mouth to hers in a soft kiss.

She parted her lips and the kiss deepened, but he pulled back. “I have to get back inside.”

“I know.”

“I’m glad you came.”

“Sam, I hope you know we will work this out somehow. My parents are not unreasonable people.”

He nodded. “I’ve given you a hard time. I don’t mean to. It’s just—”

She put her fingers to his mouth, silencing him. “Don’t. I understand. Good night.”

“Good night.”

He stood outside until she had backed out and was on her way down the winding road of the McCray Ranch, heading toward the county road.

She pulled out her cell phone and hit her mother’s number on speed dial. She’d be back at the hotel soon, but she wanted to check on Duke.

“What?” she said aloud.

Her heart sped up and her throat constricted. Nausea worked its way up her esophagus. Quickly she hit “end” and redialed, this time punching in the actual numbers.

Her tummy plummeted as she listened to the same message.

This number is no longer in service.

S
he pulled
to the side of the road, frantic, and tried her father’s number.

Same message.

She gunned the engine and sped back to the hotel. She rushed in and stopped at the front desk. “Roy and Carrie Buchanan and their son—did they check out?”

The clerk checked his computer. “No, ma’am. They’re scheduled to be here six more days.”

Thank goodness.

Must be a glitch with one of the cellular towers in the area. She took the elevator up and walked to her room. She wanted to check on Duke, so she crossed the hall to her parents’ room and knocked.

No response.

She knocked louder. It was after ten o’clock. They couldn’t still be out with Duke, could they? After he’d been so sick just the night before?

She knocked again, this time nearly putting her fist through the door. “Mom, Dad.” She didn’t want to yell. It was late, and some of the other guests were no doubt in bed.

She let out a breath. Those invisible bugs were crawling up her arms again—something didn’t feel right about this. But surely her parents were taking good care of Duke. They probably ran into some friends or something at the rodeo and were up talking. Duke was no doubt snoozing on his mother’s lap this very minute.

Sydney was exhausted herself, and she had a competition tomorrow. Best get to bed.

She went to her own room, undressed, washed up, and fell into bed.

She’d check on her baby in the morning.

A
t the first
light of dawn, Sydney woke, her heart pounding.

What was going on?

She couldn’t remember having a nightmare. Why was she so on edge?

Duke. She was worried about Duke. She pulled on a robe, walked across the hall, and knocked again on her parents’ door. Still no answer.

This was getting freaky.

She went back to her room and tried both of their cell numbers again. She got the same troubling message. Their numbers were no longer in service.

That nauseated feeling plagued her again.

Something was very wrong.

She called to the front desk and found her parents had still not checked out.

Then she called Sam. Just to say good morning, she said in as cheery a voice as she could muster. She didn’t want to alarm him. It was just a test to check the cellular service in the area, which was obviously working just fine.

Her heart sped. What the hell was going on?

She’d taken the rental car yesterday. Where were they?

Suddenly, she had a terrible thought. What if they were in their room and couldn’t get to the door? Oh no! What if something horrible had happened?

She nearly lost what little was left in her stomach as she pulled on some jeans and a shirt and raced down to the front desk.

“I need you to open my parents’ room,” she said.

“Ma’am?” The clerk looked at her with a concerned face.

“You’ve told me they haven’t checked out, but I don’t have a clue where they are. They didn’t answer last night and they’re not answering the door this morning. They’re not answering the phone.”

“Maybe they stayed out all night. Sometimes, adults do that.”

“Not adults with a five-year-old little boy. Please do this for me. Humor me.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll have someone from security check it out.”

A few minutes later, Sydney followed a security official to the door of her parents’ room. He knocked firmly. “Mr. Buchanan? Mrs. Buchanan?”

“I told you they’re not answering.”

“All right, miss, simmer down. We’re going in.” He slid a card through the lock and opened the door.

Sydney rushed past him into the room.

Her heart dropped. No suitcases in sight. The beds had been made, obviously by housekeeping yesterday. They had not been slept in.

She ran into the bathroom. Nothing but a few half-used bottles of hotel shampoo and lotion. Everything else was gone.

What on Earth?

“Looks like they left, ma’am,” the security guy said.

“But they didn’t. The clerk said they didn’t check out.”

“Then they didn’t check out but they left anyway. It happens.”

“You don’t understand. They’re booked here for five more days. For the rodeo.”

“I guess they decided to go home.”

“But they would have told me.” She plunked down on one of the beds. “This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. Something is definitely wrong.”

“I wish I could help you, but I need to get this room closed back up. I’ll need to notify the front desk. They may have skipped out on their bill.”

“They didn’t,” Sydney said, her head in her hands. “They prepaid for the rodeo. Oh my God.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t know what else to say.”

“It’s all right. Just go.”

“I need to ask you to leave this room.”

“Can I just look around first? See if they might have left something behind? I need to know what’s going on.”

“Okay, you can have ten minutes.”

She used every millisecond of those ten minutes, scouring every millimeter of the room for something—anything—to clue her in on what had happened.

Nothing.

No evidence of any struggle. No evidence of anything at all, except that they were gone.

“Thank you,” she said to the security guy. She walked soberly back to her own room.

She dialed the land line to their home in Carson City. No answer, of course. If they’d driven, they wouldn’t have gotten back there yet. Or maybe they would have if they’d driven all night. Or they could have caught a red-eye flight.

God, now what?

If they flew, the airport would have those records, right? But would she be able to access them?

Where were they?

Visions of a masked gunman taking them hostage tormented her. Perhaps they were bound and gagged at this very moment in the back of a truck somewhere.

Perhaps Duke…
Dear Lord, Duke!

Who could help her?

Sam. Sam would help her.

Her skin chilled when a horrible thought crossed her mind.

What if her parents had skipped town with Duke? To keep Sam away from him?

They wouldn’t.

Would they?

No, of course not. They were also keeping Sydney away from him, and they would never do that.

Yet none of this made sense. If they’d been abducted, their cell phones would still work. They might not answer, but the numbers would still go through.

More importantly, there’d be evidence of some sort of struggle. Something would have been left behind. Maybe the gunman had made them pack everything up—

No
.

Her body went limp. In her heart, she knew the truth.

They had left.

Her parents were good people. They wouldn’t have done this if they hadn’t thought it completely necessary. Desperation had obviously fueled them.

What could she do? She could wait for them to show up at home. They’d have to answer the land line sooner or later.

If, indeed, they went home at all.

The thought nagged her. If they’d canceled their cell numbers, they probably weren’t headed home.

They were headed somewhere else. Somewhere Sam—and no one else—would ever find them.

Sydney buried her face against the palms of her hands. How had it all come to this? She swallowed. She could go after them, look for them. Not bother Sam until she knew something concrete.

No. She couldn’t do that to Sam. She couldn’t keep this from him. Not only would he have one more reason not to trust her, but more importantly, this was Sam’s business. He had a right to know.

She’d taken away his rights five years ago. She could not do it again. She had to find Sam and tell him.

Her heart sank when a truth struck her in a black haze.

She’d tell Sam what happened—that her parents had skipped town and taken Duke with them. That they hadn’t told her they were leaving and they’d canceled their cell phone numbers.

It was the truth and nothing but the truth.

There was only one problem.

He wouldn’t believe her.

“
H
ow could they
?” Sam paced around the living room of his guest house. “How could they just pack up a sick little kid and leave?”

“I don’t know, Sam. I guess they thought they had no choice.”

“Why don’t you tell me the truth for once, Sydney,” he said. “You sent them on their merry way, and now you’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

Just what she’d been afraid of. He didn’t believe her. “I swear to you that’s not true. Call the hotel if you want. I was frantic this morning looking for them. Their cell phones have been disconnected, for God’s sake. I had nothing to do with this.”

“You never wanted me in the picture from the beginning.”

“That’s not true!” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’ve explained all that.”

“Why should I believe any of this?”

She sat down. What could she say? “ Sam. I can only tell you it’s the truth.”

“If you were in my shoes, would you believe it?”

She shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. And that’s the cold hard truth.”

He softened a little. The fire in his dark eyes turned to ash. “God.” He sat down on the couch and buried his head in his hands. “This is all my fault.”

Sydney went to him, tried to comfort him, but he shook her away. “Don’t.”

“It’s not your fault, Sam. It’s mine. This all began when I made a horrible mistake. I chose not to tell you about Duke, and I chose not to tell my parents who the father was. I thought I was protecting you, but I see now that I was young and naïve. I’m sorry. You had a right to know your son.”

No response.

She put her arms around his shoulders, tried to hold his unresponsive body. “I love you, Sam. I have never stopped loving you.”

Still no response.

“We will find them, and we will work something out.”

He lifted his head. “You said they’d be willing to talk to me.”

She shook her head. “I thought they would. This behavior isn’t like them at all. I’m not sure why they left, but they must have thought they had good reason. I can guarantee you one thing. They would never in a million years harm Duke. We can at least know that he’s safe.”

“We need to call Dallas. Or the cops.”

“No. Dallas and the cops can’t do anything. They are Duke’s legal parents. In the eyes of the law, they haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I can’t accept that. Damnit.” He stood. “I’m calling Dallas.”

Sydney sat, numb, as he spoke to his brother-in-law for a few minutes. When he hung up, his eyes were glazed over.

“You’re right. The cops won’t touch this. We have nothing to stand on.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Our only option is to hire a private investigator. Chad knows a good one who he uses all the time.”

“I don’t think we need a PI. We can find them. Where could they go? They don’t have a lot of disposable cash. Most of our money is tied up in the ranch. We’re not in financial straits or anything, but we’re not rolling in it either. I wanted to win a few purses here because we can really use the money.”

“Aren’t you supposed to compete today?”

She nodded. “I can’t. Not now. My head’s not in it.” She hoped he understood, though she could use the money now more than ever.

Man up, Syd
. Her father’s voice spoke in her thoughts. He’d said those words to her older brother, Blake, many times, but never to her. They rang true for her now.

She stood. “I’ve changed my mind. I have enough time to get over there and get ready. I’m competing today. We need the purse money to find Duke.”

He nodded. “I’ve got my job here, but of course I haven’t gotten paid yet. Most of my money is tied up in the ranch in Montana. I’m in the same boat your parents are, but I think I know where I can get some fast cash.”

“How?”

“I’ll ride Zach’s bull.”

Sydney jerked. “You’re crazy! That bull almost killed both Dusty
and
Zach five years ago. I won’t allow it.”

“You won’t allow it? Oh, that’s rich.”

“You’re not a bull rider. You’re a bronc buster. There’s a huge difference.”

“It can’t be that different. I’m a hell of a bronc buster. Besides, what makes you think you have any say in it?”

“Because I love you, that’s why!” She threw her arms around him and crushed her lips to his.

It was a kiss of not only passion, but fear and anxiety. They were both worried about Duke.

Electricity pulsed between them. Sam lifted her in his arms and they continued kissing, their lips and tongues sliding together in lustful rhythm.

Sydney pulled away. “I’m sorry. I know now isn’t the time for this. We have to figure out what we’re going to do. Plus, I have a competition this afternoon.”

“There is time. I will take you to the rodeo. Now is the perfect time for this.” He lifted her in his strong arms and carried her to his bedroom.

No bandanas tying her to the bed posts this time. No angry, punishing kisses. This was slow, sweet love. They kissed for a long time and then slowly undressed each other.

When Sam entered her, tears welled in her eyes. Emotion so thick she could almost see it swirled between them. She hadn’t known she’d been so empty until he filled her at that moment.

She loved this man.

Suddenly, she knew she always had.

It was because of her love for him that she hadn’t told him about Duke. She hadn’t wanted to wreck his life, to trap him. He would not understand her logic. She wasn’t sure she understood it herself. She only knew the truth of it in her heart.

His thrusts became harder, and even without the clitoral stimulation she thought necessary, an orgasm rose within her.

They came in unison, panting and heaving, until they were a mass of naked limbs tangled together, breathing heavily.

“That was amazing,” Sydney said.

He grunted, his eyes closed.

“I have to get to the rodeo.”

“I know. I’ll take you.” He didn’t move.

“It’s okay. I can get there myself.”

“No, I want to go with you. We can talk on the way about what we’re going to do.”

“All right.”

They showered in each other’s arms and then dressed. After a quick stop at the hotel for Sydney’s racing clothes, they got to the rodeo without much time to spare. Sydney had given Sapphire a workout the day before so the mare was in good shape.

She needed the purse.

She couldn’t let Sam ride that huge-ass bull.

Sam left her to prepare Sapphire. He’d be in the stands, he assured her, cheering her on.

Sydney groomed Sapphire, trying like hell to concentrate on the race. Her visualization was stunted. She couldn’t picture the race. She couldn’t picture winning.

Instead her mind conjured images of her baby boy on the run with her parents. She’d failed Duke, and she’d failed Sam. What was she going to do?

Right now Sam seemed rational, but who knew what would happen when they finally caught up with her parents and Duke?

Damn it, Sydney, focus!

She tried to concentrate on Sapphire. Nope, wasn’t working. She continued grooming on autopilot, knowing full well she should be bonding with her mare instead of ruminating. The race and the purse depended upon her and Sapphire being in perfect sync.

“That’s my girl,” she said to the horse. Normally she talked in soothing tones while grooming. She hadn’t today. She hoped Sapphire would be okay.

Once finished, she and Sapphire headed to the arena to await the start of the race. Sydney was set to go second to last.

One by one, she watched the other racers, each time thinking they did something better than she did. She had beaten most of these racers the other day, so why was she doubting herself?

Because now there was something more at stake. Not just the purse.

Duke.

Sam.

The two most important people in her life.

She’d never have a life with both of them. Duke was her parents’ son now. The most she’d ever get as the birth mother was visitation, and she could have that now as his big sister. What would Sam get?

Probably nothing.

Of course, if he married her, he could be Duke’s brother-in-law. Sydney shook her head. That wouldn’t be enough for Sam. And though he professed to love her, he would never marry her just to have his son. He was too honorable for that.

He had to trust her first.

She had to find a way to make him trust her.

How? How could she? She’d betrayed him in such a terrible way already. She’d kept him from his son. She wasn’t sure she could ever forgive herself.

And now her parents, her beloved parents, had run rather than face losing the little boy they adored.

She had gotten herself, her son, her parents, and the man she loved into one fine mess indeed.

“Syd, you’re up next,” Sharla Perkins, the racer behind her, said.

Sydney jerked out of her stupor. She hadn’t even seen the racers ahead of her go. She had no idea what kind of competition she was up against.

She and Sapphire headed forward.

“Next up is Sydney Buchanan of Nevada,” the announcer, Mark, said. “Sydney won a handsome purse in her first race. Let’s see what she can show us today.”

Yeah, let’s see for sure.

She closed her eyes. But instead of images of her and Sapphire, working as one, only dark visions of her parents running away appeared.

Sapphire. Must see myself with Sapphire.
Why isn’t this working?

No more time to stall. She had to go.

She opened her eyes, signaled to the judge, and raced forward. With the force of a tornado, Sydney took Sapphire around the first barrel perfectly. She looked straight ahead and galloped toward the second, taking Sapphire around in the opposite direction. Thank God! One more to go. She aimed toward the final barrel.

Thundering applause rushed from the stands. She could do it. She was doing it. Sam was out there watching. She’d do it for him, for Duke, for all the mistakes she’d made.

God, the mistakes…

A millisecond later, Sapphire knocked down the final barrel.

Her throat constricted, Sydney raced back and crossed the electric eye. She didn’t see her time.

It didn’t matter anyway. Even if she’d made her personal best, the barrel would cost her a five second penalty. She wouldn’t place.

She dismounted and petted the mare’s nose. “Great job, sweetie.”

A local girl approached her. “Tough break,” she said.

Sydney tried to feign nonchalance. “It happens.”

The girl smiled and went on her way. Sydney took Sapphire back to the stalls and cleaned her up.

After she’d taken care of the mare and blown the congestion out of her nose, hoping she’d shed her last tear, she went out into the stands to find Sam.

She walked for a while, her brain in a haze, seeing only blurred faces in front of her. No blurry Sam. When she’d nearly given up, he appeared.

“Lord,” she groaned under her breath.

Next to him, jabbering in his ear, was none other than Rod Kyle.