Her Rocky Mountain Protector. Patricia Thayer

didn’t. I volunteered.”

      “Then I’ll need to deputize you first. Do you have a problem with that? I can’t let a civilian get involved.”

      Grady paused as he looked at this woman still gripping that floppy-eared rabbit. Suddenly memories of his past life flashed before him, the picture of the stuffed animals that lined the shelf in his infant son’s room. Toys the baby never got the chance to see or play with. He quickly shook it away. “Do what you need to do.”

      After the sheriff had sworn him in, Grady hurried back to his vehicle and opened the door. Immediately the shepherd stood in the backseat. Scout hesitated. The dog hadn’t worked since Afghanistan when he’d been injured. Yet since they’d returned home, Grady had adopted Scout, hoping to get involved in some search-and-rescue operations. It was a good time to test him.

      “Come on, boy. We’ve got a kid to find.” The shepherd jumped out of the backseat and waited for his next command.

      Grady reached back inside the vehicle, took the Glock from under the driver’s seat and tucked the gun in the waistband of his jeans against his back. He was going to be prepared for anything.

      Reed appeared. “I see you don’t need me to issue you a weapon.” The sheriff looked concerned. “I’m going to send one of my men with you.”

      “No. Alone. I’ll move faster and with less chance of being seen.” He stared at the sheriff. “You have to trust me on this.”

      “Okay.” Reed Larkin handed him a small radio. “Here, you’ll need this to communicate with us.”

      Grady took it, then walked over to Gina Williams, seeing the fear on her face. “I’ll do everything I can to bring the boy back. So don’t try anything stupid, or the sheriff will send you back to town. Let us handle this.”

      She nodded. “Just hurry. Please!”

      Grady settled her in the truck and then he went to the sheriff. Grady knew these mountains. His grandpa had taken him around every mine and cliff along this face of the mountain range. He glanced at his dog. “Come on, boy, let’s find Zack.” He prayed that his words would come true. Maybe this time he would be there when someone’s child needed him.

      Gina watched as Grady and Scout started up the back side of the mountain. She began to pray that they would be able to get to her son before any harm came to him. She closed her eyes and could feel her ex-husband’s slap across her face just as if it were happening again.

      But it never stopped at just a slap. There were also those closed fists that slammed into her body. A tear dropped to her cheek and she quickly wiped it away.

      No! She wasn’t going to let Eric win again. She was going to make a life for her son here in Destiny. Zack was going to have a happy childhood. She wasn’t going to let Eric hurt her little boy again. Even if she had to stop him herself.

      “Gina.”

      She opened her eyes to see Reed standing next to the truck. “I wish I could tell you everything is going to be all right, but I can’t. Only you know your ex. Has he ever hurt his son?”

      “He hadn’t until the last time. That’s when Eric learned that he could inflict more pain on me by making Zack his target.”

      Reed’s nostrils flared. “I swear, Gina, we’ll do everything possible to get Zack away from him. Grady Fletcher is retired army. He’s served overseas and is combat trained.” The radio squawked. “That’s Fletcher.”

      He pulled the radio out and spoke into it. “Larkin, here.”

      “I’ve reached the mine. He could be inside, or Zack could be there. Since I can’t see Lowell, I don’t know. You need to draw him out.”

      “Roger.” The sheriff looked at Gina. “We need to draw Eric out in the open.”

      “Use me,” she said, and started out of the truck. “I can distract him.” She wanted Grady Fletcher to get a good shot at him.

      “Give me a few minutes,” the sheriff said, then signed off. “Gina, don’t do anything foolish. Your ex isn’t worried about leaving here. He wants revenge on you.”

      “I don’t care. Zack is the only thing that matters.”

      “But he needs his mother, too.”

      “Just not a mother who’s let him down so many times,” she breathed. “But not this time, not any more.”

      Grady was pressed flat against the rock wall as he moved toward his target. He gave the hand signal for Scout to stay behind and continued around the boulder. There he heard the sheriff call to Lowell.

      “Hey, Eric, your wife wants to talk to you.”

      Nothing. There was no movement, no sign of the guy. “Come on, you bastard,” Grady breathed.

      Then he heard Gina’s voice. “Eric!” she called. “Eric, please talk to me. I know you don’t want to hurt Zack. So I want to make a trade. Zack for me.”

      Lowell finally spoke. “I’m not falling for that,” he told her.

      Grady got a location. The kidnapper was just on the other side of the boulder. He looked down at Scout to see the animal’s ears go up. He gave a hand signal to stay. The animal obeyed.

      Again, Gina called out. “Please, Eric. I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt Zack. Please.”

      “I like to hear you beg, Gina,” Lowell said. “Come on, convince me some more.”

      That was when Grady saw him. The man came out just enough to get into his line of sight. He looked to be around six feet tall. His body was lean and strong, probably from working out in prison. Grady wasn’t impressed. Not by a man who used his strength to beat up on women. He just hoped the guy wasn’t too smart.

      Lowell called his ex-wife a few choice names. “Tell me what you want, wife. You always want something.” The man moved toward the ledge. He knelt down for protection. “I’ll need more than just you, if you want my son. That big sister of yours inherited a boatload of money. I want a cut.”

      “How much?” Gina asked without hesitation.

      “A few million should get me where I want to go. I’ll also need transportation.”

      There was a pause, then Gina said, “It’s going to take some time.”

      “You got an hour,” he told her.

      Grady saw his chance and took it. He came out behind the guy, just as he turned around. Grady managed to knock Eric’s rifle out of his hand, but that didn’t stop him.

      Lowell charged at him, landing several blows, then Grady got in a good one, knocking the man down. He called to Scout once he had subdued Eric on the ground in a choke hold.

      “I got him,” Grady yelled down to the sheriff, then to Lowell he said, “I wouldn’t move if I were you.” He nodded toward the growling dog. “Scout will catch you. And I haven’t fed him today.”

      Eric cursed but didn’t put up a fight as Larkin and his men showed up. One of the deputies took charge and cuffed Lowell. Larkin finished reading him his rights when Gina Williams showed up.

      She ran to her ex. “Where is Zack?” she demanded.

      “Go to hell,” he said. His words were slurred, his eyes glassy. Drugs, in all likelihood.

      Grady walked up. “Let’s check the mine,” he said, taking out his penlight and heading to the opening that had once been boarded up but now showed signs of some of the boards having been pulled away. He stepped through the slats, Larkin and Gina right behind him.

      “Come, Scout,” he called to his dog.

      The shepherd immediately went into the darkness and Grady turned on the flashlight, and followed.

      Gina