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Roy held open the main door for her, giving Ellie a momentary flashback of the moments before the attack. Her breath hitched, and she hugged Owen tighter against her. Automatically, her gaze scanned the parking lot. A few law enforcement officers lingered, but most of the crowd behind the yellow crime scene tape had dispersed. Still, a shiver raced down her spine.
She felt exposed. Were there eyes on her? Or was it her imagination?
Ellie hadn’t touched a gun since being shot, but right now, she wished for her trusty Glock.
As if he sensed her fear, Daniel stepped alongside her so that she was flanked between him and Roy as they crossed the lot to a Ford Explorer marked with official law enforcement decals. With surprisingly quick efficiency, Daniel secured the car seat. Perhaps he’d had a lot of practice. He had scads of nieces and nephews.
Roy lightly touched Ellie’s shoulder before she got into the vehicle. “If you have any trouble tonight, call the station. I’ll have my night-duty officers make extra loops in your neighborhood, so don’t be concerned if you spot them coming and going.”
His words were meant to be reassuring, but they only heightened Ellie’s concern. Why had Owen been targeted? She felt strongly they were hired guns—maybe part of a criminal enterprise—but her gut instinct wasn’t proof. There was no guarantee the danger was over. Not until the perpetrators were caught. And maybe not even then.
She worried at her bottom lip. “Please let me know if you make an arrest.”
“You’ll be one of my first calls.”
She’d have to be satisfied with that. Ellie carefully laid Owen down in the car seat and strapped him in. The little boy didn’t so much as sigh. He was completely out. She settled in the seat next to him and tucked back one of his runaway curls, her chest tightening with emotion. Even in his sleep, Owen held fast to his trusted stuffed dog, Scout.
The tender moment was broken as Daniel slid into the driver's seat and turned back to face her. “All strapped in?”
“Yep. Ready to go.”
As he fired up the engine, she mentally braced herself for the questions that would come. Somehow, during this car ride, she had to convince Daniel that he needed to focus his attention on the men who tried to kidnap Owen, and not on her.
Her baby’s life could depend on it.
FOUR
Daniel glanced in the rearview mirror. Ellie was staring out the window into the night, her expression pensive as they turned out of the church parking lot. But there was something fragile beneath that controlled exterior, a contradiction to the rigid line of her shoulders.
The woman had secrets. That much Daniel was certain of. But did they pertain to the attack on her and Owen? He wasn’t sure. Considering their interaction at the church, it would be difficult to get Ellie to open up, but he had to try. The more he learned about the attack at the church, the more concerned he became about Owen’s safety.
Daniel eased to a stop for a red light. He pointed toward the feed store at the corner. “My first job was at Jake’s. I was thirteen, hired to sweep floors and stock shelves on the weekend. It turned out to be a complete catastrophe.”
He caught Ellie’s gaze in the rearview mirror. She arched a brow in silent invitation for him to continue.
“One morning, I forgot to lock the back gate. Twenty-seven goats got loose, devouring several flowerbeds and nearly causinga three-car pileup before trotting straight down Main Street to interrupt the mayor’s reelection speech.”
Her mouth dropped open. “That was you! I’ve heard about the incident, but everyone described the kid responsible as just ‘the youngster’.”
He chuckled. “It was me all right. A photographer caught me mid-chase during the mayor’s speech. The newspaper put it on the front page. My mom still has the clipping somewhere.” The light turned green, and Daniel accelerated. “Needless to say, I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the livestock after that.”
He heard her faint chuckle and was pleased to see, when he glanced in the back seat, that the tension in her shoulders had eased. Daniel focused back on the road as he followed the GPS to Ellie’s subdivision. “How long have you lived in Silver Creek?”
“Three years.”
“Ah. Long enough to hear most of the folklore, including the great goat escapade.” Daniel combed through his brain, trying to remember the details his mom had shared about Ellie during their phone calls. He suspected Marta was playing matchmaker at the time, and had tuned out most of it, but some things stuck. “Before that, you lived in Austin, right? Is that where your folks are?”
“No. My parents passed shortly after I graduated college.”
Her tone was taut with a pain he recognized. Daniel briefly met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’m sorry to hear that. We lost my dad five years ago. It’s the kind of loss that stays with you.”
She nodded but didn't reply. Daniel reduced his speed for another red light just as Ellie laid her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Her polite, nonverbal way of telling him to shut up. Daniel was secretly amused by the tactic. Ellie knew he was doing his best to put her at ease and then dig into her past. Her ability to anticipate his maneuvers…her description of the perpetrators… the way she'd fought back during the attack…
If he didn't know any better, he'd peg her for a cop.
A whimper rose from the back seat. Ellie’s eyes instantly snapped open, and she bent over Owen’s car seat. “Shhh, sweet boy. It’s okay.”
The cry fell silent. Daniel pressed on the gas as the light changed. “Is Owen okay?”