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West had not expected to find ten solid gold bars in the safety deposit box. Truthfully, he’d thought there would just be a bunch of cash, or maybe even drugs.

But gold? The price of gold had been going back up again in the past few months. He was no expert, but there had to be close to five hundred thousand dollars’ worth of the precious metal in this safety deposit box.

He turned toward Trish, smiling at the happy grin on Gabriel’s face. He found himself reaching out to smooth a hand over the baby’s back, extremely thankful the little boy hadn’t been hurt. Then he focused on the issue at hand. With a quick glance, he made sure the manager was out of the room. “We searched for reported robberies but didn’t find anything. You would think someone who lost something with this high of a value would have reported the theft to the police.”

“Yeah, it makes me wonder if the owner of the gold didn’t want anyone to know he had it.” Her eyes widened. “Like he stole it first, and then Bryan grabbed it.”

“Exactly.” He nodded thoughtfully, then added, “We need to find the rightful owner.”

“Edward Watley must know something,” she offered, switching Gabriel to her other hip. “I still think it’s odd that he was wearing a bullet-resistant vest. He must have gotten it from a friend in law enforcement or the military.”

“Now that we know his name, we can dig into his known contacts.” He placed the lid back on the box and stepped back.

“I found his name on Renee Mills’s social media page as one of her friends, maybe even a boyfriend.” She scowled. “I’m sure he knew where Renee kept her car keys and helped himself.”

“Yeah, Renee Mills needs to be held accountable for not cooperating with this investigation.” He crossed over to poke his head through the door, gesturing for the bank manager. “Please replace the box. We’ll be back later.”

“Fine with me,” the bank manager agreed.

“Let’s get out of here.” He rested his hand on the small of her back. Gabriel started fussing again, so he reached for the boy, taking him from Trish’s arms. “Hey, you’re okay.”

Instantly Gabriel quieted, his wide eyes fixated on his face. West abruptly realized that the baby hadn’t been around men in the duration of his short life.

No father figure to look up to.

And why did he have the strange impulse to fulfill that role? The thought didn’t scare him as much as it should have as he followed Trisha outside. Peanut stayed in the heel position, occasionally looking up at him as if asking when she’d be going back to work.

A few steps from the SUV, Peanut abruptly alerted, moments before an older man with shock white hair beneath his Stetson stepped out from behind the vehicle. West froze when he saw the handgun pointed at him.

“I’ll take that key,” the man said gruffly. “The gold is mine.”

“Is it?” West wished he hadn’t taken Gabriel from Trish’s arms, or assumed the danger was over. Trisha was armed, as he was, but it was too late to pull a weapon.

“Yeah.” The old cowboy took a small step toward them, while staying behind the relative protection of the SUV. “Give me the key and escort me inside to get past that bank manager. Once I have the gold free and clear, no one will get hurt.”

West didn’t believe that for a second, but his options were limited. He shifted to hand Gabriel over to Trish who subtly moved away using the side of the SUV for safety, so he would have both of his hands free. Rushing the cowboy wasn’t really an option, but he needed to do something. “How did you find us?”

The old man barked out a laugh. “Gotta love technology. That idiot Bryan Little wouldn’t talk, but Watley did grab his phone. They have this new app now, called Find My Device. Have you heard of it?” The old man’s eyes gleamed. “Worked like a charm. Most of the time.”

West kicked himself for not thinking of that possibility sooner. Especially after discovering Bryan Little had been murdered. He stepped in front of Trisha and Gabriel while sliding his hand in his pocket to grab the key. Getting the old man inside the building and away from Trisha and Gabriel would be the first step. If things went south, he would gladly sacrifice himself to protect them.

“Where did you get the gold?” Trisha asked.

“None of your business,” the old cowboy growled. “Hand over that key! Then escort me inside, got it?”

West pulled the key from his pocket, holding it up where the old man could see it. “Here’s the key.” Then he abruptly tossed it in the air off to the right.

The old man’s gaze greedily followed the path of the key, giving West just enough time to rush the older man, slamming his gun hand upward. The old guy pulled the trigger, firing several rounds up into the sky.

Ears ringing, he brought his knee up into the old man’s gut and held his wrist with an iron grip, squeezing until the old man dropped the gun.

“I don’t know who you are,” he said, grabbing the guy’s other hand and holding it tightly. “But you’re under arrest for attempting to murder a police officer. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” He continued reciting the Miranda warning.

The old cowboy’s eyes glittered with anger. “That gold is mine!” he shouted. “I deserve it! It’s mine!”

West sincerely doubted that, otherwise why hadn’t he reported it stolen months ago? Now that the old man was no longer a threat, he glanced over his shoulder to where Trisha stood with Gabriel. Her face was pale, but she nodded, as if to reassure him they were fine. Then she pulled out her phone to call this in. “Dispatch, this is Patrol Officer Trisha McCord. We need backup at the Waterville Bank as we have a man in custody for holding two police officers at gunpoint and threatening to kill us.”

Her statement only reminded him of their close call. He lifted his heart in prayer, thanking God for keeping them safe. And for giving him the strength and wisdom he needed to disarm this guy.

It was over for real this time. Although he still needed to find the rightful owner of the gold bars. Watley had hired someone to try to kill Trisha and to kidnap Gabriel. An extreme move to get loot that was rightfully his.

“Trish, can you grab the flex-cuffs from my pocket?” He’d used his handcuffs to secure Edward Watley. “I want to check this guy’s ID.”

She stepped forward to grab the plastic zip ties. She opened the back door of the SUV to place Gabriel inside, then used the cuffs to secure the old cowboy’s wrists. When that was done, he removed the guy’s wallet from his back pocket.

“Aaron Klinger?” He frowned. “You’re the owner of the Rocking K Ranch?”

“Yeah. So?” Klinger scowled defiantly.

“Bryan worked for you, didn’t he?” Trisha asked. “Is that when he stole the gold?”

Klinger averted his gaze, then reluctantly nodded. “Yeah. But it’s mine, and you can’t legally keep it from me.” The old man’s eyes brightened. “I have a right to defend myself and my property!”

West snorted. “Nice try, but you don’t get to point a gun and threaten to shoot and kill two police officers and an innocent baby. And if that gold is yours, why didn’t you report it stolen?”

Klinger shrugged. “I didn’t want people coming to the Rocking K, thinking there was more gold to be had.”

That sounded plausible, but West wasn’t convinced. “I guess we’ll see about that.”

Klinger fell silent, as if sensing he’d already said too much.

The two squads arrived a few minutes later. He filled the officers in on the situation, including the gold bars they’d found in the safety deposit box and the impending charges he intended to file against Aaron Klinger.

“I heard something about missing gold a few years ago,” one of the officers said. “I think it was taken from a ranch in Montana.”

“Montana? Really?” West wondered why he hadn’t heard about it. Then again, Montana was hardly his jurisdiction.

“I think so.” The officer shrugged. “I honestly didn’t pay that much attention, but I was seeing a girl who lived there and it was all the news for a while.”

West glanced at Aaron Klinger, who stared off in the distance with a mulish expression. “Thanks for that information. We’ll follow up on that missing gold in Montana.”

Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought a look of resignation crossed Aaron Klinger’s features. Yeah, he thought. The jig is up.

Once the officers had taken Aaron Klinger away, he turned to Trish. “I’m a lousy detective,” he said. “I didn’t anticipate your ex-husband’s phone had been used to track yours since he’d been out of the picture for so long.”

“Hey, that possibility never occurred to me, either,” she protested. “I never set up that find your phone feature with Bryan. He must have done that without me realizing it. Likely the same time he planted that key in the house.”

“I was so scared,” he admitted stepping closer. Gabriel appeared fine in the SUV, so he quickly drew her into his arms for a hug. “I was worried he’d shoot you or Gabriel.”

“You stepped right in front of us,” she said with a frown. “I was scared he was going to shoot you!”

“I would rather be the one in the line of fire.” He closed his eyes for a moment, then said, “Don’t you understand? I would do anything to protect you and Gabriel.”

“Ah, West,” she whispered, hugging him. “I wish things were different for us.”

Different how? Before he could ask, she lifted up on her tippy toes and kissed him.

Savoring their embrace, he tried to understand how this had happened. How he’d fallen for Trisha and her son.

His phone rang, interrupting their kiss. He was tempted to ignore it, but reluctantly pulled away from Trish’s embrace to pull the device from his pocket, not surprised to see Captain Ross’s name on the screen.

“Our boss,” he said in a low husky voice.

“Of course.” She stepped out of his arms, and it was all he could do not to haul her back.

“West? What’s this about Aaron Klinger holding you and Trisha at gunpoint?” Ross demanded.

“We’ll head over to the precinct to write up our report,” he promised. “Bottom line, I don’t believe Klinger owns the gold or he would have reported it stolen.”

“Yeah, that’s what I hear.” There was a brief pause, then Ross added, “I’m glad you’re both safe. And Trish’s son, too.”

“Thanks.” He caught Trish’s hand in his, earning a surprised glance. The danger was over, but he wasn’t ready to let her go.

Until now, he’d been focused only on his career. One that could have ended here today if Klinger had gotten a shot off. He’d told himself people always left, but now he realized that was a cowardly way of avoiding relationships.

Kenyon hadn’t asked to be killed. Shannon had left West, but in hindsight, he hadn’t cared about her as much as he should have.

The way he’d fallen in love with Trish.

No, he wouldn’t waste this second chance. God had brought Trisha and Gabriel into his life for a reason.

To show him what he’d been missing.

Still reeling from the dizzying impact of West’s kiss, Trisha tried not to get her hopes up that their embrace was anything special. Maybe that had been nothing more than a goodbye kiss.

After all, they would both go their separate ways now that this nightmare was over.

Yet she couldn’t get the image of him carrying Gabriel out of the bank from her mind. He’d looked so comfortable with her son, a far cry from the way he’d acted when she and Gabriel had initially stayed with him.

Despite her attempt to protect her heart, she’d fallen in love with him. Yet she had no idea what to do about her newfound feelings, either.

“We need to head back to the precinct,” West said. “Will Gabriel be okay for a little while longer?”

“I think so.” She double-checked Gabriel was securely fastened in his seat before climbing into the passenger seat. West opened the back for Peanut, then slid behind the wheel.

“We just need to write up our reports, then we’re good to go,” he said. “You may want to bunk with me tonight, as your house is still a crime scene.”

The offer shocked her. “Oh, well, I don’t want to put you out. Now that the danger is over, I can stay with Raina and the twins.”

West frowned but didn’t argue as he drove the short distance to the precinct. The front parking spots were full, so he drove along to the side lot.

As she took Gabriel out of the car seat, she noticed a small child sitting by herself, eating goldfish crackers at a picnic table that was sometimes used by the staff at the police station.

“West? Do you see anyone with that little girl?” Trisha asked, gesturing toward the child she estimated to be about fourteen to fifteen months old.

“No.” He frowned, releasing Peanut from the back. “Do you?”

“No.” She quickly headed toward the toddler. “Hi, my name is Trisha and this is Gabriel. What’s your name?”

The little girl’s fingers and mouth were stained orange. She didn’t say anything, either too shy or unable to talk. As Trisha moved closer, she saw there was a note pinned to the little girl’s coat.

My name is Joy. I’m Agent Daniel Slater’s kin.

“West? You need to see this.” She knelt beside the toddler. The child didn’t seem overly afraid of strangers, which was a good thing. “Hi, Joy. Where is your mommy?”

The little girl didn’t answer. Then again, she was too young to talk much.

“What in the world?” West had Peanut on leash, and the K-9 was sniffing Joy curiously. “Who would leave a kid alone out here?”

“I don’t know, but we need to take her inside.” Trisha smiled at the little girl. “Joy? Will you come with us?”

Joy looked shyly at her, then nodded. She lifted the little girl off the bench and set her on the grass. Maybe it was because of Gabriel that the child felt safe with them.

“Hang on. I’m calling Dan.” West made the call, and less than a minute later, the tall, blond ATF agent came running toward them.

“I don’t understand,” Dan muttered, reading the note for himself. “I don’t have any kids. Or siblings.”

“A cousin?” Trisha asked helpfully.

Dan ran his hands through his dark blond hair. “I have no idea how she could be related to me.” He reached down and snagged the backpack that was partially hidden beneath the picnic table. He rummaged inside, then looked up. “There’s a birth certificate here, but the mother’s name is blacked out and there’s no father listed.” Dan appeared shell-shocked. “I’ll need to take her to the hospital to be checked out, and maybe this birth certificate can be traced to the girl’s mother.”

“Good idea,” Trisha said. “She looks fine, but it’s not exactly warm out here.”

“Yeah, okay.” Dan looked as if he wanted to say something more, then bent to lift the little girl into his arms. Thankfully, Joy nestled against him, her hands staining his black shirt orange.

She exchanged a glance with West, as Dan headed to the parking lot. She couldn’t imagine what it felt like to have a relative show up in the shape of a small child out of the blue.

After following West inside, she set Gabriel on the floor, then quickly wrote her report. West had disappeared for a few minutes in Ross’s office, then had found a computer nearby to work on his.

When she was finished, she battled a wave of sadness as she picked up her son. She would miss spending time with West, but heading to Raina’s house until hers had been cleared was the right decision.

Tears pricked her eyes. She ruthlessly swiped them away. She had much to be thankful for.

“Ready to go?” West asked. Peanut came over to greet Gabriel. If only West was as easy to win over as his K-9.

“Yes.” She jumped to her feet.

They headed back outside, her stomach growling with hunger. She did her best to ignore it. Although Gabriel would need to eat, and soon. And she needed to check in on Laurel, too.

Once they were settled in the SUV, she pulled out her phone. After texting Laurel, she glanced at West. “I’ll call Raina to let her know we’re on the way.”

“No need.” West reached over to lower the phone. “I’ve arranged for the officers at your house to pack supplies for Gabriel and to bring them to my place.”

Her jaw dropped. “Why would you do that?”

“I told you, it’s better for you to stay with me until your house has been cleared.” He held her gaze for a moment, then added, “Please. I think we need to talk.”

They did? About what? The case? Yes, that was it. He still needed to find the rightful owner of the gold bars.

And maybe he wanted her to help with that. She shrugged, relenting. “Okay.”

The trip to his house didn’t take long, and there was a squad car in the driveway when they arrived. West released Peanut, then took over carrying Gabriel’s car seat.

Officer Skinner slid out from behind the wheel to join them. “I packed everything I could think of,” he said.

“It’s fine,” she assured him. “Thanks so much.”

“No problem.” Skinner hauled the box up to the house. She didn’t have the portable crib but would make do.

This was a temporary arrangement.

She went to work unpacking the box of items, then made a bottle for Gabriel. West popped frozen pizza in the oven, reminding her of their first night here together.

Then he picked up her fussy son, walking back and forth with him as she finished making Gabriel’s dinner. The way West pitched in was also very different from that first night.

“Set him in his seat,” she said. “I’ll feed him while you work on the mystery of the missing gold.”

“Okay.” He placed Gabriel in his seat. She began feeding her son as West booted up his computer. He was quiet for a few minutes, then his phone rang. He looked at her. “This is Ross. He might have news.” He pulled out his phone, surprising her by placing the call on speaker so she could hear. “Hey, boss, I’m here with Trish. Did Watley talk?”

“Yep, came to shortly after arriving at the hospital and spilled the beans in hopes of a lighter sentence,” Ross said. “He worked the Rocking K with Bryan Little. He got suspicious when Bryan abruptly quit, without having another job. A few months later, Aaron Klinger reached out to Watley to let him know about the gold that Little had stolen. Klinger apparently promised one gold bar to Watley if he could get all of it back. Watley admitted to taking his ex-girlfriend Renee Mills’s car, along with stealing a few others.”

“Mills was holding back,” West said with a dark frown.

“Yes. Apparently Watley tried to get information about the gold from Little, but he was too rough in trying to get Little to talk about exactly where the key was hidden, and he ended up killing Little before he could get specific.”

So Watley was a hired gun, she thought, then asked, “Any idea who the gold belongs to?”

“Yeah, the Montana link panned out. Apparently Klinger stole the gold from his uncle, but blamed it on someone else. The uncle suspected Klinger was involved, but the Rocking K Ranch was barely turning a profit, so the uncle figured the other guy was the real perp. Klinger didn’t go to the police when Little disappeared with the booty, fearing his uncle would hear about the gold being taken.” Ross sighed heavily. “Watley admitted to kidnapping Trisha and Gabriel as a bargaining chip to get the key. Claims he never tried to hurt them, but we’re not about to let him off the hook so easily. He killed Bryan Little. With both first degree murder and kidnapping charges being filed against him, he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison.”

“That’s good to know. I’m glad this is finally over,” West said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, for us, too. Thanks again for your hard work on this, West, and you, too, Trish,” Ross added.

“Just another day at the office,” West drawled with a smile. “Thanks for giving me and Trisha tomorrow off, too.”

Wait, what? She frowned as Gabriel pushed the spoon away, having had enough.

“You’re welcome. Take care.” Ross ended the call.

“Why do we both have off tomorrow?” she asked, cleaning Gabriel’s face with a damp cloth.

West rose and reached for her hands. “Trish, we’ve been through a lot these past few days. I was hoping we’d have time to talk about our future.”

“Our future?” She stared at him. “I’m surprised. I mean, I didn’t get the impression you were interested in a family.”

“I wasn’t at first, my parent’s divorce has made me leery about marriage.”

“I can understand that.” Her divorce had scarred her too.

“I failed at my most recent relationship,” West added. “And I can see now that I was holding back even then. But not anymore. I very much want a family. Only if the woman is you and the little boy is Gabriel.” He smiled gently. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Trish. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t think I had room in my life for love. Now I can’t imagine my life without you. And Gabriel.” He glanced at her son, then back to her. “Please give me a chance. I don’t know much about babies or being in a healthy relationship, but I’m willing to try.”

“Really?” She searched his gaze. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”

“I love you,” he repeated. “I don’t want to rush you into anything, but I know God brought us together the night of the shooting for a reason. Because He knew we belonged together.”

“Oh, West.” She blinked back her tears and threw herself into his arms. “I love you. I don’t need time to know what’s in my heart.” She’d loved him before he’d stepped into the line of fire to protect her and Gabriel.

She would always love him.

Peanut came up beside him, so he picked up the K-9. West still had task force work to do, but solving this case was reason to celebrate.

“Bahwahah,” Gabriel said, making her laugh.

“I think that means Gabriel loves you, too,” she whispered.

West kissed her, then leaned over to address her son. “Your mommy is beautiful, smart and courageous. When the time is right, I’m going to ask her to marry me. I hope you’ll convince her to say yes.”

It was all moving very fast, but she didn’t care. West was the right man for her and Gabriel.

And she couldn’t imagine spending her life without him.

If you enjoyed West’s story, don’t miss Gracie’s story next! Check out Deadly Badlands Pursuit and rest of the Dakota K-9 Unit series!