Vincent put his hand on the man’s head and maneuvered him into the back seat with his wife, who was also shouting at them. “Dorothy said the mother was a dimwit who couldn’t take care of a baby long-term! I wasn’t about to leave this town knowing that child would be neglected, especially knowing about the perverted, illicit—”
The atmosphere improved as Vincent closed the door on their harangue.
“I coulda done without all that nonsense,” Kemp said as they turned back to the other scene. “I hope Whit and Presley Ann are gonna be okay.”
Jared shook his head, but there was a smile on his face. “I doubt she’ll let him out of her sight for a while. Thank you, Kemp, for everything you and Ace did to locate Whit and to bring him back to her safe.”
“I hate seeing mamas upset. Check in with Hank before you leave,” Kemp said before he walked over to join Ace.
True and Noble pulled up in their vehicle with Paul, and Jared and Kendry met them as they jumped out. Paul said, “I heard where it was all going down on the police scanner. Did you get him back?”
Jared nodded. “Yes, Presley Ann has him. Poor little guy was starving, so she’s feeding him right now.” He gestured to the SUV.
True was about to rush over but Kendry held out a hand and detained all three of them. “Let’s give her a few more minutes to nurse him and reconnect. She was pretty upset. Listen, guys, I need to say something.”
“Yeah?” True said with a guarded expression.
“I want to apologize. We were all upset earlier and in the chaos I was placing blame when I should’ve kept my mouth shut. It’s my fault Presley Ann was worked up when she reached her dad’s house. I feel bad about it and I’m sorry. Could we start over, for Presley Ann’s sake?”
True glanced at Noble, saying nothing but speaking volumes with his eyes, before he held out his hand. “Of course. It’s understandable that emotions were running high, and you don’t know us that well yet. And these two haven’t made the best impression.” Noble looked askance at his brother and True said, “What? I’m not the one who came out with guns blazing, sure that she was some skanky freeloader.”
Noble had the grace to blush and shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “I fucked up.”
Paul nodded. “Me, too. I did some checking and I was wrong about her—
True frowned at him. “You what? You did some checking? You snooped around?”
Looking even more embarrassed, Paul nodded. “I had to make sure. Turned out my source knew Ace Webster and Kemp Whittier. Through them I found out I was barking up the wrong tree. Okay! I’m an asshole! It’s what I do. I’m the bad guy who watches out for your asses. You’ll pardon me if most of what I see is the bad side of people.” He turned to Jared and Kendry and held out his hand. “Turns out your lady is well thought of around here.”
True grinned at Jared and Kendry and said, “Bygones?”
Jared nodded. “Bygones.”
The door of the SUV opened and all three men sighed with obvious relief as she joined then with Whit in her arms. The baby was out cold, except for the occasional stuttering breath from his crying jag. True placed his hand on Whit’s head and let out a deep breath, obviously thankful and relieved.
Presley Ann scowled. “He got sick all over me. They evidently tried to make him take formula. Stupid people. Now I smell like regurgitated formula. Blech.”
“Come on and we’ll give you a ride back to Divine,” True said as he pointed at their luxury SUV parked nearby.
After retrieving Whit’s car seat from the impounded truck, they thanked Hank, Ace, Kemp, and all the others. The drive back to her dad’s house was a quiet one. Leah and her dad were overjoyed when they saw her climb out of the vehicle with Whit in her arms.
It was still early morning but it had already seemed like a very long day as they went by Rudy’s for a quick bite of breakfast and then stopped by the sheriff’s office to make their statements. While they were there, Hank invited them to a get-together at the Divine Creek Ranch celebrating New Year’s Day, as well as Phil and Gord Maxwell’s apprehension and the capture of the kidnappers. Several friends would be there, including Charlotta and Veronica’s brothers Jesse and Barry, but Jared thanked him and declined.
It was obvious Presley Ann needed rest and quiet before True came over that evening to talk with them and spend time with his son.
Prior to that morning, he’d dreaded having Whit’s father over. In light of what had happened, he had a new perspective. True was as blameless in this situation as any of them were and it was obvious he really did care about Whit and what was best for him…and Presley Ann.