Guarding His Child by Karen Kirst

Author:Karen Kirst
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-11-16T00:00:41+00:00

THIRTEEN

Why wasn’t Skye answering? Fifteen minutes had stretched into twenty, and Nash had started to get antsy. When he got her voice mail again, he exited the booth and started to descend the stairs.

“Nash?” Grace snagged his sleeve. “Is something wrong?”

“I can’t reach Skye. I think she might be in trouble.”

She pressed her hand to her chest. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I’m going to check the vendors. Would you mind going to the portable bathrooms?”

“Sure.”

“Text me if you find her.”

Nash hurried to the bottom of the stands and out into the adjacent field. He didn’t see her at the hot dog vendor, nor at the neighboring pretzel trailer. His heart climbed into his throat as he continued past the others and still couldn’t find her. Tall, lithe and striking, she wasn’t one to blend in with the crowd. What color had she been wearing? His mind went blank.

Calm yourself, Wilder. She’s a cop. She can handle herself.

But why would she ignore my calls?

At the end of the row, he stopped, pivoted and surveyed the fields. The next bull rider launched into the arena as the crowd gasped and cheered. Nash had been preoccupied tonight with his burning need to make this a success and impress the potential sponsor. He’d let his focus slip from what was truly important.

Pulling up the sheriff’s department’s website on his phone, he scrolled through until he landed on her photo and then returned to the first hot dog vendor.

Walking to the side of the food truck, he stepped into the open doorway, startling the cook and his helper.

“Have you seen this woman?” He thrust his phone toward them.

They both shook their heads, their expressions baffled.

“I’m Nash Wilder, one of the organizers. This woman is a deputy and a friend of mine. I think she may be in a bind. Can you take a second look? Are you sure she didn’t order from you?”

The female bent closer, squinting at the photo. “I don’t recognize her. We’ve had a crush of customers, though.”

He thanked them and moved next door. His anxiety built with each negative answer he received. At the last one, he repeated his questions.

The cook shrugged. “I’ve got my nose to the grill, man. No time to interact with customers.”

The young woman taking orders clipped a ticket to the grill hood and came closer for a look. Her brow puckered. “I saw her. She was here not long ago. Ordered hot dogs and sodas, but she never picked them up.” She nodded to the items sitting on the counter. “I placed them there in case she came back.”

A fresh sense of urgency gripped him. “You didn’t see which way she went, did you?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

Nash dashed between the vehicles parked close to the vendor, praying Skye had perhaps been roped into providing assistance to someone. Medical emergencies happened all the time. But the ambulance on standby was dark, and there was no activity around it. He returned to the vendor and again searched the space around it, paying closer attention to the ground this time.

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