Caroline lay down on the blanket beside him, her head resting against his thigh. Lazily he brushed the hair from her face. She was so damned beautiful he could barely manage not to stare at her. Barely manage not to kiss her again. They’d done plenty of that this afternoon. She’d tasted of wine and chocolate, and Grady thought he’d never sampled a more intoxicating combination. Sweet and potent at the same time.

He’d as good as told her he was interested in marrying her. A man didn’t go courting otherwise. It was time for him to settle down. Glen was about to make the leap into marriage, and with Savannah married and she and Laredo building their own home, he’d soon be alone. But it wasn’t just the events in other people’s lives that had convinced him.

It was Caroline and Maggie. Whenever he was with them, he didn’t want their time together to end. His life felt empty when they weren’t around.

He tried to tell Caroline that, but he couldn’t manage the words. He discovered it was damned hard to admit how much he needed someone else. He’d never felt this way before, and it frightened him.

“I could almost go to sleep,” Caroline murmured. Her eyes remained closed and he ran his index finger down the side of her jaw. Her skin was soft and smooth. Lovely. She was lovely.

Her lips eased into a smile. “You’re right.”

“Well, I don’t know what I’m right about, but I like the sound of those words.”

“Every man does,” she teased.

“Flatter my ego and tell me why I’m right.”

“This place,” she whispered. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so…content. So relaxed.”

“Me, neither.” Today was the first time he’d spent more than ten minutes here in years, and already they’d been gone at least two hours.

“I wonder…” she began wistfully.

“What?” He bent forward to graze his lips across her brow.

“If you have any other magic tricks up your sleeve.”

“That’s Richard’s specialty, not mine.”

Caroline frowned. “You provided a magical afternoon for me,” she said. “Wine and chocolates and this beautiful place.”

“The kissing wasn’t half-bad, either.”

Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at him with such longing he couldn’t possibly have resisted her.

Caroline wrapped herself in his embrace the moment he reached for her. Grady was shocked by the intensity of his own craving. It felt as though he’d waited his entire life for this afternoon and this woman.

His tongue danced with hers and he worked his fingers into her hair, loving the feel of it, clean and silky smooth. Fifty years of this, and he swore he’d never tire of her taste.

“I suppose we’d better think about getting back,” he said reluctantly, feeling cheated that their magical time had come to an end.

“How long have we been gone?” Caroline asked. Not waiting for a response, she glanced at her watch. She gasped and jumped to her feet. “Oh, my goodness, we’ve been away for over two hours!”

“I know.”

“But Maggie…”

“She’s with Savannah.”

“I had no idea we’d been gone this long.” She started cleaning up the area, her movements fast and jerky.

“Caroline, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

She turned slowly to face him, obviously comforted. “Thank you, Grady. I do know that. I’m just not used to…any of this.” She made a gesture that took in their surroundings, the remains of their picnic and Grady himself.

He helped her mount—because he wanted to, not because she needed any assistance. They rode back to the ranch, joking and laughing, teasing each other the way lovers do.

As the house came into view, his eyes were drawn to its silhouette against the darkening sky. Solid, secure, welcoming. His home had always seemed a natural part of the landscape to him. It belonged there. And for the first time in years, he felt that his life was what he wanted it to be.

It wasn’t until they neared the corral that Grady noticed something was amiss. He saw Laredo, and the minute the other man caught sight of Grady and Caroline, he ran into the house, calling for Savannah. She rushed out onto the back porch.

His sister’s face was red, her eyes puffy as though she’d been weeping. That wasn’t like her.

“What is it?” he asked as he dismounted.

“Oh, Caroline, I’m so sorry.” Savannah’s voice trembled and she covered her mouth.

Confused, Caroline looked to Grady. “What’s wrong?”

Grady walked around his gelding and helped Caroline down from her horse. Her hands trembled as she held his arms.

“Where’s Maggie?” she asked, her voice oddly calm.

“That’s the problem,” Laredo said, moving to stand next to his wife. He slid his arm around Savannah’s shoulders.

“You don’t know where Maggie is?” Caroline asked, and again Grady heard that strange calm in her voice.

“I… She went outside, and the last time I checked she was sitting on the porch,” Savannah cried. “I’ve looked everywhere, called for her until my voice was hoarse. I don’t know where she could have gone.”

“Apparently she’d come out to look for me,” Laredo said.

“Did you see her?” Grady demanded.

“No.” Laredo shook his head.

“Oh, Caroline,” Savannah wept, “I’m so sorry! I should never have let her leave the house.”

Caroline’s fingers dug into Grady’s arm. Her eyes were wide and filled with terror when she looked at him, seeking reassurance.

Grady’s heart felt like a lead weight in his chest. “We’ll find her,” he promised.

7

THE CALLS LAWMEN DREADED MOST WERE domestic violence and missing children. Frank Hennessey was no exception. The report of a missing child made his blood run cold. He preferred dealing with a drunken belligerent husband any day of the week if it meant he didn’t have to see the face of a parent whose child couldn’t be found. Frank had never married, never had children, but he’d been a firsthand witness to the agony parents endure when their child disappears. All his years of law enforcement had convinced him there was no deeper pain than the loss of a child.

The call that Maggie Daniels had gone missing came minutes before Frank was due to go off duty. Grady Weston phoned it in. There’d only been one other time Frank had heard Grady sound the way he did this evening, and that was the day his parents had drowned in a flash flood.

“Are you sure she hasn’t fallen asleep somewhere in the house?” Frank felt obliged to ask.

“We’re sure, Frank.” Grady’s impatience crackled over the telephone line.

“Was she upset about anything?”

“No, she was excited about visiting the ranch,” Caroline answered, apparently from one of the extensions.

“Maggie didn’t run away, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Grady told him angrily.

In fact, Frank’s questions had been leading to that assumption. It was the most common scenario, even with kids this young. He sighed heavily. He hadn’t been around children much, but he’d taken a real liking to Caroline’s fatherless child. She was a sweetheart, and the thought of anything happening to her made his insides twist.

“Are you coming out to take a report or not?” Grady demanded.

“I’m on my way.” Frank replaced the receiver. Grady sounded as worried and frustrated as he would if he were the child’s father. In situations such as this the families were often impatient and angry, lashing out at authority because of their own helplessness. Frank had seen it before. Some of the cases he’d worked on came with happy endings. The lost child was found safe and promptly returned to the parents.

The other cases, two in his career, would forever haunt him. Missing. He’d come to think of it as the ugliest word in the English language. The first child had turned up dead; the second was never seen again.