“If you were in my shoes, would you believe it?”
She shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. And that’s the cold hard truth.”
He softened a little. The fire in his dark eyes turned to ash. “God.” He sat down on the couch and buried his head in his hands. “This is all my fault.”
Sydney went to him, tried to comfort him, but he shook her away. “Don’t.”
“It’s not your fault, Sam. It’s mine. This all began when I made a horrible mistake. I chose not to tell you about Duke, and I chose not to tell my parents who the father was. I thought I was protecting you, but I see now that I was young and naïve. I’m sorry. You had a right to know your son.”
No response.
She put her arms around his shoulders, tried to hold his unresponsive body. “I love you, Sam. I have never stopped loving you.”
Still no response.
“We will find them, and we will work something out.”
He lifted his head. “You said they’d be willing to talk to me.”
She shook her head. “I thought they would. This behavior isn’t like them at all. I’m not sure why they left, but they must have thought they had good reason. I can guarantee you one thing. They would never in a million years harm Duke. We can at least know that he’s safe.”
“We need to call Dallas. Or the cops.”
“No. Dallas and the cops can’t do anything. They are Duke’s legal parents. In the eyes of the law, they haven’t done anything wrong.”
“I can’t accept that. Damnit.” He stood. “I’m calling Dallas.”
Sydney sat, numb, as he spoke to his brother-in-law for a few minutes. When he hung up, his eyes were glazed over.
“You’re right. The cops won’t touch this. We have nothing to stand on.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Our only option is to hire a private investigator. Chad knows a good one who he uses all the time.”
“I don’t think we need a PI.
We can find them. Where could they go? They don’t have a lot of disposable cash. Most of our money is tied up in the ranch. We’re not in financial straits or anything, but we’re not rolling in it either. I wanted to win a few purses here because we can really use the money.”
“Aren’t you supposed to compete today?”
She nodded. “I can’t. Not now. My head’s not in it.” She hoped he understood, though she could use the money now more than ever.
Man up, Syd. Her father’s voice spoke in her thoughts. He’d said those words to her older brother, Blake, many times, but never to her. They rang true for her now.
She stood. “I’ve changed my mind. I have enough time to get over there and get ready. I’m competing today. We need the purse money to find Duke.”
He nodded. “I’ve got my job here, but of course I haven’t gotten paid yet. Most of my money is tied up in the ranch in Montana. I’m in the same boat your parents are, but I think I know where I can get some fast cash.”
“How?”
“I’ll ride Zach’s bull.”
Sydney jerked. “You’re crazy! That bull almost killed both Dusty and Zach five years ago. I won’t allow it.”
“You won’t allow it? Oh, that’s rich.”
“You’re not a bull rider. You’re a bronc buster. There’s a huge difference.”