Page 110 of Winter Vows

“Then forget Dad. Investigate on your own. Find out if she can be trusted.”

“What if my judgment’s clouded by my hormones?”

“Believe me, Jeb, you won’t be the first one. Look at me. Kelsey’s got me tied up in knots. Besides, even though I know she was justified in going after full custody of Bobby, a part of me is still sympathetic to her ex. Of course, I’ve been getting over that in a hurry the last few days. I’ve finally concluded the man is pond scum and doesn’t deserve so much as a glimpse of his son ever again.” He spotted a diner up ahead and pulled into the lot. “I don’t know about you, but I need coffee and some food. The last decent meal we had was that breakfast Trish cooked yesterday.”

“And the cinnamon rolls Lizzy sent along,” Jeb said.

“Cinnamon rolls? I never saw any cinnamon rolls.”

“Oops. Sorry. I think what we both need is a good night’s sleep,” Jeb countered, quickly changing the subject. “We must have covered a thousand miles today, going in circles. I never knew so many sleazy motels existed.”

“After we eat, if you want to go back to Trish’s I’ll drop you off. I want to check in at Kelsey’s anyway.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Dylan drank three cups of lousy coffee with his burger and fries. He figured that was enough caffeine to carry him through the night. Once he’d seen Kelsey, he was going out again. There was a better chance of spotting Paul’s car at night. The man might stay on the run during the day, but surely he would stop to sleep.

He dropped Jeb off with a promise to pick him up again at daybreak, then headed for Kelsey’s. It was already late, but the lights were still blazing and there were cars in the driveway, including the sheriff’s. Dylan rang the bell. It was Justin who answered.

“Hey, Dylan, come on in. I was just filling Kelsey in on what we learned today.”

“Which is?”

“We found Paul’s car abandoned at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.”

Dylan muttered a harsh expletive. “He’s taken off, then?”

Justin shook his head. “We don’t think so. I put every man on it. They’ve checked every flight roster, every ticket counter in the airport. If Paul and Bobby were there, they were well disguised and traveling under assumed names.”

Relief spread through Dylan. “Thank God. You figure they just dumped the car because he’d concluded by now that we might be trying to trace it?” Justin nodded, then smiled. “And here’s the best part. Either he’s right there at the airport, in one of the hotels nearby, or he’s managed to get his hands on a rental with a phony ID. We’re getting close, pal. I can feel it.”

“How’s Kelsey taking it?”

“Like a trouper. She’s mad enough to spit nails. If she didn’t have to stay here in case Paul calls, I think she’d tear that airport area apart on her own.”

“No need,” Dylan said. “I’ll do it for her. As soon as I talk to her, I’m on my way.” He started for the living room, then turned back. “What if Paul bought an electronic ticket? Or bought the tickets in town? No one at a ticket counter would have seen him. Did you cover the people who work the gates?”

Justin muttered a curse. “We’ll get on it now. I’ll call the lead guy I have over there. I sent about ten volunteers to scour the place, along with one deputy. It was the best I could do without bringing in the Dallas area authorities. Kelsey’s still opposed to that. Any idea why yet?”

Dylan nodded and explained about Paul and the pills. “She made him a promise not to involve the police in the whole incident with the stolen prescription pads and forged prescriptions. She’s been trying to stick to it, even though Paul has broken his part of their agreement.”

Justin muttered a curse. “If his supply’s running out, he could be increasingly unstable.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of, too,” Dylan agreed.

That said, he went on into the living room where a number of Adams wives had gathered to lend moral support. Most of their husbands were either involved in the search or were doing double duty at various ranches to cover for those who were out looking for Bobby.

Kelsey’s gaze immediately shot to Dylan. “You heard?”

Lizzy moved aside to make room for Dylan next to Kelsey on the sofa. He sat in the spot she’d vacated. “Justin filled me in. I’m going to head for Dallas again in a little while.”

“Then you agree he’s close to the airport?” Dylan nodded.

“So he can leave in a hurry,” she whispered, a catch in her voice as she searched for his expression for confirmation.

“Maybe just because it’s a busy place with lots of strangers,” he soothed. “No one would notice him and Bobby there.”

“Bobby loves airplanes,” she told him. “He’s only flown a couple of times, but he stops whatever he’s doing when one flies overhead and points to it. He’d be crazy about being at an airport or getting on a plane. He wouldn’t think twice about it.”

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