One Night Stand Ch. 09

***NOTE*** This story is part of my Trouble Texas Style series that includes Night Walker's Woman (complete), Tight Fittin' Jeans, Goodbye Earl, and Ready to Run. It will be appreciated more when reading in context with those.

***

Never in her whole life had Laura felt so weak, so confused, so vulnerable. She knew it was wrong. Cursed herself for not finding her big girl panties and pulling the damned things up to her neck. All she could seem to do was lean against him, and rest her head on his shoulders as he carried her down the hall.

She wasn't sure where they were going, didn't even know how he knew where to take her, but he opened a door down the hall. He rested her on her feet, but he kept one arm wrapped about her the whole time as he leaned down and pulled backed a thick woven blanket in red, black, and not-quite-white. Her hand caressed its roughness.

Ryan smiled at her as he settled her back against the pillows and pulled the bedclothes up over her. "Grandfather supports a lot of Native American artisans. He helps the old woman who made those to run classes for young people. So, traditional arts, crafts, and their heritage aren't lost."

She was too tired to do more than nod. It was a bone-tired of not just body, but mind and spirit. But Laura knew it was a luxury she did not have right now. Her Mama and sister needed her. She should not be lolling about in bed. She should be on the road back to Sebida.

"Knock, knock," the soft feminine voice called from the doorway. Jaycee came to sit on the side of the bed. Her husband was right behind her, carrying a tray of something that smelled surprisingly good. "I brought you some food. It isn't much, just some chili and cornbread. But it should be enough to fill you up before bedtime."

Laura started to shake her head, but Ryan took the tray from his cousin and sat on the bed next to her. He had managed to shove two spoon fulls into her mouth and a sip of water before her muddled brain even realized. "I am capable of feeding myself, counselor."

She wanted to smack that grin off his face as he passed her the spoon, "I'm glad to hear it, counselor."

Jaycee chuckled as she sat down on the other side of the bed, "Oh, this is gonna be good. There ought to be a law against two attorneys marrying one another." Her face suddenly darkened, but her husband was there. Rex gently squeezed her shoulder and smiled down at her.

Then Laura remembered, this woman was Sean Riley's ex-wife. Not only had the man been a friend and business associate of her former boss, Gerald McBride, but he was also an attorney. If she remembered correctly, so was his wife. Perhaps that explained the look the other couple shared.

Another bite was shoved between her lips, and she gave Ryan one of those looks. "If you don't want me feeding you, then do it yourself."

She wanted to argue. Hell, she had spent her whole life defending one thing or another. That was why she had become a lawyer. To right the world's wrongs. Then she had seen the money she could make, been seduced by the status, and justified it all in the name of doing what was best for her family. Look what that had got her.

"He's right. I know it's not what you want to hear, but you need to eat. You have to take care of yourself if you're gonna take care of that baby," Jaycee reached over and gently squeezed her hand with a smile.

The knot rose in Laura's throat, threatening to block not just the food but air as well. Chloe. Her baby. Her daughter needed her. Needed her to eat, drink, and sleep so that Laura could make milk to feed her.

But her baby sister needed her, too. She was alone. On the run. God only knew where. And, she had practically raised Mercy. At five, she had changed as many diapers as Mama had.

And Mama? She must be going crazy now. The woman had lived her whole life for them. Done whatever it took to keep her family together. But they weren't now. Her girls were scattered, and it was all Laura's fault.

"Stop it." It was not Ryan's voice, but the other woman's. "This is not your fault. None of it. It is McBride's, and whoever else is behind this crap."

Laura shook her head as tears fell again. She never cried, and here she was doing it in front of strangers. God damned hormones. "No, if I hadn't..."

The woman reached out, took her shoulders, and shook her gently, "Don't. That is a rabbit hole you can't afford to go down. I know that."

The woman sighed, "Life doesn't come with crystal balls. When we make decisions, we never know where they will lead. And the best that any of us can do is to own our shit. But that does not mean being the dumping grounds for other people's as well."

"You took a job, a good one, with what seemed to be a top firm. You worked your butt off and blazed trails for other women. How were you to know what the McBride's were doing?"

"Hey, can I interrupt?" Jack asked from the doorway. "Someone is a bit hungry. And I'm afraid Grandfather and I are a bit lacking in the equipment to feed the little lady."

Laura held out her arms. Her daughter felt so incredibly right in them, but the burden was intense. Would she have to choose? Her child's life or her sister's? How could she ever? Fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she drew her baby towards her chest.

Thankfully, Rex and Jack felt a sudden need to converse quietly at the other end of the room. That might have had something to do with the look that Ryan gave them both as he helped her to find a comfortable position to nurse their daughter.

Once he had her settled, Ryan cleared his throat. "Any more news, Jack?"

The man turned around as he nodded. He and Rex came to stand at the foot of the bed, "Yeah, Reb called back a couple of minutes ago." He looked Laura in the eye, "Your Mama is with Reb. She made it to the casino."

Laura closed her eyes as relief washed over her. That was something, right? "And Mercy? Do we know any more about my sister?"

He shook his head, "Not much. Your Mama told Reb she had no idea who the Ninja on the bike was." His eyes shifted to Ryan and then back to her, "But he hung up on me again. He said your Mama was on the phone to someone, and he thought it might be Mercy. You know she would not go anywhere with just anyone, right?"

"I hope so, Jack. Where are my bags?"

Rex brought them from the corner of the room and sat them by his cousin's feet. "Ryan, grab the phone out of the front pocket of my bag," Laura commanded. "Mama will call me when she knows more." Or she hoped so at least.

"And when she does, we will have a better idea of what we are dealing with. Until then, I'm getting these guys outta here, so you and that baby can eat and sleep in peace," Jaycee smiled reassuringly at her.

Yeah, this woman had attorney written all over her as she dragged her husband and Jack from the room. "Ryan, let us know if you need anything. Otherwise, we'll catch up over breakfast tomorrow."

He nodded as they all disappeared down the hall. Laura broke Chloe's seal on her nipple, and Ryan took the baby, helping her to roll over at the same time. He even changed her diaper while Laura forced a few more bites of the chili down. As good as it was, and as hungry as she should be, she did not have the energy or will to eat. Like everything else, she moved with rote for her daughter's sake.

Ryan handed the baby back to her and took the tray. "I'll take this to the kitchen, sweetheart. You get some sleep."

She started to shake her head as she felt the strong pull of the baby nursing. "Not until I hear from..." were the last thing she remembered as exhaustion won.

***

Ryan watched over his girls until Chloe's little mouth stopped sucking and came off her mother's nipple. He lifted her gently and kissed the top of her head. Genetics was funny. Statistically speaking, their daughter should have inherited her mother's darker hair and coloring, but somehow she was his spitting image with almost white-blond hair. Of course, that could change as she got older.

It was the strength and intelligence of the Reynolds women that he hoped she inherited more than anything else. He could tell that Laura was upset and disappointed with herself that she had broken down and cried, that she found herself relying on him. He knew too that he was going to have hell to pay tomorrow morning when she woke up and discovered what he had done.

He kissed the top of Chloe's head and laid her in the car seat/carrier that sat next to the bed. It could not be comfortable. He would check with Jaycee and Rex about getting something else. Not a crib, there was not enough room for that, but maybe one of those basket things that Laura had at her house. He covered her in the blanket and could not resist one more kiss on that soft downy head.

This is not how he had imagined bringing a child into the world. Hell, he had never been sure that he wanted to. It was not just all those years of small-town whispers behind his back, but he had seen things no man ever should. Done things that haunted his nightmares. Made choices that no one ever should have to. Ryan Paul Ranger knew more than most how fucked up this world could be.

But looking at that innocent little scrap of humanity, he wondered - did it have to be? Was it too late? Couldn't we make different choices? But how did that even begin? He ran his hands through his short hair and turned back to the woman sleeping next to him.

In sleep, Laura looked as innocent as their child. That hurt, jaded, and tough counselor was ripped away. He fumbled with that damned gown and pulled it up around her breast as best he could. Then he adjusted the blanket and kissed her forehead before picking up the phone and tray of food.

Ryan slipped out of the room. He knew that Chloe would wake them in a couple of hours to feed again. And he hoped that by then, he would have more information to share with Laura. He wanted to believe that he was a modern man, that he would support his woman whatever she decided was best. But he knew better. The need to protect them both overrode everything else.

He took the tray down the hall to the kitchen. He washed the dishes and put them in the drainer to dry. He stared at the phone that sat on the countertop next to him, willing it to ring. But it remained ominously silent. Maybe he should just check up on things, walk the perimeter. It bet waiting for a call that might not come at all tonight.

He headed towards the door but was surprised to find Grandfather, Rex, and Jack all congregated back in the living room, "I thought you would be back on the road by now, Jack?"

"No, I wanted to stay until I heard more from Reb. See what would be best from there. Grandfather agrees that no one will think much of me stopping by to see him on this odyssey."

Ryan nodded his head; he supposed that made sense. As much as anything did right now.

"You made the right decision, son. Bringing your family home."

Rex shook his head at the old man's words. Right decision. Family. Home. Were those things even real in this fucked up world?

"They are the only thing that is, Ryan," Grandfather smiled.

Ryan wanted to argue, or at least question the man who had been his lifeline, but that phone rang. He did not let it ring a second time; just in case, it woke Laura or the baby.

He pushed the button. "Stacey?"

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. He heard the hesitation in her voice as she spoke, "Ryan? What are you doing with my daughter's phone? Where is Laura? Is she okay? The baby?"

"They're fine. Just sleeping right now. How are you? Where are you?" He answered quickly before panic overwhelmed the woman.

"I need to talk to Laura."

He was not sure how to play this one. As of yesterday, he could understand on a visceral level this woman's need to speak to her child, to know that they genuinely were safe. But he heard the near hysteria in this woman's voice. Would talking to her mother just upset Laura more?

"Stacey, she's exhausted right now. We just traveled several hours in the back of a van with a newborn. You have my word; I won't keep anything from her when she wakes up. Hell, I'll have her call you then if you want. But please, will you trust me, I'm trying to do what's best for them both?"

There was nothing but silence. After a moment, Ryan feared he had blown the whole damned thing. That not only had the woman hung up but that she would do whatever she could to make his life hell with her daughter, too. Just when he was about to hang up, he heard a long sigh.

"You're right. We all need to keep Laura and that baby safe."

"That doesn't mean we've abandoned you or Mercy. Stacey, please. Have you heard anything more?"

"Yeah, Mercy called me."

"What did she say?" The heavy sigh and long pause on the other end of the line seemed so unlike the brash and determined women that had taken him just yesterday.

"The hell if I know. She wasn't making any sense. Do you know an Agent Williams?"

Ryan frowned, "Caleb Williams?"

"I don't know. She didn't say. She wouldn't tell me where they were. Just that she was with some Agent Williams, but not to worry that she knew she could trust him. And the man wasn't even an agent anymore. Does any of that make sense to you?"

Ryan pondered how much to tell the woman, not just how much was national security, but what would reassure her, and what might upset her more. She seemed just about as vulnerable as her daughter and granddaughter at the moment.

"If it is Caleb, then yes, I promise you Mercy can trust him."

"That is fancy doublespeak, Ryan. You didn't tell me a damned thing about the man. How do you know that he is not the leak? Working for McBride or whoever is behind it all?"

Ryan knew his next words were going only to make things worse, but if she found out some other way, there would be hell to pay. "Stacey, there are only a handful of people that I would trust in the agency, but Caleb Williams is one of them. The last I heard, he was one of the agents assigned to guard the McBrides. And I know that right now that does not look good."

He paced back and forth, trying to find the right words to reassure her. "Hell, you know as well as me that nothing is as it seems right now. Laura is wanted for questioning about something she was never involved in. Mercy is wanted for shooting a cop. And if I am not wanted, I am at least persona non grata with the agency."

"So, until we know more, we need to trust Mercy's instincts, and what I know of the man. Caleb Williams has one of the strongest moral compasses of anyone I know. Yeah, I would trust the man. Not just with my life, but Laura's and Chloe's too. And at this point, that's pretty much the same thing."

Once more, the silence was deafening. But Ryan was not sure what more he could say, especially as he had no idea how the hell Caleb Williams had ended up messed up in any of this.

Was he wrong? The man had been assigned to the McBrides for a couple of months. Had Gerald managed to get to him somehow? Or worse, was he working for the people that McBride was mixed up with? Did he have something to do with McBride going missing? There were too many fucking unknowns in the most critical mission of his life, and Ryan did not like any of it.

But one thing he did know. One thing that Grandfather had taught him - trust his gut. And that intuition that had saved his life and others, more times than he could count, said that Caleb Williams was one of the good guys. "Did Mercy say anything else?"

"Yeah, and that worries me even more. She said they were headed to Torreon."

"Fuck."

Her laugh was tight as Stacey Reynolds answered, "Yep, that's what I thought too. You know that's where their father is from? Where his family still lives, I believe. I can check with Elena when I call. Reb says they will probably be looking for all our vehicles. So I need them to ditch their car as quickly as they can."

"I agree. But what will they do? Shit." None of this was going to plan. And he had no idea what even to tell the woman. It was not a feeling he had had in a very long time.

"Tell her you will call her back, son."

Ryan looked over to the old man. He wanted to scream and argue, but something in those dark eyes was the anchor he needed. They calmed him in these stormy seas.

"Stacey, I'll call you back. Maybe in the morning? It would be best, since everyone is safe for the moment, if we all got some sleep. We'll all make better choices after some rest."

"And I promise I will tell Laura everything. But I meant it, if Mercy is with Caleb, she is as safe as Laura is with me." He knew he spoke the truth. The question was with the shit hitting the fan faster than they could clean up the mess - how safe was any of them?

***

Laura rolled over at the sound of that damned kitten meowing. Every fucking muscle in her body hurt. Whoever this new personal trainer was, they were fired. And damn it, what was that kitten caterwauling about now? But damn, the cover model sitting on the side of her bed holding that baby was almost worth waking up for.

Then, it came back to her, "Ryan, is Chloe okay?" Before the words were out, the rest came crashing down on her, too. "Have you heard from Mama? Mercy?"

His smile was incredibly tight and forced as he fluffed the pillows, help her sit up a bit, and get their daughter settled into feeding. "We heard from your Mama right after you fell asleep."

"And you didn't fucking wake me, asshole?"

"I didn't fucking want to wake you up now. I was going to give Chloe a bottle myself, but Jaycee said I shouldn't, that it would make breastfeeding harder for both of you." The way his hands ran through that wavy light blond hair, that was so like their daughter's, made it damned hard to stay mad at the man.

"Thank you. She's right." Laura kissed the top of her daughter's head as the tears gathered again in her eyes. Damn it, fucking hormones. "What did Mama say?"

"She's heard from your sister. Mercy did not say where she was, but she's with another agent..."

She shook her head and tried to get up, but that only irritated Chloe, who came off her nipple with a loud wail. Ryan helped them get settled again. She hated how dependent she was on the man.

What about all those women who worked in the fields, went into the bushes, had their babies, and went right back to work? Why couldn't she be like them? Probably because loads of those women died in the process, she reminded herself that reproduction had enslaved women for eons.

Of course, not her sweet Chloe. This baby was her choice. And she did still believe in that. Every baby should be as planned and wanted as her daughter. Okay, so things might not be going to that plan. They had not since the morning after her baby was conceived, and this man, her daughter's father, had ripped her world apart. Okay, so that was not totally Ryan's fault. McBride and her own greed and hubris were more to blame than he was. Damn those tears.

"Isn't that just as dangerous as Kerr, though? You say there's a leak." She tried her best to relax. She knew that if this breastfeeding thing was going to work, then she needed to remain calm. Maybe Ryan was right, perhaps she should just give up, and bottle feed their daughter. It might come to that anyway if she turned herself into the feds to save her family.

She stifled the small cry of fear and loss that the thought of going to prison, or worse, brought. To think that Ryan or Mama or someone else would have to raise the child she had fought so hard to have, ripped her heart and soul apart.

As if he could tell how dark a place her mind had gone, Ryan leaned over and brushed a soft kiss on her forehead. "We will get through this, sweetheart. All of us." But this time, Laura noticed he did not dare add the words, 'I promise.' There were no promises or certainties in this fucked world.