A Cowgirl's Secret(57)
“I’d appreciate it. So would the wife.”
With his uncle ambling back to the buffet table, Luke leaned in close to Daisy, “See? My family isn’t all bad.”
“Did I ever say they all were?”
“Not in so many words,” he admitted, “but it seems to me you left pretty early the last time Mom hosted one of her get-togethers.”
“Can you blame me? Everyone acted as if Kolt was an angel, and I was just the evil witch who’d brought him into the world.”
Luke couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “I think you’re exaggerating a wee bit.”
“I’d say let’s grab Kolt and ask his opinion, but considering how many presents he got that day, I doubt he’ll be on my side.”
Taking Daisy’s hand and leading her into the quiet spot between the overgrown lilac and the azaleas, Luke stole a few kisses.
“Stop,” Daisy said, hands against his chest. “We’re going to get caught and then your mom’s going to call my mom and accuse me of public indecency in her backyard.”
“Would that be so bad?” Luke asked, unbuttoning the top of her blouse.
“Stop!” she cried in a whispered shriek. “Do you want your mother thinking I’m a cheap floozy?”
“I don’t care what she thinks,” he confessed. “But your opinion means the world.”
Her expression softened. “All right, that was sweet enough to get you temporarily out of the doghouse, but I still refuse to stand here making out.”
“Then what are we going to do, because honestly, this party is boring as hell.”
“For starters, we should find Kolt. Last I saw him, he’d eaten enough bean dip to explode.”
Luke winced. “That could be ugly. Now I’m really glad he’s bunking with you.”
Daisy elbowed Luke hard to his ribs.
They searched the crowd of about twenty gathered in the backyard and another ten inside. They checked all of his family’s bedrooms and the den and even the front yard and garage. Worse yet, everyone they asked remembered recently seeing him, but didn’t know where he’d gone.
“Where could he be?” Daisy asked. She stood in the center of the quiet road.
“Beats the heck out of me. It’s not like him to run off.” There were only six homes on the street. One by one, they asked neighbors who weren’t at the party if they’d seen Kolt. None had.
“Luke, I’m scared.” Daisy gripped his hand for all she was worth. “You don’t think Henry had something to do with this, do you?”
“No way. Come on.” Luke led her back to his parents’ house. “As late as he’s been staying up with Jonah, he’s probably conked out in a quiet corner, snoring.”
They searched the house again, but still came up with no Kolt. Luke hated alerting his mother, but it looked like they needed help.
Upon making an announcement that Kolt was missing, all present shot into action, not only canvassing the neighborhood, but climbing into cars and searching nearby streets as well.
Daisy went outside to see if by some off chance Kolt had fallen asleep in her car.
When Luke heard her scream, he bolted out after her.
“Look!” she cried, pointing at the back window of her car. In the dust someone had written:
I See You, but I’d Rather See Kolt.
Chapter Fourteen
“I’m gonna get in a lot of trouble if I don’t tell my mom where I am,” Kolt said to Henry who’d told him Uncle Cash’s baby was hurt. “Why didn’t you ask my mom or Luke to help Robin?”
“In times like this,” Henry said, “babies like kids best. I’m sure your mom would agree. Besides, I looked everywhere and couldn’t find your parents. Your uncle said to bring you right away. I’m good friends with him.”
“Oh.” The farther they got from his grandparents’ house, the more worried Kolt became. In San Francisco, his teachers had talked lots about Stranger Danger, but there weren’t any homeless people or weirdos in Weed Gulch. Everyone he’d met was nice. And anyway, no matter what his mom said, Henry wasn’t a stranger and he’d always been nice to him.
“I thought we were going to Uncle Cash’s house?” Kolt asked.
“We are,” Henry promised. “We’ll need to make a quick stop at my house first. I have lots of medicine.”