C4 CHAPTER FOUR

to your place and check it out? I’d like to

inspect it all for clues. Maybe she dropped a cell phone somewhere.”

Rossi nodded. “I’ll take you there myself.”

They followed Roy through the ER, down a long hallway to the other public part of the hospital, and up an elevator.

Rossi ’s heart rate spiked as they walked into the woman’s room. A bandage had been wrapped around her head, but the blood on her face had been cleaned up. They’d also connected her to a bunch of machines. “Dang,” he said, nauseated.

Tory stared as if looking at Rossi for the first time. “You okay, bro?”

“Honestly, no, I’m not okay. I . . .” He shook his head and turned away, holding the door open. “Why did this have to happen? Why am I at this freaking hospital?” His tone was quiet, but his hands felt clammy. It wasn’t just that his wife had died here nearly two years ago. It was all the memories of every hospital he’d gone to with her over the course of trying to cure her.

Tory ’s hand was on his shoulder. “It’s alright. We’ll figure this out.”

George circled the woman, peering closely at her. “Nothing’s come through about a missing person.” He pulled blue gloves out of his pocket and picked up the clothes in the bag next to her. “This is what she was wearing?”

Rossi nodded.

George tucked them beneath his arm. “I’ll take these back to the station with me, and we’ll do some tests off the blood, see if we can find anything.” He turned to Rossi. “Go through the details of finding her again. What time was it?”

Rossi took them through it all, hating that every time he told it, more and more worry for this woman filled him. He hated that someone had been found like this on his property, and he worried she wouldn’t pull through.

After an endless amount of questions, George sighed. “Rossi, do you mind if we go search your truck?”

Rossi felt put on the spot. “For what?”

George shrugged. “Fellas,” he said, speaking to both him and roy, “I’ve seen these missing-person things go sideways, so just be prepared for the worst.”

Nervous energy sucker-punched Rossi in the gut. He didn’t need this right now, not on top of everything going on with losing the ranch. But there was no getting out of it. “Fine, let’s go.”

“I want to go see the woman who got hurt, Daddy,” Kinley whined as she helped Rossi put away the dinner dishes. It’d been a long day dealing with filling out reports and having the police come out to the ranch. Not only had they searched his truck and his property, but they’d also insisted on searching his home and Roy’s home a half mile down the street.

The last thing Rossi wanted to do was go back to the hospital. “Sweetheart, no. I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

Kinley frowned. “I want to meet her.”

“She’s asleep. Now go get ready for bed.”

Kinley crossed her arms, sticking out her bottom lip. “She’s hurt, though, right?”

He nodded, reluctant to discuss this whole situation with her again. She’d been talking about it, understandably, since the moment he’d picked her up an hour ago.

“Daddy, you always say we’re supposed to help people.”

Frankly, Rossi was at his help limit for the day. He knew his daughter didn’t understand, and it wasn’t her job to understand his problems. Bending down, he dumped her over his shoulder. “I want to play airplane, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

She giggled, but he could tell that she was trying to stay serious. “Daddy, put me down!” she yelled out, kicking her feet.

Rushing down the hallway, he made silly airplane noises, the same ones he’d always made when she was little and they would play this game. He got to her room and flipped on the light, gently zooming her to the bed and dropping her.

She bounced and giggled, “Don’t! I want to see the woman!”

It made him smile that she sounded so grown-up. Diving on her, he tickled her beneath the chin. “It’s bedtime, young lady.”

“Stop!” She sat up, finally putting her grouchy face back on. “I really want to see the lady that got hurt.”

Dang, the girl was stubborn. Just like her momma, he thought, but he wouldn’t say it out loud. He sighed. “Kinley, Uncle Tory says he will let us know if anything changes. The hospital is on alert to let him know first.”

Kinley frowned in disbelief. “But he’s going on vacation. He won’t know.”

He put up his hands. “Dr. Frank will let us know. I promise I’ll tell you when I know something.”

Begrudgingly, she stood, pulled her pajamas from the drawer, and headed toward the bathroom.

“Be quick, and I’ll tell you a story.”

“Okay.”

Rossi knew that meant he was forgiven. If Kinley would beg for anything, it was a story at bedtime.

She was fast, turning off the light and jumping into bed beside him.

He laughed as she got beneath the covers and snuggled into him. “Once upon a time—”

“Is the woman going to be okay, Daddy?”

He was touched by her concern. Turning on his side, he smoothed her hair back and kissed her forehead. “I hope so, baby.”

Kinley hesitated, then sat up. “What if this were me, Daddy?”

“What?” Her question surprised him.

“Isn’t the lady somebody’s daughter?”

Bam! The question hit the center of his chest like a ton of bricks. “I guess she is.”

“Can we pray for her?”

He slipped off the bed and onto his knees,