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  "Cybil, my Daddy's girlfriend left me here." Dani is speaking so softly I can barely hear her.

  "What?" I am stunned. I notice that Dani is wringing her hands and her eyes keep darting around the restaurant like she is afraid someone is going to grab her.

  "Last night, Cybil left me here. She said she'd be back in a little while, but she hasn't come back." Dani says, a little louder this time, her voice stronger.

  I clench my hands and feel my nails jab into my palms. I am livid and the pain helps me maintain a neutral expression. No wonder this child is terrified! What kind of a woman would be so heartless as to leave this beautiful little girl alone in a truck stop? What possible reason could she have had to do something like that? I drag in a deep breath to calm my anger and ask, "Where's your Dad?"

  Dani's eyes fill with tears, "He's on a trip to Texas to buy horses. Cybil was babysitting me while he is gone." I reach across the table and pat Dani's little hand. I really think the guy must be some kind of major idiot if he isn't a better judge of character than to leave his child with someone like this Cybil person.

  "Where is your Mom?"

  Dani drops her eyes to the table, tears escaping down her cheeks. A look of profound sadness crosses her face and she takes a deep breath and says, "My Mommie died when I was four."

  "Oh Baby, I'm so sorry. I know how hard that is. My Mom died too. I really miss her a lot." Pausing to give the child time to compose herself I ask, "Where do you live Dani?"

  "We live on a ranch outside of Cody Wyoming. It's a long way from here," she replies shakily.

  "Do you live with your Dad and Cybil?"

  "No, I live with Daddy, Uncle Jason, Aunt Jenny and Mr. Bob. Cybil doesn't live with us. I hope she never does, I hate her! She's mean!"

  I ignore that little outburst and say instead, "Where are your Uncle Jason and Aunt Jenny? Why were you with Cybil instead of them?"

  "They're in Europe. They went on vacation before the baby comes." I notice Dani's voice is getting stronger with every response.

  "So did Cybil drive you here yesterday?"

  "Yes ma'am" she answers.

  "How old are you Dani?"

  "I'm eight," replies Dani.

  I wait while the server places our food in front of us. I watch as Dani begins devouring the food like she hasn't eaten in days.

  After a few minutes, I ask, "When was the last time you had something to eat?"

  Waiting to speak until she swallowed her food, Dani replies, "Lunch yesterday but I really didn't eat much. Cybil was being mean to the server and they made us leave."

  I again let that piece of information pass but notice that Dani seems to have very good table manners. "Did Cybil say where she was going when she left you here?"

  "She didn't say where she was going, just that she needed to see a friend." Dani replies dipping another fry in her ketchup and stuffing it in her mouth.

  Another few minutes pass as we enjoy our meal. Then I ask, "Dani, do you know your Dad's cell phone number? We can call him."

  "Really? You'll let me call my Daddy?" asks Dani, a beautiful smile curving her lips.

  "Yes, really. Do you know the number?" I am pleased to see her smile for the first time.

  Dani confidently calls out the number. After keying the number into my cell phone and hitting send, I hand the phone to Dani.

  With tears streaming down her face, Dani cries, "Daddy? Cybil left me." After those few words she becomes incoherent so I reach for the phone.

  "Mr. Murray? My name is Jana Bowen. I found Dani hiding in the restroom at the Longest Mile Truck Stop outside of Casper Wyoming."

  "Oh, my God!! Is she all right? She's not hurt is she?" exclaims Jacob, his heart pounding with fear for his precious daughter.

  "No, she's fine, just very scared and hungry. We're eating now. Evidently she has been here since sometime last night. She said Cybil dropped her off and told her she would be back in a little while then never returned,"

  "Did you say you're outside of Casper? We live near Cody, I wonder what they were even doing down near Casper in the first place?" Jacob wonders out loud, anger bubbling beneath the surface.

  "Dani said Cybil told her she needed to see a friend when she left her here." I am trying to provide him with as much information as I can.

  "Damn woman!" he curses, anger flowing through his veins.

  "Excuse me?" I am not really shocked by his outburst. I am furious at the woman too and I don't even know Cybil.

  "Oh, I'm sorry, I was thinking of Cybil." He pauses for several seconds while getting his anger under control. He uses the time to think over his options. Calling the police would only upset Dani and he doesn't know anyone in Casper he can call. With trepidation shivering down his spine he makes the only decision he feels he can and then says,

  "Ms. Bowen, Jana, I know this is asking a lot since we are perfect strangers but would you mind staying with Dani until I can get to Casper? Dani seems to trust you and that is saying a lot. She doesn't trust strangers easily. I should be able to get to Casper by sometime later tonight. Just get a room somewhere and let me know the details. I'll reimburse you when I get to Casper."

  "Of course, I will stay with her. But wouldn't you rather I take her to the police or something?" I am confused that this man is asking a perfect stranger to stay with his daughter instead of taking her to the authorities.

  Dani screams, "No! No police!!" and starts to get up out of the booth. I reach out and grab her arm. "Wait Dani, It's all right, no police, I promise." Slowly Dani slides back into the booth shaking again. I glance around the restaurant to make sure no one is paying attention.

  Speaking at the same time as Dani, Jacob says, "No! Don't do that. It will be too traumatic for her!" He drags in a deep breath. "Dani is terrified of the police. It's a long story that I'll explain when I get to Casper. Please, just take her to a hotel. Call me when you are settled and give me the name of the hotel and room number. I'll come straight to the hotel from the airport when I get in. And thank you." Jacob shakes his head still silently cursing Cybil and chastising himself for trusting her. He has failed Dani again! How much more can his precious daughter endure?

  "All right, that's not a problem. I'll call you once we get settled. Here's Dani." I hand the phone back to Dani.

  "Daddy?" asks Dani.

  "Hey Pumpkin, listen to Daddy, you go with Jana, all right? She's going to stay with you until Daddy can get to Casper. I'll be there to get you before you wake up in the morning, I promise." Jacob says.

  "All right, Daddy. I love you." responds Dani.

  "Daddy loves you too Pumpkin." Jacob disconnects furiously chastising himself for allowing Dani to be hurt again. Silently, he issues a plea to the heavens for Dani's safety.

  CHAPTER 2

  Frank Gibbons slouches down in the seat of his beat up blue pickup. Jana hasn't seen him, he is sure of that. He can't believe their paths have crossed again after all this time. It must be fate. He wonders what has brought her all the way to Wyoming from Texas. She's looking mighty fine too. She is so pretty with beautiful hair and he always loved that delectable body. He watches as she and a little girl leave the restaurant and get into a small SUV that is loaded to the gills with clothes and stuff. The kid can't be hers. She didn't have any kids when they were together two years ago and this kid has to be at least six or seven.

  His mind wanders back to that time in Texas. It's a damn shame he had to leave her back then. Those were good times. He had been set. Living in her house with her paying all the bills he was saving every bit of his paycheck and talking her out of her money at the same time. Not to mention that she was one of the best pieces of fluff he has ever had and easy on the eyes too. And she had cared about him too, but the boys were getting too close. He couldn't hang around that dusty west Texas town any longer.

  Maybe he'll follow her, just to see what brought her all the way to Wyoming. After all, he doesn't have anything else to do since he got rid of that
bitch and got his money back.

  Cybil had thought she was set for life with that fancy boyfriend of hers but he showed her. The memory crowds into his brain and he feels another rush of adrenaline flow through his veins. He had thought they were a team, him and Cybil. He had big plans for the two of them and then she had betrayed him and split with all of his cash, nearly $50,000. He had been following her for months waiting ... waiting for the perfect time to exact his revenge.

  He saw that pretty boy Cybil had been dating leave the ranch in his fancy pickup pulling the stock trailer. When he saw him get on the interstate he knew he was going to be gone for a few days. So he had lured Cybil to this place with the threat of contacting that pretty boy. He'd told her to bring all of his cash plus more, twenty thousand more or he would ruin her game. She was so gullible.

  She had done exactly as he had demanded, left the money in a paper bag in the trash bin at that picnic area. She was so surprised when he pulled up right behind her blocking in her car. She had begged for her life and he had laughed in her face. He had raped her right in the bed of his pickup ... several times.

  He had been rough, angry. Another rush of adrenaline flows through his veins when he remembers slamming his dick in and out of her body. Yeah! That was really something! Raping her had been a really great high, the adrenaline pounding through his veins. Hearing her pleas had added to his pleasure and knocking her around had been almost as good. He would love to experience that rush again. And after he had slaked his lust with her he had finished it. Nobody double crosses Frank Gibbons and lives to tell about it! It had been so easy too. He pictures his hands around her neck, her face turning blue, and he feels another rush of adrenaline flowing through his veins. Yeah! That was almost as good as raping her. Once that was done, he had run her car into that lake. No one will find her for years.

  He looks over at Jana's SUV and licks his lips, a salacious grin sliding across his face, "Yeah, I think I'll have me another taste of that."

  ******

  On the far side of the parking lot, another stranger is observing the scene playing out but he is not interested in the woman and the little girl. His target is the guy in the old beat up blue pickup. A cruel smirk slides across his face. It is about time Frank Gibbons surfaced again. That scum bag thinks he's so smart taking all of the money from that big sting in Dallas and splitting. The boss had been furious with him for allowing Gibbons to slip away with the money. It is not luck that their paths crossed again out here in the middle of nowhere after all these years. This time the bastard won't get away, he will see to it himself. Then he will find the money and return it to the boss.

  He had traced that blonde bimbo, Cybil out here to Wyoming with the hope of finding Gibbons. He had followed her from the bank in Cody to this truck stop yesterday before he lost her. Well, that's all right because his real target is Gibbons and now here he is, right in the palm of his hand.

  ******

  Jacob Murray is furious. The more he thinks about Cybil leaving Dani alone in that truck stop, the madder he gets. He is furious with Cybil. What kind of callous person leaves an eight year old defenseless child alone at a truck stop?

  No, he has to be honest, he is more furious with himself, than with Cybil. He is so stupid! He is supposed to be one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the country, but obviously he is the worst judge of character in the world! He had trusted that woman with his precious daughter. He had misjudged her completely! Oh God, if something happens to Dani he won't be able to bear it. Dani is his life, all he has left of his marriage, of Beverly.

  He looks at the heavens and whispers, "Forgive me Beverly. I thought she was a good person." Anger pulses though him again. How stupid can one person be? And to think he had actually considered asking that woman to marry him, to be a mother to Dani. What a fool he is!

  Now he has trusted Dani to a perfect stranger! But, what choice did he have? Dani was all alone in what could be a very dangerous place and the police are not an option with Dani. Face it man, you didn't have any other choice. He whispers a silent prayer, "Please keep Dani safe until I can get to her."

  ******

  It is still early when Dani and I check into one of the name brand hotels along the interstate in Casper. After taking my bag to the room, I call Jacob Murray with the details he will need to locate us when he gets to Casper. Then we make a trip to the local mall to get Dani a few things she will need, a pair of pajamas, a toothbrush, a set of clean clothes and a swimsuit. With our shopping complete, we head back to the hotel for some much needed rest and then time at the indoor pool.

  After a long nap, Dani feels much better. At the indoor pool, she and I splash, and laugh, and play. For the first time since leaving the ranch with Cybil, Dani relaxes and feels safe. She knows that Jana is going to take care of her. Jana had called her Daddy!

  Later that evening Dani and I head to a local diner down the road for dinner. After we finish our meal I decide to try to get more information from Dani.

  "Dani, would you tell me what happened to make you afraid of the police?"

  Dani drops her eyes to the table and mumbles, "After the accident, they took me away from my Mommie and gave me to strangers. I hated it! I didn't think my Daddy would ever find me. It took forever for him to come. I don't like police!!"

  I feel the prickling of tears behind my eyelids and my heart swells, this poor child. She must have been so frightened at only four years old, surrounded by complete strangers. No wonder she is afraid of the police. And now she has been abandoned again in a strange place surrounded by strangers, all by someone she trusted.

  ******

  It is well after midnight before Jacob gets to Casper. He had to make arrangements to have his truck and trailer driven back to Wyoming with his new purchases. Then he had to charter a plane. It would have taken too long for their private jet to come for him from Wyoming. All of the arrangements had taken longer than he had thought, but he is finally here. He is wracked by guilt. He can't wait to put his arms around his precious daughter. He only hopes she will forgive him ... again.

  He whips the rental car into a parking space at the hotel and grabs his bag. He checks into a room, drops off his bag, and heads to the room Jana Bowen told him she and Dani would share until his arrival. The elevator seems to be taking forever. Finally, the doors open and he hurries down the hall to the door that will take him to his precious daughter.

  His heart is pounding with guilt and he feels sweat trickling down his back. He raps quietly on the door and waits impatiently.

  The door opens a crack and Jacob sees a stormy blue eye peering at him cautiously. My breath catches in my lungs as I survey the gorgeous male specimen in front of me. I note longish brown hair the color of dark chocolate brushing the collar of his bright red western shirt, a stray lock falling across his forehead, heavy five o'clock shadow on a strong chiseled jaw, sensuous lips, broad shoulders with bulging muscles in his arms, sad brown eyes, and tall, very tall. "Mr. Murray?"

  His tired brain registers her voice sounds sleepy, breathless, and very sexy as he responds. "Yes. Are you Jana?"

  I remove the security latch from the door and step back to allow him to enter the room. His eyes briefly touch on me then immediately scan the room and land on the form of his sleeping daughter. Jacob suddenly realizes he has been holding his breath as it releases slowly. He is dizzy with relief and his heart expands with love for Dani. He sends up a brief prayer of thanks for her safety and strides into the room.

  He walks over to the bed and sits on the side, brushing Dani's tangled hair away from her face and whispers softly "Dani?"

  Dani's brown eyes, so like her father's slowly open. She suddenly springs into his arms sobbing. "Daddy!! You found me fast this time!!" His heart squeezes with love for this precious child as he wraps her tightly in his embrace.

  Standing by the door, I watch the scene unfolding in front of my eyes. I brush my hand across my cheek wiping at the tears silent
ly sliding down. My heart is pounding heavily. I am so grateful to have been a part in making this reunion possible. So many bad things could have happened at that truck stop. I send a prayer to the heavens thanking God He allowed me to be a part of protecting this precious child.

  Jacob raises his head and looks toward me, tears running unashamedly down his cheeks, and says "I can never thank you enough. If anything had happened to her I would not have been able to bear it. Thank you."

  I nod. A tight knot in my throat won't allow me to speak.

  Rising from the bed with Dani held protectively in his arms, he heads for the door. He tells Jana, "I'll call you in the morning. We'll meet for breakfast and talk then. "

  I shove the sack with Dani's clothes into his hand and step back as he strides from the room, his precious daughter clutched securely to his chest.

  I close and latch the door after them and smile to myself. I am happy, relieved. A warm feeling of satisfaction flows through me.

  After tossing and turning for a while reliving the last several hours, I decide I might as well hit the road. After all, I have done my part here. What else can be said anyway? I shower and pack my bag then head for the interstate.

  Unnoticed by me, an old blue beat up pickup pulls out of the hotel parking lot behind me; then at a discreet distance a dark sedan with tinted windows follows.

  ******

  Jacob Murray is so relieved to have Dani safely in his arms. He will never be able to repay Jana Bowen for keeping her safe. All during the long trip to Wyoming from Texas his imagination had played through horrific scenarios of what could have happened at the truck stop. He had been fairly certain she would be safe with Jana. Otherwise, she would not have bothered to call him. He truly feels blessed that Dani had been found by Jana rather than by some other stranger that might not have been as kind. Tomorrow morning he will give her a reward, whatever she needs.