25. Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-five

Tim listened to the large man behind him on his phone. "It's me. Find me a cell number for Roberta Stanford Collins. Try any iterations of the name, okay? Also, find me the address of Ramona Stanford. Start with Colorado."

He didn't know to whom the man was speaking, but Tim didn't hesitate to begin his own search using the parameters DB had instructed the person on the end of the line. Tim proceeded to hack into a lesser-known unofficial cell phone directory and set up a search of the things DB had described.

Tim held up his hand and pointed to his screen, happy to see the search had produced exactly what DB had requested. "Never mind." The large man ended the call and leaned over Tim's shoulder.

"I didn't know you were a hacker, Tim." Tim laughed at the man's teasing.

They'd gotten to know one another a little while Matt was puking his guts out after DB had conned Tim into slipping his man a drug that would make him throw up everything Matthew had eaten as a small child.

Initially, Tim had been pissed about the deception. DB had apologized for not being forthcoming regarding what the bottle was filled with and what it would do. He had, however, asserted how necessary it was to get Matt sober so they could have coherent answers. It had worked, and Tim wasn't about to hold a grudge.

"I'm a man of mystery, DB. I'll widen the search to Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada for Mona, but I don't know where Bertie lives in Canada." Tim pecked away on his keyboard.

DB laughed out loud, showing his gold tooth. "Oh, that's perfect. If they try to take him over the border it becomes— Uh, let me make a call about it. Narrow in on Mona because she likely has a phone we can track. If Bertie's is issued out of Canada, we'll need a little help," DB told him.

There was a quick knock before the door opened and Matt walked in with a tall, majestic-looking man behind him. The man stood ramrod straight and he had a military haircut, for certain, so Tim figured him to be Bertie's father. He was good-looking, probably in his fifties, or so Tim deduced.

As the search engine continued its job, Tim stood to address the man. "Colonel Stanford, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Matt has told me about your family, and I've been anxious to meet all of you. I appreciate you coming to support him during this mess. Of course, you remember DB." Tim pointed to the man standing behind him on the phone speaking French. Tim could tell it surprised all three of them.

"Merci beaucoup! " DB signed off the call and turned to look at them with a smile.

DB walked over to the Colonel, extending his hand to shake before he pulled Rob Stanford into a one-armed, man hug. "It's good to see you again, sir. I'm glad you called me about this. I was able to change my flight to Hawaii until after the New Year, but I'm guessin' it ain't gonna take us that long to find your grandson."

Rob nodded and turned to Tim. "I'm assuming you're Matthew's partner. I've heard a lot about you, young man. I'm glad you're here." Colonel Stafford shook Tim's hand.

Tim slumped into his chair, still feeling guilty. "Sir, I believe it's my fault."

Matt squeezed Tim's shoulder and placed a hand on his cheek to gently turn his head. "It's not your fault, baby. I'd have never imagined they'd come here to Holloway." Tim's computer chimed.

Tim quickly turned back to the desk, checking the screen for the last tower Mona's cell phone had pinged. It was in the small town of Christiansburg, Virginia, not more than forty miles from Holloway.

"She's off 460 in town. It's only four minutes from Virginia Tech, so it's on the Blacksburg side." Tim pointed to the cell towers where the phone was continuing to hit.

There were a handful of hotels and motels in the area, but they needed to narrow it down because there were too many to search every one of them. "How do we find an exact location?" the Colonel asked.

"Give me a minute." Tim went to work, hammering on the keys without glancing up. The three men were talking behind him, but Tim wasn't listening.

He picked up the location finder app on Mona's phone and hacked it, finding her exact location. "Got it. She's at the Hampton Inn. It's on Arbor Drive. Shall we?" Tim jumped up and followed the other three men running down the hallway, ignoring the others in the house.

They all grabbed coats and headed out the front door. Tim had his cell in his hands, having honed his signal to Mona's so he could guide them to where the woman was located. Of course, they had no way to know if she had Ryan with her, but it was the best lead they had so it was worth a try.

They hopped into a big Lincoln Navigator, Tim in the front seat next to DB while the Colonel and Matt were in the back seat. Tim gave DB directions from the GPS on his phone, and when they pulled up to the hotel half an hour later, they all looked at each other.

"So, how do we get in without her knowing it?" Matt was vibrating with nerves.

Rob cleared his throat. "I'll go in. I have my military ID, and if she registered under her married name, that's so much the better. I'll just say I'm here to meet her and our daughter. Tim, give me your cell number, and I'll text you the room number after I get the key. Meet me there."

The three of them nodded in agreement before the Colonel exited the vehicle and casually strolled inside. Tim happened to see movement out of the corner of his eye, so he turned his head to see Ryan with a woman he didn't recognize. The little cowboy was walking a small dog on a leash, and the woman was on a cell phone.

He pecked DB's forearm that was resting on the console, directing the man's attention toward the passenger window. "That's our son. Is that Bertie?" Tim glanced at his lover in the back seat.

"That fuckin bitch!" Matt swore as he reached for the door handle. Suddenly the door locks clicked, keeping Tim and Matt inside.

DB turned to look at Matt, brooking no patience for an argument. "Look, cowboy, we don't wanna go to jail. What's good for the goose is good for the gander as they say. You've got joint custody, right?"

"Yeah, but…" Matt's voice was shaky.

DB cut him off. "I'm gonna go get your boy and the dog. Get the Colonel outta that place immediately so we can haul ass because we don't want to worry about cops comin' into this shit. Let ‘em come to the ranch after us." DB opened his door and hopped out.

The man adjusted his hat and looked at Tim. "How I look?" DB gave time a wink and a toothy smile.

"Quite handsome." Tim returned the grin.

"Hey, you're already spoken for." Matt reached over Tim's seat and tapped his man on the shoulder. Tim climbed over the console to sit with his cowboy as they watched DB stroll to where Bertie was standing with the boy and the dog.

Tim quickly sent a text to the Colonel to return to base, and when the man walked out of the hotel lobby, Tim saw him observing the area as he guessed a military man would do before his eyes set on his daughter and DB in an argument, which became the direction the Colonel headed.

DB had Ryan and the dog within reach, both of whom were struggling to get away. Matt reached over the seat to unlock the doors of the SUV, and they hopped out to run to Ryan, happy tears streaming down their faces.

"Daddy!" Ryan gasped as Matt picked him up, apparently much to Bertie's surprise, based on the look on her face. She'd been arguing with DB, not paying attention to her surroundings, but when she saw Ryan in Matt's arms, she cursed.

Matt hugged his son before handing him off to Tim, who clutched the little cowboy tightly, vowing to never let him out of sight again. Tim ignored everything around him, feeling the tears continue to rush down his face. He wasn't at a place of gratitude yet, but it was coming soon.

Ryan pulled away from Tim, smiling at him as his own tears fell. "I'm sorry she took me, but she said we was goin' to the ranch because her and Daddy had decided to share me. She told me she was movin' to Holloway with Nana Mona, and she had a dog for me. She said Daddy told her it was okay for me to have a dog. I wanted it to be true, Timmy." Ryan continued to dry the tears on Tim's face.

"I know, little man. We all want our wishes to come true, and when they do, it's hard to see beyond them. It's okay, now. We've got you back." Tim continued to hold the boy tightly.

"Who the fuck is that asshole holding my son? Give me my son, goddammit."

The woman's voice carried her complaints on the breeze.

Ryan squirmed out of his arms. When Tim put him on the ground, the puppy wiggled over to Ryan, shaking all over with happiness.

"This is Corky. He's a—"

Suddenly, Matt was yelling. "I'll fuckin' kill ya, you hear me? He's my son, and you left him behind for the money the first time, Bertie. Leave us alone."

Tim saw Ryan turning his head, and he couldn't have the boy hearing how ugly things had gotten between his parents. The Colonel and DB were minding Matt, so Tim was going to mind Ryan. "What kind of dog is he?"

"Uh, I think he's a mutt. Momma said she got him at a dog shelter, and she thought I'd like him. She lied to me, didn't she? She just wanted to take me away from Daddy again, right?" Once again, Tim saw the boy was wise beyond his years.

Tim decided it wasn't worth breaking the boy's heart to tell him his mother was a cold-hearted, money-grubbing liar. He bit his tongue as he thought about what he wanted to say before he spoke.

"Well, maybe she wanted her equal time with you, but she could have gone about it a better way. Let's go get in DB's SUV. Wait till you meet him. He was in the Army with your Grandpa Rob. Oh, wait till you meet him and your aunt and uncle. This is gonna be the greatest Christmas ever."

The dog broke away from them and ran back into the excitement, barking and jumping around. It wanted in on the excitement, obviously.

"This ain't over, you motherfucker!"

Tim wasn't taking any chances, so he put Ryan in the far back seat of the Navigator. He turned to see Matt had the dog in his arms, and Bertie was pounding on his back before her father peeled her off him, taking her by the arms and telling her something that seemed to rile her up more.

When Matt hopped into the back seat and handed Ryan the anxious puppy, Tim saw the smile on his face. "He wanted to come with ya back to the ranch. He can sleep in your room, I reckon."

DB and Rob Stanford got into the SUV without a word, and the group began the trip back to Holloway. Tim sent a text to his aunt confirming they had Ryan so the people at the house could stop worrying. He was determined it would be a Christmas they'd never forget, and not because of the attempted kidnapping.

Tim knew those two women were going to take Matt to court eventually, but he had a suggestion for how to deal with the situation he'd give more thought to and maybe discuss with Ronni when the time was right.

When they arrived back at the ranch, everyone released a collective sigh. Since Christmas Day was a Friday and it was already shot to hell, they all decided they'd celebrate the holiday on Saturday.

They decided to have pizza at the ranch that night and Ryan finally got to meet Grandpa Rob, Grandma DeAnne, Aunt Savannah, and Uncle Robby. The family from El Paso was happy to be there, and Tim was glad to have them around.

Everyone loved the dog, and when the Stanford's went to the Holiday Inn by the highway, Tim's and Matt's parents walked out behind them. Uncle Josh pulled Tim aside as the others hugged and kissed.

"You want me to sneak Charlie into the barn in the mornin'? I'll make sure he's got feed and water ‘fore I leave to go back home."

Tim considered his offer for a minute before he spoke. "Do you think I should give Charlie to Matt, or should you keep him and use him for breeding stock? This is all… Well, everything got so fucked up, Uncle Josh. I'm worried it's just too much." Tim was whispering, trying to remain calm.

Josh closed his eyes for a second, smiling slowly before he opened them. "If this whole situation hadn't happened, would you give him the horse?"

"Well, Aunt Katie said it might be too much of a gift."

Josh chuckled. "The first stallion I owned was a gift from Kathleen. I was embarrassed because my girlfriend made more money than me, and I put up such a fuss. That's why she mentioned it, Tim.

"I got over it eventually, and Scout helped us buy the land we have now. I was too proud to accept a gift I couldn't afford to give her , but I learned to allow someone I loved to give me something and appreciate it. Give Matt that same chance, Tim." Josh gave a confirming wink.

It all made perfect sense to Tim, so he nodded. He greatly appreciated his aunt and uncle for their unyielding love and compassion. Aunt Katie's words were based on something that happened earlier in her life when she felt she'd made the wrong decision, and she was only trying to save Tim the same heartache.

Tim was pretty sure Matthew Collins would appreciate his gift—that beautiful stallion. It was given with love, after all.