Page 39 of Lost and Found Cowboy

“Yes. Deal.” She ran around the car to get into the passenger side as he slid behind the wheel and started the van. “Tell me again where you’ve already checked.”

“The diner, the drugstore, my house, the fairgrounds, and the school. I feel like I’ve driven up and down Main Street several times and the side streets around the school.”

He put the car in gear and headed out of the parking lot. “Think like a dad. Where would you want to take your son for an outing? Maybe the high school football field where Lyle used to play, or a baseball field to play catch?”

“Good idea. Let’s drive by the high school. I can imagine Lyle wanting to brag about his football days, but I can’t see him trying to play catch with Max.” She pulled a Kleenex from a box in the console and blew her nose. It felt like she was calming down now that they had a plan.

The high school was only a few blocks away, but no cars were in the lot and the football field was empty.

“What about the park?” he asked, scanning the side streets as he drove through an intersection. “Did you check there?”

“No, but that’s a good idea, too. Max loves to swing.” She leaned forward to peer through the windshield as he turned onto the street with the park.

Mack caught sight of Lyle first, sitting on a bench next to the playground, his head down as he focused on his phone. Then he saw Max, his small legs straddling the bars at the top of the climbing structure. His shoulders sank inward and even from across the lawn, Mack thought it looked like he was crying.

“There he is,” Lorna cried, already reaching for the door handle as Mack pulled into a parking spot. She flew out of the truck and tore across the grass, calling her son’s name.

Mack raced after her, trying to keep an eye on the boyandhis mother.Andhis asshole father.

Lyle finally looked up from his phone, saw Lorna running toward the playground, and stood, a smirk on his face that Mack would take supreme pleasure in smacking off.

Max saw Lorna, and his face lit up. “Mommy,” he called, but in his haste to try to climb off the top of the structure, his foot missed the final bar, and he fell forward, smacking his face on it before his body fell to the ground.

“Max!” Lorna sprinted to her son, Mack right on her heels.

The boy lifted his head to let out a wail of pain as bright red blood spilled from his mouth.

“Oh dang,” he heard Lyle say as Mack fell to his knees in front of Lorna as she gathered Max into her arms.

“Let Mommy see,” she told Max, trying to pull him back as he cried into her shoulder. “You’re okay, but it looks like you split your lip, and you’ve got a bump on your cheek.”

“I fink I bit ma tongue,” Max said as he opened his mouth and blood spilled over his bottom lip.

“I’ve got my Stanley cup in the car. I’m sure it’s still got ice in it. We can put some on your lip and cheek as we drive to the Urgent Care.”

“For shit’s sake, Lorna. You don’t have to baby him or run off to the doctor for every little bruise.” Lyle had come up behind them and was leaning casually on the side of the play structure. “It’s just a split lip. Put some ice on it. It’ll be fine.”

Mack wondered if Lyle had used that line on her as he watched the array of emotions flash across Lorna’s face—terror, sadness, anger, then pure white-hot rage.

Her son had to weigh fifty pounds, but she lifted him as if he were a toddler, clutching him to her chest as she narrowed her eyes at Lyle and spoke with a barely contained fury. “He wouldn’thavea split lipora bloody face if you hadn’t taken him from school. Without. My. Permission.”

Anger flashed across Lyle’s face. “I don’t need your permission to see my own son.”

“But you do need to watch him if he’s in your care,” Mack said. “What the hell was he doing on top of that jungle gym anyway?”

Lyle snapped his head up, then pushed away from the play structure and stuck his chest out toward Mack. “Who the hell are you to tell me anything about my son? Just because you’re fucking my wife, that doesn’t give you the right to tell me how to treatmykid.”

“Ex-wife,” Lorna spat before Mack could correct him.

Max whimpered as he buried his face in Lorna’s shoulder. She hugged him closer as she took a step between the two men.

Which made Mack feel like a worthless schmuck. He was supposed to be protecting her. And he wasn’t about to let this asshole hurt her,or her kids,ever again.

“You need to stay away from this family,” Mack said through gritted teeth as he stepped to the side of Lorna. His fists were clenched at his sides, but he was just waiting for Lyle to give him a reason to use them.

“No. I don’t. This ismyfamily. Iownthem. They belong to me.” Lyle’s sneer held a mix of malice and spite. He turned to Lorna, putting his face right in front of hers. “Don’t forget that, Lorna.”

This time, Mack inserted his body between them, then grabbed Lyle by the shirt collar and hauled him up to his chest. “You gave up your right to this family. Now I think it’s time for you to leave before we call the cops and tell them how you took Max from school without his mother’s permission. I think in this state, that’s considered kidnapping.”

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