Page 53 of A Baby for the Billionaire Cowboy

She wasn’t watching the flashlight, but she felt when it went farther through the window. Given the explosive sound, she figured the whole window had collapsed.

She turned. Well, it was hardly the whole window, but she’d made a hole in the corner of the glass! The rest of the window had broken into tiny pieces, which were held together by the window tint layer.

She pulled her boot on her foot, knelt on the seat, and used the diaper to grab the edge of the opening and pull the glass away from the frame. It mostly came away in a big sheet, with little pieces falling off the edges. She shoved it toward the far door. Then she ran the diaper around the window frame to get rid of any remaining glass fragments.

“Okay. We’re getting somewhere.” Her heart raced. Now she had to get away before William came back. Pretending to accept him would no longer work.

She jammed her torso between the two front seats and grabbed Avery. She kept one diaper to cushion his head. The others could stay behind. Let William make what he would of a car full of diapers and broken glass.

Too bad she didn’t have a full, stinky diaper to leave behind!

She grabbed her key chain, but she’d leave the diaper bag. She wanted to travel light. Get to the store and find someone with a phone. Or maybe stay in the parking lot and ask a shopper to call for help for her. She didn’t want to run into William coming out as she was going in. Who knew what he’d say or do to get her and Avery back under his control?

Daisy crouched on the backseat, cuddling Avery against her chest with one arm. She wanted to scramble and run, but she forced herself to carefully ease through the window frame, using her free hand to brace herself on the trunk. The closer she got to escape, the more she wanted to panic. What if she got so close only to be caught again? If William found her now, almost free but too far from help to get anyone’s attention, she’d be worse off than if she never tried to escape. He wouldn’t trust her out of his sight again.

She swung her legs down off the hood and dropped to the ground. She needed to steady herself for a moment to make sure she wasn’t going to collapse.

Breathe.Breathe.

Okay. Now to get away from William’s car. She couldn’t see the store or the parking lot past the big dumpster. She’d have to start running and look for shelter as she moved. Whether she sought help immediately or hid until he left, she needed to get away from the car.

A figure stepped out in front of her.

Daisy screamed.

Arms reached for her.

Daisy held Avery tight and tried to squirm away. It took a moment before the man’s words penetrated. “Daisy! Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

This wasn’t William. It wasn’t his build or his scent or his voice.

She stopped struggling and leaned into Xander’s embrace, sobbing out the fear.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Xander held Daisyand Avery close to his chest. His heart still thudded with his terror for them. He’d sped down the highway, trying to keep William’s car in sight but not get so close his own truck would be noticed, while Rhonda had hysterics in the backseat. Fortunately, he’d spotted the car pulling off at the exit. They’d watched where William parked and then pulled into a spot at the far side of the lot to wait for the police and argue about whether they should intervene immediately.

When the police arrived, William’s car was gone. Xander had felt the world crumble around him. Then they’d spotted William going into the store. Xander had wanted to tackle him and demand to know what he’d done with Daisy, but the police had other ideas. Logic told Xander William had likely left Daisy in the car parked somewhere more secluded, but what if...? He didn’t know what to do except pace through the parking lot searching for Daisy, with one eye on the doors waiting for William to come out.

When he’d heard that crash of glass, he felt like his own heart had burst. But she was all right, as far as he could tell. Her sobs grew softer, and although her shoulders convulsed, she never once loosened her hold on her baby, even though Xander had a good hold on him as well. Avery squirmed and made noises Xander couldn’t interpret, but he was alive and whole. Xander drank in the scent and feel of both of them.

Finally Daisy eased back a little and wiped her eyes with the back of one hand. “What are you doing here? We need to get out of here. William—he’ll come back.” She looked around wildly. “Let’s go!” She grabbed his arm and pulled.

“Don’t worry about him. The police followed him into the store.”

Daisy stopped. She patted Avery’s back as he fussed. “I don’t understand half of what happened today.”

“Come on, and we’ll sort it all out. Rhonda is hysterical with worry.” Rhonda’s tears went some way to ease Xander’s anger at her.

“Auntie Rhonda is here? How...?”

“We’ll explain everything. Do you want me to carry Avery?”

She hesitated. No surprise she didn’t want to let her baby out of her grasp when she was scared and upset. But she smiled. “Thank you.” She passed him over.

Xander tucked Avery into the cradle of his arm. Avery waved a hand toward Xander’s face. He leaned closer so the baby could pat his nose and cheeks.

Daisy tucked her hand through Xander’s other arm. He wouldn’t say no to that.

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