“Getting ready to go out and look for Bruce.” Debra pointed at Carly with a headless butter cookie snowman. “Don’t try to talk her out of it. She’s determined. If one of my boys were missing, you couldn’t keep me from searching.”
“You’re right.” Carly drank coffee and brushed crumbs from her hands. “I’d better go change into my foul-weather gear. You’re going to stay with the kids?”
“I’ve got it covered. I’m going to take all four kids back to my place for the afternoon. We have more toys and equipment, and my house is totally babyproofed.” Debra waded back into the pint-size crowd to clean hands and faces. “I know Brianna will be a big help with the baby.”
Brianna beamed at her aunt.
“Thanks,” Carly said.
With Debra in charge, Carly traipsed back to the cabin to change into warmer clothes. She tossed her long underwear onto the bed and stripped down. Of course Seth came into their bedroom while she was changing. In two seconds he had his clothes off and his hard body pressed up against hers.
“How do you always know when I’m naked?” She leaned into his warmth.
“It’s my superpower.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I know there’s no time, but just give me one minute.”
She turned and pressed her face into his broad chest. If she’d learned anything over the past year, it was that they needed to take time to reconnect, even if they had only a minute. They were stronger together than apart.
Seth rubbed her back. “We’re going to find him.”
She splayed her hands on his muscular chest. He was an alpha male to his very soul. It drove him crazy if he couldn’t fix everything for her.
With a sigh he released her, opened the dresser drawer, and stepped into a pair of cargo pants. “Everyone is gathering at the Solitude Police Station in thirty minutes.”
“My mother is coming,” Carly said.
“I didn’t doubt it for a minute.” Seth grabbed a wool sweater. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep her safe with us.”
God, she loved him.
“How is the baby doing?” he asked.
“Debra says she’s happy enough when she’s occupied.” Carly stifled a tear. The baby won’t even remember her mother.
“That’s the best anyone can do for now. Any luck in locating family members who might take her in?”
“I’m waiting for Travis to call me back.”
“Good luck with that.” Seth snorted. “Travis is only interested in himself, and I sincerely doubt he should have custody of a lab rat, let alone a child.”
Carly dug out her wool socks from her drawer. They would begin searching on the roads, but who knew where it would lead them? It was best to be prepared to trek on foot if necessary. “Amber Lynn’s mother said no, and she didn’t have any sisters or brothers.”
“When I talked to Travis’s brother, it sounded as if his parents were local,” Seth said.
“Good to know. I called them after I left the Coopers’ trailer, but they haven’t called back yet.” Carly smiled. “Thank you for helping me.”
Seth stopped in the middle of fastening his holster to his belt. “I know I’ve given you a hard time about your job, and I’m sorry. When I realized the victim was Amber Lynn and remembered Charlotte, I saw the case from your perspective for the first time. I couldn’t stand the thought of her being sent to strangers. What will you do if you can’t find any family to take her?”
Carly turned to face him. “I don’t know.”
Seth walked over and lifted her chin with his finger. “I love kids. You know that.”
“I do.”
“And I know you want more kids, but I’m not ready. I want to make sure our marriage is solid before we take on any more responsibility. We let stress get between us once before. I don’t want to let that happen again. I love you, Carly. That time we were apart was the worst of my life. And I’m looking forward to taking some time for just the two of us this spring. We haven’t gone camping since we had Brianna. Remember privacy?” He cupped her jaw and kissed her.
Carly’s bare toes curled. How could she forget? Her fingers gripped his strong forearm. “You’re right. We agreed to step back from our jobs. But this is harder than usual. I know this little girl.”
“I know.” Seth kissed her forehead. “I’m the one who called you into this case. So I promise to keep an open mind. If she doesn’t have any family members willing and able to raise her, we’ll talk about the decision when the time comes.”
“All right.” But she knew that, while Seth wouldn’t say no, he really didn’t want to take in another child right now, and he was right. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves. I just started looking for Amber Lynn’s family.”
“I just want everything out in the open,” Seth said. The marriage counselor had told them that communication was the key to stabilizing their marriage. Since then Seth had applied his type A, task-oriented personality to learning how. His determination floored her.
“I love you,” she said. “I don’t know how I’d be getting through today without you.”