Clicking on the send button and watching as the device indicated her message had indeed been sent; Lucy Garth leaned back in her leather desk chair, a satisfied smile coming to her pretty face. She reached up absently to massage the twinge in her shoulder and huffed out a deep breath. Now it was simply a matter of time and getting all the players in the right place at the right time.
Her gaze fell on the framed picture sitting beside her monitor: Vin on Peso, Mattie seated on the saddle in front of him, both of them laughing with delight, as they cantered around the meadow.
At least now, all the hours she had spent surfing the net, all the time she had invested after work while Mattie was doing homework or had been put to bed, when Vin was off on his assignments and she was alone.... it was all going to pay off and she realized all her time consuming effort would be worth the end result.
Or at least she hoped it would.
She had spent many hours, considering her course of action, needing to believe she was doing the right thing but there was only one way she would ever be certain.
Saving all her evening's work, and printing out hard copies, she powered off the machine and headed for the shower, grimacing when she saw it was past two a.m. She had to be up at six for an appointment with Duston and his new herd of cattle.
Lucy sighed again, a moment's doubt flickering through her mind. Maybe she should have asked first… No, that would have ruined the surprise….She smiled as she stepped into the shower.
"It's all going to be worth it." She once again repeated the sentence which had become her mantra since beginning this project. "It's all going to be worth it."
*******
"C'mon, Chris! You can't just send him off to California without any warning!" Standing in Larabee's barn, where he'd been pitching clean straw into the stalls, Lucy faced off with Hoosier. "You just can't!"
Larabee gave her a cross look. He was hot, sweaty, tired and he didn't like having his orders second guessed, not by his team and certainly not by the women in their lives. In truth, he wasn't any happier about sending the Texan to California than Tanner was about going, but the judge had thought the trip important enough to make the request an order.
"And just why can't I?" he demanded before smugly pointing out, "I am the boss, you know."
"Because... well, because..." she floundered, searching for a passable lie. "Because I've made plans and I don't want to cancel them...again." she finished lamely, knowing it was a pretty poor excuse for changing the sharp shooter's imminent scheduled trip to the SWAT seminar on special tactics hosted by the recently formed Homeland Security Commission.
Lucy truly hated sounding like a simpering female, whining because her boyfriend's work was interfering with their social life. Like the other women in Larabee's men's lives, Lucy had accepted the fact, due to his job, there were times when she might not see the sharpshooter for days, or even weeks at a time. She had made a concentrated effort not to question Vin or complain about the absences, understanding his work was simply a part of the man she loved.
"Besides, he's known for a week about this trip." Chris stared at her, his lips compressed in a tight line, not saying a word, waiting for the truth.
"It's....special. C'mon, Chris, I really can't tell you, but you know I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't really important. It would mean the world to me if you could postpone his flight at least until Sunday. Please?" She resorted to begging. "He's been to these things before. You know as well as I do, Sunday is just a meet and greet... which he really does hate, by the way... and the important stuff won't start until Monday. It won't hurt if he arrives a day later will it? I really need him here Saturday night, Chris. Please?"
Larabee eyed her suspiciously. "Why?" he demanded to know. "Why do you want Vin here? Just what's going on, Lucy?"
Lucy flustered, not wanting to reveal her real reason, but she knew Chris would have to pull strings and change flights and reservations on short notice and she did owe him some sort of explanation.
"It's his birthday," she ducked her head and toyed with her shirt cuff as she made the quiet admission.
Chris snorted and made a disgusted face. "C'mon, Lucy. You can do better than that. Vin's birthday is in August," he pointed out her rather blatant deception.
She shook her head, bringing her head up to stare him in the face. "It's Vin's birthday," she repeated confidently, her eyes twinkling brightly.
Larabee's expression changed, as he whispered, "His real birthday?'
Barely able to contain her excitement, Lucy nodded vigorously.
Chris raked a hand through his hair, "How? Where...?"
"Please, Chris, let me tell him first and I promise I'll explain everything to you later. But it's really, really important I have Vin at my place tomorrow night. Please?"
Chris hesitated, thinking of all the extra paperwork and excuses he'd have to give the Judge, but he trusted the young woman and knew this was not something Lucy was asking lightly. Together, she and Tanner had been to hell and back and when other women would have cut and run, she'd stood solidly by Vin's side through the roughest of their assignments. She and Vin both deserved the little time she was requesting.
He finally nodded. "All right, but I want all --and I mean all-- the details." He held up his hand, "I know...later."
She threw her arms around the team leader's neck and gave him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, causing his cheeks to color. "Oh, thank you, Chris! Thank you!" Nearly dancing up and down with uncontained excitement, she broke away from him and ran for her truck. "Don't let it slip!" she shouted over her shoulder as she scrambled in the vehicle and roared out the lane, leaving Chris to stare after her, unable to stop his own chuckles of amusement.
*******
Vin wearily trudged up the stairs, for once selfishly grateful the children weren't around to pester him. He had spent the day out at Miz Nettie's restringing barbed wire fencing which a downed tree had taken out.
Resetting the posts in the rock hard ground had taken hours longer than he planned. But he had promised Nettie he'd have it fixed as soon as possible so she could move her stock to new graze.
All his weary bones wanted now were a long hot shower and a soft bed. Maybe a Tylenol or two to dull the ache in his shoulders. He had honestly believed he was in good shape... hell, with all the training Larabee forced the team to take; he should be a lean mean fighting machine. But the up and down motion of using the old fashioned post hole digger had worked muscles no regimented exercise could touch.
Half way through the chore, he was fervently wishing he could have taken the tractor with its PTO and auger to dig the holes, but the slope was too steep for the machinery so he had to rely on the old manual diggers.
He rolled his shoulders as he pushed open the apartment door and let out a weary sigh. Kicking off his boots, he crossed to the fridge to snag a cold Pepsi. Passing the blinking answering machine, he punched play and flopped down on the battered sofa.
Larabee's somewhat cheerful voice filled the small room: "Hey, Vin. Change of plans. Your flight is 11:15 Sunday night. Call me."
Tanner groaned. Damnit, he had forgotten all about that stupid seminar in LA. He wanted to go about as much as he wanted a root canal. At least with the later departure, he had the weekend free. The less time spent in California, listening to lectures in an assembly hall crowded with strangers, the better he liked it.
"Hey, Cowboy. I got two big steaks ready for the grill. Mattie's off at Mary's for a sleep over. Come on out when you get back from Nettie's and I'll feed you."
He had to smile at Lucy's invitation. He didn't know which one was more shameful when it came to feeding him....her or Nettie.
He took a swallow of the Pepsi and sighed as he glanced at his watch. It was already 6:00 pm. By the time he showered, changed and made the drive out to Lucy's.... He reached for the phone, ready to call and tell the pretty vet he couldn't make it. But his hand fell away from the device and he struggled into a sitting position. "Aww, hell...." With a groan he wearily levered to his feet and moved to the bathroom.
*******
The quiet meal with Lucy was -- as always -- a pleasure and Vin sighed with absolute contentment. Lucy was an excellent cook, and the onion topped steaks had been grilled to perfection, served with baked potato, corn on the cob and chocolate silk pie for dessert.
Tanner hadn't failed to notice the young vet had been rather quiet during the meal, her smoky gray eyes intent on her companion. While he ate with gusto, enjoying every bite, Lucy had barely picked at her meal. He simply attributed her silence to his upcoming absence.
When they finished, Vin stood and began clearing the table. "Ya cooked, I clean," he informed her with a smile.
She started to protest, but he was already loading the dishwasher so she conceded to his wishes and simply passed him the dinnerware. As she crossed to empty her water glass in the sink, she tensed at the sound of an approaching vehicle and glancing out the window, saw headlights on the gravel drive.
'Damn! She was early!'
The vet hadn't had the chance to prepare the sharpshooter for his 'surprise' and now was wondering if this was such a good idea after all. Checking the clock on the microwave, she frowned slightly.
"Wonder who that could be?" she murmured, giving him an apologetic smile and hoping he would forgive her small fib. "I'll be right back…"
She moved for the front door as the chime sounded.
Vin finished loading the dishwasher. He knew as a vet Lucy, like any medical doctor, was on call twenty four/seven and it was not uncommon for folks to bring hurt critters to her door at all hours. The caring young woman never turned anyone away and had doctored her share of wild animals people found injured along the road, as well as beloved pets.
Filling the reservoir with Cascade, Vin flipped on the 'washer and as the water began running into the machine, he wiped down the table and stove before drying his hands on a dish towel and wandering in the direction of the living room where he heard low voiced conversation.
Tanner frowned, his expression quizzical, as Lucy motioned two women toward the couch. They didn't appear upset and there was no sign of an injured animal. Not wishing to interrupt, he turned to retreat back to the kitchen, but Lucy stopped him with a smile, motioning him closer.
Reluctantly, never at ease around strangers, he crossed the hard wood floor to stand beside her.
A peculiar sense of familiarity washed over him as one of the women smiled at him. Dressed in casual slacks, a simple blouse and blazer, her gray tinged hair styled in a casual cut, she looked to be in her early to mid fifties.
"Hello, Vin."
His brow furrowed at the oddly familiar timbre of her voice. "Do I know you?" he questioned, feeling as if he should.
The woman's smile widened, her brown eyes twinkling. "You don't remember me, do you?" she questioned, a slight note of regret coloring the question.
Vin frowned slightly, shaking his head. "No, ma'am, I can't recall the pleasure."
"I'm not surprised. You were," she held her hand a short distance from the floor, "just a little fellow. About five years old…"
"And you found me," he whispered in a choked voice, his eyes growing large. "You're the one who found me…. Coaxed me outta the closet….."
She nodded. "Yes, Vin, that was me."
The young man moved closer and gathered her in a warm embrace, then stepped back to look at her. "I never knowed yer name," he admitted regretfully. "I always wanted ta find ya and thank ya…"
"It's Melanie Daniels," she warmly smiled at the grown man standing before her, remembering all too vividly that awful morning those many years before.
As she had explained earlier to Lucy, "...Me and my partner were called to the scene of a convenience store robbery. The perps had already fled the scene before we got there and there was a young woman lying in a puddle of blood in the floor. I'd heard a noise, and with my partner covering me, approached a closet with my gun drawn, only to push the door open to see a little blue eyed boy lying on quilts on the floor…."
She reached up to lightly touch his scruffy cheek. "Lucy tells me you work with law enforcement."
"In a manner of speakin'." He nodded, with a warm smile. "I guess I seen early on what good cops do."
She returned his smile. "You're the reason I do what I do, too, Vin Tanner."
He arched his eyebrows in silent question.
"I'm a searcher. I retired from the force a few years ago and now, I find people…. Missing people, lost people, abducted children…And it's all because of you." Turning, she pulled a manila file folder from the shoulder bag she'd dropped on the sofa. "You were the first, Vin," she confessed. "You broke my heart that day when all you could tell me about your mother was her name was 'Momma'…" Her expressive eyes misted with the unforgettable memory of the blue eyed little boy, tears rolling down his cheeks, straining to look over her shoulder at his mother lying so still and quiet on the cold floor. "I heard you didn't have any known relatives and had been placed in the state's custody. You kept popping into my head over the years and... I couldn't rest, not knowing… so I began searching…"
She ruffled the thick folder's edge, evidence of the amount of work she had done on his behalf, and then handed it to him. "I'd kept the notes from that case. I'd learned your mother's name and your address, her social security number, things like that from the store owner. From there, I began back tracking, looking for your father, or any other family member. It was a plus I used to be a police officer, and it helped open doors that normally would have been closed. I tracked your mother back to a little town in the Texas panhandle…" She nodded towards the folder. "It's all in there. Everything I could find. Don't ask me how, but I knew I'd find you someday and be able to give it to you. I just couldn't believe when your Lucy here contacted me…" She smiled at the young vet. "I couldn't believe she found me…."
"Lucy called you?" Vin spun to look at the young woman beside him. "You found her?"
She nodded quietly. "Give a woman a computer, internet access, and she can find anything," she quipped.
"But, how…?"
"You told me how you mother died so... Like Melanie, I began backtracking, contacting all the little towns and searching their archives for a store robbery involving a young woman's death… I'd check out the records, until I found one that looked hopeful and I'd dig a little more. I finally found the right report, and discovered Melanie's name… and," she shrugged, "here she is. You don't know how surprised I was to find out what she does now. Her website "RUOutThere.Com" has helped reunite quite a few families in the last few years."
Vin stared at Lucy in astonishment. "When did you find the time?" he quizzed., It was the only question his muddled mind would form, knowing she had her hands full with her work and Mattie.
"Well, I don't exactly go out drinking and dancing all those times you're off working for the Judge." Lucy chuckled at his still stunned expression. "It gave me something constructive to do with my time …" She looked closely at him, sobering. "You aren't upset with me, are you?"
He stared at her, his voice incredulous. "How could you even begin to think that?"
She ducked her head. "Well, it is your life, and I didn't exactly ask if you minded before I went prowling..."
Vin drew her close, dropping a quick kiss on her cheek. "It's our lives," he whispered. "Yours, mine and Mattie's." He turned back to Melanie, his arm still about Lucy as he questioned, "Did you… did you find out anything about… about my father?" he asked in a hushed, hopeful voice.
Ms. Daniels' eyes sparkled. "Oh, yes…."
"You look just like him."
The quiet words drew his attention to the other woman in the room. He'd forgotten about Lucy's other visitor.
Sitting on the edge of Lucy's sofa, her white knuckled hands gripping her purse, the gray haired woman was staring at him, her eyes wide, and her face pale. She was a stark contrast to Melanie dressed in a designer suit, her hair was pulled back in a severe cut.
"Pardon?" Vin frowned as she leaned forward even further on the edge of the couch.
"You're the image of him," she repeated in a quiet whisper. "Except for the color of your eyes."
Uncertain his legs would hold him, Vin sank down on Lucy's solid wooden coffee table in front of the woman. "You knew my father?" he rasped out hoarsely.
The woman nodded. "And your mother."
"Who are you?" he whispered in a choked voice.
"Ellen Vansant. Your father was married to my sister," she responded quietly.
Vin frowned. He had never known his mother to have family and there was no resemblance he could immediately recognize.
She saw the puzzlement in his face. "Not your mother," she clarified quietly.
Tanner's expression faltered as the words sank in. He had always suspected there were questions concerning his legitimacy at birth. His gaze dropped to the floor as the three simple words confirmed he was nothing more than a bastard child…
The woman read his look and reached out to grasp his hand, drawing his gaze back to her face as she shook her head. "No… no…." She took a deep breath. "Let me try and explain all this…
"Your father Clayton Tanner was married to my sister Thea." She pulled her hand from his and folded them in her lap, gathering herself for what she was about to admit for the first time to anyone. "Clay was a wonderful man, a loving husband and father, but my sister…." She faltered for a moment, then squared her shoulders and quietly forged on, "my sister had…problems. She had always been wild and head strong as a child and it was blamed on her youth, but it was something more serious. She met Clay and after a month's courtship, they married. I thought he would be good for her, but she became more unstable. The doctors' diagnosis was bipolar disorder and she went on medication. She was fine for a couple of years, and then she…" She twisted her hands in her lap, and whispered quietly, "overdosed.
"It nearly killed Clay. He blamed himself because he was gone so much. He was in the military you know. One of those Special Forces Rangers. He had loved her so much... He threw himself into his work and was so consumed by it. As much as I hoped he wouldn't, I thought he'd be alone for the rest of his life."
Ellen paused and looked up, smiling and gratefully accepting the cup of coffee Lucy offered.
She stirred in cream and took a sip before continuing. "Then he was on TDA at Lubbock and I got a letter from him. We stayed in close contact and he wrote he had met someone." She looked up, smiling at Lucy who was standing behind Vin, "He was so happy. It just overflowed on the pages. He was a new person, content like he hadn't been for a long, long time. He was the Clayton who met and fell in love with my sister." She took another swallow of coffee. "He went on and on about this lady he had met in town. Every letter I got extolled her wonderful virtues and I knew he was smitten."
She swirled the liquid in her cup. "I have to admit, at first I felt like he was being unfaithful to my sister, even though I had encouraged him to move on with his life, but then I realized he had gone through hell with her and he deserved some happiness…. And when I met his lady, I knew she was the one to give it to him."
"Most people would have thought she was a plain little thing," she motioned towards Vin's long locks." Her hair was the same color as yours and just as curly and she had such beautiful blue eyes. She was quiet, but she could hold her own with Clay and you could just see the love glowing all around her when they were together. You could just….feel how right they were for each other, like maybe they had known each other in some previous life and had never broken that bond of everlasting love."
Vin felt Lucy's hand on his shoulder, and he nodded his understanding of her silent admission as the woman went on.
"They were busy making plans for a life together and then Clay got his orders for the Mid-east. It nearly tore them up he was going so far away, but Clay was a soldier and he knew his duty.... A month or so after he shipped out, I got a letter from him. He was so excited. She had written him she was pregnant and he was on cloud nine, telling me he had called and proposed to her and how Jenny would have a mom again and a little brother or sister. Said the first thing he was gonna do when he was back on Texas soil was drag that little woman to the nearest church and make it all legal…I know he intended to ask her before, but his orders came through so quickly and there was no time..."
The older woman looked up at the young man before her, her eyes brimming with tears, "Three days later, I got a telegram Clay was killed on a mission. He never made it back to Texas, except in a flag draped coffin."
Vin's blue eyes were shimmering, "He's dead?" He questioned in a shocked voice, feeling Lucy tense.
"I'm so sorry…."
"And my mother….?" He choked out, glad of the silent support the vet offered.
"I tried to find her, to see if I could help her in any way, but she'd left town and left no address. Of course back then we didn't have the internet to search…I hired detectives, but they couldn't find anything." She set aside her cup of cold coffee. "I did hear from her one more time. A short letter asking if I minded if she gave her child Clay's last name. Since I knew the child was his and he would want it, I wrote her that Clay would like that, and sent the letter in care of general delivery, Tascosa, Texas and I never heard from her again. I even flew to Texas looking for her myself, but no one knew her... I didn't know what sex the baby was until Melanie found me. She said you were born May 24th and named Vinton Tanner…"
"But that's today!" The tracker frowned, his eyes huge as he stared at her in confusion. "But---"
"The state couldn't find your birth certificate, Vin. They just filled in the date you were found as your birth date on all the legal paperwork," Melanie explained.
Ellen looked at him, her eyes bright. "I always thought the name she chose was so appropriate... The best of both of them."
Vin frowned in confusion, "Pardon?"
"Vinton was your mother's maiden name… "
The sharpshooter sat quietly absorbing everything he'd learned in the past few minutes.
It was Lucy who finally broached a question, breaking the silence. "You mentioned a Jenny. Who was she?"
Ellen smiled. "Clay and Thea's daughter. You have an older sister, Vin."
The look of shock which washed over the tracker's face brought tears to Lucy's eyes as he reached out and she grasped the hand desperately seeking her own. She could see he was struggling to believe this was really happening and not one of the dreams he rarely allowed himself.
"A s-sister?" he gasped, afraid to speak, afraid to believe.
"Yes. I raised her after Thea's death. Since being contacted by Melanie, I have spoken to Jen about you and she is so anxious to meet you …if you wish to know her. She lives in Los Angeles…She wanted to come with us but... she wasn't sure how you'd feel about all of this..." She reached into her purse and drew out a poly envelope. "There are pictures in here… and all of Clay's letters I'd saved…. If you'd like to read them."
He hesitantly reached out and accepted the envelope with a trembling hand, then leaned forward and gathered the woman in an embrace,
"Thank you," he whispered fervently, as tears quietly slid down his cheeks.
Ellen returned his embrace. "You're so much like him," she admitted in a choked voice. "I've spoken with your Lucy there and from what she tells me, you have his goodness and caring…. I should have known…He would be so proud... They both would!"
Vin leaned back and stared at her and then at Melanie, his blue eyes bright. "I don't know how to thank you…"
Melanie made a scoffing sound. "It wasn't us. It was Lucy…"
The young vet blushed as he pushed to his feet and gathered her in a deep hug, burying his face in her hair as he whispered his thanks….
She was more than happy to fervently whisper, "Happy Birthday, Vin…"
*******
EPILOGUE
It was just before midnight when the two women took their leave, promising to keep in touch. Vin walked them out, and Lucy let him have the time as she moved about the living room, gathering up the coffee cups.
She heard the sound of the vehicle leaving and the quiet click of the front door. Putting away the last of the clean dishes and reloading the washer, she crossed to the living room and paused in the doorway at the sight of Vin on the phone.
"Chris…Chris! " She heard the wonderous little boy tone in his voice, "Chris, it's my birthday! My real birthday! And I got an older sister…And she wants to meet me! I really am a little brother!!"
The excited joy she heard in those simple words was enough to send the tears once again spilling down her cheeks. Crossing the room, she curled up on the couch, wrapping her arms around the man she knew to be her soul mate.
She realized it had all really been worth the effort. A smile graced her lips as Vin automatically returned her gesture, holding her close as he excitedly told his best friend everything he'd just discovered, and how it was his bestest birthday ever..... Yes, indeed, all her work had been worth it....
THE END