WindSwept Narrows: #9 Guinevere Paddington Read online

  “What did he say?” Gwen asked after a long pause, looking from one to the other.

  “He said you were right,” Noah repeated. “And he hoped you enjoyed being the child’s mother.”

  “So be it,” Gwen said simply. “When he comes to his senses, she’ll be here, safe, with me.” She stood up slowly, the tiny girl cradled against her. “I’m sorry if I’ve upset your friendship, Noah. That was never my intent.”

  “Gwen, what will you do?” Hannah asked with a sigh.

  “Go on with my life,” she said with a smile at the sleeping child in her arms. “Don’t worry. She will be well cared for, I promise you that. I’ll see you at your party and I’ll bring Zoe with me,” she assured her friend, walking with them toward the front exit.

  It was barely past six when she entered her home, Zoe on her hip and a collection of bags hooked on her other hand. She dropped the keys to the counter and carefully set the child on the sofa.

  “Where’s Uncle Ethan?” Zoe asked quietly, blinking at the lights that came up slowly around them.

  “Uncle Ethan is working, Zoe,” Gwen said simply. “You’re going to stay with me for awhile. Is that okay?”

  Zoe merely nodded.

  She sat on the sofa next to the little girl, her phone pulled out and a message sent. Something wasn’t right. The little girl nodded and laid her head against the cushion. Gwen ran her palm over the curls and sighed, carrying Zoe into her room and dumping the bags onto the large bed.

  She had changed all the clothing Zoe wore on purpose and had found no marks, which relived her greatly. The lethargy bothered her, the pliable child allowing herself to be changed into pajamas after visiting the bathroom. Gwen changed into her pajamas and pulled the little cloth doll from one of the bags, handing it to Zoe as she settled in against the pillow.

  There was little morning light the first week of December, the lights coming up slowly at seven-thirty the next morning. Gwen woke to find Zoe sitting up and holding her new doll in her arms, rocking gently back and forth.

  “Hi,” Gwen said quietly.

  “Hi.”

  “Did you visit the bathroom, Zoe?” Gwen stretched and sat up, accepting the nod with a smile. “Then I think we need to put some fun clothes on and get breakfast. Then we have a couple errands to run. Ready for the day?” She held her hands out, taking Zoe’s palms and pulling her to her feet on the surface of the bed.

  Gwen had them both changed in no time, the little girl quietly eating the oatmeal with raisins. Her phone sounded during the quiet breakfast, the last bit of toast popped into her mouth before she sent a confirmation that she would meet Anya at the health center in half an hour.

  “We got a date…” Gwen chattered aimlessly, stuffing Zoe into a warm jacket and swinging up into her arms. “Want to take your doll for a ride?” Gwen felt her heart jump a little, a tiny spark of interest in Zoe’s eyes. “You run get her. I’m sure she’ll love going for a ride with us,” she watched the little girl consider her instructions before she went to the bedroom, returning with the small cloth doll in her arms.

  “Where are we going?”

  Gwen felt the tears burning her eyes, lifting Zoe in her arms and hugging her tightly.

  “We are going shopping after we visit a friend of mine. She’s a doctor. Have you been to see a doctor, Zoe?” Gwen accepted the negative shake of her head as she buckled her into the car seat. “Anya is very nice…”

  Anya Miller Sheffield met her at the door to the health center, leading her to the back, away from the emergency section. It didn’t surprise Gwen that Ian was waiting for them in her office.

  “And how is dad handling being pregnant?” Gwen teased her friend with a hug.

  “I am doing well,” Anya answered with a teasing wink. “Him…less than well,” she said with a chuckle. “So who is our little friend?”

  “Zoe Collier,” Gwen saw the interest in them both. “You know her guardian?”

  “We’ve met,” Ian answered solemnly, frowning at the quiet child. “Is she always like this?” Gentle fingers out to check her eyes with a frown. He lifted her hand in his, watching the thin fingers curl around his. He shook his head to himself.

  “I met her yesterday, Ian…around one…and yes, since then, she has always been like this,” Gwen set Zoe on the table, the little girl’s hands holding her doll. She watched the exam, sighing thickly. “Something is wrong.”

  “She’s on something,” Ian said without hesitation, preparing a small needle. “Can you hold her?”

  Gwen held the little girl close, her bare arm held out, cleaned and the blood taken.

  “Ethan would not do this to her,” Anya said firmly, accepting the vials and labeling them a rush. “Why is she with you, Gwen?”

  “I refused to give her back,” Gwen answered simply. “He brought her to the Emporium yesterday, meeting up with Noah and Lucas. I had all three girls with me for the afternoon. I made him angry and he left.”

  “Something is very wrong,” Anya said quietly, watching the lack of anything in the little girl’s face.

  “I’ll get the results sometime today,” Ian told her. “Get her to drink and eat as much as you can, Gwen. I’m pretty sure it’s a really strong sedative, which, and depending on her intake of food and drink, it should be out of her system in a few days.”

  “I haven’t seen her eat or drink much…another reason I was worried,” Gwen gently dabbed at the silent tears on Zoe’s face. “Every now and then…there’s a little spark…thanks, both of you. We’re going shopping.”

  “Gwen, Ethan is not the kind of man who would treat a child this way,” Anya told her firmly, lifting her coat and sliding her arms inside.

  “I believe you. But I also know he’s in serious need of some parenting skills and instincts,” Gwen said flatly. “But it’s the season for miracles…off to shop?”

  “We are building a nursery,” Anya said with a happy sigh, one palm on the small baby bump at her middle.

  “The only redeeming factor in all this, is Logan is a wreck,” Ian said with a chuckle.

  “As opposed to his younger brother only being a minor wreck,” Gwen said with a laugh. “Send me the outcome, please. Otherwise…it’s all about patience. Bye.”

  Gwen had the back of the car filled with bags shortly after noon when she pulled into the private parking slot outside the emporium. She lifted Zoe to the concrete of the underground parking area, leaving their packages inside the car.

  “Time for some lunch…how about a chocolate milkshake?” Gwen picked her up as they rode the elevator to the main level. They sat together, Zoe eating and drinking a little more than she saw her down the day before. Then she took Zoe to the play area, a small bottle of water in her free hand.

  “Hi, Gwen…who’s your new friend?” Patsy opened the gate for them with a little buzz.

  “This is Zoe…logged in to me and only me,” Gwen put the child’s name on the sign in sheet. “I want…I need you to get her as active and involved as possible, Patsy. And I need you to watch her closely. I’m waiting for some tox screens to come back from Ian…”

  “You think she’s been drugged?” Patsy followed the small girl as she wandered around the large play area. “We don’t have many kids here today…lots of Christmas parades going on around the area. I’ll take good care of her, Gwen,” she promised with a nod.

  Gwen went to her office, sending out a message to all family and employees about Zoe. As the newest and youngest member of her extended family, she now fell under the full protection of them all. She tossed her phone to the desk an hour later, shoving against the arms of her chair and pacing her office. She definitely was under the influence of some strong sedative, Ian’s message said.

  She left her office and went to gather Zoe, swinging her into her arms with a smile. “Did you have a good time?”

  “I had fun,” she said with a nod.

  “She drank all her water and we visited the bathroom,” Patsy said
with a grin. “And we learned how to climb the big bars, huh, Zoe?”

  Gwen saw a tiny spark in the child’s eyes, her head nodding.

  “We’re going to the carousel,” Gwen thanked her and set the little girl down. “You need to run…let’s go! We’ll find the carousel and take a nice ride,” she held tightly to the little hand, their boots echoing on the hardwood flooring in the corridors outside the shops. She breathed deeply when they reached the center of the Emporium, the massive carousel filling the area with soft music and laughing, giggling children.

  Gwen watched her stare at the many brightly colored animals on the slow spinning carousel, relieved that there was a marked interest in her eyes. She dropped to her heels, holding Zoe at her side, the little fingers curled around the larger ones.

  “Which one do you want to ride on?” Gwen asked softly, lifting her and stepping carefully onto the moving carousel. The wide brown eyes actually lit up as Gwen walked slowly among the various animals. She followed the hesitantly raised arm, fingers pointing. Gwen sat her carefully on the small grey elephant, placing the girl’s hands on the bar and holding onto her waist.

  “Can I ride the tiger?” Zoe asked after a few minutes, pointing to one of the orange and white tigers that actually went up and down on the carousel.

  Gwen knew her smile was a little watery as she lifted the child and moved her to the tiger, fastening the safety belt and placing her palms on the bar.

  “You may…hold on…he might be a little wild,” Gwen said with a teasing wink that was met with the first signs of a little smile.

  Patience, she kept telling herself when they left the carousel for the snack bar. Zoe accepted the bottle of juice eagerly, taking a long drink before sighing. Normal kid noises, Gwen thought happily.

  Chapter Three

  Ethan Collier handed Mrs. Acker the envelope, his features drawn and unemotional. He was almost relieved that Zoe was someplace safe, someplace where she could be a child until he had things figured out.

  “Two weeks plus two weeks severance,” he told her, watching the stunned expression closely.

  “But…where is Zoe?”

  “I’ve sent her to live with relatives in Florida,” he lied glibly. “She’ll be better off there. I’ll expect you out of my apartment by the end of the day. Oh, leave your key on my desk,” he finished, striding into the kitchen and staring into the fridge.

  He might not be parent material, but he’d known something wasn’t right for awhile now. It wasn’t until Geneviève Paddington stepped into his life that a partial solution presented itself. He opened his phone after he heard her leave the apartment, the sound of a car door slamming outside making him peer out the window.

  He listened to the male laughter on the other end of the phone.

  “Yeah…what’d you need, Ethan?”

  “You sound a little busy,” he responded dryly.

  “Just wrestling with a kid and losing…I think Hannah taught her to be sneaky,” Noah laughed, finally pinning Lili to the floor amidst the giggling.

  “When did you get all paternal?”

  “When I fell for a redhead,” Noah answered simply. “It’s a watch and learn kind of thing, Ethan, not impossible.”

  “To business,” Ethan said with a sigh. “Families are a pain in the ass, Noah. Just how heartbroken is Hannah going to be when it turns out there isn’t an inheritance left?”

  “To be honest…I don’t know. I think it was more of a…a principle thing than a money thing,” Noah answered thoughtfully, whispering and sending Lili to the back of the house after Hannah. “Is that the way it’s looking?”

  “The road blocks they’re throwing up make me think that, yeah. I’ve got a friend doing a money check and will let you know for sure in the next day or so,” Ethan stared at the papers on his desk. “What do you know about this Geneviève Paddington?”

  “Sorry…not a thing. Saturday was the first time I’ve been in the Emporium. Interesting collection of shops,” Noah said.

  “Alright…I’ll get back to you,” Ethan ended the call, turning to the computer.

  Chloe wandered through the children’s shop, looking at the little girl with Gwen. “You know he’s investigating you.”

  “Now that’s a surprise,” Gwen said with a laugh. “He’ll find what we want him to find. I’m not concerned. How’re you feeling?”

  “Peaceful,” Chloe put a palm on her stomach. “It’s…I don’t know how to describe it. Not sick…not…moody…Frannie says it’s because of the exercises and healthy things…I think it’s love,” she said softly, looking over at Simon paying for the blanket she’d bought.

  “I’m happy for you,” Gwen hugged her, waving as they left. She scooped up Zoe and hugged her. “We need to go home…and make some dinner.”

  “What’s for dinner?” Zoe asked, her head resting on Gwen’s shoulder. “Can we ride the tiger tomorrow?”

  “I think that would be a most grand idea, Zoe,” Gwen told her with a hug.

  Monday morning Gwen woke to the soft chatter next to her on the bed. Three dolls were seated around Zoe who was reading them a story from one of her new story books, the one Gwen had read her the night before.

  “Good morning,” Gwen said with a stretch, peering at the clock with a soft groan. “Zoe…it’s barely six in the morning. Are you hungry?” She leaned closer, laughing at the quick nod she received. She shoved her legs over the side of the bed and held out her palm, helping Zoe to the floor. “Okay…you run to the bathroom and I’ll go look for some food.”

  For the first time, Zoe ran into the bathroom, the overly quiet, sedate child slowly vanishing, Gwen realized. She sat perched on a stool at the counter when the bright yellow nightgown came running down the hall, curls bouncing and toes bare. She sat patiently while Gwen brushed and divided the curls into two little ponytails, one over each ear.

  “Teeth brushed?” Gwen laughed when she put her teeth together and bared them like a little tiger. "Very pretty. I think we are ready for our day.”

  “What’re we doing today?” Zoe was asking questions more and more, Gwen noticed, relieved and hopeful that Ian was right and there would be no left over effects once her system was clean.

  “I am going to work…and for some of the time, you can be with me,” Gwen explained easily. “For some of the time, I’m going to introduce you to some new family and then…for some of the time, you’re going to play at the play room with other children.

  “Where is Uncle Ethan?” Zoe asked when they were driving, little feet in sneakers crossed beneath her in her seat.

  “I think he’s busy working, Zoe,” Gwen pulled into the underground lot and opened her phone. “Let’s see if he’s around…would you like to talk to him?”

  “I want to say hi to him,” she answered after a minute of thought, watching as Gwen opened the snaps and latches on the car seat.

  “Okay…climb up here with me…” Gwen laughed at the sudden spark of interest in this new adventure, little legs and arms working hard to scramble over the seat. Zoe lay giggling on the passenger seat as they recovered. “That was fun…but we can only do this when we aren’t driving, okay? If the car is moving, you must always stay in your chair, Zoe.”

  “Okay,” she pulled her jean covered legs beneath her, kneeling on the seat and waiting. She watched Gwen pressing buttons on the phone.

  “Good morning, Mr. Collier,” Gwen said politely. “I have someone who would like to say hello to you,” she pressed the speaker button and looked at Zoe. “Go ahead.”

  “Hi, Uncle Ethan!” Burst a bubble of excitement and laughter.

  “Zoe?” Ethan stared at the phone, the light little girl voice coming through his office line.

  “I rode on a tiger, Uncle Ethan. And a el’phant,” she told him, a smile in her words. “I miss you.”

  “Are you having fun, Zoe?” Ethan put two heavy hands on his neck, rubbing tiredly. He’d managed to trace the nanny back to Zoe’s relatives on
her mother’s side. He was still working on the why of it all. His brother and wife left nothing behind for Zoe. There was no reason he could find for anyone to harm the child. But he was still digging.

  “Yes…can you come have fun with us?” Zoe asked quietly. “I like my new hair…Gwen doesn’t hurt me when she brushes it…and it bounces.”

  “I…I will come see you soon, Zoe…promise,” Ethan said evenly, puzzling through how the quiet little girl got under his skin. “Take it off speaker, Miss Paddington. Please.”

  Gwen did as he asked, reaching into the back and pulling the little doll forward for Zoe as she moved the phone to her ear.

  “Mr. Collier. How are the parenting classes coming along?”

  “You know…I was ready to apologize…” He said between clenched teeth.

  “I wouldn’t want you to strain anything, Mr. Collier,” came the soft, feminine giggle. “Zoe asked to say hi to you…I’m not unreasonable.”

  “Unreas…the hell you’re not! You hijacked my kid!”

  “Did you deal with the nanny?”

  “It’s been handled,” he ground out between his teeth, feeling the hackles on his neck at full irritation. “What happened to Zoe?”

  “She’s turning into a normal child. I took her to a physician…”

  “You…the assumptions you’ve taken control of…”

  “I can give you his number,” she interrupted as if he hadn’t spoken. “It’s Ian Sheffield. He’ll let you know exactly…”

  “You know Sheffield?” He demanded in surprise.

  “I’ve known his wife for a long time. Anya was who I initially contacted with my concerns. Ian drew blood and had it analyzed.”

  “What was wrong with her?” He asked immediately, guilt surging through him.

  “A very strong sedative. He believes it was administered daily.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “I’m aware of that,” Gwen said sympathetically.

  “And Anya Miller? Here? With Ian…” he repeated things slowly, his head back and eyes closed. So long ago. “How do you know Anya?”