Someone to calm me the hell down so I can think straight. If I’m not thinking, I can’t find my daughter.
I’m standing in front of the barn with my phone in my hand and Haley’s name pulled up, about to call her, when she drives up to the barn.
“Emerson just texted me about Lulu.” Her eyes are filled with worry as she steps out of her car. “How can I help?”
She’s wearing a hoodie that says Montana across the chest, skinny jeans, and pale blue sneakers. Her blue eyes and cat-eye glasses highlight her usual makeup-free face. She’s never looked more beautiful, and I wrap my arms around her instantly.
“Thanks for coming. I was just about to call you.”
I step back, finally taking a deep breath.
Just seeing Haley soothes me. Touching her helps even more.
She puts her hand on my arm. “I’m so sorry, Liam. Tell me the story of how we got here.”
I fill her in on the picnic lunch with Cathy.
Haley snaps her fingers immediately.
I look at her in surprise.
“You already have an idea?”
Her eyes light up. “For sure. The barn.”
I take a breath. “She’s not in the barn. I checked, and so did Cathy.”
But Haley is half-running toward the barn now. “Remember I told you how Lulu and I played in one of the stalls yesterday?” she says as I hustle next to her.
“Yeah. I checked the stalls though. All of them.”
“Not all of them I bet. The one Lulu found is tucked away behind Luke’s office. It’s empty except for hay. Loads of hay.”
She’s running now—through the barn and past all the stalls I already checked. She ignores Luke’s office entirely and rounds the corner to the very end of the barn.
“I didn’t even know this space was here,” I say. “It looks like it’s nothing from the front.”
“I know.” The door is closed, but Haley pushes it open with her foot.
We peek inside the stall.
No one.
My heart sinks.
But Haley steps inside until she’s thigh-deep in hay. She moves the hay aside carefully while calling Lulu’s name.
As she moves another section of hay, I spot a little pink backpack.
“Christ.” I step inside and pick up the backpack. “This is hers.”
Haley is all the way at the back of the stall now, and she brushes away the hay in the far back corner to reveal a sleeping Lulu.
I lunge forward and put my hand on her back. She’s breathing just fine.
“I think her head was above the hay,” Haley whispers. “We couldn’t see her because of her blond hair blending in, but she wasn’t suffocating.”
I scoop Lulu up in my arms and cradle her against my chest.
