Together With You by Victoria Bylin Page A

reached for a sparrow and fallen to the ground. With his heart in his throat, he pushed the lacy curtains aside, checked the screen, and breathed a sigh when he saw the latches securely fastened.
    He checked his own room next. It only took a minute, because it was military neat. Orderliness had been trained into him, which made the messiness of Penny’s mind even more of a mystery to him.
    Next he surveyed Eric’s room, a mess beyond description.
    Then Kyle’s room, a relaxed assortment of clothes, books, and sports posters on the walls.
    Ryan checked the bathrooms, the linen closet, even the door to the crawl space over the living room. There were a thousand hiding places in the big old house, and Ryan knew every one of them. He’d grown up here and had spent hours exploring and making up games. If he hadn’t become a doctor, he would have been a marine biologist exploring exotic islands. Instead, he followed in his father’s footsteps, rebelling only enough to become an ophthalmologist instead of a neurosurgeon.
    With Penny missing, he wished he’d become anything but what he was—a failure as a husband and father, a jaded cynic, a prisoner to mistakes he couldn’t fix. Even worse, Penny was a prisoner, too, a prisoner who’d escaped and needed to be found for her own safety.
    He thudded down the front stairs to check the first floor, including the nanny quarters on the far side of the house. As his foot hit the tiled entry hall, the doorbell rang. Maybe a neighbor had found Penny. Or maybe it was a police officer with horrible news.
    In that blink between hope and certainty, Ryan stared down the abyss of utter helplessness. He wished he could pray like his mother and Fran or sing “Amazing Grace” like Carly, but his only comfort was the randomness of fate. With his chest tight, he opened the door. Instead of a neighbor with Penny or a police officer, he came face-to-face with Denise, all smiles and holding a stuffed kangaroo as tall as Penny.
    â€œPretty cool, isn’t it?” She held the toy out for him to admire. “I picked it up in Sydney last week. Penny’s going to love it.”
    â€œUh—” Ryan froze.
    Denise tipped her head. “I know I’m early. Is this a bad time?”
    â€œNo. Yes. I mean . . . uh . . .” He was stammering. Ryan never stammered.
    With her hair tight in a bun, Denise exuded the calm authorityof someone accustomed to being in control. That authority was well deserved. A few years ago, she had been in a fiery crash landing and saved a hundred lives. The heroine of the day, she’d been interviewed on all the major networks.
    Maybe she could work that magic to find Penny. “Come in,” he said, steadier now. “I’m in the middle of another nanny problem.”
    She let out a huff. “So what happened this time?”
    â€œIn spite of great references, today’s nanny fell asleep on the couch. Penny’s hiding somewhere.”
    â€œHiding?” Denise’s perfectly shaped brows pulled into crooked lines. “Does that mean you can’t find her?”
    With each word, her voice hit a new high in volume and tone. Ryan wanted to plead the Fifth Amendment but settled for dodging the question like a bad politician. “It means we’re looking for her.”
    Kangaroo in hand, Denise called up the front stairwell. “Penny, it’s Aunt DeeDee. I have a present for you.”
    Daring to hope, he listened for footsteps pounding down the stairs.
    Nothing.
    â€œPenny?” Denise called again. When there was no reply, she marched down the hall to the kitchen, set the kangaroo on the floor, whirled around, and stared at Ryan with the authority of a Supreme Court judge. “I want to know exactly what happened.”
    â€œPenny likes to run off. It’s some sort of game. I’ll tell you more after we find her.”
    Denise snatched her phone