The Baby Battle by Laura Marie Altom Read Free Book Online

wallet.” After writing her signature on the check, Olivia handed it over with a flourish.
    The sitter gasped. Her hand was back over her chest. “This is too much.”
    Giving the older woman a hug, trying not to cry, Olivia said, “You take wonderful care of Flynn. You’re a part of the family. So quit complaining and do somethingoutrageously nice for yourself, okay?” When the older woman frowned, Olivia added, “Please.”
    “All right,” Mrs. Troyer said, “but I’m not happy about it.”
    “You will be with that new bag hanging from your shoulder.”
    The older woman laughed. “You’re probably right, but seeing how I’m old enough to be your mother, it’s my duty to tell you to be careful with your money.”
    “I will,” Olivia said, ushering her friend to the front door. She wished she could let her in on her plan, but knew it was for the best if she didn’t. “I love you,” she said with one more sentimental hug. “You really do mean the world to Flynn and me.”
    “Gracious, girl, you act like you’re never going to see me again. We’re only talking a few days, aren’t we?”
    “Sure,” Olivia said, avoiding eye contact with the woman while trying to get her out the door. Time was ticking on her six-o’clock deadline. “I’ll call you just as soon as I head back to work.”
    Ten more precious minutes ticked by before finally Olivia was on her own. After a quick check on her son to find him still sleeping, she ran to her room.
    Taking her largest suitcase from the closet, she tossed it onto the bed, then scooped clothes from her dresser, not caring if any of them matched. After tossing in toiletries and her best jewelry, which, worst-case scenario, if it came down to it she wouldn’t hesitate to sell, she zipped the bag closed and wheeled it to the garage, crammingit into the trunk of her silver Mercedes sedan alongside Flynn’s stroller.
    Next she took the empty laundry basket from the laundry room and piled it high with baby food. Into a large plastic tub she’d been saving for reorganizing the hall closet went Flynn’s bath seat and toys and all the diapers she had on hand. Last, she took another suitcase from her room and tiptoed into the nursery. Into the case she tossed everything from warm winter clothes to summer gear and even a tiny bathing suit that had been a baby shower gift. At this point Olivia had no idea how long she’d be gone, or even where she was going. All she knew was that no one was taking her son.
    Her entire adult life had been dedicated to studying and following the law. But today her faith in the system had been shaken to its core. Everything she thought she believed in had been flipped upside down, until now all that remained was the voice screaming inside her to run.
     
    F OUR HOURS LATER the tires of Olivia’s car crunched on the gravel drive of an Ozark mountain resort she’d once stayed at for a business retreat. The trip organizer had received a lot of flak from the legal team. The place was a far cry from the usual five-star establishments most of the firm’s attorneys were used to, but Olivia had fallen for the log cabins’ rustic charm and the way the dense deciduous forest glowed with late-afternoon sun. Even though the branches were now bare, in her mind’s eyeshe remembered how lovely the area had been in the colorful fall of her last visit.
    “Okay, cutie, time to wake up.” Though Olivia knew it would be a long night with Flynn having slept so much during the afternoon, she’d been glad for the peaceful ride. The only stops she’d made had been at her bank for cash, and at a gas station.
    The resort was deep in the hills halfway between Branson, Missouri, and Eureka Springs. For the first time in days her shoulders didn’t feel knotted. This far from home, she was safe. Flynn couldn’t be taken from her if Tag couldn’t find him.
    Outside the car she stretched, dragging in deep, calming breaths of the chilly mountain air. Night was