Just One Kiss: A heartwarming Christmas romance (Whisper Lake Book 4) Read online

  "What does it matter to you?"

  "Well, maybe it doesn't matter to me, but I'm sure it bothers your mom and your brother. I do remember a time when you and your father had a good relationship."

  "That was so long ago I can barely remember." He knew Hannah didn't understand, because he'd never told her why he and his dad no longer got along, and he couldn't tell her now. "Let's talk about our date," he said, changing the subject. "Where do you want to go?"

  "The date is not going to happen any time soon."

  "But you're not getting out of it. We have a deal."

  "I never renege on a deal, but I need to deal with Brett and Kelly first." She stopped abruptly, her gaze filling with worry. He turned and saw who had created so much stress in her eyes. It was Adam. And he was walking purposefully toward them.

  Hannah licked her lips and put a steadying hand on the counter.

  "It's going to be okay," he said quietly.

  "You don't know that."

  She had a point. "You're right, but it's always best to stay positive."

  "Hello, Hannah, Jake," Adam said. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

  Hannah looked over her shoulder at Keira, who clearly sensed something serious was going on.

  "Go," Keira said. "I'll take care of Brett."

  Hannah gave Keira a grateful look and then they followed Adam into a shadowy part of the park away from the carnival. She probably would have preferred to do this without him, but since she hadn't told him to go, he was going to stay close.

  "Have you found my sister?" she asked.

  "Not yet," Adam replied. "But I do know more about her life since she left Whisper Lake fifteen years ago, and I want to fill you in."

  "Okay. What do you know?"

  "Kelly got married five years ago to Travis Hill, an army lieutenant who was killed in action three months after the birth of their son, Brett."

  "Oh, no," she whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. Brett's father was dead. That was terribly sad.

  At her emotional reaction, Jake couldn't help himself. He moved closer, taking her free hand into his, and she let him.

  "Kelly and Brett were living in South Carolina at Fort Jackson when Travis died," Adam continued. "After that, they moved to Florida for a while and then to Colorado Springs eighteen months ago."

  "I can't believe Kelly came back to Colorado," Hannah said. "She always wanted to live by the ocean. I figured she'd ended up at a beach somewhere."

  "She did for a while. When she got to Colorado Springs, she got a job as a checker at a grocery store. I spoke to her boss, Tracy Vaughn. Ms. Vaughn said Kelly was a good worker, and she had no problems with her until about two months ago when she abruptly quit, saying the hours weren't good for her because she was a single mother. She had gotten some work she could do from home and no one at the market saw her again after that. She gave me Kelly's last known address, and I had an officer from the Colorado Springs Police Department check it out. Her landlord said she saw Kelly three weeks ago putting suitcases into her car. She said she was taking a vacation and was headed to New Mexico. The landlord did not see her after that and Kelly missed her rent payment, which was five days later. She has not shown up or returned the landlord's texts, emails or calls. The police officer went into Kelly's apartment with the landlord, and it looked like she'd left in a hurry. There were clothes and toys and food that was rotting in the refrigerator and the cabinets."

  Hannah's fingers tightened around his. Like him, she didn't care for where this story was going.

  "What else?" she asked tightly.

  "The landlord said Kelly had a boyfriend—Russ Miller. He worked as the night manager at the Bentley Hotel. I called the hotel to speak to him, but he disappeared three weeks ago, and no one has seen or heard from him since."

  "The same time as Kelly," he muttered, as Adam's gaze swung to his.

  "Yes," Adam confirmed. "Kelly withdrew $300 from an ATM two days after she was last seen at her apartment. Russ Miller did the same one day later. Neither one has used a credit card since then or accessed their bank accounts. Mr. Miller has not been in contact with his employer."

  "What about the credit card in the name of Kim Slater?" Hannah asked. "The one she used to book our cabin."

  "I contacted Kim Slater. She is one of Kelly's friends from her time in Florida," Adam replied. "She hasn't seen Kelly in over a year. She said Kelly might have been able to access her credit card number from the computer she gave her, but she has the actual card in her purse, and she hasn't paid much attention to it because she just had a baby a few months ago. She did say that Kelly had called a few months ago and mentioned that she was having trouble with a guy."

  "What kind of trouble?" Hannah asked.

  "She said there was a man who was harassing her, but she was handling it. When Kim tried to press her, she just told her to forget she'd said anything."

  "If the boyfriend was harassing Kelly, maybe he's the reason she's on the run," Jake interjected.

  "And why she left Brett with me," Hannah said, turning her head to meet his gaze. "She wanted to put her son somewhere safe. But I still don't know why she didn't go to the police or warned me against doing so." She looked back at Adam. "This Russ Miller doesn't have any ties to the police department, does he?"

  "No. It's still early in the investigation, but from the surface read I did on Mr. Miller, I don't see any link between him and the police. He also has no history of domestic violence or legal problems. I haven't been able to talk to his coworkers yet, but I will be following up with them as well as his neighbors."

  "Maybe Kelly's boyfriend has a relative or a friend that's a cop, someone that he's using to hold over Kelly's head," Hannah suggested.

  Adam shrugged. "Possibly."

  "If Kelly left Colorado Springs three weeks ago," Hannah continued, "and she showed up at our family cabin yesterday, where has she been in between?"

  "She was in Denver two days ago," Adam said. "That's where she rented the car—with Kim Slater's credit card. We've sent out an alert on the license plate."

  "That's good. Do you think Brett is in danger?" Hannah's gaze moved back toward the carnival.

  "I don't know," Adam said. "But my gut tells me that your sister is the one in trouble, and we need to find her as soon as possible."

  Jake's stomach twisted at the somber tone in Adam's voice. And he could feel Hannah's tension as her fingers curled around his once more. She probably didn't even realize she was holding his hand. But he liked the fact that her instinct was to rely on him, to trust him to be there for her.

  "What can I do?" Hannah asked.

  "What you're doing," Adam said. "You're taking care of Brett."

  "I will do that, but I also want to do more."

  "Everything that needs to be done is being done," Adam assured her. "And I'm sorry, Hannah, but this investigation is now on the books. I need the resources of the department and the manpower. I've read Brodie in, and he'll be my right-hand guy on this. There's nothing we want to do more than bring your sister home for Christmas."

  "I would really like that, too," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "Thanks for getting on this so fast, Adam, and working on the weekend."

  "No problem. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything else. And if you hear from Kelly…"

  "I will get in touch with you immediately," she promised.

  Adam smiled and tipped his head. "Exactly the answer I was looking for. Take it easy."

  As Adam walked away, Hannah let out a breath and then suddenly started. She let go of his hand with an awkward look, as if she'd just realized she'd been holding hands with him.

  Clearing her throat, she said, "What do you think, Jake? I don't know what to make of everything Adam just told me. My head is spinning. My sister's life sounds complicated and sad and worrisome. She lost Brett's father. She's moved a couple of times. Now she's apparently on the run, maybe from her boyfriend. And she stole someone's credit card nu
mber. What kind of person is Kelly? Who has she turned into?"

  "She sounds desperate to me, Hannah. And if she stole the credit card to get out of a bad situation and protect her kid…"

  "I know I shouldn't judge her without knowing all the facts, but what I know so far is disturbing. It's also frustrating to have to just wait."

  "I completely understand. But you are doing everything you can to help your sister."

  Hannah frowned, doubt in her eyes. "I feel like I should be looking for her."

  "The police can do that far better than you. And you're doing the most important thing for Kelly. You're taking care of her son."

  "He cannot lose his mother, not after having lost his father. That little boy needs at least one of his parents."

  "Kelly will make it back to him." He tried to infuse as much confidence as he could into his words. "And you can tell me again that I don't actually know that, but I'm still going to keep the faith that that will happen."

  "I want to believe it, too. But sometimes bad things happen, and I need to prepare myself for that."

  She'd been through far worse things in her life than he had, but he also knew there was nothing she could do to prepare. "You can't control the future, Hannah, or even the present. But you can focus on the positive, what Kelly has done right so far. She was smart enough to get Brett to safety. She left him food. She was on top of all that. She's working some plan in her head. Maybe it's a good one, maybe it's not, but she's trying to handle her problem the best way she knows how."

  "That's true," she said slowly. "It's hard to trust in someone I haven't seen in fifteen years. And in my experience, Kelly didn't always make the best decisions. But I will try to think positive, because I have to. Now, I should get back to Brett."

  He fell into step with her as they walked back to the booth. Brett was now not only playing with the dog, but also Chloe's toddler son, Leo, and Gianna's stepdaughter, Hailey. Chloe, Keira, and Gianna were in a very quiet conversation when they approached, and he had a feeling that they were talking about Hannah and him, or maybe just Hannah. They'd all gone to high school together, and there had been a time when all four women had hated his guts, but Chloe, Keira and Gianna had found a way to at least tolerate him and accept that he'd changed for the better.

  "Is everything all right?" Keira asked, her gaze full of concern.

  "Adam is trying to make everything all right," Hannah said, choosing her words carefully.

  Jake didn't think she had to worry about Brett picking up on too much. He was very caught up in the dog and the other kids.

  "Keira has told us a little," Chloe said.

  "Because I only know a little," Keira added.

  "If we can help…" Gianna put in.

  "I will let you all know, and I will fill you in at some point, hopefully when there's more news and it's all good," Hannah replied.

  "We're going to play some games in the arcade," Gianna said. "Can we take Brett with us?"

  "Actually, I'll go, too," Hannah put in. "I could use a break, unless you need me, Keira?"

  "Not at all. I'll be fine. Lizzie and Chelsea are coming in ten minutes to take an hour shift. Go have a little fun."

  As Hannah, Chloe, Gianna and the kids left, he was about to go his own way when Keira said, "Not so fast, Jake."

  "What?" he asked warily.

  "I want to know what's going on."

  "Hannah said she'd fill you in."

  "Not with Kelly. With you and Hannah. When did the cold war end?"

  He grinned. "Last night, thanks to a flat tire."

  "It's quite a fast turnaround."

  "But a long time coming."

  "So you're friends now?"

  "That might be stretching it a bit, but I'm hoping to keep going down this path."

  "There's nothing I would like more than to not have to watch the two of you shoot daggers at each other."

  "That's Hannah, not me. I'm on the receiving end of those daggers."

  "True. But you earned every one of them, Jake. And I don't want you to hurt her again. Whatever you have in mind, you better think long and hard about it," Keira warned. "Or you'll have me to deal with, and I won't be throwing imaginary daggers."

  "I get it. And you can believe me when I say the last thing I want to do is hurt Hannah."

  She gave him an assessing look. "Okay. But you do know there's a good chance she could hurt you, right? Our Hannah doesn't forgive or forget—not easily anyway."

  "Well, I don't like it when things are too easy. I'll see you around." Despite his cocky words, Keira's words rang through his head as he left the booth.

  Was he chasing an impossible dream? Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

  Chapter Ten

  Hannah had just finished making Brett breakfast Sunday morning when her doorbell rang. She was surprised and tense when she walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. If it was Adam, it could be bad or good news. But it wasn't Adam; it was Jake, and while she was still surprised, the tension was much, much different.

  "Good morning," he said with a smile that immediately sent butterflies through her stomach.

  "What are you doing here?"

  "I'm picking you and Brett up." He waved his hand toward his truck.

  "To do what?"

  "Go sledding. We're all meeting at Northstar for sledding, tubing, snowman building… Gianna set it up last week. Don't you remember?"

  She frowned. She'd completely forgotten that Gianna had set up a group outing for today. "I don't think I can go."

  "Why not?"

  "I have Brett."

  "Hailey and Leo will be there. It's a family-friendly day. You were planning to go, weren't you? Or were you waiting to see if I'd be showing up?" he challenged.

  "You really don't factor into my decisions, Jake." She was beginning to realize how petty she'd been when it came to Jake. She was a little disappointed in herself. But that didn't mean she wanted to spend the day with him. While he might not be her mortal enemy anymore, she didn't really know what else she wanted him to be. Even now, she was feeling far too many tingles just standing a few feet away from him. And she still had to get through that date she promised him, which she planned on putting off as long as possible.

  "Prove it," he said. "Come to the snow park with me."

  "I don't have to prove anything to you."

  He sighed, as if she were the most trying person in the world. "Everything is such a battle with you, Hannah. It will be fun. What else are you going to do? Sit around and worry about Kelly?"

  He had a point. She didn't know what else she was going to do, but she would drive herself crazy and probably Brett, too, if she stuck around the house all day. "Fine, I'll go," she said slowly. "In fact, this could be our date."

  Jake immediately shook his head. "No way. That's the two of us alone for a meal and at least one hour of conversation. Where's Brett?"

  "He's having some oatmeal."

  "Is that why it smells like cinnamon?"

  "Maybe. But don't get too excited. It's out of a box."

  "Any extra?"

  "You seriously want oatmeal?"

  "I seriously do," he said with a laugh, as he walked into the house and headed for the kitchen.

  As soon as Brett saw Jake, he jumped out of his chair to give Jake a hug, reminding her of how good Jake had been with the kids waiting to see Santa. He'd always loved working with children—something she'd forgotten about him. Back when they were teenagers, he'd volunteered to coach youth leagues in football, soccer, and basketball, and he'd always been great with his little brother. If Paul had ever needed anything, Jake had been right there, even if it was just to tell him a silly joke or make him smile.

  In fact, they'd often bonded over the fact that they both had younger siblings to look out for. Tyler and Paul had only been a year apart in age, and there had been more than a few times when they'd taken them out for pizza. Unfortunately, Paul had been sick for several years so more act
ive sports like snowboarding or sledding had been out of the question. But Jake hadn't cared. He'd willingly give up a more extreme adventure if Paul could join for something less strenuous. That caring trait had been one of the reasons she'd fallen for him in the first place. That, and the fact that he was really good-looking, funny and charming.

  She frowned, telling herself not to get carried away. He'd had a few bad traits, too—one, in particular. He couldn't be trusted.

  But once again she was going back into the past, and it was time to stop doing that. She moved over to the stove and spooned some oatmeal into a bowl, added some fresh blueberries, and set it down on the table in front of Jake.

  He put his heavy coat around the back of his chair and took a seat, giving her a really sexy smile, his gaze filled with a promise of pleasure that he'd never failed to deliver on. But that pleasure was not happening now…or ever, she told herself firmly.

  "You're not eating?" he asked, as she sat down at the table and sipped her coffee.

  "I already ate." She turned to Brett. "Do you want anything else?"

  "No. When is Mommy coming to get me?"

  "I'm not sure, but we're going to have fun today." She put a bright smile on her face. "We're going to play in the snow and ride a sled. Would you like that?"

  Brett gave a vigorous nod of his head. "When are we going?"

  "Very soon. Why don't you see if you can use the bathroom before we leave?"

  Brett slid off his chair and ran out of the room.

  "Has he been asking about his mother a lot?" Jake enquired.

  "A couple of times this morning. But he had fun at the carnival last night, and I'm sure the snow park will distract him today."

  "It will. I'm surprised you forgot about it."

  "I've had a lot on my mind."

  "I know. I'm sure you've been thinking about Kelly nonstop."

  "I have. I tried to ask Brett a few questions, but he was no help. I asked him if his mom had a friend. And he told me her friend was a purple unicorn, who flew into the sky."

  Jake smiled. "Sounds like a fun friend."

  "He also told me that he's going to ride an alligator in the summer, his mom is getting him a horse, and his teacher, Miss Lane, has red hair like mine."