Chapter 3
“The boys were here a few minutes ago,” Annie says as she scans the room. “Honey, when was the last time you saw them?”
Jake heaves himself up onto his feet. “They came racing out of the kitchen and into the foyer. I imagine they’re upstairs getting into trouble.” He heads to the foyer. “I’ll go check.”
Mom and Bridget walk into the great room from the kitchen.
“It’s baby time!” Bridget says as she steals Henry from me. Mom picks up Hazel.
“My dreams have come true,” Bridget says as she gazes down at her newest grandson. “With seven kids of our own, Calum and I figured we were bound to have more than a few grandkids.”
Calum and Dominic come inside through the back door, each carrying an armload of wood for the fireplace. They’re both bundled up, and their heads and shoulders are covered with snow.
“This should last us through the night,” Calum says as he lays the logs he’s carrying on the iron rack. He shudders as he removes his hat. “The temperature’s really dropping fast out there. I hope Hannah and Killian get here soon. I’m afraid they might get snowed in at the airport.”
“It’s two degrees out there,” Lia chimes in. “Colder than a witch’s—”
“Thank you, dear,” Bridget says, cutting off her youngest daughter. “We get the picture.”
“I was going to say nose,” Lia says with an innocent look on her face. “Colder than a witch’s nose in the Klondike.”
“Sure, you were,” Dominic says as he lays more logs on the iron rack.
Jake returns to the great room with a frown on his face. “They’re not upstairs. I checked our rooms and yours,” he says to me.
“Who’s not upstairs?” Bridget asks.
“The boys.” Jake props his hands on his hips, his expression thoughtful. “How long has it been since you last saw them?” he asks Annie.
“I saw them both in the kitchen about twenty minutes ago. Luke followed Aiden out of the kitchen.”
“I saw them run into the foyer,” Lia says. “Maybe they went downstairs to play in the arcade.”
“The pool’s down there!” Bridget says, sounding alarmed.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “Shane put electronic locks on all the pool doors now that there are so many kids in the house. They can’t access the pool without an adult.”
“We’ll go check downstairs,” Lia says with a sigh as she grabs Jonah’s hand and pulls him along with her.
A few minutes later, Lia and Jonah return to the great room.
“We searched the entire lower level,” Jonah reports. “The arcade, the movie theater, and the pool room. They’re not down there.”
“I’ll double-check our rooms,” I say as I rush off to the stairs. I check our bedroom as well as the attached kids’ room, but Luke’s not there. Ava is stirring, though, so I get her out of her crib, quickly change her diaper, and bring her back downstairs with me.
Just as I rejoin the others, Shane walks through the kitchen door.
He’s bundled up in a heavy winter coat, gloves, and a black knit ski mask.
He whips off the hat. “It’s a complete white-out,” he says as he stomps his boots.
“And it’s cold as hell. Hopefully we’ll hear from Hannah soon.
Their flight landed. They should be on their way here. ”
“Shane.” I strive to keep my voice even. “We can’t find the boys.”
His gaze snaps to me, then to Annie. “When did you last see them?”
“They came through here about thirty minutes ago,” Annie says.
“Jake checked upstairs,” I say. “Lia and Jonah checked the lower level. I checked our rooms. There’s no sign of them.”
Jake returns to the great room. “Their winter gear is missing from the coat closet.”
Shane swallows a curse. “It’s a blizzard outside. Visibility is less than ten feet now.” Grimacing, he pulls his ski mask back on. “I’ll look out front.”
Dominic, who’s still wearing his coat and hat, says, “I’ll check out back to make sure they didn’t head down toward the lake.”
Suddenly, everyone who’s not holding a baby races into the foyer and bundles up to face the storm outside.
While they’re getting dressed, the front door opens and in walk Hannah and Killian, dressed for the weather.
“Hey, everyone!” Hannah says as she whips off her scarf and hat. “Sorry we’re late. Our flight was delayed.” She gets a good look at all of our expressions. “What’s wrong?”
“We can’t find Luke and Aiden,” I say. “We think they might have gone outside.”
“In this?” Hannah asks, shocked. “Are you kidding?” She grabs Killian’s coat sleeve. “Come on. Let’s go find some kids.” And the two of them head right back out the door into the blustery cold.
I follow Shane to the front door. I don’t say anything, but I imagine he can read the concern on my face.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find them,” he says. “They can’t have gone far. There’s at least a foot of snow out there. That’ll slow them down.”
I know they’ll find them, but I can’t help panicking inside. My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes. My baby’s outside in this weather. He’s probably scared to death.
“Hey.” Shane pulls me into his arms and cups the back of my head as he murmurs into my hair. “Just sit tight. We’ll find them.”
Swallowing past the painful knot in my throat, I wipe my wet cheeks and nod.
“All right, let’s go,” Shane says. “Everyone pair up and spread out. If anyone finds them, bring them back here and sound one of the car horns five times as a signal for everyone to return to the house.”
The men—all except for Jamie—plus Lia, Jasmine, and Hannah, head out to search for the boys.
I watch out the window as the adults disperse from the house, splitting up to search in different directions.
They all disappear from view in seconds.
Because of the storm, I can’t see anything beyond the front porch.
This property consists of thirty acres, most of which is woods. With the blowing snowfall and the waning light, it would be easy for anyone to get turned around and disoriented, let alone two young kids.
My chest tightens at the thought of Luke outside in this weather. I’m sure he’s cold, probably miserable, and now he’s undoubtedly frightened. Probably Aiden is, too.
My mom joins me at the window and lays her hand on my back. “Don’t worry, darling. They’ll find them. They couldn’t have gotten far.”
“I don’t even know if he’s got his hat and mittens with him, and his scarf.” I check the coat closet to see if he left some of his winter gear behind, but I don’t see any. I guess that’s a good sign.
Annie walks up beside me, holding Emerly in her arms. The toddler, with her thumb in her mouth, is laying her head on her mother’s shoulder. I don’t think Aiden’s little sister understands what’s going on, but I think she senses the adults’ unease.
Annie slips her free arm around my waist. “Don’t worry. They’ll find them.”
Dominic stomps into the foyer, his boots covered in snow. “There are no tracks leading away from the back of the house. They didn’t go toward the lake.”
“Thank God,” Bridget says.
Dominic reaches for the front door handle. “I’ll go join the search,” he says grimly.
My chest tightens.
Luke and Aiden, please be all right.
* * *
After a while and hearing no news, Mom and Bridget coax us all into returning to the great room to sit by the fire while we wait. I can’t relax. My pulse is racing, and my anxiety levels are through the roof. All I can think about is Luke.
Finally, I can’t sit still another moment. I stand and hand Ava to my mom. “I’m going to look out front and see if I can spot anyone.”
When I reach the front windows in the foyer, Annie walks up beside me and lays a gentle hand on my back. I almost laugh because she’s comforting me when she’s pregnant, and I should be the one comforting her.
“It won’t be long now,” she says as she peers into the whiteout. “They’ll find them.”
Elly joins us. “I’ve got some hot chocolate ready for the boys. They’ll need something to warm them up.”
My face is hot and damp from the tears that I can’t seem to stop.
We stare out into the vast blanket of snow, unable to see anything past the front porch. They could be on their way back here right now and we’d never know until they were right at the door.
I jump when I hear heavy footsteps on the wooden porch. Two large dark shadows appear out of the blowing snow. It takes me a moment to realize it’s Shane holding Luke securely in his arms, and Jake is right beside him, holding tightly onto Aiden’s hand.
Elly jumps to open the door, and the two dads with their precious cargo walk inside.
My heart slams into my chest when I hear Luke sniffling.
“He’s okay,” Shane says to me. “He’s just cold and scared.”
I remove Luke’s winter outerwear and check him over. He’s unharmed, but his face is red and his ice cold cheeks are streaked with tears. He reaches for me, and Shane hands him over. Luke wraps his arms and legs around me and clutches me tightly, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
“I’ll signal to the others that we found them,” Shane says as he darts back outside.
A moment later, we hear five blasts of a car horn, and shortly afterward, the rest of the searchers return to the house.
Annie removes Aiden’s scarf and cups his bright red face. “Your cheeks are like ice, honey.” She skims him from head to toe. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
Aiden looks on the verge of tears as he shakes his head. “No. Just c-c-c-cold.” His teeth are chattering. “We got lost in the woods, Mom. We couldn’t find our way back to the house.”
Jake reaches down to ruffle Aiden’s hair. “It’s okay, buddy. You’re safe now.” He pulls the boy into his arms. “No more adventuring during blizzards, okay? Promise me.”
Aiden nods, his lips quivering as he tries not to cry. “I promise.”
“Bring them in by the fire,” Elly says as she motions for us to follow her. “I’ve got some hot chocolate ready.”
Shane peels Luke off me and carries him through the foyer into the great room. Annie leads Aiden by the hand. While Aiden’s not crying, he’s still visibly upset.
After the boys are seated side by side on one of the sofas, Shane and Jake stand in front of them, hands on their hips, their expressions hard as they present an intimidating wall of testosterone. Now that the danger is over, it’s time for some discipline.
Luke tears up again. “Are we in trouble?” he asks in a quiet voice. His gaze goes from Shane to me.
“What do you think?” Shane asks him, not relaxing an inch.
Even though Shane and Jake are clearly not happy with their sons, the other adults in the room are struggling not to laugh at the situation.
“We’re really sorry,” Aiden says as he gazes up at Jake. Then he looks at Shane. “It’s my fault, Uncle Shane, not Luke’s. I told him he could come outside with me.”
“And who said you could go outside?” Jake asks his son.
“Well.” Aiden swallows heavily. “You did. Sort of.”
Jake’s eyes widen in surprise. “How do you figure that?”
“You said if the snow lets up we could go outside.”
Jake points toward the big picture windows at the back of the room. “Does that snow look like it’s letting up?”
Aiden winces. “No, sir.”
“You two could have gotten hurt out there,” Jake says. “Luke could have gotten hurt.”
That seems to hit Aiden harder than anything else. His big brown eyes tear up as he glances at his younger cousin sitting beside him. He reaches for Luke’s hand. “I’m sorry, Luke.”
“Are we in trouble?” Luke asks again, his gaze going from his uncle to his father.
Shane gazes back at me as he tries to hide his expression from the boys. He’s pressing his lips together, and I can tell he’s trying not to laugh. It’s really not a laughing matter—they could have gotten hurt, but the looks on both boys’ faces is priceless.
Elly walks in from the kitchen holding two big mugs. “How about some nice hot chocolate to warm you up?”
She hands each boy a mug, and they hold them with both hands, obviously enjoying the warmth.
Luke peers down at his and smiles. “Little marshmallows.” Then he glances up at me and asks, “Can I drink it?”
I have to force myself not to smile back. “Yes, you can.”
He takes a sip of his hot chocolate. “Mmm. Thank you, Ms. Elly. It’s yummy.”
Aiden looks to Jake for permission to drink his. Jake sighs as he says, “Go ahead.”
Elly returns from the kitchen pushing a cart holding a large stainless steel beverage dispenser, a number of mugs, and a bag of mini marshmallows. “I’ve got enough for everyone,” she says.
When Shane asks me if I want some, I shake my head. “No thanks.” I’m still shaken by the events of this afternoon. All’s well that ends well, sure. But this situation could have ended very differently.
Lia turns the Christmas music back on. Now that the danger has passed, we have a chance to visit with Hannah and Killian. We haven’t seen them since their wedding in Bryce.
“If I’d known we were going to encounter missing persons,” Hannah says with a laugh, “I would have brought Scout. He’s quite the expert tracker now.”
“Who’s taking care of your dog?” Aiden asks.
“Scout is staying with our friends Gabrielle and John while we’re gone.”
“I wish you brought him,” Aiden says. “I like dogs.”
Hannah glances up at Jake. “Maybe you should invest in a guardian dog. Maybe a Great Pyrenees.” She nods toward Aiden. “Does he wander off often?”
“Only in blizzards,” Jake says with a wry expression. “Normally, he’s easy enough to find.” Jake turns back to face the boys. “I don’t think I need to say this, but no going outside anymore without an adult. Got it?”
Aiden nods as he swallows some hot chocolate. “Yes, sir.”
Luke says, “Yes, Uncle Jake.” And then he smiles as he takes a sip of his hot chocolate.