Pick and Choose (Heroes To The Core #4)

Chapter 1

Cut And Run

Exhaustion pulled at Olivia Gonzalez like an anchor, and that was dangerous. She couldn’t afford to make a mistake. Not when it wasn’t only her life on the line.

That other life was making her presence known in the back seat. Ella Mae might only be eighteen months old, but her personality was big enough to fill the car and occasionally the surrounding area.

Ella’s wail made Olivia sigh even as she smiled at the little girl tucked tightly into her car seat. Poor kiddo. She needed to get out and move around for a while, even if there was snow on the ground.“I know, Ella Mae. We need a break. We’re almost at the next town. We’ll take a break there.”

And maybe find a place to stay, a place to be. At the very least, a place to get a good night’s sleep. Not that Ella Mae always slept through. The little girl’s dreams woke her crying at times, and it broke Olivia’s heart.

Surely a town named Phail in the middle of Vermont had to be safe. The name called for laughter and silliness. “What do you think, Ella Mae? Is a town named Phail a good place to start our new life?”

She’d have to wait and see. Nothing had felt right so far. “I’ll keep you safe, Ella Mae. I promised, and I always keep my promises.”

Her first view of the town was the I-Phail tower, and it made her smile. She slowed as she entered the downtown area.

Businesses along the street sported mini-Christmas trees on their stoops, all of them decorated in white and red. It was a coordinated look that belonged in some of the movies her friend Mary Mae had loved.

Olivia slowed Rust Bucket and pulled into a parking lot beside Phail Way Park. Phail definitely had a sense of humor.

“Okay, Ella Mae, we’re going to have some fun in the snow.”

She hoped using the name repeatedly would help reinforce her new identity for the little girl. She was too young to protest a name change but Olivia hoped going from Bella to Ella Mae wasn’t too confusing for her.

Olivia was confused enough herself. Adding her pen name meant that she had three names. She had to remember which one to use, which one to respond to when it was called, and how to avoid reacting to anyone calling her Carmen Hall. That name could cost them everything.

“We’ll do it, Ella Mae. We’ll get used to it all soon enough. When we find a place, it’ll be easier again.”

She needed a place where she could work at least part-time. Her books sold pretty well, but publishing was a roller coaster, and she never knew when the bottom would drop out of the market. Her dragons and their brucan friends might not be popular forever.

Ella Mae waved her arms and legs when Olivia opened the rear door of the old Focus. “Are you ready to play in the snow? We’re going to have to put on some layers before I set you free.”

Dressing the squirmy toddler in the back seat was always a challenge.

It took three times longer than it should, but finally Ella wore her snow suit, boots, and mittens with a scarf tucked under the suit so that it didn’t catch on to anything and choke her.

“We’re learning, Ella Mae. We’re going to be experts at all this stuff before too long. Up you come.”

She hefted the girl and grabbed her keys before locking her car, better known as Rust Bucket, and rechecking her surroundings. No one appeared to be paying them any attention. There was no traffic, so she crossed to the park and walked into the expanse of snow.

New York had its share of snow, but this blanket of white in late November was a new experience. In her arms, Ella Mae squealed and clapped her hands, squirming to get down.

Olivia laughed. “I know. It’s pretty and exciting. Let’s go over to that bench and explore from there.”

Once they reached the bench, Olivia brushed as much snow off the seat as she could with one hand. The bench would be handy for Ella to use as a balance check. She wasn’t steady yet, and she’d appreciate the assistance.

Olivia didn’t need a wet butt and had no intention of sitting. Stretching out her body after driving for a few hours felt great. As did the crisp air that wasn’t marred by even the slightest breeze.

Olivia set the girl on her feet beside the bench. Ella ignored it and plopped right to her butt to stick her mittens in the snow.

Laughing, Olivia stretched her arms wide and arched her back. They’d been driving all over New England for days, and her body wasn’t happy.

She didn’t think Adam Parsons could follow her trail, especially with her new name, but she hadn’t wanted to take any chances. Ella’s safety was paramount.

Without any sign of pursuit, she’d decided it was time to look for a place where they could settle and start building a life.

Was Vermont too close to New York? Would Adam even think of looking in small towns, or would he assume Olivia would relocate to a different part of the city like she’d done in the past?

Ella Mae squealed and scooped up some snow on her mitten.

When she brought it close to her mouth, Olivia squatted beside her and gently stopped the motion.

“Sorry sweetie, but you shouldn’t eat the snow.

It’s probably not pollution-filled like in the city but leaving it out of your mouth is still good practice. .

Ella Mae pouted and Olivia held in her smile. “You’re cute enough to be a manipulator, but I’m staying firm on this. You’ll grow up to be strong and resilient, but you’ll also learn that sometimes you won’t like the rules. They’re meant to keep you safe.”

Olivia knew she wasn’t simply talking about snow now. Even with no one close enough to hear her words, she wasn’t saying anything that would put this precious little girl at risk.

“You’re going to have a wonderful life, Ella Mae Gonzalez. You’re going to make the world a better place just like your mama wanted.”

“Come on, Dad. We haven’t even passed a car in like ten minutes. No one would know. It’ll be fine.”

Nash Cooper glanced in the rear-view mirror. His boy was old enough not to need a booster seat anymore, but the fact that he wasn’t old enough to sit in the front annoyed the ten-year-old. He’d been complaining for days that the view from the rear seat sucked. “Nice try bud, but it’s still a no.”

Charlie sighed dramatically making Nash grin. When he glanced in the mirror again, Charlie smiled back. “It was worth a try.”

This kid. He looked so like his mom that it nearly ripped Nash’s heart from his chest. There’d been complications during the birth, and she’d only lived long enough to hold her beautiful baby for moments.

He was glad she’d had that. Charlotte had been born to be a mom. She’d wanted a whole brood, but the pregnancy had been challenging. Then things got worse.

Nash blinked away the emotion and the memories. It might have been over a decade, but losing the love of his life was never not going to hurt. He’d mostly learned to live with the ache.

Their bright, happy son made it easier, even when he whined.

On cue, Charlie piped up. “Are we there yet?”

When Nash shot him a look in the mirror, the kid cracked up. “The last sign we passed said we’ve got less than five miles before we get to Phail. If we drive a mile a minute, we should almost be there. Are we still stopping in the town first?”

Nash nodded. “We are. I don’t want to arrive on their doorstep without a full load of food and supplies. You eat like a polar bear.”

Charlie laughed. “I’m not eating raw seal.”

“Chicken.”

“Yep, I’ll take chicken before raw seal any day.”

Laughing, Nash pointed ahead. “I see signs of Phail.”

Charlie leaned forward even as he scrunched up his face. “Don’t these people realize how that sounds? It sounds like you’re saying you see signs of failing.”

“I agree. But Phail is my buddy Troy’s last name, and his ancestors settled the town.”

“Maybe we can tell him to change it.”

Nash laughed. “Probably not the best thing to suggest when you first meet him.”

Charlie grinned. “Probably not. He’s the friend who lives in town, right? Not on our apple farm?”

Nash’s heart warmed. His kid was amazing. They hadn’t even arrived, and he was already saying our farm. “Right. You met the other guys on video chat the other day. Do you remember their names?”

Charlie frowned. “I think so. Gray, Knox, and Dodge?”

Nash laughed. “Yep. But Dodge’s real name is Ford.”

“I wonder what they’ll give me for a call sign when I join the army?”

Nash could almost hear Charlotte protesting from the beyond.

She’d never been a fan of Nash being in the army.

It was one of the reasons he’d been considering not re-upping.

Then she’d died, and the choice had been accelerated.

He would do anything for their son, and staying stateside had been an easy choice. And the right one.

He hoped moving from Florida to Vermont would be the same.

They passed the I-Phail tower and Phail Fire Hall. He slowed when they reached the business district of the town, which was a whole two intersections after the Welcome to Phail, where we Succeed sign.

Charlie’s neck craned from one side to the other as he read off the names of the businesses. “Doc’s. The Saloon. Phail General. Phail Central. No Fail Diner. Phail Phoods.”

His son was cackling by the time he finished reading them all. “I guess they like the name. I don’t think they’re going to want to change it.”

Nash parked in the lot near Phail Phoods and across from Phail Way Park. “I think you’re right. They’re obviously okay having fun with the name.”

“The whole park is covered with snow. It’s like a quilt. I can’t wait to touch it and make a snowball. Maybe even a snowman. Can we check it out before we grab the food?”

Nash nodded as they climbed out of the car. “Sure can. We’ll grab our jackets and mittens from the back. Change into our boots, too.”

He opened the trunk’s tailgate, and soon they wore their winter gear. Charlie grinned. “I feel like a snowman. The jacket’s so puffy. We’d melt like Frosty if we wore this back in Florida.”

Florida, not home.

Since Charlie’s best buddy had left the country, he’d been droopy. He wasn’t a kid who surrounded himself with friends. While he was friendly, he preferred a small circle of people he was close with. Losing Maribel meant he no longer wanted to go to school, and had no best pal to eat lunch with.

That had been the motivating factor in this move.

Nash would do anything for his kid. A fresh start seemed in order.

And with his buddies asking him to come and start up some cider making on their apple farm, it was a good fit.

He figured Charlie would take to living on a farm in a heartbeat.

He also figured it wouldn’t take much longer than that before he started begging for a dog.

Once they crossed the quiet street, Charlie dashed through the snow, kicking it up in huge drifts before leaning down to touch it.

He whipped off one mitten and picked up some with his hand. His grin widened as he squished it and watched it melt from his body heat.

He laughed and did it again. Then he scooped up more and formed a ball. It only took him a couple of tries to perfect the technique.

With a wide grin, Charlie turned to his dad. “Catch.” He tossed the snow to Nash. The ball exploded when Nash grabbed it, making them both laugh.

Soon, they were tossing snowballs to each other and laughing like loons. It made Nash’s heart swell and settle at the same time. There was nothing better in his world than watching his kid laugh. Made him feel like maybe he wasn’t screwing it all up.

Being both parents was tough, but he’d do anything for Charlie. Nash had worked with many teams in his time, but being a team with his kid was the most satisfying.

They got better at making the snowballs and the tosses became throws. Well-targeted throws meant to leave a mark of shame on anyone who couldn’t make the catch.

It was a blast. Their move to Vermont was starting on a high note.

“Can we make a snowman, Dad? Do you think anyone will mind?”

Nash laughed. “I don’t think anyone will mind. Do you know how to make a snowman?”

Charlie shrugged. “We’ll figure it out.”

And they did, rolling the snow into a larger and larger ball. Then rolling another one.

When they finished the second one, Charlie frowned. “I think we should have planned better. The big snowball is way over there. Now we have to carry this one over.”

Nash realized his son was right. “Okay, put your back into it.” Together, they stumbled over the field and nearly dropped the ball three times before plopping it on top of the other ball.

Charlie cheered and did a victory dance. “Now for the head. We should start over there and go this way.”

A mother and her small daughter were playing on a bench nearby. At least he assumed the pink bundle playing in the snow was a girl.

Charlie spotted them too and waved. “Hi there. Would your daughter like to help us roll a head for the snowman?”

Nash blinked, surprised at Charlie’s invitation. Since Maribel’s departure, his son had become quieter and more reserved. He was generally polite and friendly, but wasn’t usually the one to reach out.

The mother jerked at Charlie’s voice and scooped up the girl before whirling to look at them, fear in her eyes and every line of her body.

Her eyes quickly roved the space, and Nash slowed his steps.

Even with fear and exhaustion showing on her face, she was stunning. Nash felt every cell in his body go on alert. Protect.

What was she afraid of in this town with the silly name? And why did he want to keep her safe?