Christmas Reunion Read online

  Ian stared at her for a minute as if he still wanted to talk about what happened, but she turned and headed back into the cabin, firmly closing the door behind her. When she found Ben curled up in the corner of the sofa, his eyelids at half-mast, she released a pent up sigh of relief that he hadn’t seen them kissing.

  Sarah leaned back against the door, listening to the rumble of the engine in Ian’s SUV as he drove away. Regret was bitter on her tongue. If things were different…

  But they weren’t. She needed to remember what was at stake. In fact, knowing that she was here alone with Ben spurred her into action. She pushed away from the door and turned the dead bolt. After taking off her coat and boots, she crossed over to rouse her son. “Why don’t you get your pajamas on and brush your teeth?”

  Ben rubbed at his eyes and then pushed himself up to a sitting position. “We’re camping,” he said peevishly. “Don’t hav’ta brush my teeth.”

  It was tempting to let it go, but she also knew that if they were going to stay here for the foreseeable future, she needed to set some ground rules. “We’re not camping, we’re living in a rustic cabin. And yes, you absolutely need to brush your teeth.”

  Her son must have been too tired to argue because he slid off the sofa and padded into the bedroom. He emerged a few minutes later wearing his Spiderman footie pajamas and carrying his toothbrush and toothpaste.

  “Where should I brush? In the outhouse?” he asked.

  “No, of course not. You can brush in the kitchen.” She pulled a chair over to the sink so he could reach, and when he finished, she followed him into the bedroom. He crawled into the sleeping bag scooting over so that she could sit on the edge of the bed while he said his prayers.

  “Dear Lord, I’m sorry for the naughty things I did today,” Ben said, the way he always did. She often wondered what would happen if she asked him to list the naughty things he’d done, because she was sure he had no clue exactly what they were. “Please bless me and my mom and my great grandpa and great grandma. Oh, and please bless Mr. Ian too. Amen.”

  “Amen,” she echoed, surprised that Ian had already been included in her son’s prayers. Even though Ben had only met Ian twenty-four hours ago, she knew he’d made a big impression on her son. She leaned over to give him a hug and a kiss. “I love you, Ben,” she murmured.

  “I love you, Mommy,” he said, kissing her cheek.

  She hugged him again and then stood up, subtly wiping away the tears burning in her eyes. She was thankful that her son was so resilient. So far, the nightmares he’d suffered right after David’s arrest hadn’t reappeared.

  She hoped and prayed they were gone for good.

  As she left Ben’s bedroom, partially closing the door behind her, she realized she was glad that Ian had insisted on coming back to sleep on the sofa.

  He was right, there was a big difference between being independent and being safe. And she was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect her son.

  Ian felt grim as he took his time walking around the perimeter of his property. His instincts were screaming at him, but there was no obvious sign that Jesse had been anywhere near his small house located on the west shoreline of Crystal Lake. Tucked between the trees, his house wasn’t easy to spot from either the road or the lake, which was the way he liked it.

  He scowled, stared blindly into the woods, wishing he had the ability to track people the way his brother did. But he hadn’t joined the Army the way Jesse had. Besides, tracking his brother wouldn’t do any good. He firmly believed Jesse was long gone.

  Never to return.

  Ian let out a heavy sigh and trudged back inside. He had no idea how to salvage his career. Unless he could set up a one-on-one meeting with Sheriff Luke Torretti? After all, the fact that Jesse escaped from a psychiatric hospital was hardly his fault. He’d been the one to take his brother into custody back in September. Why would he risk his career by helping his brother escape now, three months later?

  He wouldn’t, although he couldn’t blame his lieutenant for thinking the worst. Greene hadn’t been happy to have him back in the first place and now with Jesse’s escape he had a reason to doubt Ian’s ability to be impartial.

  Ian wasn’t even sure having at least part of an alibi helped his case. He’d been shoveling a path to the outhouse and then chopping wood when Jesse likely escaped. Sarah couldn’t say for sure what time he’d arrived. Besides, gossip flew fast through town and once his boss learned that he and Sarah had spent the summer together ten years ago, it wouldn’t be a stretch for anyone to believe that she’d agreed to cover for him.

  Sarah believed in God and prayer, and he knew with a deep sense of certainty she wasn’t the type of woman who would lie for him. But would anyone believe that? Yeah, probably not.

  He shook off the depressing thoughts and headed down to the basement. He still had the boxes he’d taken from his mother’s house after she’d passed away. As he headed over to the where they were located, he frowned when he saw the large bin containing his hunting and camping gear.

  Was it possible Jesse had stopped by here, after all? Ian crossed over and lifted the lid. Sure enough, several items were missing, including his boots and his hunting knife. But not his shotgun, which was interesting.

  Still, he’d have to report this to his boss. Would Lieutenant Greene see this as aiding Jesse’s escape? He thought it was highly likely.

  Ian replaced the lid with a sigh. He decided to call in the theft directly to the sheriff. The sheriff believed in him once. Ian hoped the sheriff would at least give him the opportunity to explain.

  He left a message then disconnected from the call and went down to find the box of Christmas ornaments. He brought it upstairs and carried it out to his truck so he wouldn’t forget, then decided to clean out his fridge too. No reason to let good food go bad; he’d rather take it for Sarah and Ben. After all, she’d fed him twice when she didn’t even have extra food to spare.

  Once he’d filled up a cooler and took that out to his truck, he went back inside and booted up his laptop computer. The generator he’d given her would provide power, but he knew there wasn’t any internet service at the cabin and he wanted to gather some information on David Franklin. He logged into the program that allowed deputies to run background checks, grateful to discover his password still worked.

  Maybe off the schedule wasn’t as bad as being suspended.

  It took him a while to find the right guy, considering he didn’t have a middle initial or date of birth. But then he stumbled upon a David Franklin who’d been arrested a year ago for domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon. A knife that Franklin had used against Sarah. It was a miracle she hadn’t been hurt worse, and yet terrible that her son had been there during the altercation. No wonder the boy had been so afraid of his father.

  When Ian dug further, he discovered that Franklin had been released on parole earlier that day.

  His heart raced as he stared at Franklin’s mug shot. This had to be the right guy, and explained why Sarah had been driving through the storm. And he didn’t blame her. No doubt, she’d been desperate to get as far away from this jerk as possible.

  Sarah’s ex-husband didn’t look anything like he’d imagined. Franklin had dirty blond hair and a deceptively innocent boyish face. Only his dark, cold eyes gave any hint of his true nature. The fact that Franklin had cut Sarah with a knife made Ian’s temper spike.

  He shut the laptop and rose to his feet. Now that he knew exactly what had happened, and who he needed to protect her from, he was anxious to get back to Sarah and Ben. What if Franklin had already found them? Ian wasn’t about to wait a second longer. He tucked the computer under his arm, grabbed his jacket and headed out to the truck.

  He made the trip back to Sarah’s cabin in record time, thankful that none of the deputies from second shift had caught him pushing the speed limit. Sweeping his gaze over the area surrounding the cabin, he remained alert for anything that seemed ou
t of the ordinary. Franklin didn’t look like the type of guy who could blend into the forest the way his brother could, but then again, he wasn’t going to underestimate the guy either.

  Light from a small lamp shone through the living room window, and he found that he liked the idea that Sarah had left it on for him. Especially considering the way she’d abruptly ended their kiss.

  He still wasn’t sure why she hadn’t wanted him to say anything. Did she sense he’d been about to apologize? Not so much for the kiss, but for taking advantage of a moment of vulnerability.

  Maybe. But at the same time, he wasn’t willing to simply chalk that kiss up to old times and forget about it either. In fact, he very much wanted to kiss her again.

  He gave himself a mental shake, knowing he needed to get his priorities straight. This wasn’t about him and his feelings. Yes, he was attracted to Sarah. Yes, he could admit now that he’d never completely forgotten her even after all this time. Yes, he liked the woman and mother she’d become.

  But as usual, his timing couldn’t be worse. She wasn’t in a position to be in a relationship, even if she wanted to. And neither was he, considering he had nothing to offer her.

  No, his top priority needed to be keeping Sarah and Ben safe.

  The hour wasn’t too late, barely nine o’clock at night, but he didn’t see any sign of Sarah or Ben moving around inside the cabin. Assuming they were asleep, he unpacked his car, bringing everything up onto the porch before quietly unlocking the door, both the main lock and the dead bolt. He smiled with satisfaction when he realized she’d taken his warning seriously.

  Moving as silently as possible, he began to unpack the food from his cooler, putting everything into the empty and now working refrigerator. When he finished, he turned around and nearly fell over the cooler in surprise when he saw Sarah standing there, watching him.

  “I’m sorry if I woke you,” he said, hoping he didn’t look as guilty as he felt.

  “I needed to make sure it was you out here,” she admitted softly.

  The image of Franklin’s mug shot flashed in his mind and he nodded. “I understand. And I hope you’re not upset that I kept a key. I’ll give it back to you, if you’d rather keep it yourself.”

  “No, it’s fine. But you didn’t have to stock my fridge,” she said, a tiny frown puckering her brow. “I was going to ask you to take me to the store tomorrow.”

  “I’d be happy to take you,” he assured her. “But there was no sense in letting my food spoil either.”

  “Okay. Well, good night then.”

  “Good night, Sarah.”

  She turned and then paused when she noticed his laptop computer sitting on the sofa. When she glanced over her shoulder at him, he could see the unspoken question in her eyes.

  “I found him,” he said, cutting straight to the heart of the issue. “And I’m not going to let him hurt you or Ben, ever again.”

  She dropped her gaze and bit her lower lip, as if ashamed that he knew the truth. He couldn’t stand to see her like that, and he crossed over and tipped her chin up with one finger. “Don’t, Sarah. What he did isn’t your fault. He was the one who broke his vows. He was the one who used his anger against you. Don’t ever think that there was anything you did that justified the way he lashed out to hurt you.”

  “But you don’t know everything,” she protested weakly.

  His heart ached for her. “I know enough, and I’m glad he went to jail. He broke his vows and the law. I’m only sorry that he was released so soon.”

  Sarah’s attempt at a smile was pathetic and he carefully drew her into his arms, reminding himself that kissing her was off-limits. She didn’t need a kiss right now, she needed comfort. To believe in herself. To know that she’d made the right decision in divorcing that jerk.

  He was surprised when Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly while resting her cheek against his chest. He stroked his hand lightly down her back in a soothing motion. Ian expected her to pull away, but she didn’t. And neither did he. He figured he’d stand here, holding Sarah as long as she needed him to.

  “Thank you for being here,” she murmured, finally breaking the silence. “And you should know that Ben included you in his bedtime prayers.”

  The idea of a five-year-old boy praying for him was humbling. He searched for the proper words to say. “I’m honored to be included. I only wish I knew enough about God and faith to do the same for you and Ben.”

  Sarah lifted her head to peer up at him. “I’d be happy to teach you about God and the Bible, Ian,” she said. “And praying is easy. You just speak from your heart and God will listen.”

  She made it sound simple, and yet he knew there was probably much more to faith than that. But maybe as a starting point?

  Why not?

  He took Sarah’s hands in his and bowed his head. Speaking from the heart wasn’t as difficult as he’d anticipated. “Dear Lord, please keep us all safe in Your care tonight, Amen.”

  “Amen,” Sarah whispered, her eyes suspiciously bright. Her smile was tremulous. “See? Easy.”

  “Yeah.” His throat was thick with emotion and there were so many other things he wanted to tell her. But he reminded himself this wasn’t the time. “Thanks, Sarah. I remember going to church as a young boy, but it’s been a long time since I thought about God and prayer.”

  “The good news is that God is always there, waiting for us,” she said. “To be honest, I don’t think I would have made it through these past couple of years without my faith and God’s support. I’ll miss the people in my church.”

  “I’m glad to hear you had some support, Sarah,” he said. “Although I wish I could have been there for you.”

  She tipped her head to the side. “You’re here now, Ian.”

  Her words made him smile and, despite his honorable intentions, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again. He even lowered his head to do just that.

  But a muffled scream rent the silence.

  What in the world? He tensed and jerked his head up, searching for the source of the sound.

  Sarah was already one step ahead of him, racing toward the bedroom where he knew Ben must be sleeping. He quickly caught up to her, hoping and praying that David Franklin hadn’t somehow gotten in and grabbed Ben.

  Chapter Six

  Sarah’s heart twisted in her chest when she realized Ben was thrashing around in his sleeping bag, trapped in the horror of his nightmare. She sat on the edge of his bed and drew his small body into her arms. “Shh, Ben, wake up, sweetie. You’re having a dream, everything’s fine. We’re safe here.”

  She continued to reassure him until he calmed down and burrowed against her, his hands tightly grasping her sweatshirt. For several long moments he struggled to throw off the dream, his sobs quieting to small, intermittent hiccups.

  She could feel Ian’s gaze on them as he wandered around the room, testing the window to make sure it was secure. Ignoring Ian’s presence wasn’t easy, but she stayed with Ben long after he’d stopped crying, unwilling to explain the details behind Ben’s nightmare to Ian.

  Lots of kids had nightmares, but Ian was smart enough to do the math, assuming, rightfully so, that the young boy who feared his father had been dreaming about him.

  Ian came to stand beside her, gently resting his hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?” he whispered.

  She nodded. “I’m going to stay here for the rest of the night”

  He surprised her by nodding in agreement. “I’ll be right outside on the sofa if you need anything.”

  “I know, but I’m sure we’ll be fine.” She waited until Ian left the room, closing the door behind him before easing Ben away from her so she could stretch out beside him.

  Ben snuggled against her, and she kissed the top of his head, her heart aching for him. He was turning six years old in the middle of January, and she hated knowing that he’d already been exposed to fear and violence.

  She close
d her eyes, wishing once again that she’d had the courage to relocate sooner. David had stalked her for almost a year after their divorce before making his move. She clearly remembered the crazy intensity in his eyes when he’d attacked her with a knife, slicing her flank while claiming she belonged to him, ignoring how Ben screamed in terror behind her.

  She shivered and tucked Ben closer. No, things probably wouldn’t have changed much, although there was the possibility that if Ben had been younger, he wouldn’t remember that event to the point his subconscious was haunted by nightmares.

  Stewing about the past and playing the what-if game wasn’t going to change anything so she returned to her faith, praying that Ben would find peace.

  Sarah awoke to the dim light of morning with a crick in her neck. Ben was still sleeping beside her so she eased upright and slid from the bed, careful not to wake him.

  Stretching and rubbing the muscles in her neck to help ease the ache, she walked into the living room, surprised to find that Ian was already up and puttering in the kitchen.

  “Good morning,” she murmured, trying not to think about how strange it was to share living space with a man. Although this was nothing like her experience with David. Her ex had never once jumped up to help with kitchen duties the way Ian had. And for sure, David had never attempted to cook breakfast.

  After all, that was her job. And if she didn’t cook his eggs the way he demanded, he forced her to start over again. The sick feeling in her stomach forced her to quickly slam the door against those memories.

  “Good morning,” Ian greeted her with a smile. “I don’t know if you like coffee, but I brought my coffee maker from home and brewed a pot.” He looked so handsome and at ease wearing well-worn jeans and a cable knit sweater in a dark blue that matched his eyes. For a minute she couldn’t help reliving the heat of their kiss.

  “I’d love some coffee,” she confessed, crossing over to the kitchen. “I had to settle for tea yesterday.”