Her Mistletoe Protector(19)

       
           



       
* * *

Rachel explored the small kitchen area inside the cabin, relieved to note that there were plenty of canned goods, soups and stew for them to eat. Everything was coated in a thick layer of dust, but nothing was outdated or spoiled. She frowned, knowing that the place needed to be cleaned but that it would be impossible without water.

"First we'll build a fire to make it warm in here," Nick was telling Joey. "Then we're going to prime the pump outside."

"What does that mean?" Joey asked, hovering near Nick as he stacked wood in the large wood-burning stove in the center of the room. There were dried leaves and twigs, too, and soon he had a roaring fire going.

"The well has to be closed up in the winter, or else the pipes will freeze," Nick explained. "We'll prime the pump to get the water running again. I'll show you how it's done."

Rachel watched Joey and Nick interact with a distinct male camaraderie. She knew her son longed for a male role model, which was one of the reasons she'd gotten him involved in sports like basketball. At least his coach was a decent role model for her son.

But to see Joey bond with Nick like this was worrisome. What would happen once this nightmare was over? When Nick went back to his job, leaving her and Joey to make a new life for themselves? She and her son might even have to move in order for her to find work.

The last thing she wanted was for Joey to be hurt again. He'd already suffered so much. The image of the way he'd reacted when Morales ripped the hood off his head was seared into her memory.

Granted, Nick wasn't going to hurt her son on purpose, not the way Morales had. But she knew, with deep certainty, that her son would eventually be hurt just the same.

This was exactly why she hadn't dated or tried to form any relationships with men. And even though she knew most men weren't connected with the Mafia, she wasn't sure she was ready to think about a relationship of any sort. Friendship, yes. But she'd stayed alone because she knew Joey was at a vulnerable and impressionable age. Avoiding relationships was easier than allowing Joey to get close to someone, only to be hurt if the relationship didn't work out. When Nick and Joey went back outside to work on the pump, she grabbed several cans of stew and set them on the counter.

Nick wanted to talk later, and that was just fine with her. Because she wanted to talk to him, too. He had to understand that he needed to keep his distance from Joey.

For her son's sake.

The interior of the cabin warmed up to the point she could take off the bulky jacket and the dark sweatshirt, wearing just the long-sleeved crew neck T-shirt. She stripped off the sheets draping the furniture, sneezing as the dust ticked her nose.

When Nick and Joey returned a few minutes later, they were both grinning from ear to ear. "We did it, Mom!" Joey exclaimed as he and Nick stamped their feet on the mat inside the doorway. "We primed the pump and now we have water."

"Great," she said, forcing a smile when her son looked up at her. "I'm going to clean the place up a bit, and then I thought we'd have the canned beef stew for dinner." Lowering her voice, she slanted a quick glance Nick's way. "Don't forget, we need to change the bandage on your arm, too."

"Plenty of time for that... Let's eat first," Nick said. "We're lucky to have electricity. Apparently my parents are still paying the bills."

"The cabin belongs to your parents?" she asked, curious in spite of herself.

"To my mother," Nick corrected. "I'm going to hike back to the car to get my laptop."

"Can I come, too?" Joey asked.

She opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted by the sound of Nick's phone ringing. He scowled at the display and then walked down the hall, obviously seeking privacy as he answered. "Yeah?"

She couldn't hear much of the conversation and was still trying to figure out a way to prevent Joey from following Nick around like a lost puppy, when Nick came back to the main room, his expression grim.

She tensed, fearing more bad news. "What's wrong?"

"They found the Jeep and, Morales, uh, is no longer a threat," he said carefully, glancing at Joey in a way that told her the man who'd kidnapped her son was dead. "But I'm afraid there's no sign of the duffel bag or the cash."                       
       
           



       

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest and she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Unfortunately," Nick continued, "whoever hired Morales appears to have gotten away with it."





TEN

Nick mentally kicked himself as Rachel's expression froze at the news. He felt helpless knowing that Morales had been killed and all of Rachel's money was gone. The chance of finding out who had set up the kidnapping was slim to none at this point, now that their best lead- Morales-had just become, literally, a dead end.

After a long moment, Rachel let out a sigh and shrugged, avoiding his direct gaze. He knew she had to be upset at losing her company like this, but if that was the case, she didn't let on. "I'm glad Morales won't be able to hurt anyone else ever again," she murmured. "Maybe it's wrong, but I can't help thinking he ended up getting exactly what he deserved."

It was on the tip of his tongue to explain how God expected them to forgive those who trespassed against them, but there was a tiny part of him that tended to agree with her. He could forgive Morales and even the guy who'd hired him, but he also knew that those who sinned often paid the price.

If they were alone, he'd go into more detail about the crime scene, but since Joey was listening, he chose his words carefully. "The man behind all this is a professional, but we can't give up. We'll figure out who it is sooner or later."

"I know," she agreed, although her expression didn't exactly radiate confidence.

"Do you want to come for a walk with us to the car?" he offered. Oddly enough, he didn't want to leave her here in the cabin alone, especially after giving her such depressing news. "Shouldn't take us more than fifteen minutes or so."

She hesitated but then nodded. She put both her sweatshirt and the jacket back on and crossed over to join them. He held the door as they trooped outside, and he sniffed, appreciating the woodsy scent intermingled with fireplace smoke that lingered in the air, bringing back fond memories of the good times he'd spent up here with Uncle Wally and with his family.

Joey grabbed a small branch that had fallen from one of the trees and swatted the brush as they walked. Rachel stayed next to Nick, and his hand accidently brushed hers, making him wonder what she would say if he took her hand in his. She'd never said a word about the kiss, although he hadn't mentioned it, either.

But he'd certainly thought about it. Too much. He wanted to kiss her again. But this wasn't the time or the place.

"Are you okay?" he asked under his breath when Joey had gotten far enough ahead of them that he couldn't hear them.

"Fine," she said, kicking a rock with the toe of her athletic shoe. "I knew the risk, right from the start. As I told you before, getting Joey back safe and sound was worth every penny."

Nick couldn't help playing the what-if game. What if he'd insisted on getting the FBI involved? Would they have gotten Joey back and still have Rachel's cash, too? Would they have caught the guy who'd killed Morales? Would Rachel and Joey be safe at home where they belonged?

As much as he wanted Rachel and Joey to be okay, it bothered him to think about the fact that once this was over, he wouldn't be seeing either of them again. Immediately, he felt guilty for even considering replacing Becky and Sophie with Rachel and Joey.

No, he couldn't do it. As much as he cared about Rachel and her son, he and Rachel would be much better off if they simply remained friends once this was over. Maybe he could be sort of a big brother to Joey. Do things like taking him to ball games or just playing catch. Surely, Rachel wouldn't mind having some downtime-being a single mother couldn't be easy.

The more he thought about the possibility of staying in touch with Joey, the more he liked it.

But, first, he had to keep Rachel and Joey safe, while figuring out a way to get her company back.

"I'm going to need your help in order to keep investigating all the possibilities," he murmured.

"I'm not sure how much help I'll be," she protested wearily. "And what's the point of getting your computer? I can't imagine there's any internet available up here."                       
       
           



       

"The last time I came up with Uncle Wally, I was able to get a signal from someone else's internet tower as they didn't have it secured with a password." He caught her surprised gaze and shrugged. "Figured it was worth a shot to see if the signal is still available."

"There's the car," Joey shouted, running forward as if they were in a race. "Open the trunk, Nick!"