He stared at her for a long moment. "I haven't encouraged him on purpose," he finally said. "Besides, I'm not sure I understand what your problem is. Showing your son how to build a fire and how to prime a well isn't a big deal."
"Maybe not, but can't you see that I don't want him to rely on you too much? Once this is over..." She trailed off, unable or maybe unwilling to put her deepest fears into words. "I just don't want him hurt," she repeated lamely.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Rachel," Nick said with a frown. "I was hoping that Joey and I could hang out once in a while, even after this is over."
Her jaw dropped in surprise. It had never occurred to her that Nick would want to continue to see her son. And, for some reason, she found the idea disconcerting. "Well, uh, I guess I'll think about it," she said, unable to come up with a good reason for refusing him outright.
Nick's intense gaze bored into hers and she squirmed in her seat, feeling as if he was seeing right through her. She couldn't explain why the two of them forging a relationship after this was over bothered her so much, but it did. She glanced at her sleeping son and rose to her feet. "I'm going to take Joey to the back bedroom."
"Good idea," Nick agreed readily. "I'll stay out here, since I'll need to keep feeding wood into the fireplace, anyway."
She nodded, relieved to have an excuse to avoid Nick for the rest of the night. The way she'd warned Nick to stay away from her son was just as important for her to remember, as well. In all honesty, she was becoming far too dependent on Nick. She crossed over to lift her sleeping son into her arms. At nine years old, he was too big to carry, but she managed, staggering under his weight yet unwilling to ask Nick for help.
The bedroom was cool, being farther away from the fire. She set Joey on the bed and, amazingly, he didn't wake up. She shivered and searched for more blankets. Luckily, she'd found earlier a huge hope chest filled with handmade quilts. She retrieved several of them to use as covers and then stretched out on the bed next to Joey.
After everything they'd been through, she was physically exhausted. But her mind raced, replaying every moment of the past twenty-four hours. No matter what she tried, her mind wouldn't settle and it was only after she recited the Lord's Prayer, the only prayer she remembered from her childhood, that she finally managed to fall asleep.
* * *
Nick dozed, waking himself up every few hours to put more wood on the fire and to make sure everything was all right outside. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, when they'd spent the night in the car, so he had to depend on the deeply ingrained training his four years in the Marine Corps had given him in order to keep watch, despite his bone-deep exhaustion.
He tried to formulate a plan for the following day, but every time he closed his eyes, he fell asleep. When he dragged himself off the sofa at six in the morning, dawn had lightened the darkness and the fire had dwindled.
It didn't take long to bring the glowing embers back to life. Since it was too late to go back to sleep, he washed up in the small bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet, thankful to find a somewhat rusty razor along with some ancient shaving cream. There were other items his uncle had left up there, too, but he limited himself to using the razor.
When he came out of the bathroom, he heard movement from the back bedroom. He wasn't surprised when Joey's head peeked out from behind the door. "Hi, Nick," he whispered.
"Good morning, Joey," he whispered back. Rachel must still be sleeping or he was sure she'd have already put an end to the brief conversation. At some point during the wee hours of the morning, he'd figured out that the main reason Rachel didn't want him spending time with her son was that she thought he might get too attached to Joey, after the way he'd lost his own child.
Still, he couldn't ignore the kid gazing at him with wide green eyes, so he gestured for Joey to come out of the bedroom. "Are you hungry?" he asked.
Joey nodded eagerly and slipped through the narrow opening, quietly closing the door behind him. The boy was wearing the same clothes as the day before, not that he seemed to mind. "What's for breakfast?"
Good question. "I don't know. Let's take a look, okay?" He put a hand behind Joey's back, urging him down the short hall to the main room. Rachel couldn't be too upset with him for not waking her up, he rationalized, since she obviously needed the rest. "I think I saw some oatmeal," he said to Joey. "Do you like oatmeal?"
"With brown sugar," the boy said excitedly.
"I'm not sure we have any brown sugar," he said cautiously. "But I think there's some regular sugar, which should work just as well."
Joey stopped in front of the fire, holding his hands toward the flames as if he were cold. "Did you keep the fire going all night, Nick?"
"Yep. It's our main source of heat for the cabin." He found a box of oatmeal, but it wasn't the instant kind, so he followed the cooking directions on the label.
Joey kept up a constant stream of chatter, and Nick couldn't help admiring the boy's quick mind. Rachel's son was interested in everything, from camping to sports. To help pass the time until breakfast was ready, he showed Joey how to carve small animals in pieces of wood with his penknife.
As they talked, he realized he couldn't have kept his distance from the boy if his life depended on it.
When the oatmeal was ready, he poured the steaming breakfast into two medium-size bowls. His uncle actually did have some brown sugar stored in an airtight container, so he liberally sprinkled their breakfast before taking Joey's hand in his.
"We have to pray before we eat," he said.
"Why?" Joey asked, his gaze curious.
Nick sensed he was heading down a path Rachel might not approve, but he wanted Joey to be given the option of believing in God. "Because we need to thank God for the food we're about to eat."
Joey pursed his lips. "Is God in heaven?" he asked.
"Yes, and He's always there for us, whenever we need Him."
Joey frowned for a moment. "You think God was with me when I was in the dark, stinky room?" he asked.
Nick's heart clenched and he nodded. "Yes, Joey, I do. Your mom and I were praying for God to watch over you the whole time you were gone."
"Really?" Joey brightened at the news. "I wish I would have known that," he confessed. "Maybe I wouldn't have been so scared."
Nick wished the same thing, but no sense in going back, trying to change the past. In his opinion, it was never too late to believe in the Lord.
He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Heavenly Father, we thank You for the food and shelter You've provided for us, and we ask You again, to keep us safe from harm. Amen."
"Amen," Joey echoed.
Nick lifted his head and opened his eyes to find Rachel standing behind Joey's chair. She'd approached so quietly he hadn't heard her. He tensed, expecting an argument, but she simply added "Amen" to his prayer.
He immediately pushed back from the table. "Here, take my bowl of oatmeal, I'll get more."
She hesitated for a moment but then accepted his hot cereal and took a seat next to her son. He was touched at how they both waited until he returned before eating.
They were too busy eating to talk much. He watched with amusement as Joey quickly emptied his bowl. "Can I have seconds?" he asked anxiously.
"Of course," Nick responded, exchanging a knowing look with Rachel. Joey hadn't eaten much yesterday, but it appeared his appetite had returned.
"So what's the plan for today?" Rachel asked.
"I'm not sure yet," he answered honestly. "I should check in with my boss again, see if he can give us anything further to go on."
She darted a glance at Joey and nodded. He sensed there was more she wanted to say but didn't feel she could talk freely in front of Joey.
When they were finished with breakfast, Rachel insisted on doing the dishes, so he took the opportunity to do a quick perimeter check. The only problem was that Joey wanted to come with him.
He glanced helplessly over at Rachel, silently pleading with her to help. As much as he liked spending time with the boy, he needed to make sure the area around the cabin was secure. And he didn't want Joey to come outside with him until he was convinced they were safe.
"Joey, I need you to dry the dishes for me, okay? There will be time later for you to play outside."
"That's women's work," Joey mumbled, lightly kicking at the chair.
"No, it's not," Nick corrected. "I did the dishes last night, so it's only fair you take your turn."
Joey's disgruntled expression faded as he considered Nick's words. "All right," he finally agreed, going over to pick up the dish towel.
Rachel ruefully rolled her eyes and he quickly ducked outside before he broke into a wide smile. Sometimes, it paid to be able to double-team kids.