I rested my hand on top of hers. “I’ll try to find their mother. Try to talk some sense into her. After that, it’s not great. They go into the system until we can figure out where they belong.”
“Bear can’t go in the system!”
I ran my hands over my hair and blew out a breath. “It’s not for me to decide, Lettie. Let’s find out their mom’s name and then put out a search. We’ll start there and then figure out the rest later.”
Lettie blinked away tears and nodded. “Abby told me her name is Danielle Thomas. They’d just moved up here from a town called Greenwich, in Kansas. Has no clue what the new address is.”
“That’s good. I’ll put it in the system now.” I walked around to my desk and sat down. “Did they have anything else on her?”
“No. They’re just so scared and cold right now. What’s the protocol here? Can I take them and find them clothes and stuff?”
I met her gaze and grinned. “Like you’d listen if I told you no.”
“I’m going to take them, then. Just let me know what you find out.”
I blocked her path from leaving and caught her hand. “Why don’t we take them to the ranch? The party could be good for them. They could play with the other kids.”
She looked up at me and hesitated for a second. Her pupils dilated slightly before she looked down at our hands. “Are you sure that would be okay with your family?”
“It’d be fine. Come on.”
CHAPTER 3: Lettie
The kids looked scared as we arrived at the Long’s ranch. I couldn’t exactly blame them. The place was huge and the family was large and loud. They had every reason to be excited, as well, though. The entire place was decorated. Snow covered everything, but bright white icicle lights sparkled, despite it not being dark out. Garlands, that I was willing to bet were fresh, curled around the columns at the front of the sprawling farm house, garnished with big red bows. The front yard held a large statue of Santa and his sleigh, all lit up and being pulled by his reindeer.
Even from Tucker’s truck, I could hear the faint notes of Christmas carols being played. The music made me feel like a kid again, complete with all the excitement that came with singing those songs. Caroling, drinking hot cocoa to stay warm, even snowball fights with friends while our parents conversed after we sang.
Tucker looked over at me and smiled. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Stunning. They’re very lucky.”
He looked back at the kids and smiled even bigger at them. “You guys ready? I heard Santa stopped by this morning. Maybe he’s still hanging around?”
Joey looked up at Abby and tugged at her hand. “Santa? Abby, Santa!”
She just nodded and gazed up at the house. “Who’s that?”
I looked up and watched as Bailey, the youngest Long child, came rushing out to the truck with a bundle of coats in her arms. I opened my door and jumped out to greet her. “Bailey! You’re going to freeze out here, honey.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m a bear, remember? It’s good to see you, Lettie. Mom told me all about your friends here and I thought I’d help. I found some extra jackets that we had around the house.”
I took them from her and wrapped her in a tight hug. “You’re an angel. Help me get them on the kids?”
She nodded and climbed into the truck, through the door I’d just left. I heard her talking to the kids and by the time I got the back door open, she’d already gotten them warmed up to her. Joey was staring up at her with big, puppy dog eyes, and Bear was sniffing at her hands when she came closer to wrap him up.
Abby, though, was still leaning away. I gently tugged her hair and grinned at her. “Bailey’s okay, Abby. She’s like Bear. Most of the people inside are like Bear.”
She froze. “Will they hurt us? Mom said they’re dangerous.”
Bailey paused in helping Joey into his jacket to listen to my answer and I could feel Tucker standing behind me, listening as well. I cupped Abby’s face and leaned down so we were eye to eye. “Bear isn’t dangerous, is he? He’s just special. These people are the same, Abby. They’re special. They wouldn’t hurt you. Ever. You can trust them. I do. A couple of my best friends are inside and they’re married to bears. Apparently, they can be quite cute, even.”
That gained me a smile from her, the first one yet. “I’m old enough to think boys are cute, now.”
Tucker chuckled from behind me and rested his hand on my lower back. “Come on, ladies. Let’s get ya’ll inside before you freeze.”