“I guess we’re not then if you like that jerk.” Chase stabbed a nubby finger at me.
Celia wormed her way in between Quinn and me. “News flash, Stevens.” She took my hand then Quinn’s hand and brought them together. “It doesn’t matter. These two like each other anyway. So what do you have to say to that?”
Quinn squeezed the hell out of my hand.
Chase grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “Does he know?”
I didn’t have to look to know that Chase was pointing his finger at Liam behind me. Still, I checked over my shoulder.
Liam glowered at me. Not Quinn. Me.
Maybe it was time to move south.
Before I could say a word, Liam grabbed my arm and all but dragged me into the boys’ restroom.
Quinn tried to stop her brother while the Stevens siblings laughed.
“Let them go,” Celia said to Quinn.
Once inside, Liam paced furiously, running his hands through his hair. “If my father finds out, he’ll fire you.”
Okay, that wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. I was ready for him to throw a punch or tackle me to the floor.
“Your dad knows I like Quinn.”
He stopped short, almost falling forward. “Say again? My dad?”
“Yep. Look, I like your sister. I’m not going to hide that anymore. So if you want a go at me, now is the time. I’ll give you one punch. Then get over it. She can make decisions for herself.”
The fight drained from him. “Nah. I’m not going to. Carter might. But if you so much as hurt her in any way, I will take you up on that punch.”
I raised my hands. “Deal.” Two of the Thompson men were out of the way. Well, maybe Mr. Thompson wasn’t yet. He knew I liked his daughter, but seeing us together might be a different story. And Carter would be harder to convince.
Liam sighed. “I’m just glad she has no interest in Chase.”
“Agree, man.” Chase could still be a problem, and it wasn’t as though Quinn and I were officially dating.
The door squeaked open, and Quinn came in. “Both you and Carter need to stay out of my business.”
“I’m cool,” Liam said.
Her little nose scrunched. “Huh?”
Liam stabbed his thumb at me. “I like him. Plus, he knows where I stand.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, a fist away from getting his nose broken if he hurts me. Right?”
The door opened again, and Celia peeked in. “Everything okay in here?”
Liam’s hard features slackened when he locked eyes with Celia.
My phone rang.
“Maiken,” Ethan said. “Where are you? You need to get home.” His tone sent a chill down my spine.
“What happened?”
“Harlan is missing. Get home now!”
My stomach balled into one big knot. “On my way.”
Liam touched my arm. “We could hear your brother’s voice through the phone. Let’s get you home.”
The color drained from Quinn’s face. Hell, my face had to be white. The temperatures were zero or below, and if Harlan was missing, that meant… I didn’t want to think that far ahead.
Liam sped through the streets of Ashford as Maiken fidgeted in the passenger seat. Sitting behind Liam, I could see part of Maiken’s anguish. His body was as hard as a stone.
“Do you know where he would go?” Liam asked.
Maiken shook his head profusely. “He loves the outdoors. He could be anywhere.” He tapped on his phone before lifting it to his ear. “With the temperatures dropping… Fuck. My mom must be going nuts. Sorry, I didn’t mean to swear.”
Liam chuckled. “Fuck is right.”
Momma and Daddy didn’t like to hear anyone saying that word. But kids at school said it frequently. I’d come to the conclusion that swearing was a rite of passage for teenagers, particularly those who couldn’t say the word in the company of their parents.
Regardless, I was biting my nails. Maiken was right. The temperature wasn’t in Harlan’s favor.
“Carter and my dad are meeting us at the Maxwells’ with the snowmobiles,” Liam said. “They know the woods surrounding the town quite well. They’ll find him.” He’d called Daddy as soon as we’d gotten in the car, and if anyone knew the terrain in Ashford, it was Daddy. He’d grown up in that town and knew every nook and cranny the town had.
“Any luck, Ethan?” Maiken hung his head. “What? You’re kidding me. Yeah, Liam called his dad. How’s Mom? We’re almost there.” He lowered the phone. “My brothers, Marcus and Jasper, were supposed to be watching Harlan. But they were playing foosball and not paying attention to Harlan.” He muttered something under his breath.
I didn’t want to think that maybe Harlan had fallen through the ice. When I’d skated on it the day before, the ice was solid, and with the continued cold temps, the ice would only get thicker. Still, that didn’t mean there wasn’t a weak spot somewhere along the shore.
Liam and I exchanged a knowing look as though he’d had the same thought.
Maiken turned slightly. “Quinn, the ice was good when you were on it yesterday. Right?”
The fear written all over his face made my heart sputter. “It was.”
Liam wheeled down the dark two-lane road leading up to the Maxwell’s.
“He’s not in the lake,” Liam blurted out. “If anything, he probably wandered off on one of the trails. Carter and I did that all the time on the trails around the farm when we were kids.”
“Our mom would pull her hair out,” I added.
“My mom is freaking out,” Maiken said.
Cars dotted the Maxwell’s driveway, including Daddy’s truck, complete with the massive trailer that he used to haul the snowmobiles. Liam barely came to a stop behind Daddy’s truck when Maiken flew out.
The property was lit up like a football stadium with spotlights shining on all sides including the backyard around the lake.
I waited for Liam to turn off his truck before I got out. Harlan’s name could be heard over the distant whir of snowmobiles.
Maiken ran into the house. Liam and I wound our way around the garage.
“He probably saw a deer or a rabbit,” Liam said. “Remember the time Carter and I saw a rabbit along the edge of the farm.” He laughed. “We were determined to capture it that night.”
“Yeah, but that was a hot summer night and not around a lake in the winter,” I reminded him as I crossed my fingers inside my gloves, praying for Harlan.
Daddy emerged through the trees, bundled up in his snowmobile gear. Carter came up behind him. But there was no sign of Harlan.
Before I knew what was happening, a woman ran down, screaming, “Where is he?” I suspected she was Maiken’s mom.
Daddy cut the engine on his snowmobile, as did Carter.
“Kade has him,” Daddy said.
Liam caught the lady before she collapsed on the snow.
Daddy rushed to her side, taking off his jacket. “He’s okay.” He draped his coat over her.
Lights bounced beyond us before Kade appeared with the shivering curly-haired little boy.
The entire Maxwell family converged down by the lake. Well, except for Mr. Maxwell. I didn’t see him.
Maiken’s siblings shouted and screamed.
Maiken’s mom pulled Harlan from Kade, kissing him and touching him as though she were looking for cuts and bruises. “Harlan Maxwell.” Her tone was motherly. “Never mind. We’ll talk about this later.”
Maiken joined his mom. “I’ll take him up to the house.”
A little girl with blackish-brown hair ran up to Maiken and Harlan then punched Harlan in the arm. “You’re not supposed to go out by yourself.”
Laughter erupted.
Eleanor Maxwell thanked Daddy and Carter then hugged Kade.
I leaned into Liam. “I’m going up to the house with Maiken.”
I didn’t get far, though.
“Quinn,” Daddy said. “It’s late. Let’s go home.�
�� I knew he meant that we should let the family have their quiet time. As much as I wanted to go with Maiken, I couldn’t disobey Daddy.
“Carter and Liam, get the snowmobiles up on the trailer,” Daddy ordered.
Like me, my brothers didn’t talk back. They readied the snowmobiles, and the engines fired to life before they drove away.
Maiken’s mom corralled her children. “It’s freezing out here. Emma and Ethan, help the kids into the house.”
I wanted to introduce myself to Maiken’s mom, but Daddy’s raised brow told me to get moving.
As if Maiken’s mom was in my head, she came up to me. “Quinn, we haven’t officially met. I’m Christine, Maiken’s mom. So you’re the girl who’s snagged Maiken’s attention?”
Daddy didn’t even flinch, which was odd. I would’ve thought he would groan or sneer or something.
All I could do was nod at her.
Then she addressed Daddy. “I can’t thank you and your son enough for helping Kade search for Harlan.”
“Please, call me Jeff. And you’re more than welcome.” Daddy was so sweet. Then again, I knew he was. He would help anyone if they needed it.
All of us made our way to the garage.
Kade and Daddy walked behind Eleanor, Christine, and me, talking about the house Kade was building.
Eleanor adjusted the furry red scarf around her neck. “I hear you’re going to the Stevenses’ party with Chase Stevens.”
“He asked me, but I declined,” I said.
“Quinn, Mrs. Stevens has invited Martin, me, my boys, and their wives,” Eleanor said. “Well, Kelton and Kody aren’t married yet. Anyway, your mom told me you really want to go. Kross and Kelton can’t make it. So that leaves four open invitations. Why don’t you and Maiken tag along with Martin and me?”
“That would be good for Maiken to meet more people,” Christine added.
I wasn’t sure it would be good for Maiken or me. If we showed up together, which I was all for, I knew Tessa would throw a temper tantrum and make a spectacle out of me. Even if she didn’t, she would try to get her nasty hands on Maiken for sure. On top of all that, Chase wouldn’t take kindly to me showing up with Maiken.
When we walked around the garage, Liam and Carter were closing the door to the trailer.
“Think about it, Quinn,” Eleanor said. “Martin and I would love for you to join us.”
Christine handed Daddy his coat. “Thanks again.”
Eleanor and Christine said their goodbyes, and as they were going in, Maiken was coming out.
“How’s Harlan?” I asked Maiken.
He zipped up his jacket. “Cold. Still scared. I know my mom thanked you, Mr. Thompson, but I want to do the same. You too, Carter.”
Carter nodded from the Daddy’s truck with no scowl or meanness emanating from him.
Interesting.
Daddy put on his coat. ““Boys, take my truck. I’ll drive Liam’s.”
Liam tossed Daddy his keys.
Carter hesitated a moment, regarding me then Maiken.
I wanted to roll my eyes. He wasn’t the patriarch of the family.
When my brothers were finally backing out of the driveway, Kade asked, “Jeff, could you take a look at our tractor while you’re here? It would only take a few minutes. We’ve been having problems with the engine.”
Daddy knew tractors like I knew random facts. “Sure.”
They went into the garage through the side door, leaving Maiken and me alone in the driveway.
Now what?
“So your aunt wants us to go the Stevenses’ p-party with her and y-your uncle.”
“That’s weird,” he said.
I didn’t want to assume anything in those two words, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he thought us going together was weird. Maybe it was, considering we would be attending a party given by our enemies. At that thought, I laughed.
He moistened his lips with his tongue. “Weird, right? That we would go together to Tessa and Chase’s party?”
I wanted to ask if he would go, but I didn’t want to come off as aggressive like Tessa. At the rink, I could tell Maiken was suffocating with Tessa breathing down his neck.
“Are you going to go, then?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Are you?”
“Nah. I’m not into parties,” he said.
I held in a frown until he did the one thing I’d been wishing he would do since the funhouse—he kissed me, sweetly and tenderly. Any notion of parties vanished.
I kicked the covers off me, sweating like a pig. When I tried to lift my head, I cringed at the pain. I turned in bed to find my body achy and my sheets wet.
Ugh! I couldn’t get sick. I had to work, plus I had practice and school all next week.
I blinked a few times to clear the sleep from my eyes. Ethan’s bed was empty, and the clock on our nightstand read seven a.m. Ethan usually slept in on weekends until noon.
Maybe it wasn’t Sunday, and I was supposed to be in school. I rifled through my memory of the events of the day before.
Harlan!
I sat straight up. I’d never been so flipping scared in all my life. When Ethan had told me that Harlan was missing, I couldn’t breathe, especially when I thought of the cold, the dark, the frozen lake, and the woods. None of that was comforting for a seven-year-old. I would’ve died if we’d lost Harlan. I understood Mom’s concern over the kids being down by the lake without supervision more than ever now. Not that I didn’t before, but we’d never lived in the cold or snow or around a lake. Sure, we’d all taken swimming lessons as kids, but with the temperatures of the lake water at this time of year, no amount of swimming lessons would save anyone, particularly a seven-year-old.
I was sure from there on out, Mom wasn’t about to let Harlan out of her sight. She’d reprimanded Marcus and Jasper then grounded them from the funhouse until spring. They’d argued, but Mom was tougher on her discipline than Dad had been at times.
Mom glided into my room, wearing a sweater dress and boots with a silk scarf draped around her neck. Her smile told me she was in a better mood. “You’re awake. You need to get ready for church.”
“Since when do we go to church?” The last time I’d seen the inside of one had been at Dad’s funeral.
She disappeared into the closet. “Your aunt and uncle go to church every Sunday, and we should too. Listening to the priest’s sermon might give us all perspective on life.” She emerged with a pair of my only dress pants and a white button-up shirt. “I hear Quinn might be at church. Aunt Eleanor says the Thompsons are there every Sunday.”
Hearing Quinn’s name had always elicited some kind of stomach reaction or an extra beat of my heart, but that morning, I didn’t get one sign. I chalked that up to how achy I felt. Then I remembered I’d kissed Quinn. That meant she was probably sick too.
Flopping back onto the pillow, I rubbed my eyes. “I’m not feeling so well.”
Mom deposited my clothes on the edge of my bed then felt my forehead. “Oh no. You’re burning up.” Her motherly tone wrapped around me—soothing and comforting. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get a thermometer.”
She didn’t need one as hot and sweaty as I was. Not to mention, the act of swallowing was painful. I curled into a ball.
Mom returned and placed the thermometer into my mouth before I could protest. “I hate this cold weather. It’s going to be a long winter.” She sat down on the bed. “All of you will be sick now.”
She was right. When one kid got sick, the rest of us followed, including her.
Within a couple of minutes, the thermometer beeped. Removing it, she arched a brow, shaking her head. “It’s 101, bordering on 102. I’ll see if Aunt Eleanor has any medicine.”
“Mom, how’s Harlan?” I’d had a hard time falling asleep the night before, thinking about how scared Harlan had been when I’d brought him into the house.
“Why did you take off like that?” I’d asked him.
“I
saw a deer through the window in the house on the water,” he’d replied.
“Buddy, you can’t take off like that. Ever,” I’d said in a stern tone. “Do you hear me?”
He’d nodded as he cried.
My heart had skipped several beats as I’d held him to me tightly.
Mom’s hand cupped my face. “He’s bragging how he chased a deer.” She rose, shaking her head. “All of you have had your moments, but none of you have ever taken off. If your father were here, he would’ve cut down every tree until he found Harlan. Still, Kade and the Thompson family jumped into action faster than I expected.”
“Where was Uncle Martin?” I hadn’t seen him, and it didn’t matter now, but he could’ve reacted much faster than anyone if he’d been there.
“He had a business dinner. I’ll be right back.”
Mom brushed shoulders with Ethan as he strutted in, wearing his Sunday best. His hair was slicked back too, which was odd since he hardly combed his hair.
“You’re wondering why my hair looks like this,” he said.
I coughed. “It crossed my mind. Listen, you should get out before you get sick. I probably have the flu.”
He shrugged. “What does it matter? I have to sleep in this room. As long as you don’t cough or sneeze on me, I should be cool.” He was the bravest out of all us brothers. “So you’re not working today, then?”
I couldn’t even think about work let alone move without feeling yucky. “I’ll have Mom call Mr. Thompson.”
He sat on his bed, facing me. “So how’s Quinn?” He waggled his eyebrows, wanting details.
I pushed myself up until I was resting against the headboard. “You’re enjoying seeing me with a girl?”
“Hell yeah. Do you need some advice?”
I broke out in laughter then coughed. “Quinn and I kissed.” I could tell Ethan anything, and he wouldn’t spread rumors or say a word. That was our brotherly code.
Actually, Emma fell into that group with Ethan and me. We didn’t like rumors. Luckily, we hadn’t been the center of attention at prior schools. There was always some kid or group more in the spotlight than us. Then again, most times we weren’t at a school long enough for anyone to spread rumors about us anyway, although that was changing.
My Heart To Touch: A Maxwell Family Saga - Book One Page 15