by Laura Scott
Then he saw it, a nearly invisible string of what looked like fishing wire stretched between two large trees.
A trip wire? Where had it come from? Who’d set a trip wire?
Jesse? Ian gave himself a mental shake, unwilling to believe it. Surely his brother was long gone.
Wasn’t he?
Of course he was. Why would Jesse stick around? And even if he had, what would have alerted his brother to the danger surrounding Sarah’s ex-husband?
Still the trip wire nagged at him.
The sound of someone calling his name made him glance over his shoulder to find two deputies, Devon Armbruster and Jason Thomas, walking toward him.
“Is everything under control?” Dev asked.
“Yeah. I have it under control.” Ian stepped on the trip wire so that he could pull Franklin along. “I’ve read him his rights, but you might want to do it again so that there’s a witness.” He didn’t add that, technically, he wasn’t actually on the schedule which was a legal loophole they didn’t need.
“Violating his restraining order, huh?” Dev asked.
“Along with kidnapping under the force of a deadly weapon,” Ian confirmed. “He had a knife, but must have dropped it.”
“We’ll find it.” Dev read Franklin his rights and then searched along the trampled snow for the knife. When Dev found it, he used a plastic bag to pick it up before turning to grin at Ian. “Got it.”
“I think he has a vehicle parked on a road too,” Sarah said. “At least that’s where he seemed to be taking us.”
“I’ll check it out,” Jason volunteered.
Ian let the other deputy go, turning toward Sarah and Ben. His gut clenched when he saw a scratch along Ben’s cheek. “Are you sure you’re both all right?”
“Thank you for saving us, again,” Sarah murmured, her eyes suspiciously bright.
“I never should have turned my back,” Ian said harshly. “It’s my fault he was able to get close enough to grab you.”
“Stop it,” Sarah said, putting her hand on his arm. “We can’t beat ourselves up about this. It’s not your fault any more than it’s mine. David did this. He’s the one at fault.”
Logically, Ian knew she was right, but it wasn’t easy to set aside his guilt. If he hadn’t been so focused on his career, she and Ben wouldn’t have been in danger.
“Mr. Ian?” Ben’s voice was thick with tears. “Will my daddy go back to jail now?”
His heart ached for the child who had seen too much violence in his young life. “Yes, he’ll go to jail Ben. For a long, long time.”
Ben reached out his arms, silently asking for a hug and Ian immediately stepped closer and pulled the child against his chest, holding him close.
Sarah’s smile made him realize that this was all that mattered. Not his career, not even the fate of his brother.
But the three of them. The woman he’d never forgotten and her son. A child he’d willingly raise as his own if given the chance.
“Kramer? Armbruster?” The sharp command had him glancing up in surprise.
Sheriff Torretti himself was striding toward them, a deep scowl etched in his face.
Ian handed Ben back to Sarah and straightened to face his boss directly. “Yes sir?”
“I see you have the suspect in custody,” Sheriff Torretti said. “Is anyone hurt?”
“Franklin’s son, Ben, has a cut on his cheek from the suspect’s knife,” Ian said.
“We’ll be fine, thanks to Deputy Kramer,” Sarah interjected in a loud voice. She stepped toward Sheriff Torretti and shifted Ben in her arms so she could extend her hand. Bemused, Torretti took it in his. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Sarah Franklin and my ex-husband, David Franklin grabbed my son and held him at knife point, forcing us to go with him. And I will absolutely press charges to the fullest extent of the law.”
Ian choked back a laugh as Sheriff Torretti took a surprised step back at the vehemence of her tone. “I’m glad to hear you weren’t hurt and that you intend to press charges.”
“And that Deputy Kramer saved us,” Sarah added pointedly.
“That too,” Torretti agreed.
“Hey, I found his escape car,” Jason said as he jogged back through the woods toward them. “Ian, did you find it first?”
He frowned. “No. Why?”
Jason shrugged. “I found the hood unlatched and the distributor cap was missing. Figured maybe you found and disabled the vehicle first, before coming after them.”
Another chill snaked down his spine and Ian knew that the trip wire and the distributor cap must have been the work of his brother, Jesse. Nothing else made sense. “It wasn’t me,” he said sharply. “I followed Sarah’s and David’s tracks through the woods, making a wide circle so I could come at them from the side.”
“That’s true, because I was surprised to see Ian coming at us from the west rather than from the south,” Sarah agreed.
Sheriff Torretti lifted a brow. “Then who pulled off the distributor cap?”
Ian shook his head. “I don’t know sir, but I found a trip wire which is what stopped Franklin from getting away.” When he realized he was still covering for his brother, he forced himself to voice his suspicions. “We need to consider the possibility that Jesse might have done this.”
The minute the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. Up until now he’d looked like a hero.
Now he could tell his boss and his colleagues were looking at him as if he were guilty by association.
“Did you see your brother?” Sheriff Torretti asked, breaking the strained silence.
“No sir.”
“I didn’t see anyone either,” Sarah said. “And trust me, I was looking for help the entire time David was holding a knife on my son.”
Ian wished Sarah wouldn’t keep jumping in to help support him. Dev and Jason had already exchanged a knowing glance, obviously wondering about their relationship.
He hated the thought of her good name being dragged down by his.
But since he’d gone this far, he figured he may as well tell them everything. “Sir, remember I mentioned that some of my hunting things were missing? It’s possible that I had fishing line in there. The same type used as the trip wire. Jesse easily could have followed me here to Sarah’s. Maybe he stumbled across David and watched him grab Sarah and Ben. In fact, he might still be nearby.”
There was a long pause as Sheriff Torretti pondered their next move. “Okay, fine. I’ll call for reinforcements to help search the woods. Kramer, get the woman and her son back to the cabin. We’ll take their formal statements later. Armbruster, you and Thomas take the perp into custody.”
“Yes sir.” Armbruster and Thomas gladly hauled David Franklin away.
Ian took Sarah’s arm, thinking it was odd that Sheriff Torretti didn’t order them to begin searching the woods immediately, although it was also important to get Franklin safely secured in jail too.
Still, didn’t he realize that even a slight delay would help Jesse escape?
“I wanna walk,” Ben said, squirming in Sarah’s arms.
“Will you let me carry you?” Ian asked. “We’ll get back to the cabin sooner that way.”
“Okay.” Ben’s eagerness brought a wry smile to Sarah’s lips.
“You’ll always be his mother,” Ian said in a low voice.
“I know.” He was surprised when she tucked her hand beneath his elbow as they covered the distance back to Sarah’s grandparent’s cabin.
When they reached the clearing, he stopped and stared at the Christmas tree. There weren’t lights, but seeing his mother’s ornaments amidst Sarah’s homemade garland made him catch his breath in awe.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Sarah whispered. “I’m glad we didn’t cut it down.”
“Me too. Especially since we can see it from the living room window.” He walked closer, and then stared when he saw Jesse’s homemade ornament, the one sporting his photograph, sittin
g prominently at the top of the tree when Ian had originally placed it somewhere in the middle.
Jesse had been there.
What did the placement of the ornament mean? That Jesse had forgiven him? Had Jesse saved Sarah and Ben as a way of telling Ian that he was doing better mentally?
No, it wasn’t possible. No one could get over PTSD that quickly.
But maybe, just maybe, Jesse had learned how to control the flashbacks. At least enough not to be a danger to anyone else.
“Ian? Is something wrong?” Sarah asked.
He tore his gaze from the Christmas tree and shook his head. “Nothing is wrong. I just realized how lucky I am to have found you again, Sarah. The entire time that jerk had you were the longest moments of my life. I was so worried that I wouldn’t get to you in time.”
“I knew you’d come after us,” she said with confidence. “Come inside. We’ll drink some hot cider and read the story of Christmas from the Bible.”
“That’s an offer I’d never refuse,” he said, carrying Ben up to the cabin porch.
But even as he set Ben on his feet, he swept his gaze over the clearing in front of the cabin one more time.
But there was no sign of Jesse.
And Ian found himself praying that his brother would be safe so that one day he could have what Ian had found with Sarah and Ben.
Peace. Love. Family.
Sarah sat in the rocking chair as she read the story of Christmas while Ben snuggled next to Ian on the sofa. When she finished, she pulled the gift she’d gotten for Ben out from the hiding spot behind the pile of wood. “Merry Christmas, Ben.”
“A present?” Ben’s eyes widened with excitement and he jumped off the sofa to cross over to her. “For me?”
“Yes.”
He quickly tore off the wrapping paper, letting out a squeal of glee. “A remote control truck!” he crowed. “Can I play with it Mom? Please?”
“Sure,” she said, glad she’d purchased a pack of batteries too. She sipped her cider while Ian helped Ben get the truck out of the package so he could insert the batteries.
“Here you go,” Ian said, handing Ben the remote. “Be careful that you don’t break anything.”
“I won’t,” Ben promised, moving the lever to make the truck race across the room. He followed, making the truck spin in circles and then sending it tearing off into the bedroom.
“Why don’t you sit over here?” Ian suggested, patting the sofa.
She set her cider aside and went over to sit beside him. When he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she leaned against him. “This is the best Christmas ever,” she murmured.
“Really? Even though David found you?” Ian asked.
“Yes. We’re finally safe now that he’s back in jail.” She inhaled Ian’s musky scent. “And I’m thrilled to be here with you.”
“I didn’t get you a gift,” Ian said.
She tipped her face up to his. “Spending time together is the only gift I need.”
“Sarah,” he murmured before lowering his mouth to hers in a soft kiss.
She reached up to pull him closer, trying to show him how much she cared. She was lost in his kiss for a long moment before Ian lifted his head.
“Sarah, I love you so much.” Ian said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I know it’s probably too soon for you, after everything you’ve been through with David, but I need you to know how I feel.”
Her heart swelled with joy. “I’m glad, Ian, because I love you too. More than words can say.”
Ian’s smile slowly faded. “That makes me happy, Sarah, but I can’t ask for anything from you until I know what my future holds.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t care about your job. Besides, if that sheriff of yours has a brain, he won’t let you go. You were honest and upfront with him about your brother. And you did your job, even while you were suspended.”
Ian shook his head. “There’s that stubborn streak again. Funny, I don’t remember that from ten years ago.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “I’ve always been stubborn; you were just too nice so there was nothing to argue about.”
Ian chuckled and then shifted in his seat to cup her face in his hands. “I love you, Sarah Miller. And I hope that one day you’ll do me the honor of becoming Sarah Kramer.”
Tears pricked at her eyes. “That depends. Me and Ben are a package deal.”
“I’m counting on it,” Ian said, leaning forward once again, to seal his promise with a kiss.
Epilogue
Eight weeks later…
Ian held one of Ben’s hands, with Sarah holding the other, as Ben skipped between them. They’d just come from church and were stopping by the post office to pick up his mail before heading home.
Sarah had become his wife ten days ago, on Valentine’s day, and they were now living in Ian’s cabin. They were having one of the worst winters on record, but even that hadn’t put a damper on his spirits.
Ian knew he was the luckiest man alive. Sheriff Torretti had taken his suspension off his record and had given him his former shift back, so he wasn’t working graveyard any more. Sarah was working as a nursing assistant at the hospital, and Ben was flourishing in his new school.
And he’d started the process of formally adopting Ben as his son.
The only shadow hanging over him was that there had been no sign of Jesse since the incident with the Christmas tree ornament.
“Can we get ice cream?” Ben asked.
“Ben, it’s only ten degrees out here,” Sarah protested. “How about hot chocolate instead?”
“How about a hot fudge sundae?” Ben countered.
Ian bit his lip to keep from laughing. He knew that kids needed structure and discipline. He tried hard not to interfere with the way Sarah raised her son. But the way Ben tried to use logic to get his way always cracked him up.
“No ice cream,” Sarah said firmly.
They walked into the post office, stomping their feet to get the snow off. Ian took off his gloves to get the key to his post office box and then went over to get his mail.
When he opened the box, he found the usual bills and junk mail, along with a postcard.
He frowned and turned the postcard over, but the side where messages where normally written was blank. Only his name and address were neatly printed on that side.
Along with a postmark out of Alberta, Canada.
What in the world? He flipped the card back over to peer again at the glossy photo. There was a lake surrounded by forest and the words Lake Louise, Canada.
Jesse. This was his brother’s way of letting him know he was still alive and had made it to Canada.
Was he trying to get to Alaska, the way he’d wanted to? Maybe. Or maybe he’d stay in Canada.
Ian couldn’t help feeling relieved as he tucked the postcard into his coat pocket. At least he knew that Jesse was safe.
And maybe being free to live off the land would heal him better than being in jail or in a psych hospital ever could.
He walked over to join Sarah and Ben.
“Ask your father,” Sarah said with a sigh.
“Dad, can we please have ice cream?” Ben begged. “Mom says it’s too cold.”
Ian knew he’d never get tired of hearing Ben call him dad. He glanced at Sarah who shrugged, as if to say it was his call.
“It is too cold. No ice cream, but we’ll stop at Rose’s Cafe for hot chocolate, okay?”
Ben groaned but didn’t complain as they made their way back outside.
Sarah surprised him by pulling him down for a quick kiss. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“For what?” Thinking was impossible when she kissed him like that.
“For being the best husband and father.”
“Always,” he promised before he kissed her again.
Yeah, he was the luckiest guy in the world. And he vowed to never take his family for granted.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading my book! I hope you enjoyed this Crystal Lake Christmas Novella. After finishing Worth The Wait I couldn’t get Ian and his brother out of my mind. As I brainstormed ideas for a Christmas story, I decided to bring a little closure to Ian and his brother.
So many of our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors have gone overseas to fight in our wars and I’m not sure we always do a great job in taking care of them when they return home. I wanted to give Ian’s brother a chance to redeem himself and to provide a little of the peace he deserves.
Please take a moment out of your busy schedule to leave a review on this story. Reviews are very helpful to authors. And I always enjoy hearing from my readers so drop by to visit my website at www.laurascottbooks.com to send me a note or to sign up for my newsletter. I often offer free books to newsletter subscribers. In the meantime, I’m hard at work on the next Crystal Lake story.
Yours in faith,
Laura Scott
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
Dear Reader