by Carol Voss
* * *
“Have you heard from Alyssa?” Tension knotting his gut, Coop pulled onto the narrow shoulder and peered around the flashing windshield wipers. He could barely see through the blinding snow.
“Not a word.” Hope’s voice on the speakerphone sounded as worried as he felt. “What if they’re stuck in a snowbank someplace, Dad? And they run out of gas?”
His concern, too. One of many. “Alyssa has lived in Wisconsin long enough to know she needs to keep her gas tank full to make sure they stay warm if they get stalled.” At least, that was what he’d been telling himself.
“They must be scared.”
He couldn’t let himself think about that. “Adults are used to handling all kinds of things, Hope. Try to pray, okay?”
“I am. You coming home soon? TV is warning people off the roads. They say our area is going to get buried.” She sounded more upset with each word.
Unfortunately, praying wasn’t calming her down any more than it was calming him. “I’m near Rainbow Lake Road right now, but I have a couple more roads to check. Remember, all-wheel drive is my secret weapon.”
“Does Alyssa have it?”
Unfortunately, no. He’d looked. “She didn’t need it in the city.”
“Just come home, okay?”
“Roger that. I’m about out of places to look, so I won’t be long.” He clicked off, a jolt of red in the bleak landscape riveting his attention. Taillights? Turning onto Rainbow Lake Road?
He threw his truck into gear and eased back onto the road. Accelerating, he took the turn, speeding up as much as he dared to get a better look at the slow-moving vehicle shrouded in snow. He was sweating by the time he determined the vehicle was, in fact, Alyssa’s Escalade. He breathed a silent thank-you.
When she pulled into his driveway, he roared to a stop, jumped from his truck and raced to her car.
She opened the door and stepped out, her hair blowing wildly around her face.
He stopped in front of her, squelching the impulse to pull her into his arms. She looked exhausted and as tense as he was. “You all right?”
“Yes.” Holding her hair back with her hand, she gave him a strained look. “A little worse for wear, that’s all.”
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have gone out in this storm. We slid off the road.”
“You—” He swiped his hand across his face, trying to shut out the worst-case scenarios his mind fed him.
“And we didn’t find a place to rent either.”
He could have told her there was nothing worth renting in the area if she’d asked. “You and your guys are safe now. That’s all that matters.” He’d never meant anything more.
But thoughts of what could have happened to them out there in the boonies hammered at him while he helped her inside...while she and Joey told Hope and him what had happened...while she tucked the baby in for a nap....
Needing to keep busy, Coop decided an early supper would make up for missing lunch. He left Hope teaching Joey a computer game and strode for the kitchen. Digger looked up from his post at Joey’s feet, ready for action if it was called for. Coop gave him a “stay” hand, and Dig settled back down with a low groan.
Coop popped Tony’s grandmother’s casserole into the freezer for another day and went to work collecting makings for a couple pizzas. He pulverized a clove of garlic and scooped it into a sauté pan to sizzle with onion and butter, the wonderful smell making his stomach growl in anticipation.
“It smells good in here.” Alyssa glided into the room in a bluish-green, terry outfit that molded to her curves as if it had been tailored just for her. Judging from her stylish clothes, it probably had.
And here she was, back in his kitchen, and he felt more responsible for her and her boys than ever. “It’s a good thing Krentz let you in.”
“He didn’t want to. He was afraid we’d steal from him.”
“People say he’s been holed up on that farm for years. He has groceries delivered. Money’s always on the porch, but no sign of Zebadiah.” Coop pummeled dough on the breadboard, the activity only serving to build more tension in his muscles.
“He knew my grandparents. He said my father used to help him bring in his hay. What made him so reclusive?”
He paused to let the dough rest a couple minutes. “People say he never was very social, but they started seeing even less of him after his wife died.”
“He mentioned that Gram did her best to keep him going. Maybe he meant she encouraged him to get out of the house.” She walked to the refrigerator. “I’ll make a salad to go with the pizza, okay?”
“Great. Bowls are in the lower cupboard.” He ripped the dough in two, shoved it onto pizza pans and jabbed the crusts to fit.
“Do you always make pizzas from scratch?”
“My dad and I lived on fast food and frozen pizzas while I was growing up. I can’t stand them. Besides, I figure anything that doesn’t have preservatives and mysterious ingredients I can’t pronounce should be healthier for Hope, too, right?”
“I’m sure you’re right.” She washed romaine under the faucet. “Do you have any idea where I might find a short-term rental?”
“Eau Claire would be the closest.”
“Eau Claire? Do you think it will be expensive to rent there?”
“I don’t know, but it’s a small city that should have everything you need.” Maybe then, he could stop worrying about her and her boys.
“I’ll drive there in the morning.”
“You can’t go tomorrow.”
Drying the lettuce with paper towels, she gave him a questioning look.
“They’re predicting snow most of the night. Roads will be terrible tomorrow.” Anyway, Eau Claire might fit her needs, but how safe would they be there? After all, it was a city with all the risks and dangers of any metropolitan area. He rubbed his jaw. Since when had he turned cityphobic? Apparently, since Alyssa and her boys had gotten lost in the snowstorm.
He turned to stir the browned garlic and onion into the sauce simmering on the stove, then dumped it onto the dough. “Where did you live in Madison?”
“We bought a lovely home on Lake Mendota.”
“Were you able to sell it during the market downturn?”
“No.” She tore lettuce into a bowl. “The bank foreclosed and we had to vacate.”
She was in worse financial shape than he’d thought. “That’s why you came to Rainbow Lake earlier than you’d planned?”
She nodded. “I was able to sell most of my furniture, which was good. But everything I own is in that U-Haul, so I’ll need to rent a furnished place.”
More expense. “Tony’s time frame on the cottage is two to three weeks, right?”
“Yes. I hired him to winterize and install a new furnace, too.”
“Will you have enough to live on in the meantime?”
“I’ll be fine. Insurance should cover a lot of the cottage repairs, and I have Cam’s small life insurance policy. I need to find a job. But fixing the cottage makes more sense than paying rent for the long term. And living there is very important to me.”
She’d made her point on that. Grating cheese as if he had a grudge against it, he thought about how helpless he’d felt when he couldn’t find them in the blizzard. He sure didn’t need a repeat. Which meant keeping them under his watchful eye, didn’t it? He turned back to her. “Why don’t you stay here until your place is ready?”
She paused the knife and peered at him. “Live with you? You’ve already done too much, Ben. You don’t even know me.”
“I trust you not to run off with the family silver, provided we had some.”
“I don’t feel comfortable accepting so much from you.”
“You need help right now. And I’m able to give it. Simple as that.”
“Not really. I need to figure out how to help myself.”
“And you will. But while you do that, you need a safe place for your boys, right?”
She sighed. “Of course, you’re right, but—”
“There are no buts where your boys are concerned, are there?”
She shook her head. “But two to three weeks with a woman and two kids underfoot? Have you thought about that?”
The woman would be more of a challenge than the kids. But there was no relationship involved, nor was he looking for one. At least, not until Hope was on her own. He’d never risk her.
But Alyssa was essentially a stranger who needed help, and helping people was a big part of who he was as a man and a Christian. He couldn’t turn her and her boys away. “Hope and I are pretty flexible.”
“Have you talked to her about this?”
“She’ll love the idea.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“What will your friends think?”
They’d probably think he’d lost his mind, but they’d support him anyway. “They’ll take it in stride.”
“Because they already know your heart’s too big for your own good?”
“Not true. Actually, you’d be doing me a favor by staying.”
She raised her eyebrow. “Right.”
“You will.” His gaze locked with hers. “I’ll sleep a whole lot better if I know you and your boys are all right.”
Frowning, she turned back to finish the salad, deep in thought.
After adding finishing touches to the pizzas, he picked them up, shoved them into the oven and turned to her again.
She met his eyes. “I need to pay rent.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not? I’d have to pay rent if I found someplace else to live.”
“I don’t need rent. Put your money into the cottage.”
She jammed her hands on her hips as if taking a stand. “Then I insist on buying groceries and cooking and doing the cleaning.”
“No.” He frowned. “You don’t have many options, Alyssa. Just take me up on my offer.”
“Not unless you let me buy groceries and cook and clean.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“I don’t want charity.”
“Charity?” He shook his head. “Are you kidding? We all need help once in a while. But okay, if you want to chip in on groceries and cook and clean, fine. But I’ll cook breakfast.”
She narrowed her eyes.
He raised his hands to stop her protest. “While you take care of the baby in the mornings. I always get up at the crack of dawn anyway. I’ll leave dinner to you.”
She gave him a smile, apparently satisfied with the deal.
The warmth in her smile made his breath hitch. Oh, yeah. The woman would be a challenge, all right. He liked her. Probably a good thing because they’d be living in the same house. He just couldn’t fall for her, that was all.
But their arrangement would be for only two or three weeks. How hard could it be?
Chapter Five
Opening the blind in Ben’s guest room early next morning, a shot of light bedazzled Alyssa. She blinked through the blaze of white. The lake lay dark and unfrozen, but a flowing blanket of fluff and sparkle covered everything else. Even the stark limbs of trees along the lakefront were clothed in marshmallow softness. It looked like a brand-new world.
But here she was, relying on Ben for a place to live until the cottage was ready for occupancy. She took a deep breath.
Robbie cooed softly.
She turned from the window and gazed at her baby in the middle of the queen bed, his attention riveted on capturing his fist in his mouth.
Smiling at his determination, Alyssa turned her thoughts again to her situation. At least Ben had agreed to accept her help with groceries and cooking and cleaning, which made her feel a little less of a burden. And she was going to hold him to it despite his disarming smile.
It would definitely be harder to ignore when she’d be seeing him every day and evening until the cottage was ready. Of course, she could do it. And maybe along the way, she’d find some way to repay him for all his help. She hoped so. Meanwhile, she’d have the day to herself while he went to work and Hope to school.
It would give her a chance to get grounded, organize a grocery list, a cleaning schedule and get started. Maybe being productive would help her feel less of a failure. Didn’t she do some of her best thinking while cleaning?
She could work out a strategy to find a job, too. Then when the cottage was ready, she could concentrate on getting settled before her parents’ Christmas visit. “Don’t give up on me, sweetie. I’ll get it together yet.”
Robbie gave her a watery grin.
She scooped him up and hugged him, his warm little body and just-bathed scent comforting. Joey had gotten himself dressed and left a few minutes earlier to find Digger. She still couldn’t help being amazed at how comfortable he felt here. But she’d better check on him to make sure he wasn’t getting into something he shouldn’t.
A soft knock on the bedroom door broke into her thoughts. “Yes?”
“Joey said you and the baby were awake.” Hope’s voice filtered through the door.
“Come in, Hope.”
The girl pushed into the room in jeans and an oversize, black sweatshirt, probably her dad’s. Was that the way she dressed for school?
“I was just going downstairs to check on Joey,” Alyssa said.
“Dad’s giving him breakfast.”
Of course, he was.
Winding her arms behind her, Hope shifted from one bare foot to the other as if she had something on her mind.
Robbie squealed softly, apparently wanting to be noticed.
“Hi, Robbie.” Hope reached out to grasp his hand. “How are you?”
His smile faded.
“He’s holding on to my finger really tight.” Hope looked up at Alyssa.
“He has quite a grip, hasn’t he?”
Hope nodded. “I’m taking a babysitting class in school.”
“That’s a great idea. Do you babysit?”
“Dad thinks I’m still too young for that much responsibility, but he’s letting me take care of little kids once a month in the church nursery. With that and the class, I figure I’ll know what I’m doing when Dad decides I’m old enough.”
“Good plan.”
“You like my finger, don’t you?” Hope asked. “Do you think I can hold him sometime?”
Robbie seemed fascinated with Hope. “Do you want to sit on the bed and hold him now?”
“Really?” Hope’s expressive face breaking into a smile, she quickly moved to the bed and sat down.
Alyssa bent and placed her baby in the girl’s outstretched arms.
“Hi, Robbie.” Hope smiled enthusiastically.
Robbie gave Hope a startled look. His face scrunched up.
Oh, no.
He burst into a heart-wrenching wail.
Hope shoved him back to his mother and stood up.
Bringing her baby to her shoulder, Alyssa patted his back to reassure him. He immediately stopped crying and snuffled into her neck. Apparently, he’d decided he preferred Mommy.
“He hates me.” Hope looked on the verge of tears herself.
“He doesn’t hate you,” Alyssa assured. “He doesn’t know you yet, but he will. And you can hold him then, okay?”
Hope twisted her pixie face. “Maybe he can tell I’m like my mother. She didn’t think being a mom was so great.”
Alyssa focused her attention on the girl. �
�Do you remember her?”
She shook her head. “She didn’t come around much ’cause she did drugs.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Hope shifted to her other foot. “I figure if she liked being my mom, she woulda stayed off drugs.”
How awful for the poor girl to think she hadn’t been valuable to her own mother. Maybe she could help her understand. “Hope, addiction is an illness that usually takes help to control. Maybe your mother wasn’t able to get the help she needed.”
“Dad made her go to rehab. She stopped using before I was born and for a few months after.”
“It probably took everything she had to stay off drugs so she wouldn’t harm you. You must have been very important to her.”
“If I was, she shoulda stayed off drugs and taken care of me.”
Alyssa had to admit she couldn’t imagine a mother choosing to do something that would keep her from caring for her child. “Have you asked your dad about that?”
“He says she used drugs to forget the bad things that happened when she was growing up in foster care.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s probably where I would have ended up, too— foster care—if Dad hadn’t adopted me.”
“But he did. And he loves you very much.”
“I know. He always says I’m part of him.”
Alyssa smiled. The more she got to know Hope, the more convinced she was that Ben was doing a remarkable job with his daughter. With Robbie beginning to fuss, Alyssa patted his back.
He immediately rewarded her with a loud burp.
Hope giggled. “He’s weird.”
Alyssa smiled.
“You know, Dad did everything he could to save my mother, but it just didn’t work.”
“I’m sure he did. He’s a very compassionate and strong man.”
Something in Hope’s expression seemed to close up. She took a deep breath. “Don’t do anything to hurt him.”
Alyssa heard the warning in the girl’s tone. “I’d never hurt him, Hope. Nor you.”
Hope looked at the floor. “Just don’t. That’s all I’m saying.” She turned on her heel and walked out of the room.
Alyssa frowned. What made Hope think she needed to warn her about her father? Had she sensed the connection Alyssa felt with Ben? Did she see her as a threat? Did she resent his helping her?