by Sharon Sala
Nester shrugged. “You’re welcome. Besides, it won’t be forever,” he added, and gave Truman a hard look, just as a reminder.
* * *
For Laurel, waking up with Jake was new and comforting. Just the thought of knowing there was someone to help when the going got tough was huge, but falling in love with him meant even more.
As for Jake, he’d been awake for almost an hour just watching her sleep and wondering what it was about her that had stolen his heart. Part of it, he knew, was her valiant spirit. She had seen more than her share of true horror and despair, and survived it without bitterness. Yes, she was wary, but she had every right to be.
And she was beautiful. Hair the color of autumn, huge, dark eyes that looked straight into his soul, a slightly turned-up nose, and curvaceous lips begging to be kissed. The added bonus with Laurel was Bonnie. The little girl had stolen his heart before he’d ever dared to love her mother. He had never intended to take this road with her, but was so damn grateful he had.
When she opened her eyes and saw him, she smiled. That was what he’d been waiting for.
She was his sunrise.
* * *
Jake had gone home sometime before 10:00 a.m., and Laurel got busy. She had to do laundry today because the following week was going to be a busy one. She ate half a sandwich around 2:00 p.m. and was putting clean sheets on Bonnie’s bed when she heard a car driving up.
She glanced out, saw her parents’ car, and knew they were bringing Bonnie home. She smoothed out the last wrinkle in the top sheet then headed for the door.
Both parents came in with Bonnie, which told Laurel she was either in for another grilling or they were going to apologize. Bonnie was the only one smiling when they came up the steps. Laurel let them in and gave Bonnie a big welcome-home hug.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” she said. “Did you have fun at Granny and Gramps’s house?”
“Yes, and Granny made me biscuits with chocolate gravy for breakfast.”
Laurel laughed. “Yum. She used to make that for me, too. Let me have your bag so I can wash the clothes in it. Take Brave Bear to your room, hang up your coat, and don’t mess up the bed. I’m in the middle of making it, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy,” Bonnie said, and skipped off down the hall.
Laurel turned to her parents. “Thank you for bringing her home.”
Pansy took her daughter’s hand. “Honey, we want to apologize for our behavior last night. We were out of line, and we’re so sorry that we embarrassed you. I so hope we didn’t hurt Jake’s feelings.”
“Thank you,” Laurel said, and didn’t elaborate on anything more.
“I saw the old truck parked out by the chicken coop,” Benny said. “It didn’t quit on you out there or anything, did it?”
“No. It was dark before that cold spell hit, and I needed better light than a flashlight to see by when I went out to tend to Lavonne.”
“Ah…well, good deal,” Benny said. “You know if it gives you trouble, just give me a call. I worked on that engine for quite a few years when we owned it. I think I still know a thing or two.”
“If I need help, I’ll let you know,” she said.
“Well then, we’ll let you get back to work,” Pansy said. “Thanks again for letting Bonnie spend the night. She is a delight to us.”
“You’re welcome,” Laurel said, and opened the front door to see them out. “Drive safe. I have a really busy week, but I’ll be calling to check on the both of you. Stay inside, and stay warm.”
They kissed each other good-bye, and then Pansy and Benny headed home.
“She was still pretty cool,” Pansy said. “I thought she’d be in a better mood by now.”
Privately, Benny thought his wife was often a meddler, but she was his meddler, and so he forgave her. However, others weren’t as predisposed to be that forgiving.
“Well, honey, she wasn’t in a bad mood last night. She was angry and embarrassed and, I think, also hurt by what we’d done. So it’s not that she’s in a bad mood. We let her down. Getting over that is going to take time.”
“I guess,” Pansy said, and changed the subject.
Back in the house, Laurel finished making beds and was just about ready to sit down for a bit when she looked up at the time, realized it was getting dark and they still had to tend to Bonnie’s little hen. She walked down to Bonnie’s room where she was coloring with Panda Bear and Brave Bear.
“Hi, Mommy. Panda and Brave Bear are picking out my crayons for me.”
“And they are doing a great job. That picture you’re coloring is beautiful, but you need to put it aside for a bit. It’s time to go feed Lavonne. Get your coat, and you better get your sock cap and gloves. It’s very cold out.”
Bonnie leaped off the bed and ran to her closet while Laurel went to get her own things. They met in the kitchen all bundled up for the cold, and out the door they went with Bonnie talking at every step.
It was too cold for one little hen to be outside, so Laurel had left the door to the coop closed all day, keeping her from being out in the pen. When they opened the door to the coop, Lavonne came running.
Bonnie squatted down and began petting the little black hen, then picked her up and carried her around as Laurel filled up the water and added new feed. She sprinkled a little oyster shell in with it, which would make the shells of her eggs stronger, then looked in Lavonne’s nest and pulled out the egg.
“Good job, Lavonne!” Laurel said, as she held it up.
Bonnie beamed like a proud mother. “She’s a good girl, isn’t she, Mommy?”
Laurel laughed. “Yes, she is a very good girl. Now tell her good night. We’re finished here, and she’s probably hungry.”
Bonnie put her down by the feed and then watched for a few moments as the little hen began pecking. Satisfied that all was right in the chicken world, they made sure the heat lamp was on, closed the door to the coop, and then latched the gate in the yard as well.
Bonnie ran ahead of Laurel and was already inside by the time Laurel went up the steps.
The sun was setting on a very cold day.
* * *
The next morning, Laurel was getting Bonnie ready for school when her cell phone began to ring. The first call was from Peanut Butterman. She frowned. She was supposed to be cleaning his house this morning.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Laurel, this is Peanut. Blessings is completely without power, so we’ll have to cancel the cleaning today. Come any other time you can this week, okay?”
“Oh my gosh! Do you know what happened?” she asked.
“Not certain but it’s looking like vandalism out at the substation or something. I heard the police department got a tip, but don’t know more than that.”
“Oh wow. We have power,” she said.
“I think you all are on another power source. The one that Blessings is connected to is old and has been there forever.”
“So there won’t be school,” Laurel said.
“You should be getting a message about that too, if the school has a way to notify parents without their usual power sources.”
“Okay, thanks,” Laurel said, and disconnected.
Moments later, she got a similar call from her other client, Myra Franklin, who owned the florist, and she also rescheduled.
About five minutes later, Laurel’s phone signaled a text from the school. Obviously they’d figured out a way to notify the residents. No school today.
“Hey, Bonnie, no school today,” Laurel said. “Put your old clothes back on and go play. We’re both home today.”
Bonnie clapped her hands and disappeared.
* * *
Jake was online, checking email and writing a letter back to Ron Fitz. He’d taken risks with his life every day on active duty, so risking some tim
e out of his life to pursue the possibility of success in an ad agency seemed plausible, even smart. And the danger of getting blown up on the job seemed infinitesimal to none.
After hitting Send to the email, he made a call back to Peanut Butterman.
Despite the lack of power, Betty Purejoy was answering the office phone from home by call forwarding. “Mr. Butterman’s office.”
“Hey, Betty, this is Jake Lorde. Is Peanut in?”
“Hello, Jake. No, he’s not in. I’m answering his calls from my home. I don’t think anything is working in town. Blessings is without power.”
“The whole town?” Jake asked.
“Yes. Something at a substation. You have power where you live?”
“Yes, thank goodness. It’s really cold to be without heat today.”
“Tell me about it,” she said. “We have a wood-burning fireplace, or I’d be in bed under a pile of covers.”
“Do you want me to give Mr. Butterman a message?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll talk to him later. It’s nothing pressing.”
“Okay, but I’m giving you fair warning. If I run out of wood and the power stays out, I might be heading your way.”
“I wouldn’t turn you away,” Jake said.
* * *
By noon, Bonnie was bored. She wanted to go outside and play, but Laurel kept telling her it was too cold. Then she wanted to go check on Lavonne, but Laurel reminded her that opening the door in the coop would only make it cold in there again and they needed to let Lavonne stay warm.
Bonnie dragged her feet as she left the room. Laurel grinned as she watched her go. She was really learning how to milk her chances.
With extra time on her hands, Laurel got out her invoices and receipts and started catching up on bookkeeping. Being self-employed with the IRS was a whole mess in itself, and she hated to get behind.
Bonnie wandered through the house again. “Mommy, can I go visit Jake?”
Laurel didn’t look up. “No. I told you it’s too cold. You should check and see if Brave Bear is sleepy. He might need a nap.”
“Okay,” Bonnie said, and dragged her feet even more as she left the room.
Laurel chuckled and kept working.
The next time she looked up it was almost 1:00 p.m. She pushed her chair back from the table and went to get Bonnie. She was probably getting hungry. But when she looked in Bonnie’s room, it was empty. Brave Bear was tucked in with a blanket with Panda Bear right beside him, but no Bonnie in sight.
“Bonnie!” Laurel called. “Time to eat some lunch.”
When Bonnie didn’t answer, she frowned. Was she hiding? Had she fallen asleep somewhere else?
She quickly looked in her bedroom, and when Bonnie wasn’t there, her pulse skipped a beat. “Bonnie! Bonnie! Where are you?” Laurel yelled, and began running through the house.
She looked in every closet, underneath both beds, and by the time she looked outside, she was praying to God Bonnie was out there in the chicken yard. She was in tears when she saw everything was still shut and latched.
She grabbed her phone and her coat, buttoning it up as she ran. She was off the back steps and running, calling Bonnie’s name with every step. She searched the yard. She searched the loose skirting under the house in case Bonnie had crawled under.
Even though the gate was still latched at the chicken pen, she unlatched it and looked in the coop anyway.
Laurel’s heart was hammering so loud she couldn’t breathe. She stood on the leeward side of the coop out of the wind and closed her eyes, trying to remember what the last thing Bonnie asked her was about.
Jake! Of course! She’d run off to see him.
Laurel’s hands were shaking as she made the call, and when Jake answered, she started to cry. “Jake, is Bonnie with you?”
He shoved his checkbook aside. “No.”
“Oh my God. I can’t find her,” Laurel cried.
“How long has she been gone?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know for sure. Maybe thirty minutes. I told her to go play. I was catching up on bookkeeping. I wasn’t paying close enough attention. She’s gone. I can’t lose her, Jake. I can’t.”
“Where are you right now?” he asked.
“Outside by the coop.”
“Go in the house, get a blanket and a first aid kit. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Just having a plan made Laurel react. She shoved the phone in her pocket as she ran, and was still in the house when Jake drove up. She ran out with the first aid stuff in a bag and the blanket over her shoulder, straight into Jake’s arms.
“We’re going to find her, baby. Believe it. Now tell me, where haven’t you searched?”
She thought a moment and then gasped. “The creek. When I thought she’d gone to your house, I assumed she’d gone by the creek, then when you said—”
“We still need to look,” Jake said. “Let’s go!”
They ran without talking, each locked into the “what ifs” of their fears. Jake thought of someone taking her and remembered the noise he’d heard of an intruder on the other side of the creek bank. Best not mention that unless it was a last resort.
Laurel was so scared she couldn’t breathe. She was afraid to talk for fear she’d start screaming and never stop.
As soon as they reached the trail that Bonnie always took, Jake saw the first sign. “She was here. There’s a footprint. It’s too small for anyone else.”
Laurel nodded and down they went.
“Call her name as we walk,” Jake said, and led the way slowly along the frozen creek, watching for signs. The gravel surface on the shores made it difficult for a track to be left, and she was so small that the weight of her steps didn’t leave an imprint.
“Bonnie! Bonnie! Where are you?” Laurel called, searching the brush along both sides of the banks as they walked, praying for a sign.
They hadn’t gone more than a hundred yards when the creek took a turn to the right, and the moment they turned that corner, Jake’s heart nearly stopped.
“There! The ice has been broken. She fell in the creek,” he shouted, and started running.
Laurel was behind him, crying now because Bonnie was nowhere in sight.
Jake stopped at the site and knelt, looking closely at the tracks, and trying to figure out what she had done next.
“Where is she? Oh, Jake, where is she? Bonnie!”
The silence only added to her panic as she started turning in circles, racing from one bush to another, shoving vines aside.
Jake ran after her and grabbed her hand and then pulled her to him and quickly hugged her. “Okay, honey. Listen to me.”
Laurel was shaking. Her eyes were wide with shock, and Jake needed her to focus so they could find Bonnie before it was too late. He cupped her face. He kissed her lips. She was breaking his heart.
“Now, we’re going to calm down a minute and look at what we have. Come with me.”
Laurel grabbed on to his hand with desperation and followed him as he pointed. “Here’s where she climbed out of the creek. It’s not deep you know, and here’s a step, and there’s another step. I think she’s confused. Probably the shock of the cold water and the fall got her turned around. She’s backtracking now, going back toward home, and here, I think, she stopped again. Shit. She’s going in circles. Now her tracks are so mixed up, and she’s back on the gravel. It’s impossible to see where she went next.”
“I’ll search that way, and you go the other,” Laurel said.
Jake hesitated and then looked at his watch. “By your count she’s been missing at least an hour. And she’s wet and the temperature is below freezing. We need help. Go back up where you can get a signal and call the County Sheriff and the Blessing’s Police. Call anyone else you know who might be free to come help. It will start getti
ng dark within the next three hours. We don’t have much time.”
Laurel heard what Jake wasn’t saying. If they didn’t find her before night, she would die.
“Go!” he said.
She turned on her heel and started climbing the bank while Jake started running. He ran all the way along the creek to the trail leading to his house without finding one sign, and then turned around and retraced his steps, searching the other side of the creek bank, then farther south past Laurel’s trailer. He ran until he came upon thick brambles that had grown across the water and knew she would not have tried to go through them.
He was retracing his steps when he heard the first sirens. Within minutes, the bank above him was lined with searchers.
Lon Pittman slid down on the seat of his coveralls and ran to where Jake was standing.
“Any sign?” he asked.
“Nothing beyond where she fell in the creek. All you can see is where she got turned around. She was walking in circles when we lost her trail.”
Lon nodded, but he was already thinking beyond a little girl getting lost. He was thinking of abduction.
Jake saw Lon looking up and had to tell him what he’d heard weeks earlier. “You need to know that a while back I was down here clearing brush and heard someone on the other side of the creek following me through the trees. I didn’t see anyone, but when I challenged, they turned and ran. I heard footsteps running through the dead leaves.”
“Well, hell,” Lon said softly. “I sure don’t want this to turn into a child abduction case.”
“Neither do I, but I had to mention it,” Jake said.
Lon nodded. “Okay, I’m going to put some of the searchers on both sides of the creek. How far north did you search?”
“All the way to where you’d come out at my house.”
“Then I’ll move some others down there, and they can search father. What about south?”
“About an eighth of a mile south of Laurel’s, the passage is blocked by a lot of overgrowth and dead trees. I’ve already been there and back.”
Lon pulled his two-way and started issuing orders, walking north as he went. Jake crossed the creek and walked with him, praying for a sign.