Just One Kiss: A heartwarming Christmas romance (Whisper Lake Book 4)

by Barbara Freethy

  "He definitely can't hurt her," Adam said, giving her a compassionate look. "How's her kid doing?"

  "He's doing well. We went to the snow park with everyone today. I'm trying to distract him, but he keeps asking about his mother. I don't know what to tell him."

  "As little as possible is probably good."

  "I just wish I knew where Kelly is now," Hannah said, fear in her voice. "There's more snow coming in tomorrow. I hate to think of her out alone in the mountains somewhere."

  "Your sister has been very resourceful so far," he interjected. "She's doing everything she can do to survive."

  "I know, but she must be so scared."

  Adam got to his feet. "Hopefully, we'll have more news soon, but I wanted to give you an update. I'll see myself out."

  As Adam left the kitchen, Hannah let out a troubled, frustrated sigh. "I was not expecting to hear any of that."

  "Nor was I," he admitted. "What do you think?"

  "If Kelly killed a man, it had to be in self-defense. But I also wonder if she's ever coming back. Maybe she left Brett for me to raise. I know she'd never want to go to prison. She was incredibly claustrophobic. She once had a panic attack in a line at an amusement park when the space got small and dark. On the other hand, would she really run away and leave her son? And what about the baby she's carrying?"

  "I think we're going to have to wait and see how this plays out."

  "You need to go see Trevor. He could at least tell us if she is pregnant. He saw her and spoke to her. Did we ever tell Adam about Trevor?"

  He frowned, as he got to his feet. "I don't think so. Let me see what he has to say, and then I'll fill Adam in."

  "Okay."

  As they walked out of the kitchen, the doorbell rang once more.

  "Maybe Adam has already found out something else," Hannah said.

  But it wasn't Adam on the porch this time; it was Hannah's mother, Katherine Stark.

  He inwardly groaned. He hadn't had one conversation with Katherine since he'd returned to town, although he'd seen her in the distance a few times, but they'd both been happy to avoid each other.

  "You," she said, her voice filled with anger. "What are you doing here?"

  "I don't think that's any of your business," he said shortly.

  Her lips parted in surprise, as if she couldn't believe he'd just said that.

  "Jake is helping me with Brett," Hannah put in.

  "Why?" Katherine asked.

  "Because he is, Mom," Hannah snapped.

  Katherine turned back to him, scorn in her gaze. "I told you to leave my daughter alone a long time ago."

  "When did you tell him that?" Hannah cut in.

  "Back when you were in high school. He came by to beg for your forgiveness, and I told him you would never ever forgive him, and he didn't deserve it."

  Hannah appeared shocked at that piece of information. "You never told me that."

  "I'm sure I did." Katherine gave him another searing look. "You still don't deserve forgiveness. You hurt my daughter."

  He wanted to say she'd hurt her daughter far more than he had, but he thought it was better to just walk away. "I'm going to go," he told Hannah. "I'll be in touch."

  She gave him a troubled look. "Let me know what Trevor says."

  "I will," he said, then headed down the path.

  He was almost to the truck when he heard Katherine say, "Seriously, Hannah, what are you doing with Jake?"

  Unfortunately, he couldn't hear Hannah's answer. Maybe that was just as well.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "I asked you a question," her mom said, as they stepped into the house.

  Hannah gave her a warning look. "Don't speak so loudly. Brett is asleep."

  "I just don't understand why you would be with a man you hate," her mom continued, as they moved into the living room and sat down.

  "It's complicated, Mom. Jake has been helping me with Brett."

  "Why aren't your friends helping you?"

  "My friends?" she echoed. "A better question might be why isn't my mother helping me? You're Brett's grandmother, and you wouldn't even see him yesterday."

  Guilt moved through her mother's eyes. "Well, I was busy yesterday, but I'm here now." She paused. "I'd like to meet him."

  "I told you, he's sleeping."

  "He certainly takes a lot of naps."

  "He's four. Do you want to come back later?"

  "Maybe I should just wait."

  "You want to wait?" she asked in surprise. "It could be a while. I'm sure you have other things to do. Why don't you go home, and I'll call you when he wakes up?"

  "I'd rather stay."

  "Well, I can't entertain you. I have to make three dozen cookies before tomorrow."

  Her mom's green eyes lit up. "I can help with that. I'm great at baking."

  She actually wouldn't mind her mom's help. "All right. But we're not going to talk about Jake."

  "I can't make that promise. When I see something wrong, I have to say something."

  "Since when?"

  "It's part of being honest and staying well. If I keep things inside, they only get worse. You can't keep secrets and stay sober."

  Her mom's words came straight out of her Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and while she wanted to say her mom had never really been that honest about anything, there was no point. Katherine Stark had a blind spot when it came to her own deficiencies. But she was trying, and she was sober. That was the most important thing.

  "If we're going to be completely honest," she said. "Then you need to explain why you never told me Jake came by to see me after our horrible breakup."

  Her mom's shrug was unapologetic. "I was protecting you. I saw how hurt you were, Hannah, and when he came by to apologize, I was afraid you'd take him back. Is that what you're doing now? Are you giving him a second chance?"

  "I don't know," she said. "I haven't decided yet."

  Her mother bit down on her bottom lip as if she was forcing herself not to say anything, which was fine with her.

  "Okay," her mom continued. "We won't talk about Jake. What's happening with Kelly?"

  She wanted to talk about Kelly even less. "The police are looking for her, but they haven't found her yet. That's really all I know." She didn't want to get into the boyfriend or what had happened at the campground. It would only upset her mom, and she didn't need her mother to fall apart on top of everything else. "Let's go into the kitchen. I need to get started on the cookies."

  "I can't believe they put you in charge of cookies. You were always so impatient with baking," her mom said, as she followed her into the kitchen. "You never wanted to wait for the cookies to bake. Every time I turned around, you were sneaking raw cookie dough."

  She smiled at the memory. "That is true. It was so good."

  "And so bad for you with the raw eggs."

  "Well, I survived," she said lightly, knowing she'd survived things far worse than raw egg cookie dough. "But tomorrow the cookies definitely need to be baked."

  "Then it's a good thing I came by."

  She didn't know yet if it was a good thing or not, but she was going to find out soon.

  Jake drove across town fighting off waves of anger. The contempt in Katherine Stark's voice still grated on his nerves.

  After the life she'd led, the terrible mother she'd been—how dare she judge him for one bad mistake? If she hadn't been such a complete and total burden on Hannah for the last decade, maybe he could admire her sticking up for her daughter. But it just felt hypocritical.

  Unfortunately, her attitude toward him had also been another reminder of what a stupid ass he'd been. He didn't care what she thought of him now, but he didn't want her messing up the tentative truce between Hannah and him. But there was nothing he could do about it.

  He needed to forget about Katherine and focus on Trevor and what information he might be able to provide that would help them find Kelly. Although finding Kelly might bring a whole new set of proble
ms. It was difficult to know what to believe with the limited information that they had, but he thought there was a good chance that Kelly had killed Russ Miller and had run for her life.

  It might be difficult to prove self-defense, but Kelly couldn't stay on the run forever. Or maybe she could.

  But what would that do to Brett? She'd be sacrificing her son for her freedom. On the other hand, what good would Kelly be to her son if she was in jail? And how hard would that be on Hannah?

  Hannah would take it on herself to raise Brett, just as she'd raised her younger brother when her mom was too drunk to do so. It would be a lot for her to handle. Raising a four-year-old child would consume her life, but she would do it. It just didn't seem fair. She'd spent a lot of time taking care of other people. At some point, it needed to be her turn. And he found himself wanting to be the man who took care of her, who eased her burden. She might not want him to help her, but he would do just that.

  The Motor Inn was five miles out of town on a remote highway that led toward the town of Great Falls, fifteen miles south. There wasn't much else on the highway beyond gas stations, fast-food restaurants, and cheap lodging. When he pulled into the parking lot, there was no sign of Trevor's old Chevy Impala.

  He turned off the engine and got out of the car, making his way up the exterior stairs to the second floor. He rapped sharply on room ten.

  A moment later, Trevor opened the door. He looked like shit. His long, dark hair was greasy. His T-shirt and jeans were filthy, and his body odor made Jake wince. He also didn't like Trevor's bloodshot eyes and pale skin. But there was a clarity to his gaze that he hadn't seen in a while.

  "How are you doing?" he asked, as he stepped into the room. His gaze swept the furnishings. There was nothing much there beyond a bed, a dresser and a small table. While there were food wrappers on the table, there was no sign of alcohol or drugs. It was a much different scene than the one at the cabin.

  "I'm surviving—barely," Trevor said, sinking down onto one of two hard chairs.

  He perched on the edge of the other chair. "Why did you leave the cabin? Why come here?"

  "The cabin reminded me of Michelle. We used to go there when we were happy. Being there without her made me really unhappy. I hit up the nearby liquor store after ten minutes. When I finally sobered up on Friday night, I decided to leave, and I came here. I figured this shithole wouldn't remind me of anything happy, and I was right."

  "I'm glad you're okay. I've been texting you since Friday night. You had me worried, Trev."

  "I know. I'm sorry, Jake. I was detoxing, and it was all I could do to breathe my way through it. But I made it. It's been almost forty-eight hours since I took a drink."

  He hoped this was the new start Trevor needed. "That's good. But you don't have to do this alone. I told you I'd help you pay for rehab."

  "I appreciate that, but I have to do this my way. I have to be able to manage my addictions in the real world. I went to rehab once before, and it didn't stick. As soon as I got out, I went right back to it. I don't know if this will work, either, but I had to try something different. I'm a mess, Jake."

  "Actually, for the first time in a while, I feel like you're on the right path. And when you're ready to come back to work, you have a job. That job lasts as long as your sobriety does."

  "I get it. I know I screwed up a few times the past couple of weeks."

  "You did. Now you have to do better." He paused. "How did you get here? I didn't see your car in the lot. I'm hoping you didn't drive."

  "I got a ride from a woman who was staying at one of the cabins near mine. She came by to ask if she could borrow my car. I told her I had to leave, so if she wanted to drive me, she could take the car after that."

  He was surprised by Trevor's words. "A stranger asked to borrow your car and you said yes?"

  "Well, I wasn't exactly sober at the time," Trevor admitted. "I needed to get out of the cabin, and I knew I couldn't drive."

  "At least you knew that much. Where was her car?"

  Trevor gave him a blank look. "Uh, I don't know. She said her car broke down. Her kid needed something for Christmas. I told her if she dropped me off here, she could take the car and then bring it back when she got her vehicle fixed."

  "But she hasn't brought it back yet. And it's Sunday afternoon. Do you seriously think she will?"

  "Maybe not. Why are you asking me so many questions?" Trevor asked, running a hand through his hair.

  "Because the woman who gave you a ride disappeared and left her kid behind."

  "What? No." Trevor shook his head in confusion. "She said she left her kid with her sister. He would be fine until she got back. She kept saying that, over and over."

  "What else did she say?"

  "I don't remember. It's all a blur."

  "Try. It's important."

  Trevor stared at him for a long minute. "She said she was a good person. People might not believe that, but she was. She seemed agitated and stressed out."

  "Was she hurt? Did she have any physical injuries? Bruises, broken bones?"

  "I don't think so, but she was pregnant." A light came on in his eyes. "I just remembered that. She kept touching her belly. She was mostly talking to herself, or maybe to the baby. She said it was going to be all right. She would keep her safe. She would do what she had to do to keep her kids safe."

  "Did she say where she was going?"

  "I don't think so."

  It wasn't much, but it was something. At least they now knew what car Kelly was driving. "I don't suppose you know your license plate number?"

  "Dude, I can barely remember my name right now."

  "Okay. It's fine. I'm sure the police can figure it out. Why don't you come to my place for the night? I've got a couch and food in the refrigerator."

  "No. I have to stay here another night."

  "What about food? You don't have a car."

  "There's a pizza place across the road. They deliver."

  "You can't survive on just pizza. I'll go to the store and get you some groceries."

  "Why do you care so much?" Trevor asked, a questioning note in his voice.

  "You're one of my employees, and we're friends."

  "You should have fired me weeks ago, and I don't think I'm much of a friend."

  "You're going through a hard time. You just need to turn your life around."

  "What if I can't?"

  "You're already doing it," he said, meeting Trevor's uncertain gaze. "You've made mistakes. You just need to recover and do better."

  "I'm going to try, but—"

  "No buts. By getting sober, you're giving yourself a second chance, and I'm giving you one, too. Don't let me down."

  Trevor nodded. "Okay."

  He got to his feet. "I'll be back in thirty minutes."

  "Thanks."

  He headed out the door and jogged to his car. On the way to the store, he punched in Adam's number. If Adam could track Trevor's car, maybe they could find Kelly. It was the best lead they'd gotten so far, and it felt good to be doing something proactive. Hopefully, the information would pan out and Hannah would get some good news.

  They'd just started pulling ingredients together for the cookies when Hannah heard the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the stairs. Apparently, Brett's nap today was not going to be a long one. She moved toward the kitchen door as Brett came running down the hall. He launched himself into her arms, and she gave him a hug.

  "Did you have a good sleep?" she asked him.

  He nodded, his gaze moving toward her mother, who was standing frozen in the middle of the kitchen, a look of shock on her face.

  "Who's that?" he asked.

  "That's my mom. And she's also your mom's mom, which makes her your grandmother."

  "Hi," he said, with his usual friendly smile. "I'm Brett."

  Surprise flashed across her mother's face at his warm greeting. "Uh, hello." She paused, giving Hannah an awkward look. "I'm not sure what he should c
all me."

  "How about Grandma?" She looked at Brett. "What do you think about that?"

  "I never had a grandma before. My friend Albie has two."

  She couldn't help wondering about his father's parents, but, apparently, they didn't exist—at least, not in Brett's world.

  "Are you going to bake cookies with us, Grandma?" Brett asked.

  Her mother sucked in a quick breath at the title Brett had so quickly accepted. "I am," she said.

  "We're going to make sugar cookies," she told Brett.

  "I was thinking about that," her mom said. "Why don't we be a bit more creative? Remember when we used to make sweater weather sugar cookies?"

  Her mom's words took her way back in time. "Yes. The cookies all looked like Christmas sweaters."

  "I want to make sweater cookies," Brett announced.

  "We could also do white chocolate cherry shortbread cookies," her mother added. "Those were your favorites."

  "I don't think I have the sweater mold or the ingredients for the other ones."

  "We could do peanut butter, too," her mom said. She was either completely caught up in the cookies or trying to avoid thinking about the little boy who was calling her grandmother.

  Hannah suspected it was partly the latter.

  "I love peanut butter," Brett said, getting more excited by the minute.

  "And bittersweet chocolate crackle cookies," her mom continued. "Those were Kelly's favorites."

  "Kelly is my mom," Brett said.

  Her mother looked pained at that reminder. "I know." Her gaze moved to Hannah's. "He looks like Tyler more than Kelly, but she's there in his eyes. I don't know if I can do this, Hannah."

  "Of course you can. Because all we're going to do is make cookies. However, I think one of us needs to go to the store."

  "I can do that."

  "Okay. But, Mom, you need to come back." She was slightly terrified that her mom would go to the store, walk down the liquor aisle, and use alcohol to stop thinking about Kelly and Brett. "I can't make all those cookies without you. And Brett wants to do them with you, too."

  Her mother slowly nodded. "I'll come back, Hannah."