Christmas Reunion

by Laura Scott

  “Amen,” Ben dutifully echoed.

  When she lifted her head, she caught Ian’s curious gaze and her heart dropped when she realized he wasn’t a believer.

  Not that Ian’s faith or lack thereof was any of her business. Yes, it made her sad that Ian probably didn’t pray or attend church, but then again, she didn’t know much about Ian’s personal life or how much he may have changed.

  Obviously, this was God’s way of reminding her that there couldn’t be more than friendship between them.

  No matter how attractive Ian might be.

  Chapter Three

  Ian dug into his oatmeal, surprised to learn Sarah was the type of woman who would pray before eating. During their summer together, attending church hadn’t been high on their list of things to do.

  Normally he didn’t like looking back at the past, wishing things could be different. Yet there was no denying that he’d always had feelings for Sarah. Ridiculous, since they’d been kids back then. Would they still be together if her mother hadn’t been diagnosed with cancer shortly after the end of their infamous summer? He had no idea. And there was no reason to think about that now.

  For the most part he was proud of the choices he’d made. Fighting crime and standing up for the innocent gave him a sense of purpose. He enjoyed working for the Hope County Sheriff’s Department. His record had been spotless until four months ago when his brother, Jesse, had gone rogue, nearly killing two innocent people; a well-respected ER doctor and a DNR game warden. Not to mention, Duke, the game warden’s dog.

  All because his brother had snapped, believing the game warden and the doctor were trying to prevent him from living off the land.

  After Jesse was hospitalized, Ian had begged the physicians to evaluate his brother’s mental health status. One of the female psychologists, Beth Walters, agreed with Ian’s concerns and diagnosed Jesse with a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his last tour in Afghanistan. Between the two of them they convinced the authorities to send Jesse to a psychiatric hospital rather than to prison.

  Sheriff Torretti declared Ian to be innocent of any wrongdoing and reinstated him as a deputy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t entirely true. He hadn’t wanted to believe that the brother he’d idolized from the time they were kids had gone off the deep end. If he’d been smart enough to figure out what Jesse was doing before things had gotten so out of hand, his brother wouldn’t be sitting in psych hospital right now, a punishment that Jesse believed was worse than death.

  Ian tried to remind himself that his brother was getting the help he needed. But was that good enough? Ian wasn’t sure. Jesse barely spoke a full sentence during their monthly visits. And Ian figured that his brother blamed him for being locked up again, something Jesse had vowed would never happen.

  It took him a minute to realize his bowl was empty and he looked up guiltily, realizing that both Sarah and Ben were staring at him with obvious concern.

  “Sorry,” he murmured, pushing his bowl away. “I’m used to eating fast between calls.”

  Sarah’s smile hit him low in the gut. “That’s okay, but I guess I needn’t have worried you wouldn’t like instant oatmeal.”

  He lifted a brow. “What’s not to like? And the apple slices were a great touch.”

  “I’m glad,” Sarah said simply. She took another spoonful of oatmeal, as if savoring the taste. It struck him that maybe she’d given him food that she didn’t have to spare.

  Ian gave himself a mental head slap. Of course her funds would be limited, especially if she was on the run from that jerk of an ex-husband. He’d have to make it up to her by bringing more groceries over later.

  Although, first, he’d have to make sure she had the basics, like electricity. He began to make a mental list of things she’d need.

  The storm had kept him busy for the rest of his shift, so he hadn’t taken the time to run a background check on David Franklin. Of course it would help to have a middle initial or a date of birth to narrow the search.

  “I’m all done, Mom,” Ben announced.

  “Okay, carry your dirty dishes over to the counter,” Sarah told him. “I’ll wash them, later.”

  Ian took his dishes over as well, doing a quick inventory on the non-perishable food that Sarah had already unpacked from one of the large boxes he’d brought inside. He was glad to see she’d come prepared with canned beef stew, soup, macaroni and cheese along with the old standby—peanut butter and jelly.

  It occurred to him that she may have had some time to plan her escape, since it didn’t seem that she’d simply emptied out her fridge. Every food item in the box was something that wouldn’t spoil yet appealed to a child.

  Feeling grim, he decided he absolutely had to follow up on her ex, and soon. He needed to know just what they were up against. Granted, tomorrow was Christmas Eve, but Ian doubted that any man capable of putting fear in a child’s eyes would let a holiday prevent him from getting what he wanted.

  Sarah joined him in the kitchen, giving him a concerned look as she took the bowl from his hands. “Ian, you’ve been up for hours and look dead on your feet. Maybe you should get some rest?”

  He was tired since he’d been up for nearly twenty-four hours straight. After a normal night shift, he would go home and fall asleep almost instantly. But this morning after chopping wood he’d gotten his second wind. A burst of energy that was fading fast.

  “Soon,” he agreed with a crooked smile. “But first I’m going to pick up a generator for you. I don’t like the thought of you and Ben being here without power.”

  A frown puckered in her brow. “I doubt you’ll be able to find one until after the holiday, so don’t worry about that now. We’re fine. I’d rather you get some sleep.”

  Sarah’s concern was touching, he couldn’t remember the last time anyone cared whether he was hungry or tired. It was a nice feeling, not that he was looking for a relationship.

  “I happen to have a generator at home, and I don’t live that far. I’ll be back in less than an hour.”

  Sarah’s lips firmed. “You can’t keep doing this, Ian. I don’t want you to feel like you have to take care of us. I appreciate your concern, but trust me when I say that I’d prefer to do this on my own.”

  He tried to suppress a flash of anger. “I don’t understand what’s going through that pretty head of yours, Sarah. Every single thing I’ve done for you is what I’d do for any other neighbor. This isn’t the big city where you don’t know the people living next door by name. Here in Crystal Lake, we take care of each other. We’re pretty much one big family.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked as if she wanted to say something more, but he didn’t give her a chance.

  “I have to go.” He swept past her and grabbed his coat off the back of the rocking chair. “See you later, Ben,” he called, before he walked outside and closed the door behind him.

  He didn’t remember Sarah having that stubborn, independent streak ten years ago, but then again, they hadn’t had any responsibilities either.

  Maybe he understood her desire to be independent, but refusing a generator that he wasn’t using was downright foolish. Did she have any idea how early darkness fell around here? The sun set by four o’clock in the afternoon, and that was on a sunny day. Refusing light was just ridiculous. He climbed into his car and headed for the highway.

  Sarah would take his generator whether she liked it or not. And after he’d hooked it up for her, he’d leave her alone if that’s what she really wanted.

  Making sure to ignoring the small part of his heart that longed to spend more time with her and her son.

  After Ian left, Sarah blew out a heavy sigh and leaned forward, bracing her palms on the kitchen counter.

  Okay, she’d handled that badly.

  The good news was that not once had she been afraid. She’d known that Ian was getting angry, but she didn’t cower away from him the way she once might have. She’d stood up for herself.r />
  So why did she feel so lousy?

  She gathered the dirty dishes and put them in one of the large pans filled with water. She quickly washed and rinsed them, trying not to think about how much easier it would be to have the generator Ian had spoken about. Being able to use the electric stove would be amazing.

  “Can I go outside to play?” Ben asked.

  “Give me a few minutes,” she said. “I’m almost finished.”

  “Why do you hav’ta go with me?”

  Her son’s innocent question caught her off guard. Not letting him play outside alone in Chicago was a no-brainer considering the crime rate. But they were safe here in Crystal Lake.

  Weren’t they?

  Maybe, maybe not. “Because it’s going to take two of us to build that snowman,” she said lightly. “There, see? I’m all finished.”

  Her clothes were still damp, but thankfully Ben’s hat and mittens were nice and dry. She bundled him up first and then quickly donned her things. Outside, the wind was cold, but not unbearably so.

  “First we have to start with the bottom,” she said. “We have to make a nice big snowball.”

  “Okay.” Ben was full of enthusiasm as they made a small ball and then rolled it around in the snow, making it bigger and bigger.

  “I think that’s good,” she said breathlessly, patting the large semi-round base. “Now we have to make another, smaller snowball.”

  The sound of a car engine caught her attention, and for a moment she froze in fear, thinking the worst. But then she saw the dark brown sheriff’s deputy vehicle rolling down the driveway and breathed a sigh of relief.

  David hadn’t found them.

  “Hey, you started without me,” Ian complained with a smile as he slid out from behind the wheel.

  Her jeans were soaked from the thigh down, making her shiver with cold. “You want to help? Be my guest.”

  He frowned when he saw how wet she was. “You need a pair of snow pants,” he said in a serious tone.

  “Pink snow pants,” she corrected. “To match my pink jacket.” She loved the hot pink color as much as David had once hated it. “Come on, the sooner we get this snowman finished the sooner we can go inside.”

  With Ian’s help it didn’t take long to build the rest of the snowman. She sent Ben off to find leaves, sticks and stones to complete the snowman’s face and arms.

  “Come on, I need some help,” Ian said, gesturing for her to follow him behind the cabin. “We need to find a good spot for the generator.”

  “Okay, but I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said, walking along beside him. “Because I don’t have a clue.”

  “We need a dry spot roughly fifteen feet from the cabin,” he said, looking around the area.

  “Wasn’t there a concrete slab back here at one point?” she asked, trying to remember. “Like over there, near the electrical box?”

  Ian walked over and used his boot to push the snow out of the way. “Good memory. I bet your grandparents had a generator here at one time, which is good news since that will make it easier for me to get this hooked up.”

  Sarah figured Ian was exaggerating, but working together with Ben helping in small ways too, they soon had the generator set up on the concrete slab with a covered tarp hanging in the trees overhead to protect it from snow.

  “Well, let’s see if this works,” Ian said, rising to his feet.

  They trooped inside the house and Sarah held her breath as Ian flipped on the light switch near the door. The light over the kitchen table came on and Ben let out a whoop.

  “It works! We did it,” her son exclaimed.

  “Yes, we helped Mr. Ian, didn’t we?” she said, gently correcting Ben. “Now it’s time to get out of those wet clothes, young man.”

  “I’ll check to make sure all the lights are working before I head home,” Ian said as he shrugged out of his coat. He scrubbed his hands over his face as he walked into the first bedroom.

  She listened as Ian tested the switches, noting with satisfaction that every light now worked. Ben pulled off his wet clothes, and she took her time to spread them around the wood stove to dry. There wasn’t a washer and dryer in the cabin, so having electricity didn’t help there.

  “Go find some dry clothes to wear,” she told Ben when he was down to his skivvies.

  Her son ran off to the bedroom he’d deemed as his own, returning a few minutes later, still in his underwear.

  “What’s wrong? Couldn’t you find your clothes?” she asked with a frown.

  “Mr. Ian is sleeping in my bed,” Ben said in a loud whisper. “Should I try to wake him up?”

  “No, let him sleep. Stay here; I’ll get your dry clothes.” Sarah tiptoed into the bedroom, nearly tripping over the suitcase Ben had left lying in the middle of the room. She quickly gathered Ben’s clothes, but her gaze kept straying back to where Ian was sleeping.

  He looked younger, more like the eighteen-year-old she remembered from that summer she’d fallen for him. His mink colored hair was messed up and the dark shadow of his beard covered his cheeks. He was bigger and broader across the chest than she remembered and she was surprised by the urge to reach out and touch him.

  She backed out of the room and closed the door behind her.

  Enough. She needed to remember that Ian Kramer was off-limits. For one thing, he didn’t have faith. But that wasn’t the real reason she needed to avoid him.

  She’d given her heart to a man once before and David had trampled all over it.

  She didn’t think she’d survive a second broken heart.

  Ian blinked away the remnants of sleep, disoriented by the darkness. The faint musty odor convinced him he wasn’t at home.

  The ringing of his phone made him realize that’s what had pulled him from sleep. Was he late for work? He grabbed the phone from his breast pocket and peered at the screen.

  Six o’clock in the evening. He wasn’t late, but the number was that of his boss, Lieutenant Greene. And there were at least a dozen missed calls. “This is Kramer,” he said, rolling up to a sitting position. “Is something wrong?”

  “Where are you?” Jake Greene asked in a clipped voice.

  Something about his boss’s tone put him on edge. “Why? What’s going on?”

  “I went to your place to find you,” Jake said, sidestepping his question.

  Alarm bells went off in the back of his head. For one thing, it wasn’t common practice for his boss to seek him out at home. Not to mention, the fact that Greene kept demanding to know exactly where Ian was, told him something was up.

  “I’m not at home, I’m with a friend,” he snapped, getting angry. “Come on, Lieutenant. Just tell me what happened.”

  There was a long pause and he imagined Jake Greene was carefully choosing his next question. “How’s Jesse doing?”

  Ian scowled, wondering if this was nothing more than a weird dream. He pinched himself just to make sure. “He was fine when I saw him two weeks ago at the hospital. Why? Is he sick? Did something happen to him?”

  “Where exactly are you right now,” Greene demanded.

  Ian knew a direct order when he heard it. As much as it went against the grain to tell anyone about Sarah and Ben, he didn’t have much of a choice.

  “I’m at a small cabin in the woods, not far off highway double Z. Fire marker number two-ninety-eight, to be exact. The cabin belongs to a Sarah Franklin, nee Miller. She’s spending the holiday here with her son, Ben.”

  Another long silence, and he suspected his boss hadn’t expected that answer. “Is Jesse with you?”

  What? Ian lunged to his feet, sweeping his hand over the wall to find the light switch. “No, Jesse’s not with me. I told you I haven’t seen him in over two weeks. I only get to visit him on the first Saturday of the month.” He drew in a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Tell me what’s going on. Where is my brother?”

  “That’s what we were hoping you’d tell us,” Lieutenant Greene said
in a somber tone. “He escaped from the psychiatric hospital sometime early this morning. We’ve had teams looking for him over the past few hours, but we haven’t found him.”

  Ian sank back down on the edge of the bed, his mind reeling. Jesse had escaped? No wonder his boss had been out to his house. Had Jesse been to his place? Had his brother been hiding in the woods, waiting for Ian to leave with the generator?

  “Listen, Kramer, we need to know the minute Jesse contacts you. Understand?”

  Ian closed his eyes and shook his head helplessly. “I promise I’ll call you if I hear from my brother, but I can assure you that Jesse won’t try to get in touch with me. Don’t you understand? Jesse blames me for putting him in that psych hospital in the first place, even though I thought it would be better than being in prison. He barely spoke to me when I visited. If he’s truly escaped, I’m the last person on earth he’d call for help.”

  “You better hope that’s not true,” Greene said in a low, intense voice. “Because I’m taking you off the schedule until we find him.”

  Off the schedule? Ian knew that Greene wasn’t thrilled the sheriff had reinstate him, but this was going too far. Ian disconnected from the call and dropped the phone, staring blindly down at his shaky hands. He could barely comprehend that Jesse had escaped the psychiatric hospital.

  And worse that he’d been taken off the schedule because of it.

  His career teetered on the brink of disaster.

  Because Ian knew better than anyone that no one would ever find his brother. Jesse would disappear, never to be heard from again.

  Chapter Four

  Sarah was stirring a pot of canned beef stew on the small electric stove when she heard a loud voice coming from Ben’s bedroom. Ian must finally be awake.

  Although, from the tone of Ian’s voice, she sensed something was wrong. His raised, tense baritone seemed to vibrate from the bedroom. She was curious about what was going on but didn’t intend to pry. Ben was content at the kitchen table tying scraps of fabric together to make a chain of garland for their Christmas tree. They’d picked out a small pine tree outside that would be perfect to decorate. She didn’t intend to cut it down, but Sarah felt strongly that she needed to provide some Christmas spirit for Ben’s sake. She had a small gift for him too, tucked away in the bottom of her suitcase.