by Liz Botts
"Where's Shane?" She pulled out of Will's arms and swung in a frantic circle. Will turned the opposite way.
Sierra and Lexi were still playing with the snow, although the older girl looked as if her tolerance for the activity had waned. But Shane was nowhere to be seen. Panic rose in Charlotte's throat, choking her and making her gasp for air. When Will met her gaze his eyes reflected her fear, but instead of falling apart like she wanted to he took control.
"I'll take Lexi and notify security. You take Sierra and check the gift shop. If you don't find him we'll meet back here and check the café together." Will strode over to his daughter, spoke briefly, and charged off in the other direction within a matter of seconds.
Charlotte felt like she was moving in slow motion as she took Sierra's hand and headed the dozen or so yards to the gift shop. Inside, Charlotte looked around, still feeling frantic. She didn't see Shane, but a shop employee was stocking knickknacks on a nearby shelf.
"Excuse me, did you see a little blond-haired boy come in here by himself?" Charlotte asked, gripping Sierra a little tighter. "He's three. He was probably sucking his thumb and dragging a blanket."
The woman paused to give Charlotte her full attention. Maybe she heard the desperation and fear in Charlotte's voice, but for whatever reason, she put down her stock and stood up. "I didn't but tell me a little more about him and we can go ask Sue at the front kiosk. She may have seen something. We aren't too busy today."
Charlotte drew a shuddery breath, trying to stop the race of thoughts pouring through her mind. How could she single out the one thing that would help define Shane and help find him?
"His blanket is green with yellow dinosaurs on it." Charlotte looked down at Sierra. The little girl's face set so seriously it made Charlotte's heart squeeze.
"He looks a lot like his sister here. We were just outside, and the girls were playing in the snow and suddenly he was just gone. We thought he might have come in here." Charlotte knew she was babbling, and that every second she kept going was a wasted moment.
The woman nodded and led them to the woman she called Sue. After a brief explanation, Sue said, "You know, I did see a little tyke with a blanket like you were describing. It didn't even occur to me that he might be in here alone. I figured he was just wandering off from his mom. Last I saw him, he was headed toward the back."
"I'll help you look," the first woman said.
"Thanks," Charlotte said, racing in the direction Sue had pointed, tugging Sierra along with her.
Rows of shelves blurred by, but there was no sign of Shane. Charlotte felt like she was suffocating under the mounting dread. Her breath came in short gasps, and her vision tunneled to only a small peephole. She had to find Shane. The only thing keeping her grounded was the feel of Sierra's tiny hand fitted tightly into her palm.
"There he is," Sierra cried, breaking free from Charlotte and charging down an aisle filled with souvenir shot glasses.
"Sierra!" Charlotte's alarm caused her to move double time.
She found the little girl in the next aisle over with her arms around her brother. Charlotte collapsed to the floor beside the two children, wrapping them in a relieved hug.
"Oh, Shane." The words came out in a sob. "We were so worried about you."
"You know you're not supposed to run away, Shany," Sierra said, her tone that of a disapproving big sister. The effect was so cute that it broke through Charlotte's fright and a choked laugh burst from her throat.
Shane wriggled out of their arms, and held up a sparkly pencil with little flecks of fool's gold suspended in a watery substance. "Mama liked these."
Charlotte's mouth dropped open. That was the most she had heard Shane speak in months. "Did she, sweetheart? What kind were her favorite?"
"Pink ones," Shane replied before popping his fingers back in his mouth.
Tears of relief squeezed from Charlotte's eyes as she reached to pull Shane into another hug. She sniffled into his hair. "We'll have to buy you one then, huh? To help you remember her. How about you, Sierra? Would you like one too?"
Both kids seemed to like the suggestion. Shane gripped his pink sparkly pencil while Sierra browsed the selection. She didn't seem to have the same sentimental attachment that Shane did to this particular object, though Charlotte had heard her talk of other things her parents liked. However, the little girl did not pass up the chance to get a little souvenir.
"We should get one for Lexi, too," Sierra said, holding up a blue one.
Those little gestures melted Charlotte's heart. "That's wonderful. Let's go buy these and find Will and Lexi, okay?"
****
Will's heart didn't start beating again until he saw Charlotte heading toward him with both Sierra and Shane. He and Lexi had just finished reporting to the security station, when the trio rounded the corner. They rushed to one another, and there were hugs and more tears.
"He went into the gift shop to find the pencil his mom always liked," Charlotte said in a low voice.
The information made Will's heart ache. "How do you know that?"
"He told us," Charlotte said. Will could see the light of excitement in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was feeling because he felt it too.
Will scooped the little boy up into his arms. "What do you have there, buddy?"
Shane took his fingers out of his mouth, held up his pencil, and said, "Mama's pencil."
"She liked those, huh?" Will felt his voice catch in his throat as he examined the garish souvenir with the little boy. "It's great. This is great."
The five of them stood huddled together for a few long moments while they savored the feeling of being safe together. Finally, Will shook himself from the feeling of dread that had settled over him, and he smiled at his little family. "Should we go check out the faces?"
"Definitely," Lexi said, twirling the pencil that Sierra had picked for her.
"Just let me tell security that everything is fine," Will said.
Charlotte touched his arm, "We'll go grab the stroller and meet you by the flags."
Will bobbed his head but he was rendered mute by the simple touch. He watched Charlotte head back across the plaza, Shane on her hip, and Lexi by her side. His daughter held Sierra's hand. With a swipe of his hand he pulled his hat off, ran a hand through his hair, and said a silent prayer of thanks for those four.
When he rejoined his little family, he had hope that maybe the five of them could truly become a unit. They headed toward the monument with Shane securely strapped in the stroller, although the little boy seemed much happier now that he had his mama pencil. He had even taken his fingers out of his mouth. One hand clutched the pencil and the other worried the edge of his blanket.
"Will Wright? Is that you? I haven't seen you all semester."
Will turned toward the voice. "Dr. Burton. How have you been?"
Mark Burton came up, shaking Will's hand vigorously as his eyes strayed over Charlotte and the kids. Will knew instinctively that the older man had questions, but he hoped that he would have the tact not to ask anything.
"Good. Good. Such a tragedy about Steve and his lovely wife. I heard you were covering all of his classes this semester. Is that true?" Dr. Burton would not meet Will's eyes, but rather kept his eyes on Charlotte. Something about the gesture raised Will's hackles.
"I am. This is Charlotte Miller. Dr. Burton is a colleague of mine at the Institute," Will said, gritting his teeth to keep himself grounded and civil. "Dr. Burton, this is my daughter, Lexi. And this is Sierra and Shane. Steve's children."
Dr. Burton's eyes widened as he took in the three children. Luckily the other man did not say anything further on that subject. Instead he said, "I wasn't all that surprised when I heard that Steve and his wife had been out at your little dig site. He was bragging all over the Institute about the discovery he had made."
"Oh? I was shocked that he would travel up there in an ice storm," Will said as noncommittally as possible. He didn't want Mark to know th
at what he had just said had shocked him to the core. What discovery? Will frowned. Steve had never said anything to him. The two men had always, absolutely always, shared the finds on the dig site. A few prehistoric animals had been found in surprisingly good condition. The best being an entire entelodont skeleton, which was basically a prehistoric pig. Not good enough to count as a new find but good enough to put the dig on the national radar.
"I'm not," Dr. Burton said. "Quite frankly, I think it's really Steve's ego that did him in at the end. He risked everything to retrieve whatever it was that he found."
"Will? The kids are getting antsy. We really should be going." Charlotte reached out and touched his elbow gently.
"All right, darling," Will said. "Sorry, Mark. I'm on a family outing. See you around the Institute."
Dr. Burton said a hurried good bye as Will and Charlotte led the kids to the viewing binoculars. "Darling, huh?" Charlotte asked with one eyebrow arched.
Will chuckled. "I had to get away from the man before he said something really offensive."
Charlotte kept her eyebrow raised as if she expected more of an explanation. He couldn't give her one. Calling her darling had felt right. His mind was still fuzzy from Mark's comments. What could Steve have discovered out at the dig site? And when? They hadn't taken students to the site since early October of the previous year. Had Steve been going to the site on his own? Will wasn't sure that was possible. Steve had never seemed to be the duplicitous type.
The doubts that pounded at Will's temples made it hard to enjoy the time with Charlotte and the kids. After the viewfinders, they headed down to the path that led to the base of the mountain. Charlotte had promised the kids that they could look up the presidents' noses. This suggestion had made them all giggle, even Lexi. Watching his daughter vacillate between teenager and little girl made Will realize how much they had ahead of them. He knew that he couldn't do it alone.
****
The day had been freaky, Lexi thought as she settled back against the seat. Shane had fallen asleep right after ice cream in Keystone. She was glad they had found him safe and sound. He was like the brother she'd never had. The little pencil he had now seemed to be his new security blanket.
Dad had sort of checked out after that other dude from work came to talk to him. Charlotte had tried to make up for it by taking them into a cool little cave with a view of one of the presidents. She knew that Washington and Lincoln were up there, but she totally blanked on the other two. Dad and Charlotte had told them about a million times, too. Whatever. She'd learn it some other time. Right now she had to figure out what was going on between Dad and Charlotte.
She had heard Dad call Charlotte darling earlier. That meant something, right? Being thirteen was awful sometimes. Most of the girls at school had had boyfriends. At least at her school in Rapid City. She hadn't really gotten to know too many yet in Mountain View, but she suspected it was much the same. Lexi had never had a boyfriend, so it was really hard for her to judge the romantic aspects of a grown up relationship. And every time she asked Grandma Karen, she received an indulgent smile. Maybe she should talk to her uncles.
Satisfied with her new plan, Lexi leaned back in her seat and shut her eyes. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought how glad she was to be part of a family finally.
Chapter Eleven
"Can I borrow the truck?" Charlotte called while she towel dried her hair.
"Sure, the keys are in the front hall." Will poked his head around the bathroom door, startling her. "Where are you headed?"
"I want to pick up a cake from the bakery for Lexi's last day of eighth grade. They don't do graduations here like in Rapid City, so I wanted to do something to mark it, you know?" Charlotte pulled her robe a little tighter around her neck. She felt self-conscious. They hadn't kissed again, but the tension between them seemed to be mounting. Yet their interactions also had the easiness of familiarity. The contradiction confused Charlotte but also made her excited.
"That's a nice idea. Should we go out to dinner too?" Will leaned against the door frame, and though his words were innocuous enough, the way his eyes traveled up and down her robe clad frame belied the innocence of the moment.
Charlotte cleared her throat, which had suddenly gone dry. "I think that would be lovely. Lexi will love it."
They stood looking at each other, Charlotte's hair dripping down her face. A smirk developing over Will's face. He stepped closer. "Charlotte." His voice soft, almost seductive.
Charlotte tipped her head back so she could look up at him. They had been dancing around the tension between them for days, and neither of them had mentioned their last kiss. Charlotte couldn't work up her courage to do so. The whole thing had a surreal, dreamlike quality lingering in her heart. She feared that the moment they spoke about it, reality would come crashing down and ruin the perfect vision she was holding close.
"Charlotte." Will moved closer, his voice still soft, but also warm and intimate.
Charlotte's breath hitched. A tiny gasp escaped her throat, almost a hiccup, but coming out as a sigh that sounded indecent to her own ears. She felt a warm flush of embarrassment creep along her neck. What would Will think? What did she want him to think? All she knew for sure was that she couldn't put their tentative family at risk. Right then, in that moment, Charlotte had nearly all she wanted, had ever wanted, in life, and she could not do anything to lose what was right at her fingertips.
He had come close enough that Charlotte reflexively put her hands up in front of her, cautiously running her palms along the rough flannel of his work shirt. When she met his eyes, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. Everything she had ever wanted… the thought echoed in her mind as Will leaned closer, his lips brushing hers.
Before they could continue further a wail rose from the living room. Will made a frustrated noise coupled with a strangled laugh and stepped back. Charlotte swayed at the sudden departure, feeling his absence acutely. He gave her a wry smile that did things to her insides.
"I'll get this one, and leave you to finish getting ready." Will pushed his hands into his pockets, and ambled down the hallway, whistling.
Charlotte leaned against the sink, her hair still dripping, as she tried to collect her thoughts. She longed for more with Will. Deep in her heart she knew that the timid venturing into using the "L-word" in reference to Will had taken root in a major way. Love was not something she was truly familiar with in a romantic sense. She knew that now, and a riot of emotions made her want to blame her upbringing even though that probably wasn't fair.
Lexi had awakened Charlotte's maternal instincts to be sure, but more than that the girl had given Charlotte insight into herself. Choosing to become a family had been a no-brainer. Loving the children felt right in a way that made Charlotte feel like she had found her place in life, but loving Will… she could lose everything if he rejected her. Although if his reaction to her was any indication of how he might feel, she was off to a better start than she'd hoped.
Shaking off the strange anxiety that settled over her, Charlotte quickly finished towel drying her hair. Lexi was their focus today. Her graduation from the eighth grade would be commemorated within the family, and Charlotte knew that she could deal with whatever was going on between her and Will at a later time.
"So, I'll just be an hour. Do you need anything while I'm in town?" Charlotte forced herself to keep a pleasant, even tone despite the fact that her stomach was still quivering from the near kiss. Until she knew how Will felt, she couldn't risk letting him know just how much he affected her. The little voice in the back of her head told her that was silly, surely he already knew, but her pride made her shove the thought aside.
When she looked over, she caught the bemused expression on Will's face. He had Shane cradled in his arms, and the little boy gazed at her with his big eyes. The last few days had seen much more talking from the boy, and at the moment he looked utterly content. Charlotte felt heartened by Shane's progress. Will h
adn't mentioned Shane and Sierra's grandparents recently nor had he talked about the custody case. His silence on those subjects increased the undercurrent of anxiety that Charlotte felt whenever she allowed her mind to wander to the future. Their whole living situation was turning her into a master of living in the present.
"I'm good, but maybe you could swing by Mitzy's and pick up some flowers. That seems like a graduation thing to do, right?"
"Absolutely." Charlotte felt the crushing weight of her thoughts, and realized that the irony of thinking she was living in the present while constantly dissecting and analyzing the situation took her out of the moment. Shaking her head to clear her mind, Charlotte flashed Will what she hoped was a confident smile. The look he gave her back nearly stopped her heart. Though the moment was brief, Charlotte could see the depth of her feelings reflected in Will's eyes. When she blinked the flash of emotion had receded, but she knew she hadn't imagined it.
Her heart felt lighter as she dangled the keys from her finger and fairly skipped across the gravel to Will's truck. If she could just figure out a way to reconcile her growing feelings for Will with the desire to save their little family. Nothing could get in the way of that.
****
Will watched as Charlotte pulled his truck out of the gravel drive, and headed toward town, a puzzled smile tugging at his lips. Shane patted his cheek pulling Will out of his reverie. The little boy had improved by leaps and bounds since their trip to Mount Rushmore, and not only did Will feel a massive amount of relief but a healthy measure of pride as well.
The screen door thumped shut gently behind him as he carried the little boy inside. "What do you think, Shane-y? Should we make some pancakes for lunch?"
