Willie G. was silent for a long time, just eating methodically, and eventually he sat back. “I have to put this stuff on our menu,” he muttered. Then he shook his head, making his white braid bounce a little. “Nah, I’m no good at exotic foods.”
Adam laughed. “Since when are enchiladas and rice exotic?”
The chime sounded, and Willie G. jumped up without answering Adam. “I’ll get it. I came all this distance—I may as well do something besides eat.”
He went out, and was back, followed by Moses. The doctor stopped when he saw who was at the table, then crossed to Mallory. “I’m sorry about tonight. I thought I’d come by and see if we could get out for a quick bite, before I head back.” He motioned to the feast set out on the table. “Seems I’m late.”
Mallory got up and found another chair. Faith moved her chair and Moses took a seat at the table. “We have tons of ‘exotic’ food,” Mallory said, glancing at Willie G., who was digging into his meal again. “Please, have some with us. Besides, this is Faith’s birthday.”
Moses settled, took the plate Mallory passed to him and began to help himself to the food. “Your birthday?” he asked Faith.
“Yes, they tend to come once a year whether you want them to or not.”
Adam laughed with the others, and he felt something settle in him. This had turned out better than he’d thought when he’d asked her to eat with him this evening. This was easier, less pressure, and Faith actually seemed to be relaxing as she ate.
Mallory apologized for her lack of drinks, offering milk, ice water, orange juice or lemon-lime soda. But Willie mixed the orange juice with the soda and made a drink that went well with the spicy food. They toasted to Faith’s birthday.
* * *
F
AITH
SIPPED
THE
REFRESHING
DRINK
and glanced out the window at the garden, the same view she had from her room. She watched the snow falling steadily. She had wanted to go to dinner with Adam, and then after the kiss knew she couldn’t. There was no way she could be in that truck again, not after her reaction to Adam kissing her. She’d liked it too much. She couldn’t even look at him without reliving that moment. But being here in Mallory’s kitchen with these folks was, for lack of a better description, nice and safe.
She wasn’t alone in her room, and she wasn’t alone with Adam. But he was there, grinning at the jokes Willie G. kept coming up with, looking relieved when Moses told him his father could go home tomorrow. Adam kept glancing at her with those dark eyes, sparking a heat in her that made her look away from him and concentrate on the others.
She hadn’t expected this birthday to be anything but ignored, and here she was eating Mexican food, actually laughing and having the best time she’d experienced in months. She looked down at her plate as she put her glass back and was a bit surprised to see the food was almost gone. She’d been starving. She noted Moses and Mallory, not missing the constant contact between the two of them. A touch on the arm, a soft slap on the shoulder when Moses told the worst joke ever and the looks they gave each other.
“The most snow we’ve had around this time of year, more than all the snow that’s fallen in the past five years together.” Willie G. was shaking his head. “Darnedest thing I’ve ever seen around here.” He looked over at Faith. “I guess coming from Illinois, you’re used to a lot more snow than this.”
Faith nodded. “There was one year that I actually went out a second-story window and slid down to the backyard terrace.” She knew she was talking too much, but the memory had always made her smile, especially the part when she landed in the deepest snowdrift she’d ever seen. “I finally figured out that sliding into a new snow drift wasn’t a good idea.”
She glanced at Adam, who was watching her intently. “Did you get in it and have to swim out?” he asked.
How could he know that? “Yes, and I thought I was a goner, but my dad grabbed me and pulled me out.” That made her throat tighten, and she pushed her plate away. “That was wonderful. Thanks so much, Mallory.”
“We aren’t finished.” The woman got up and went into a smaller room that looked as if it was lined with shelves of canned goods and bottles, probably a pantry. “I will be right there,” her voice called out. “I just have to see if... Found it!” She sounded excited. “Now,” she said as she appeared in the doorway with a small plate in her hand, “I just need something to light the candle.”
Faith saw a cupcake on the plate as Mallory got closer, and the tightness in her throat translated to the threat of tears behind her eyes. She quickly took a breath and watched Mallory set a single chocolate cupcake in front of her. An oversize white candle stuck out of the thick chocolate frosting. Willie got up, leaned over the table and flipped open a cigarette lighter to touch it to the wick in the candle.
“Willie!” Mallory admonished, but he just stood back and flipped the lighter closed. “I gave up smoking going on fourteen years, but I never gave up carrying this thing.” He held up the lighter fashioned in an intricate silver pattern with a single turquoise stone on one side. “The Council gave this to me, and it ain’t going nowhere.” He dropped it back into his shirt pocket and nodded at Faith. “Okay, young lady, make a wish, but just be careful about what you wish for, because any candle lit by my lighter guarantees that the wish will come true.”
Faith looked at the dancing flame as Mallory led a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You,” and when they finished, a wish popped into her head. She wanted
this
to be her reality, in this place with these people. But even as she blew the candle out, she knew that this would be the one wish that Willie G.’s lighter could not make come true.
The meal was over, and Faith knew it was time for reality to intrude. “I’m getting tired,” she admitted. “Is it okay to take this up with me?”
“Of course it is,” Mallory said.
Adam was staring at her, his eyes narrowed, but she couldn’t look at him when he spoke. “I’m just sorry I didn’t know it was your birthday, or you would have had some gifts.”
She grabbed her wallet. “I have the best gift getting this back,” she said, but knew that the only gift she needed, they’d given her without even knowing it—their time and company, not to mention their kindness. And Adam had given her something she’d treasure forever, long after she left this town to go back to her world. She picked up the plate and stood at the same time Adam got up and said he’d better be heading back to the ranch.
Mallory looked at Adam. “You know, the snow’s coming down pretty hard, and I was thinking you shouldn’t be driving out to the ranch in it. Besides, if your mother needs you, you might not be able to make it back.” Faith watched Adam’s expression show concern. “Not that I think you’ll be needed, but why don’t you stay here? It’s one less thing to worry about.”
He paused first, but then said, “Do you have a room available?”
“The other one on the top floor is empty until tomorrow, so it’s perfect.” Mallory smiled. “And you can carry Faith’s jacket and cupcake up for her.”
Moses said, “I need to get going, too.” Then he stopped as if he remembered something. “Oh, Adam, I meant to tell you that Jack called when I was leaving.”
“Why did he call you?”
Moses almost smiled at that. “Hey, don’t kill the messenger. He said your phone was going directly to voice mail.”
That seemed to mollify him. “What did he call for?”
“Your mom left a message about your dad and he wanted to find out what was going on.”
Adam nodded, obviously satisfied with that explanation. “Anything else?”
Moses shook his head. “No, he just said to keep him in the loop. Oh, and he wished me a merry Christmas.”
Adam’s face tightened. “Great.”
Moses held up a hand again. “Adam, this is all good. The man’s doing something to move on after Robyn’s death, and we need to encourage him. He can’t stay stuck in the past forever. He’s got to live his life, to figure it out.”
Faith thought she might be the only one to see Mallory’s expression soften, then turn to something bordering on pain. The words had struck her hard, and Faith knew that coming from Moses, they struck even deeper. She knew that the man cared about her, and she thought Mallory was coming close to falling for him, to moving on from her past. Moses turned to Mallory, speaking softly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking and—”
“Moses, Moses,” Willie G. said as he rocked back in his chair to look up at the others all standing around the table now. “You didn’t say nothing wrong, and Mallory knows that you didn’t mean a thing by anything you said.” He glanced at his niece, almost daring her to argue with him. “Don’t you, Mal?”
She managed a slight smile for Moses. “He’s right. Willie G.’s always right,” she said, reaching to close the food containers.
Faith felt like a third wheel and said, “Good night, and thanks again.” She started to go upstairs.
“Good sleeping,” Willie G. called after her. To Adam he said, “Tell your dad I’m here if he needs anything.”
“Sure will,” Adam said and grabbed the jackets. Faith already had the cupcake plate and her wallet with her.
Faith was very aware of Adam following her up the stairs and the fact that he was going to stay in the room next door for the night. She got to her room, managed to open the door, then stepped in to put the cupcake on the desk and toss her wallet onto the bed. When she faced Adam, he had put her jacket on the chair over her purse, and he stood silhouetted in the doorway, backlit by the soft lights in the hallway.
She was awed by the sight of him and thinking of how honorable a man he was. She managed to say “Thanks” as she crossed to where he stood. “I enjoyed tonight.”
“I did, too. Very much.”
She hoped she wasn’t blushing like a teenager, because she felt like one, remembering their kiss. “I hope your dad’s going to be okay.”
“He will be,” Adam said, then he lifted a hand to tenderly stroke her cheek. “Happy birthday, Faith,” he breathed, then bent and brushed her lips with his.
The contact was as light as the tickle of a feather, but it made it impossible for her to do anything but stand there. “Sleep well,” he murmured, tapping her chin with his forefinger. He smiled, turned and left the room.
She quickly closed the door and collapsed on the bed. Today had been a short day, with her sleeping until after three o’clock, but it had definitely been one of the best, filled with things she’d never thought possible. She’d found her wallet, been kissed, had an impromptu birthday party with new friends, made a crazy wish, then been kissed again. Crazy.
She got up from the bed, undressed, then picked up the cupcake. Nibbling at the chocolate frosting, she held up the single candle in front of her. “Happy birthday to me,” she whispered and thought this was as close to happy as she was going to feel for a very long time. She knew it wouldn’t last, but she’d embrace it and not let it go until she had no choice in the matter.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A
DAM
TOSSED
HIS
JACKET
and hat on the neatly made bed before he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. He frowned at the blank screen, then grabbed his jacket again, put it on and quietly opened his door.
He walked carefully along the hall, seeing a ribbon of light at the bottom of Faith’s door, then turned and went downstairs. He found Willie G. by the fireplace all settled in an overstuffed chair, and from the sounds of snoring coming from him, he assumed the old guy was asleep. There were hushed voices in the kitchen, and he was ready to just walk out without saying anything. But the swinging door flew back and Moses was there.
He stopped when he saw Adam, then came around the desk. “Have to go. Got an emergency.” Adam must have made a face because his friend touched his arm. “Not Herbert. He’s doing just fine.”
As Moses got to the door, Adam caught up with him and said, “Tell Mom I’m over here if she needs me. I’ve got to find my phone charger and get my phone up and working again.”
“Sure thing,” Moses said, hurrying out, heading for his sedan parked next to Adam’s truck. The doctor was gone before Adam made it to his truck and got in. He opened the glove compartment, found the charger, plugged it in and connected the dead phone. As soon as he started the motor, the LED screen on the phone lit up with an animated battery that indicated it was being charged.
He reached across to take out a scrap of paper and a pen, then he quickly wrote down the address in Rockford, Illinois, that Mallory had recited earlier. He glanced at the dash clock. Just after ten. He needed to do something before going back into the inn.
Adam backed out and onto the street. He turned in the direction of the police station and hoped that John had the late shift. When he got there and went inside, a deputy named Nate was manning the front desk.
The guy shot Adam a glance. “Sir, can I help you?”
“Looking for the chief.”
“He’s got the night off, but he just came in saying he’d left something in his office.”
Adam nodded his thanks. John was standing behind his desk, pulling on his uniform jacket over his street clothes when he looked up at Adam. “Just going to call you to ask about your dad.”
“Dad’s okay. He’s going home tomorrow. Moses thinks it was nothing more than an anxiety attack.”
“That’s good to hear. What about the dinner tomorrow night? Your mom won’t be in any shape to have most of her family over, will she? And Hannah says she’s feeling a cold coming on.”
“Don’t underestimate Mom. She’ll have it, but I know she’ll understand if you two can’t make it.”
“Give your folks our love and wish them merry Christmas from us. Now I have to fix up Santa’s mistake. He forgot one of the most important toys for a kid named Cody, otherwise known as my son. The chief of police needs to pick up the pieces once again.”
“I need to pick up some pieces, too,” Adam said. “And I need your computer to do it.”
“I won’t ask. I don’t have time to untangle your reasoning, but—” John swept a hand in the direction of his desk “—make yourself comfortable. Just log out when you’re done.”
“You got it.” Adam took a seat at the desk. John went to the door and turned at the last minute. “This is about that lady, isn’t it?”
Adam nodded. “Yes.”
“Good luck,” he said and pulled the door shut behind him.
Adam settled behind the computer, not bothering to do more than unbutton his jacket. Then he took out the scrap of paper with the address on it. He copied it into the search field and hit Enter. It only took a few seconds for it to come back as a valid address, but it was owned by a Jesse & Son’s Investments. He did a search on that and found the company had been started by a law firm in the Chicago area, and the name connected to it was Baron Little, a top attorney in that city. That told him nothing about Faith.
He knew he was doing something wrong and suddenly the solution came to him. It wasn’t the address that was the key; it was the birth date. He went into the special-search area that was unlocked by John’s second password, 3CCCboys, standing for John’s three sons, Cody, Cash and Clay. The screen blossomed on the monitor and he put in Faith’s birth date.
He knew that most people kept a first name or something close to it but often changed their last name. Oddly, they usually used the same initial of their surname for their fake name. He decided on simply Faith A., but got nothing. Then he started through the alphabet and when he got to
S
he hit pay dirt.
The list gave full names and less-used versions of the main name in the results. Faith Marie Sizemore, then Faith Sizemore, followed by Marie Sizemore and Faith M. Sizemore. He stared at the list, but none of them were associated with the address in Rockford. Either he’d turned up a result with the same first two names or the Faith he knew was really Faith Marie Sizemore from Chicago.
The birth certificate that came up validated that he’d found Faith. The name on the certificate was Faith Marie Sizemore, father Raymond Allan Sizemore, mother Gabriella Marie Arden. “Arden,” he breathed as he stared at the screen. He put in a search for Faith Marie Sizemore and watched a huge amount of matches come up on the screen.
After sifting through the results, he knew who Faith Marie Sizemore was and why she was hiding out in Wolf Lake, New Mexico, trying her hardest to stay away from people. Her mixed reactions to mentions of her father made complete sense, and her fear of John, of cops, made even more sense. The last article said that the government had been expected to subpoena her for the grand jury being convened with respect to possible indictments against her father and various other officers of the corporation. But they had had to continue without her testimony because she had disappeared.
He raked his fingers through his hair and let out a hissing breath. She had to be scared to death. From what little he knew about her, he could feel the strength of her attachment to her father. One story told about her mother dying when Faith was very young, and no siblings were ever mentioned. The idea of forcing her to testify against her own father turned Adam’s stomach, no matter what the father had done.
A picture of Faith was part of the results, and she looked lovely. Her hair had been longer, pulled sleekly back from her delicate face with no curls showing, but the style emphasized her eyes. The look there was heartbreaking for Adam. Scared to death and trying to act as if she was in control.
He sat up, reached for the computer and hit a few buttons to get to the browsing history. He emptied the cache, then exited every screen he had opened. The last page he had left on the screen was the picture. He knew what he should do and he knew what he would do. They were diametrically opposite to each other. He wanted Faith to trust him, to tell him what was going on. He wanted that with every fiber of his being.
He logged off, rebuttoned his jacket and headed out. He said good-night to the deputy, then stepped out into falling snow. It was still coming down, blanketing everything in white. A slight parting in the heavy clouds let out a glimmer of moonlight to dance on the crystals of snow, before more clouds came and it disappeared.
Adam got into the truck, looked at his phone, saw the charge was complete and there had been no calls. He slipped it into his jacket pocket and headed for the hospital. He found a nurse who took him up to the fourth floor and his father’s room. Looking in the door, he saw his mother on a cot butted up against the hospital bed, inches from his father. They were both sleeping peacefully, her right and his left hand holding on to each other. He backed out without waking them.
With the nurse promising to contact him if there was any change, Adam headed back to the inn. He stepped into total silence, ruined only by the chime when the door opened. Mallory didn’t appear, and the chair where Willie G. had been sleeping was empty. It was almost midnight when he went up the stairs, paused as he looked down the hallway to Faith’s room. There was no light under the door now. Turning, he went to his room, got ready for bed quickly, then lay down.
Faith Sizemore. He never would have found out who she was if he hadn’t thought about the birth-date angle. For a moment, he wished he hadn’t gotten so lucky. No, he wished that Faith had told him. When her car was ready, he knew she would be gone, so if he had a wish right then, it would be for Dent to take more time fixing the car. That would keep her here, keep her close and give him time to figure out how to reach her.
When he’d almost kissed her the first time, he’d felt that chink in his honor and thought it had been a single slip. He’d prided himself on his work, on taking no shortcuts or playing fast and loose to get what he wanted. His personal life was no different. He’d stopped that kiss because of the feeling of being self-serving. Now he was holding information he knew would help the prosecution’s case in the Raymond Sizemore trial, if there was a trial, but the cost of turning her over to them was too great.
He had to have a plan, figure out how to save Faith while still doing his job. He knew then that the night would be long. And it was.
* * *
F
AITH
WOKE
TO
LIGHT
cutting through the small opening in the curtains. She’d doubted she would sleep well, but she had, with wispy dreams that came and went, and she felt rested when she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She sat there for a long moment, then reached for the cell phone on the nightstand and put in her father’s number.
The phone rang once, twice, before it was picked up. “Dad?” she said cautiously.
“Yes.” She heard the relief in his tone.
“I just want you to know that I’m okay.”
“It was your birthday,” he said with obvious pain.
“Yes, and I’ll have more.” She closed her eyes. “I just wanted to let you know I’m fine and that I won’t call for a while. I know what’s going on there.”
“Is something wrong on your end?”
She looked at the clock. They’d been speaking for twenty seconds. She’d given herself a limit of thirty seconds. “No, no, I have to go. I love you,” she said quickly and hung up.
She sank back, and the next time she looked at the time, it was nine o’clock. She got out of bed and dressed in a turtleneck and jeans. Pushing on her boots, she grabbed her jacket and wallet and stepped out of her room. As she turned to the stairs, she stopped.
Adam was coming out of his room, followed by a woman bundled up in a calf-length coat. Before she could step back into the room, Adam looked up and saw her. “Faith,” he called and came to her with the lady. He stopped, smiled at her and said, “Good morning,” then he glanced at the woman with him. “Mom, this is Faith. Faith, my mother, Lark Carson. She came by to tell me about my father.”
Adam’s mother. She was lovely, with dark hair streaked with gray twisted into a low knot, and her skin was just like that of a much younger woman. She smiled at Faith as she held out her hand to her, and Faith knew where her son got his dimple. His mother had the same smile.
When Faith clasped her hand, Lark held hers in both of hers and spoke in a soft, almost singsong voice. “Nice to meet you. I saw you at our party, but I didn’t have a chance to say hello to you then. I hear there is a belated happy birthday in order.”
“Oh, thank you,” Faith said as she drew her hand back. “Nice to meet you. Is everything okay with your husband?”
“He’s doing very well, thank you. Adam told me you’re here all alone, that your car isn’t working, so you’re pretty much stuck in Wolf Lake for now.”
Adam had summed that up pretty well, she thought. “I hope to have my car going pretty soon, probably today or tomorrow at the latest.”
“Good, good, Dent is a good boy and he’ll make it right.” She turned to Adam. “I have an idea,” she said and she looked back at Faith. “Since you’re stuck here, why not come to our dinner this evening? We’re having some friends, and we would love to have you join us.” Before Faith could refuse without offending the lady, Lark patted Adam’s arm and said, “You tell her about it, and you can drive her.” She smiled warmly at Faith. “We will be expecting you. Dinner’s served at eight.”
Then Lark leaned up to kiss Adam on the cheek and waved at Faith as she started down the stairs. “And make sure Adam drives carefully. He tends to think he’s chasing the bad guys all the time, and goes too fast. See you there!”
Adam was grinning at her. “She won’t take no for an answer,” he said, and she knew he was right. He flicked his gaze over her. “Where are you off to?”
“Dent’s. To check on my car.”
“Good, I’ll drop you there.” Before she could say no, he added, “It’s on my way to the hospital, and it’s a cold walk to Dent’s even when it isn’t snowing.”
She’d take the ride, she decided. As they started down the stairs, she asked, “Your father’s really okay?”
“Mom wouldn’t have come here if he wasn’t,” Adam said as they reached the bottom.
“They’re devoted?” she asked, really wanting to know.
“They always have been, in both good and bad times. My mother’s never faltered.” She could hear a hint of pride in his tone.
“I think that’s the way my parents were. But my mother passed away when I was so young, so I barely remember her.”
Mallory was speaking to an older couple at the registration desk, looked up to see Faith and Adam, waved and continued with her guests. Faith stepped outside and was stunned by the snow-covered scene in front of her. About a foot of the white stuff had fallen during the night, and it was twice as deep in some spots due to the snow cleared from the road.
“A guaranteed white Christmas,” Adam said as the door closed behind them. His breath fogged the frigid air, and the sun shining meant the icy snow glittered like diamonds.
“Beautiful,” Faith agreed, the peace in this place almost tangible. Right then, she hated the thought of leaving, and when Adam touched her arm to lead her to the truck, she really hated it that she had no alternative but to turn her back on everything here.