Saving Mistletoe Read online

  “I know, but I really do enjoy working with the clients and it leaves me time to actually have a life.”

  The smile was back in Tara’s voice. “I’m so proud of you. Are you still planning to volunteer at the homeless shelter through the holidays?”

  “I am. In fact, I’m going to help serve Thanksgiving dinner, although that’s actually on Wednesday. Then we’ll start working on holiday projects next week. I can’t believe Christmas is only a month away.”

  Tara sighed. “I can’t wait for Christmas to come and go because then I’ll only be two weeks away from getting my little bun out of the oven.”

  Ellen rolled her eyes. “Only a pastry chef would refer to the upcoming arrival of her firstborn as removing a bun from the oven. What does Brett say?”

  “He can’t wait. We’ve picked out two dozen names, and can’t seem to narrow it down to one or two we like. And he’s started fussing. His mom said it’s as natural as it is annoying, but I’m glad I can still hide out at work for a few more weeks. I’d go crazy if I had him hovering around me twenty-four hours a day.”

  “Oh, poor little Tara. Her prince charming loves her so much he can’t bear to have her out of his sight. What a tragedy.” Ellen pressed a hand to her brow in a dramatic gesture although no one could see her.

  Tara laughed. “Whatever, smarty. Why don’t you put a little more effort into snagging your own prince? Or maybe it’s a cowboy you’re after?”

  Ellen scowled. “I’m not after anyone. For your information...”

  Tara’s laughter halted her tirade. “I’m just teasing you, El, but you sound so happy when you talk about Officer Tipton. Do you have a photo of him you can share? I want to see him for myself.”

  “I don’t have a photo, yet, but he did ask me for a second date. That’s a good sign, right?”

  “Absolutely. What did you say you two did after you had pizza Friday night?”

  Ellen turned onto her side and propped her head up on her elbow, plying Tara with details from her date.

  “What in the world were you doing out with him until four in the morning, Ellen Juliet Meade? Are you nuts? Don’t you know all the bad stuff you hear in the news happens after midnight?” Tara said, admonishment heavy in her tone.

  Ellen scoffed. “He was a perfect gentleman, Tara. We just got so involved in talking, we lost track of the time. He drove me home, walked me to the door, and bid me good night while quoting Shakespeare.”

  “And?” Tara asked.

  “And what?”

  “The kiss, you goose! Did he kiss you or not?”

  “Oh, yeah, he did,” Ellen admitted then clapped a hand over her mouth.

  Tara hooted with laughter. “Well, then, I guess my job here is done, other than to warn you not to do anything you wouldn’t do if I was still your roomie. Wait! Scratch that. Definitely do something you wouldn’t do then because all you did was work. Have fun. Take a chance. Fall in love.”

  “You are crazy, Tara.”

  “Crazy for my horse-wrangling hubby, but you already knew that.” Tara spoke to someone in the background then came back on the line. “I need to run, El, but promise me you’ll give Officer Tipton a chance. He really does sound like a good person. I mean, where else are you going to find a good-looking guy who rides a horse to work, quotes Shakespeare, and has an adorable dog? As Rhett Butler would say, you need to be kissed, and often, by a hunky cowboy cop who knows how. If Officer Tipton knows how, let ‘em at those lips of yours!”

  “Goodbye, Tara!” Ellen disconnected the call on a laugh, amused by her friend. As teens, and even up until Tara left to pursue her dreams in the South, the two girls could recite entire passages of Gone With the Wind by heart. Tara’s husband, the dashing Brett Cutler (and every time Ellen thought of how much his name sounded like Rhett Butler, she giggled), had swept her off her feet in their own version of a sweet romance. For Tara it might have been all sweet tea and kisses, but she’d fallen hard for Brett from the moment they met.

  Ellen wasn’t convinced she’d ever find a hero that fulfilled the lofty dreams she’d cultivated since she was old enough to know what romance meant. It would take someone special to fill those imaginary shoes, or boots, as the case may be.

  With nothing else to occupy her time, she picked up the book she’d been reading, a fun romance about a mechanic from Portland who ended up on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, and lost herself in the world of someone else’s love story for a while.

  Chapter Six

  Burke drove past the truck stop, slowing so he could scan the parking lot. The car he’d been keeping an eye on was back. It had disappeared the weekend he’d gone on the date with Ellen and he thought perhaps whoever was squatting in it had moved on.

  Thanksgiving had come and gone, and now, on the first of December, it appeared the car was back. At first, he’d thought the car was red with some faded white streaks on it. Upon closer examination, he’d realized the car wasn’t red, but rusted. It boggled his mind how the thing continued to run let alone travel down the road without leaving large chunks of the body behind.

  He clicked on his turn signal and pulled into the truck stop, parking in front of a gas pump. While the attendant fueled up his pickup, he covertly studied the car. He could see movement in it, but not enough he was convinced it was an adult.

  Once his tank was full, he took the receipt and offered the attendant a word of thanks before he drove over to the rusted old heap. The Cadillac might have been nice when it rolled off the assembly line back in the early seventies, but the long, long length of it, along with the deplorable condition made it nothing more than an eyesore.

  Burke parked a few parking spaces away from the car and got out of his pickup. With easy strides, he walked past the car, appearing as though he wanted nothing more than to run inside the convenience store.

  He purchased a cup of hot chocolate and looked to see if the manager was around. After spying the man restocking a shelf full of motor oil, Burke made his way over to him.

  “Hey, Paul, do you know anything about that old wreck parked outside?” Burke jutted his chin in the direction of the car.

  The manager straightened his back and sighed. “I gave the guy driving it permission to park it there. He’s down on his luck, but he’s pretty closedmouthed about his story. He has a kid with him, but other than that, I don’t know much. The kid didn’t act scared of him, like she’s kidnapped or anything, or I would have called you the last time he parked here.”

  “How long has he been hanging around here?” Burke asked.

  Paul rubbed a finger alongside his nose, digging through his memory for details. “First time he showed up was back in October. He only stayed a few days that time. The second time was in November. He parked here for almost two weeks. Then he showed up yesterday. The guy didn’t look good at all, like he’s sick or something. I haven’t seen him get out of the car today, but I did see the kid. She came in to use the restroom a little while ago.”

  Burke shook the man’s hand. “Thanks for the info, Paul. I appreciate it.”

  “Don’t go arresting the kid, okay? She looks like she’s had a tough time of it.”

  “I don’t arrest kids, only criminals.” Burke nodded to the manager and made his way outside.

  He made a beeline for the car and stopped only when he stood next to the driver’s window.

  A little girl snuggled beneath a snowflake-patterned fleece blanket on the front seat with a storybook held in red mitten-covered hands. A matching red stocking cap adorned her head. An unconscious man with a blanket pulled up to his waist occupied the backseat. Even through the water-stained, wavy glass, Burke could see the man didn’t look well.

  Raising his hand, he tapped on the glass, drawing a startled shriek from the child although the man in the backseat didn’t stir.

  “Open the door, please,” Burke said, motioning to the handle.

  The child shook her head, big green eyes wide with fright.

  Burke bent down and pointed to the police emblem on the front of his coat. “My name is Officer Tipton. I just want to check on your dad, honey. Will you please unlock the door?”

  “How do I know you’re really a cop?” the child asked, eyeing him speculatively as she crawled on her knees over to the driver’s side of the car and placed both hands over the lock, as though that single action would keep him out.

  “I have a badge,” Burke said, showing it to her.

  “You could have bought that online.” The little imp glared at him through the window. “If you’re really a cop, what’s your partner’s name?”

  Burke grinned. “Sugar Bear. I’m part of the Mounted Patrol Unit. My partner is a horse, a handsome red one.”

  At her dubious expression, Burke whipped out his phone, hastily scrolled through the photographs, and showed her a photo of him standing next to Sugar Bear.

  Her little rosebud lips formed a perfect O as she studied the photo. Finally, she let her hands slide down to her lap. “Do you really ride a horse? Every day?”

  “Every day that I work and sometimes just for fun when I don’t. Do you like horses?” Burke was about ready to break his way into the car, but he didn’t want to upset the child. Despite the fact she was living in a car and had to be just a step above freezing, she possessed a lot of spunk.

  “I love horses.” A gap-toothed smile where her front teeth were missing added to her charm as she reached to unlock the door. She hesitated and tossed him a narrowed glare that almost made him laugh. “If you try anything funny, mister, my daddy gave me a can of mace and showed me how to use it.”

  Burke held up both hands, although one held the rapidly cooling cup of hot chocolate. “I promise I just want to check on your dad, honey. He looks like he could use some help.”

  She unlocked the door and scrambled back out of Burke’s way. He reached inside and unlocked the back door. The car was as cold inside as the weather outside.

  “Here, will you take this hot chocolate for me? I bought it then remembered I don’t want to spoil my dinner.” He handed the child the cup. “Go on and drink it if you want. I’ll just have to throw it away if you don’t.”

  In spite of her efforts to hide her enthusiasm over the warm drink, the child’s green eyes glittered like twin emeralds as she took a careful sip, finding the temperature just right.

  Burke smiled at her then opened the door to the backseat. He felt the man’s pulse in his neck. The child’s father was still alive, but barely. He stepped back from the car and placed a call, requesting an ambulance and alerting the sheriff’s office since the truck stop was out of city jurisdiction.

  He leaned back into the car and pulled the blanket further up on the man’s inert form. “How long has your daddy been sick?” he asked the child. She stood on the seat, drinking the hot chocolate and watching his every move.

  “Since Thanksgiving. We had a nice dinner at a warm place with lots of people. Daddy said he didn’t feel good that night and he was sick the next day.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “Will my dad be okay?”

  “Sure, honey, but he needs to see a doctor.”

  Fear filled her face. She set the hot chocolate on the dash and reached out to grasp Burke’s arm with both hands. “Please don’t let them take Daddy. Please! You can’t let them take my daddy away. Doctors are bad.”

  “It’s okay, honey. It’s okay,” Burke said, placing his hand over both hers where they rested on his arm. “What’s your dad’s name?”

  “John Hayes.”

  “That’s a fine name.” Burke smiled at her, hoping to keep her calm. “What’s your name?”

  “Missy,” the girl said, not taking her eyes from Burke’s face.

  “Well, Missy, I promise the doctors your dad will see aren’t bad. They’ll help him get well. Do you have someone you can stay with until your dad is all better?”

  The tiny head slowly moved from left to right in an almost unnoticeable shake of denial.

  “How about your mom? Where’s she?” Burke asked, moving from the backseat and hunkering down in the open front door so he didn’t tower over the child.

  Missy’s bottom lip began to quiver and the tears that had pricked at her eyes rolled down her cheeks. “Dead. Mommy died right after Easter.”

  “Aw, Missy. I’m sorry.” Burke reached out to the child.

  She leaned away from him and gave him a long, questioning look before she swiped at her tears with the backs of her mitten-covered hands.

  “How about grandparents?”

  A shake of her head.

  “Aunts? Uncles? Siblings? Cousins?”

  Another shake.

  “Did your parents have any close friends?”

  “Not really. Our friends moved away last year, before Christmas. Then Mommy got sick. The doctors couldn’t fix her. They said the cancer was advanced, whatever that means. The doctors wanted to keep her in the hospital all hooked up to tubes and scary stuff, but Daddy brought her home and we took care of her until she...” Missy gulped and scrubbed her eyes again. “Until Mommy died.”

  “Does your dad have a job?” Burke could hear the sirens of the ambulance, but didn’t lift his gaze from the frightened child.

  “No. He quit his job to take care of Mommy. After she died, they wouldn’t take him back. He’s been trying to find a new job. We had to sell our house to pay the doctor’s bills. We had to sell my pretty bed and my toys, and even our table and fridge. Then Daddy sold his car and Mommy’s minivan and bought this car.” Her nose wrinkled in revulsion.

  “And you’ve been living in this car for a while?”

  Missy nodded. “Since before Halloween.”

  “Do you go to school?”

  “Sometimes. Daddy takes me to school and picks me up when he’s not sick.” Missy sniffled and pulled a paper napkin out of her pocket, wiping her nose on the rough surface.

  “How old are you, Missy?” Burke asked, watching the ambulance pull into the parking lot. He stood and waved to them.

  “I’m almost seven. My birthday is Christmas Day.” At the sight of the ambulance, she shrieked and launched her small body over the seat and threw herself against her father, clinging to his coat. “Don’t take my daddy to the hospital! They’ll kill him! They’ll kill him just like they did Mommy! No!”

  Her wails ripped at Burke’s heart, but he forced himself to turn from her and tell the emergency medical technicians what he knew. The two EMTs rolled a stretcher close to the car and bent to retrieve John Hayes, but Missy screamed and refused to let go of her father.

  Burke finally yanked her away and held her writhing, kicking body as the EMT’s loaded her dad into the ambulance. The moment the ambulance pulled out of the parking lot, all the starch went out of the child. With nimble, monkey-like movements, she spun around in Burke’s arms and latched onto his neck, wrapping both legs around his waist and sobbing against the collar of his coat.

  “My daddy. They’ll kill my daddy.”

  “Shh.” Burke rubbed her back and did his best to comfort her. “Everything will be fine, Missy. Don’t worry. Everything will be just fine.”

  He glanced up and watched a deputy sheriff pull into the parking lot. Relieved to see it was someone he knew, Burke continued patting the little girl’s back as he stood outside the car that had been her home for far too long.

  “Hey, Tip. What’s going on?” Deputy Tim Turner asked as he approached them with a notepad and a smile.

  The sound of another voice caused Missy to raise her head and give the deputy a watery perusal. She buried her head beneath Burke’s chin, scowling at the other officer.

  Burke glanced down at her then at the deputy. “Thanks for coming, Tim. I found a Caucasian male, approximately early thirties, unconscious, in the back of this vehicle. He and his daughter,” he glanced down again, “have been living in this car for a while. Missy doesn’t have any other family.”

  “I see,” Tim said, taking down notes for a report. “And the ambulance took her father...”

  “John Hayes,” Burke supplied.

  Tim nodded. “Her father is on his way to the hospital?”

  At the mention of hospital, Missy broke into a fresh round of tears. Burke glared at the deputy and returned to offering comforting reassurances to the child.

  “You know the routine, Tip,” Tim said, waggling his pen in the direction of the sobbing child.

  “I do know it, Tim.” Burke tried to hold Missy away from him, but she clung to his neck with a strength that shocked him. “Deputy Turner is going to take you to a nice warm office and they’ll find you a wonderful place to stay until your dad is well and can get you.”

  “No!” she protested. “You can’t make me go. I’ll stay in the car until Daddy is better. He’ll know how to find me here. I won’t go!”

  Tim pocketed his notepad and reached out to take the child from Burke. As soon as his hands touched her, she screamed as though the grim reaper had laid his hands on her, drawing gazes from people all over the parking lot of the truck stop.

  On the verge of hysteria, she clung so tightly to Burke, he could barely breathe let alone offer much help to the deputy. The two men tried to pry her loose, but she refused to be moved.

  “Come on, now, Missy. Don’t be so upset. You’ll be taken care of and have a warm place to sleep and plenty to eat,” the deputy said in a voice edged with annoyance. With each tug he made, Missy’s screams increased in volume until both men cringed.

  Finally, Burke shook his head and wrapped his arms comfortingly around the child. “Shh, Missy. Calm down. Just take a deep breath and calm down.”

  She stopped screaming, but sucked air in short, terrified gasps.

  Burke looked to the deputy. “Tim, do you suppose, just this once, you might let me handle this and allow me to take her in tomorrow morning? Things have a way of seeming less traumatic early in the day.”

  “That they do,” Tim said, nodding in agreement. “Are you planning to keep her this evening?”