Anna's Courage (Rose Island Book 1) (12 page)

I headed toward the crib, my worry escalating with each step. When I saw the empty crib, I couldn’t breathe.

“Gabby! Hailey!” I spun around the room, scanning every possible hiding place. Had Hailey taken Gabby outside to look at the stars? Urging myself to remain calm, I rushed through the house to the porch, but they weren’t there.

Panicked, I returned inside, racing down the hallway, frantically searching each room, turning on lights, and calling their names.

Had they been kidnapped? News of Ethan and Ivana’s deaths had covered the front pages of several local newspapers. The home address had been listed along with the ages of the girls. Maybe someone viewing Hailey and Gabby as easy targets had taken them.

My stomach roiled. I tried to call on my military training, but I wasn’t prepared for this. I didn’t know what to do.

Lord, don’t let anything happen to them. Please. Protect them and help me find them. Tell me what to do. Show me where they are. Guide me!

Hands trembling, I dialed 911 and was connected to the sheriff dispatch. As calmly as possible, I explained the situation.

“Are there any signs of disturbance?” the woman on the other end of the line evenly asked.

“Any signs of disturbance!”
I felt out of control. “Yes, my nieces are missing!”

“A car is on its way, Mr. Peterson. Try to remain calm.”

Anna

S
ometimes I worried
my son was destined to become the next featured hoarder on one of those reality shows. Like his paternal grandmother, Luella, Travis was a collector. Empty cereal boxes, unusual rocks, bottle caps, string, and an assortment of other items littered his bedroom.

Tonight, I’d forced him to part with two large garbage sacks of junk. Before he could regret tossing out some random trinket, I put on my coat and hauled the garbage down to the dumpster.

Gutting Travis’s room was never fun, but with my parents coming for Christmas next month, I needed to begin tackling the enormous chore. I could hardly wait to see my mom and dad. As much as I loved my in-laws, nothing compared to the comfort of being with my own parents.

A bitter cold wind whipped past me as I tossed the trash into the dumpster. Shivering, I pulled my jacket a little tighter. Since last week, the temperature had dropped. Tonight, clouds in the dark sky blocked out all moonlight, making the night feel eerie.

I glanced up at my house, happy to see the light in my cozy kitchen. When I went back inside, I’d make a cup of hot tea and crawl into bed early so I could have plenty of time to read the latest Grace Greene book. I loved this author’s ability to describe the beach so beautifully; and her stories stayed with me for a long time.

A sound underneath the porch steps startled me. At first, I thought a family of raccoons had taken residence. When I looked closer, I realized there was a child with several puppies. “Hailey? What are you doing out here? It’s freezing.”

She responded in a shaky voice. “I don’t care about freezing, Miss Anna.”

“Oh, sweetheart. What is it?” I squatted and petted the puppies as they jumped up and down with their greetings. Like Yoda, they were full of energy and growing bigger every day.

Something in Hailey’s lap began to cry, and that’s when I realized Gabby was there as well. My chest clenched with fear that something terrible had happened. Taking the baby, I held her close, wanting to keep her warm.

I looked at the Petersons’ house and noted every single light was ablaze. Where in the world was Nick, and why were the girls outside alone? “Sweetheart, I think we better call your uncle. I’m sure he’s worried about you and Gabby.”

“Nick doesn’t care about us,” she said, trembling.

“That’s not true. Nick loves you.”

She shook her head. “I saw on the computer. He’s sending me off to
strangers
!” A loud sob racked her body, and she buried her face in her arms. “He doesn’t want me. He’s going to put me up for adoption!”

My heart lurched. “Oh, Hailey, Nick just wants what’s best for you.”

“No, he doesn’t. He wants to get rid of me. I don’t know what he’s going to do with Gabby. Probably sell her to the highest bidder on eBay. Babies bring in a lot more money than older kids like me. But I won’t let him separate us. I won’t. Gabby and I
have
to stay together. And the puppies, too.”

“Come on, let’s go inside and talk about this.” I stood with the baby, but Hailey made no effort to move.

“No, thank you, Miss Anna. I’m just going to stay out here and freeze to death.”

I bit my bottom lip, trying to figure out how best to handle the situation. I needed to call Nick, but I’d left my cell phone in the house.

“Hailey,” I began, holding out one of Gabby’s chubby hands, “your little sister is cold. Her fingers feel like ice cubes. Let’s take her inside so she doesn’t get sick, then if you want to come back outside, you can.”

Hailey stared at me suspiciously. “I’m only coming if Liesl, Friedrich, and Louisa can come, too.”

“Of course,” I agreed. “As long as they stay in the kitchen with Yoda. But let’s get your sister inside.”

With that settled, we climbed the steps to the house. Travis met us at the door, excited to see everyone. He helped settle the puppies in the kitchen as Yoda barked and ran around in circles, thrilled to be reunited with his siblings. Felix jumped on the kitchen table and looked down at the reunion with disgust. The cat had learned to handle one puppy, but three more were out of the question.

Before I could call Nick, my phone rang. “Hailey and Gabby are missing!” he shouted. “And so are the puppies. I fell asleep on the couch after putting Gabby to bed, and when I woke, they were gone.”

“They’re at my house,” I said.

“I just called 911!”

“Well, call them back because the girls are here in my kitchen.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

I could only imagine the state of sheer panic Nick had experienced as he called 911 to report the girls missing. I also imagined relief would only come once he arrived and saw for himself that they were safe.

Moments later, there was a pounding at the front door immediately followed by Nick rushing into the house. “Hailey! Gabby!”

He took the baby from me and pressed her to his chest. Then he sank to the floor next to Hailey, hugging her with his free hand. “Honey, promise me you’ll never leave the house again without telling me first. I had no idea where you were.”

Goosebumps prickled my arms. Nick loved these girls so much.

“I’ve never been more scared in my life,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you or your sister.”

Hailey stiffened and shoved him away. “Then why do you want to get rid of us?”

“What? I don’t,” he insisted.

“Yes, you do. I saw on the computer. You’re going to give us up for adoption.”

Nick’s face fell. “Oh, Hailey, I didn’t want you to find out like that. I wanted to tell you myself.”

“Then it’s true.” She glared at him with all the anger, fear, and resentment a little girl could possess. “You do want to get rid of us.”

“No. I . . .” His shoulders slumped, and he adjusted Gabby on his lap. “I understand now why you’re upset, but let me explain, okay?”

She shrugged. “Whatever, Uncle Nick.”

He flinched at her harsh reaction, then composed himself and spoke with control. “I don’t want to get rid of you, but I do want you to be happy. I want to find a family with a mom and a dad who will love both you and Gabby. I know how you feel about living with your cousins, so I’ve been trying to find someone different. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry until I figured out everything.”

Hailey picked up one of the puppies—Louisa, I think—and tried to smooth down its ear, but it popped right back up again. “Why can’t we just stay with you?”

Nick thrust a hand through his hair. “I wish you could, but my job is with the army. They paid for my recent training, and I made a promise to serve for the next few years. I can’t break that commitment.”

Hailey’s brow furrowed into tight lines as Nick continued. “My job involves going wherever the army sends me, and sometimes I’m gone for a long time. You and your sister need a mom and a dad who can take you to school, help you with your homework, and tuck you in at night. And I’m sorry, Hailey, but I can’t do that. Not because I don’t want to, but because of my job. That’s why I’ve been trying to find you a family, not because I want to get rid of you.”

“So, if you weren’t in the army, you’d keep us?”

I expected Nick to hesitate, but his response was instant. “Yes. I’d keep you if I could. You and Gabby are the only connection I have to my brother, and I miss him so much. I love you girls, and I wish I could keep you—”

“But you can’t,” she finished, sounding more resolved than angry. Exchanging the puppy in her lap for another one, she nodded. “I get it.”

I suspected she was simply putting on a brave front. Deep down, she had to be devastated to learn Nick was considering placing Gabby and her with a different family.

“What about my mom?” Travis asked, joining Nick and Hailey on the floor. “Couldn’t you marry my mom so we could be one big happy family? I need a dad, too, you know.”

My breath hitched at the suggestion. Nick’s eyes sought mine, and my world held still.

Could I marry Nick for the sake of the kids? The idea was absurd, but throughout history, people had married for less noble reasons. Library shelves were filled with romantic tales of marriages of convenience. Was it insane for me to entertain such a crazy idea? Standing in my warm kitchen, staring down at Nick and the kids, I could almost imagine making it work.

Something shimmered in Nick’s eyes. Was he thinking the same thing? For a brief moment, I wondered if my life was about to change.

Then Nick looked away and shook his head. “Anna and I are friends. We’re not getting married.”

“Why not?” both Travis and Hailey asked.

Nick avoided my gaze. “Because that’s not how marriage works.”

“Oh,” Hailey said, disappointed.

I forced a smile. “That’s right. Nick and I are just friends, but I’ve been helping him look at families, and I know we’ll find the perfect home for you and Gabby.”

“You’re going to help him find me a new mom and dad?” Hailey asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

She jutted out her chin. “They have to want the puppies, too.”

Nick laughed and gave Hailey a quick hug. “We’ll find someone who’s always wanted two little girls and three puppies, okay?”

Not quite convinced, she asked, “What about Six Flags? Are you still taking me to Six Flags on Saturday during Thanksgiving break like you promised?”

Nick chuckled. “Of course. I would never break a promise to you.”

“Can Travis and Miss Anna come?”

“Yes,” Travis said, his voice completely serious. “We’ll definitely come.”

Nick raised an eyebrow at me. “What do you say? Would you and Travis like to come with us? I have complimentary tickets.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

“
Mom
,” Travis said. “Why not?”

The question flustered me, and I scrambled for an excuse. I wasn’t a fan of amusement parks. Roller coasters and crowds scared me. Plus, Six Flags was way off the island. “Oh, I’d hate to leave Yoda for so long. And it’s Thanksgiving weekend. We’re supposed to spend time with your grandparents and cousins.”

“Thanksgiving is Thursday,” Travis pointed out. “Church and Sunday brunch are on Sunday. Six Flags is on Saturday, and we’re not doing anything on Saturday.”

Hailey stood and edged closer to me. “Will you please come, Miss Anna? That way, you can help Uncle Nick with Gabby so he can go on the rides with us.”

I started to offer another excuse, but Hailey stopped me. “How are you going to help Nick find us a family if you don’t spend time with Gabby and me?”

I smiled, knowing I was defeated. Hailey had given me the perfect reason to come, and there was no getting out of it.

*

Travis and I
spent Thanksgiving Day at Luella and Walter’s house with the rest of the Morgan family. Bianca and Vicki were there, along with Jillian, Matt, Drew, and Jillian’s boyfriend, Bryan.

As usual, Luella had decorated the house with all the Thanksgiving decorations her kids and grandchildren had ever created. Pilgrims made out of construction paper, handprints turned into turkeys, and papier-mâché cornucopias covered every available wall and surface.

On the refrigerator hung the pilgrim Marcus had decorated with macaroni noodles when he was in the third grade. I ran a finger over the pilgrim’s hat and imagined my husband as a little boy, his face scrunched in concentration, glue smeared on his hands.

During dinner, Travis dominated the conversation with talk about Nick. In endless detail, he described all of his medals, muscles, and amazing video game skills. “Did you know Nick might become an aide to General Sanchez?”

I frowned. I hadn’t heard that. My father had worked with the general several years ago and deeply respected the man. Becoming Sanchez’s assistant would greatly advance Nick’s career.