Kip pulled her shirt tighter and followed, her boots slipping on the packed snow in the driveway. If she had realized she would be going outside, she would have gone back to the mudroom for her coat.
And of course, he didn’t park under the porte-cochère. No, shehad to walk out into the snow. It would be just her luck, her Daddy would drive up and see her in the freezing cold with no coat, hat, or anything. She’d be in so much trouble.
The truck door stood open by the time she caught up to Silas. A plain brown envelope sat on the passenger seat. “Oh, look. The letter’s not in the glove box. It’s right here on the seat.” Kip shouted to be heard, but the wind carried her words away as soon as they left her mouth.
Silas moved, and then his hand clamped her left arm like a vise. The other shoved hard between her shoulder blades. She opened her mouth to scream, but the wind ripped the sound away. Then his fist cracked against her temple. There was a bright burst of pain. The world went black.
CHAPTER 23
Pulling up the drive, the ranch house stood out like a beacon against the white, with windows glowing gold as the storm grew stronger. Trace killed the engine and reached into his pocket, running his thumb over the velvet box nestled there one more time. He jogged through snow that was already knee-high in front of the porch.
Girls’ voices spilled from the kitchen. All the sounds he’d grown used to. Joy’s bright laugh and Kenzie’s smart mouth. Tildi’s musical giggle. Ruby threatening someone with a wooden spoon.
Wait, make that all except one. The voice he most looked forward to was missing. Where was Kip’s voice?
He stomped the snow off his boots in the mudroom, expecting Kip to come flying around the corner like she always did, socked feet slapping the tile. He looked forward to her wild mane of red hair. It gave him something to grab onto, to hold her still and give her a kiss. Then he’d see that smile of hers, bright enough to burn the cold right off his skin.
But Kip didn’t appear.
The other girls were finishing stringing popcorn and cranberries,the annual beacon to help Santa find the lodge later that night, even in a snowstorm like this. He couldn't imagine Kip not wanting to take part. “Hey Ruby, where's Foxy?”
Ruby looked up and smiled. “Did you get it?”
Not wanting anyone to know before Kip, Trace shrugged. “I picked up a lot of things in town. Where did you say Kip was?”
Ruby sighed with disappointment. “Fine. She had a little bit of a headache. She went upstairs to take a nap, not too long ago.”
“Really?” That didn’t sound right. In all the time he’d known Kip, she’d never taken a nap. “She didn’t say anything about a headache before I left. Did you take her temperature?”
“No. She isn’t sick. You left hours ago. She was just a bit tired. That’s why I sent her upstairs for a nap. Which, evidently, she needed, since she still hasn’t come down.” When Trace turned toward the stairs, Ruby stopped him. “Trace Daniels, don’t you dare disturb that child. She needs her rest.”
Maybe he should go up and check on her anyway, just to be safe. He took another step but stopped himself. He was being an overprotective ass. Ruby was right. If Kip had a headache, he didn't want to wake her. Besides, he had things to do. “All right then, I'll go unload the feed and be back in just a few minutes. If she's not down by then, I'll go check on her.”
It took a good thirty minutes to unload all of the feed pellets because he had to completely restock their supply. He had ordered that all the feed pellets be burned after the brucellosis outbreak, just to be on the safe side.
Once he made it back to the house, he peeked into the kitchen. Kip still wasn't there. Hopefully, she wasn’t coming down with something. Was there a thermometer for Littles in the house? He had plenty of unused ones in the vet barn, but they were for bison, cattle, and horses. She wouldn’t want to use one so large. It was something to keep in mind for future punishments, though.
How long had she been asleep? He must have asked that aloud, because Tildi said, “Not long, Uncle Trace.”
“Yeah,” Joy said. “She didn't look like she felt good, but she didn't look super sick. We played hard outside today practicing – oof!” Joy broke off when Kenzie elbowed her in the ribs. Scowling, she rubbed her ribs. “Ow!”
Kenzie widened her eyes, then cut them toward Trace. “Ixnay on the Actice-pray.”
Tildi nodded. “That's right, it's supposed to be an Urprise-say.”
God, he loved having Littles around. They were a constant source of joy. “Okay, I'll run upstairs and check on her. Anksthay!”
Tildi gasped. “Do you think he knows pig latin?” She whispered so loudly he heard it as he climbed the stairs.
“Yep, I believe he does. Sorry about that, Kenz,” Joy said.
“No worries,” Kenzie said. “And yes, he knows pig latin. Who do you think taught me?”
With a laugh, Trace made his way up the rest of the stairs to the end of the hall. Not wanting to wake her just in case she was asleep, Trace gently lifted the door as he pushed it open. Sticking his head through the crack, he looked at the bed expecting to see Foxy snuggled under the blankets, but the bed was empty.
He stepped inside and looked around the room. Kip wasn't in the bedroom at all. He listened and didn't hear the shower running, but checked anyway. As he expected, the bathroom was empty. Nor was she in the closet.
Maybe she woke up and decided she wanted to draw landscapes through the windows in the upstairs game room. He’d caught her doing that once or twice, but when he reached the game room, he found it empty too.
