She couldn’t wait for Christmas morning.She hoped everyone would enjoy the snowshoes she’d bought.They didn’t require as much skill as skating, but should be just as much fun.
With an entire orchard to investigate, she figured it would be amazing.She hadn’t expected to explore the entire farm until the snow melted, but this way, they could check most of it out.
Charlie pulled Ella toward the far edge of the rink where Olivia stood.She laughed as her girl held out her arms as if she was on the bow of the Titanic.
Oggie stopped, sat on his butt, and howled.The poor dog’s legs weren’t nearly as long as the boy’s.Keeping up was a lot of work.
Charlie stopped.“You want to ride with Ella, Oggie?”
The dog continued to howl, and a shiver went down Olivia’s spine.She’d never heard Oggie howl like this.
The others were at the far end of the rink, closer to the barn, working on expanding the rink.Olivia turned to face the trees in front of her.
And saw him.
A man dressed all in black with a balaclava over his face squatted by the nearest tree.It had to be Adam.
Olivia yelled.“Charlie!Take Ella and go.Go.Now.Run.”
The man stood from the trees and aimed a gun in their direction.Olivia moved so she stood between Adam and the kids.
He pointed the gun at her chest.“Mary Mae.Finally.You’re mine.”
Chapter21
Hide And Seek
Nash’s feet moved even before Charlie’s shout clicked in his brain.
At the far end of the rink, Olivia stood with her back to them, arms spread wide, Oggie at her side howling at whatever they faced.
Charlie held Ella in his arms as he raced toward Nash.Terror widened his son’s eyes.“Dad, there’s a man.He’s got a gun.He called Olivia Mary Mae.She told me to take Ella and run.You gotta help her.”
Nash gathered his son and Ella into a quick hug.“Good job, Charlie.Take Ella Mae inside the farmhouse with Amber.Call the others.”
Amber already had her phone to her ear.She gathered Charlie and Ella in front of her as Boomer herded the group to the house.
Even if Parsons somehow got past Nash and Gray, the dog would help protect Amber and the kids, giving the others time to arrive.
Because of the threat Parsons posed, Nash carried at least one weapon at all times.He pulled his gun from the holster hidden under his jacket and held it down by his leg as he ran toward Olivia.
Gray melted off to the left, and Nash knew he’d be sneaking around to get behind Parsons.
Nash didn’t want to waste the extra time, but going straight toward Olivia and Parsons wouldn’t be smart.He needed to outthink the man.
Which wouldn’t be the easiest thing to do if the man had lost his grip on reality.Logic was easier to combat.But if the man was calling Olivia Mary Mae, he wasn’t working from a place of logic.
From the photos Olivia had shown him, the two women weren’t similar enough to mix up.Both were beautiful women with obvious Latina backgrounds, but the similarities ended there.Mary Mae’s short hair had curled around her face while Olivia’s flowed straight past her shoulders.Olivia was taller, and their faces weren’t similar at all.
The rink was in a wide-open area in front of the barn, across the driveway from the farmhouses and the field that would be Gray’s garden.Nash wished there were more trees along the side, but he crouched low, hoping the snowbanks helped cover his movements.
It only took a few seconds to close in enough to see the man holding the gun.Black clothes, balaclava.Focused on Olivia.
“You belong to me, Mary Mae.We both know it.”
Yep, the guy had lost it.But he hadn’t seen Nash or Gray and didn’t seem to care about the kids leaving with Amber.His entire focus was on Olivia.
That had to change.Nash couldn’t waste any more time.He could only hope that Claus was moving into a position to help and that Amber had called in back up.
