Brett disconnected the call and handed his cell phone to Pat. “Can you try Hannah’s cell phone again? Her number is on my contact list.”
Pat quickly found the number, but she didn’t answer. “She could be visiting a friend.”
“I don’t know…” Brett remembered something Hannah had said about Emerald Lake. “Call Jacob Green. His number is on my phone. One of his neighbors is getting married soon and the bride-to-be is Hannah’s friend. She might know how we can contact her.”
Pat made the phone call, and after more than a few minutes of waiting, Hannah called him back. She was at her friend Holly’s home.
After he’d told her what was happening, he breathed a sigh of relief. She’d stay with Holly until he called her.
Next time, if he had the same bad feeling, he’d make sure no one left the ranch.
***
Hannah took two baskets of gifts from the back seat of her truck. She followed her sister across Pat’s front yard, stepping carefully through the ankle-deep snow.
“Are you sure we’ve brought enough food?” Claire asked for the tenth time. “A cheesecake and a few dozen gingerbread men don’t seem enough.”
“Mrs. Bennett has been baking all week. She didn’t want us to bring anything else.” Hannah looked at her sister. “Are you okay?”
Telling her sister what had happened at Pat’s ranch had triggered unhappy memories of their own childhood. Their mom had always left them notes before she’d vanished. Depending on how sober she’d been, the letters were either easy to understand or a babbling mess of emotions.
Even though they were sisters, they had different ways of dealing with stress. Hannah walked, Claire baked. Her sister’s questions about the food they were taking was her way of saying she was worried.
Before Hannah could reassure Claire that everything would be all right, Pat’s front door opened. A young girl with frizzy red hair and freckles stood on the porch. She looked at Claire and frowned. “Are you Hannah?”
Claire shook her head. “I’m Claire.”
The little girl turned to someone inside the house. “It’s Claire and another lady,” she yelled. “Is it all right to let them come inside?”
Brett rushed to the front door. “It’s okay, Laura. Hannah is the other lady.”
“Oh, that’s all right, then. Welcome to the McConachie ranch.” When she smiled, she reminded Hannah of Thomas.
“Laura is one of Thomas’ four sisters,” Brett explained. “She knew you were coming, but she wasn’t supposed to open the door without an adult beside her.”
Laura bit her bottom lip. “Sorry, Mr. Forster.”
“That’s okay. But we don’t need to answer the door again. Everyone is here who should be here.”
“All right.”
Hannah handed one of her baskets to Brett. “How are Dave and his family?”
“They’re better than I thought they’d be. It isn’t the first time Dave’s dad has tried something like this. Come inside.”
Laura held open the door. “Are you sisters?”
Hannah smiled at the curious expression on Laura’s face. “We are. I’m the youngest.”
“Me, too. Lily, Lavender, and Lacey are my sisters. Mom had a thing for the letter L. Except Thomas didn’t want to be called by hisrealname. He wanted to be different.”
“Don’t tell them that,” Thomas wailed from the hallway. “I’m allowed to call myself whatever I like.”
Laura didn’t look as though she agreed with him. “It’s not fair that you can change your name and I can’t.”
“That’s because you’re only eight years old,” Thomas said smugly.
Brett rested his hand on Thomas’ shoulder. “Mrs. Bennett wants someone to finish setting the table. How about you and Laura help her?”
