After locking the door again, she joined the others in the house.
Spreading out, they searched each room, then Debbie and Savvy went back and re-checked the rooms Dallas and Cody had checked.
Then they checked all over again, emptying closets and lying on the floor to check under the beds. Debbie searched every inch of her closet, since the boys had left it in only mild disarray. With each passing second, her chest grew tighter.
Savannah’s face looked as grim as Debbie felt by the time they gathered back in the kitchen. “Where could he have gone?”
“I don’t know. We’ve searched every inch of this house.” Debbie’s stomach hardened as she looked at the front door. Had he gone outside?
Savannah’s gaze followed hers. “I’ll check the backyard, you check the front. Dallas, come help me. Cody, go with Miss Debbie.”
Still on the verge of tears, Cody slipped his hand into hers. “We made a rule of no going outside,” he said in a small voice.
Debbie was on the verge of tears herself, but she squeezed his hand anyway. “I know, honey, but sometimes little kids don’t always obey the rules. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”
I hope.
CHAPTER8
Austin yawned as he turned into Debbie’s driveway. Afraid of how horribly his boys might have behaved, he wished Savvy had her own car, so she could bring the boys home, and he wouldn’t have to face Debbie.
It was bad enough he didn’t care for wealthy people, but pretty, rich women always rubbed him the wrong way. Especially when they used their looks and money to get what they wanted.
Debbie had assured him she wasn’t after him, but having to come to her house every day to pick up his kids was more contact than he wanted to have with the attractive widow. Because as much as he disliked wealthy people, Debbie always made his heart rate pick up a little.
He’d already had a long talk with Savvy about how wealthy people could be difficult to work for and how she needed to stand up for herself. He’d also made sure she knew he was behind her all the way. No matter what.
He wasn’t sure how they’d work things out if this job went south since they had already registered Savvy for the art camp with Debbie Wheeler footing the bill via her credit card.
He’d also lectured the boys on how to behave. The last thing he needed was for them to break a three-hundred-dollar bottle of perfume or something. He recalled the way Cody put his hand on Debbie’s leg a few days ago and looked at her with more adoration than Austin had ever seen on the boy’s face. The kid was hungry for female—specifically motherly—attention. That was his biggest regret about moving away from his parents in Boise.
He climbed from his truck and walked to the front door. As he raised his hand to knock, the door burst open.
“Oh, Austin.” Debbie grabbed the front of his shirt in both fists. “Please tell me you didn’t see a little boy out on the highway.”
“What?” Austin’s blood turned cold, and his thoughts jumped to his boys.
“We lost him, Daddy.” Cody tugged on his sleeve, and Austin remembered to breathe.
With his heart racing for a much different reason than he’d expected, he grabbed Debbie’s shoulders. “What happened? Where’s Dallas?”
Her head jerked back. “Dallas? He’s fine. He’s checking the backyard with Savannah. But we can’t find Noah.”
Sighing, Austin released Debbie. “Who’s Noah?”
Tears gathered in her eyes. “He’s the cutest and busiest little boy. Gina, the social worker, only brought him to me this afternoon, and I’ve lost him already. I’m the worst foster parent ever!”
Understanding dawned on Austin as the tears fell onto Debbie’s cheeks. He wrapped an arm around her. “What happened? How old is Noah?”
“He’s only three. The boys were playing hide-n-seek with him, but now we can’t find him.”
“We found him the first time, Daddy, but then he hid real good, and now he’s lost.” Cody’s voice wavered.
Austin picked up his son. “He’s got to be here somewhere. How about I help you look for him.”
“I bet you find him. You’re the best at hide-n-seek.” Cody wrapped his arms around Austin’s neck and squeezed. The gesture usually made Austin feel ten feet tall, but today, it did nothing to dispel the sense of dread filling him.
He joined Debbie and Cody as they searched the front yard, all the while hearing Savvy and Dallas calling Noah’s name from the backyard.
