Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Dana Mentink (novels to improve english txt) 📗

Snow-covered spruce branches drooped low from the intense weight and created a winter wonderland path to the cabin in the woods. The tires spun but quickly gained traction. The small timber structure came into view. A veranda wrapped around the cabin, trees swallowing it on all sides as if sentinels protecting its occupants.

He only hoped that was true.

Layke pulled in front and shut off the engine. “Safe and sound.”

“Thank the good Lord,” Hannah said.

Not again. If He was good, He would never have allowed these children to be taken in the first place. He opened his door. “Let’s get inside out of this wretched weather.”

They climbed from the vehicle and up the stairs.

Hannah moved a heavy flowerpot and produced a key. “Told you.”

He crossed his arms. “Isn’t that a little too much of a cliché? This isn’t TV.”

She shrugged and opened the front door.

They stomped the snow from their boots and moved farther inside.

Hannah removed her footwear and headed toward a hall. “I’ll turn on the propane tank to get the heat going. You start the fire. It’s in the living room.”

Layke helped Gabe take off his boots and did the same. “Keep your coat on for now.” He stepped through the wooden archway into a hunter’s oasis.

A brick fireplace sat in the center of the far wall. Timber beams lined the ceiling with plank wood walls on all sides, creating a rustic feel. Two plush chairs with an end table in between sat in the middle of a large window. A wooden-legged coffee table with a glass top rested in the center on top of a multicolored woven Aztec rug.

“So cool!” Gabe came up behind him.

“Indeed it is, sport.”

Layke eyed the wood piled next to the hearth. Odd they’d have propane as well as a wood-burning fireplace. He opened the screen and placed kindling on the iron rack. After finding matches on the mantel, he struck one and lit the wood.

“Did you learn that in Scouts?” Gabe asked.

He pursed his lips. “No, I taught myself.”

“That’s what we were learning before the bad men came.”

Layke caught the fear in Gabe’s clouded eyes. He squeezed his shoulder. “You’re safe here.”

“You promise?”

Layke sighed inwardly. “Yes.”

Another promise he’d probably regret.

The kindling caught and a spark spit upward. Layke placed a small log on top.

Gabe knelt in front of the fire and held out his hands. “Can we roast marshmallows?”

Layke tousled the boy’s curls. “We’ll see if there’s any in the kitchen.”

“What’s in the kitchen?” Hannah eyed his fire. “Nice. I can feel the heat already.”

Gabe jumped up and hugged her legs. “We’re gonna roast marshmallows!”

Hannah raised her brow at Layke.

“If we have any,” he said.

“I’ll go see what I can find to eat.” Hannah walked into the kitchen and rustled around. She returned within minutes holding a can of beans and had something hidden behind her back. “Beans okay? They’re maple flavored.”

Gabe turned up his nose.

Layke did the same. “I guess we don’t have much of a choice.”

Hannah’s blue eyes twinkled in the light. She had also let her hair down. It fell around her shoulders in soft red curls.

He couldn’t help but stare at her intoxicating beauty.

She waved something in front of his face. “Earth to Layke.”

Caught in the act.

He cleared his throat as Gabe giggled.

“Look what I have?” She pulled a bag of marshmallows out from behind her back.

Gabe jumped up and squealed. “Yay!”

“Looks like you’ll get your wish, Gabe.”

“I’ll go start supper and then later we can roast these.” Hannah smiled at Layke and walked back into the kitchen.

He stood. “I gotta make some calls. You stay here.”

He roamed down the hall in search of a room to call the names Murray had sent him earlier. Hopefully they had some information that would help.

Fifteen minutes later, he’d spoken to all but one and he’d left a message for the father to call him back. Unfortunately, the other parents didn’t know anything and only pleaded with him to find their sons. Alive.

He plunked himself on the bed and rubbed his chest, the weight of the case sitting heavy with the pressure to bring it to a close.

He needed to talk to Corporal Bakker again, so he keyed in the man’s number.

“Bakker here.”

“It’s Layke. Can you get a forensic artist to Beaver Creek? We need to see if we can get a composite of the man Gabe saw.”

“I’ll send in a request right now, but the nearest one is five hours away in Whitehorse. Where are you?”

“In a cabin thirty minutes north of Beaver Creek. It belongs to a friend of Officer Morgan’s. Can you let the other constables know our whereabouts but no one else? The less who know, the better.”

“Agreed. You need to keep the boy safe. He’s our only source of information on this gang right now.” He paused. “Listen, Constable Yellowhead said he couldn’t track down the snowmobile. He followed the tracks, but they ended abruptly. We think they drove onto a truck to escape.”

Layke flattened his lips. “Not surprised.”

“Oh, and one of the assailants at the detachment attack who escaped was injured. We’re checking nearby hospitals and clinics.”

The wind howled and shook the cabin.

“Okay, I’ll—”

A crash sounded from the living room.

Gabe screamed.

CHAPTER FIVE

Hannah threw the pot of beans onto the propane stove, slopping them over the side, and ran into the living room. Gabe sat crying on the floor in front of a fallen broken lamp. She knelt beside him.

“What’s wrong?” She pulled him into her arms.

Layke stumbled into the room, his eyes wild. “What happened?”

“I was looking out the window and I saw a face staring at me. I knocked over the lamp. I’m sorry.” He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

“No worries, Gabe. You’re okay.” She glanced at Layke and gestured toward outside.

He nodded and pulled out his Maglite. “I’ll go check around the cabin.” He put on his coat and boots and opened the door.

The brisk wind slithered into the room like a snake stalking