A Forever Christmas(55)

“I’ll come,” Angel instantly volunteered as she pulled on Gabe’s arm to get his attention.

Gabe flashed a smile at her. She didn’t know the terrain the way they all did. It was incredibly easy to take a wrong turn and get lost—or fall off a cliff that’s edge had been hidden by brush.

“Stay with Diane,” he advised. “She’s going to need someone.”

Angel had a better idea. “I can take her to Miss Joan,” she suggested. “That way, I can help search for the boy. Besides, Miss Joan’s so much better than I am at this kind of thing.”

Gabe really didn’t want to say yes because he didn’t want to risk her getting lost, as well. But he saw a stubborn expression enter Angel’s eyes and knew it was useless to stand in her way. So, reluctantly, he agreed. “Okay, we’ll take her to Miss Joan’s together. I’ll handle asking for volunteers at the diner,” he told Rick, raising his voice to get the sheriff’s attention.

Rick nodded, already hurrying out the door.

They left Jason’s frantic mother in Miss Joan’s capable hands.

“I’ve got just the tea for you,” they heard the owner of the diner saying to Jason’s mother. “It’ll soothe your nerves. Kids are always running off,” she said matter-of-factly, as if it was a fact of life that happened every day in Forever. “They’ll have him back before you know it.”

“When Miss Joan says it, it sounds like gospel,” Gabe commented as he walked out of the diner right behind Angel.

Once outside, though, he forgot all about Miss Joan and looked at the only woman who had come to matter so very much to him. “Here are the rules. I want you around me at all times,” he told her.

Under other circumstances, she would have readily agreed. Agreed and flirted a little, as well. But there was a small boy missing right now and every moment counted. And every moment they weren’t out there, looking, was a moment lost and one less that Jason possibly have left.

“But shouldn’t we spread out?” she asked. “We can cover more ground that way.”

That simple fact was not enough for him to agree and let her go off on her own. He’d tie her up before allowing that to happen.

“In case you haven’t noticed, it’s already dark outside—and it’s a lot easier to get lost in the dark. I’m not taking a chance on you disappearing like Jason. Now, if you give me an argument,” he concluded seriously, “I’m sending you home.”

She watched him for a long moment. He’d surprised her by sounding as stern as he did. Her reaction was also a surprise, because something inside of her rose up in semirebellion.

Angel’s eyes met his. “And you actually think I’ll stay there?” she asked him, amused.

Gabe sighed. The woman was getting bolder. And more stubborn. He supposed that was a good sign.

“Okay,” he relented, “you can come—but you have to follow orders. There’s got to be structure in the search.” He wasn’t going to be flexible about that. Under no circumstances was he going to allow her to go off on her own. He decided his best bet was just to level with her. “Look, I don’t think I could stand it if you got lost out there somewhere, understood?”

Angel continued looking at him, but the rebellious feeling disappeared. Instead, another overwhelming feeling bubbled up within her like some awe-inspiring fountain. This had to be love. There was no other word for it and she’d been feeling it a lot lately.

After a beat, she nodded solemnly in response to his question.

“Understood,” she echoed, then added a coda she figured he’d be okay with. “Two sets of eyes are better than one, right?”

Gabe laughed and nodded. “Right. Atta girl,” he said with approval. “All right, we’ve got Mrs. Lake squared away with Miss Joan, let’s get going.”

She flashed him a smile. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Yeah,” he conceded. “Your plan.”

And she damn well knew it, he thought. Not that he could fault her. Not for having feelings of empathy. She was just putting herself in Diane Lake’s shoes and imagining what she would have felt if it was her little boy who’d gone missing.

* * *

SIX HOURS LATER, Rick decided to temporarily call off the search, at least until morning when they had more light—and more volunteers. He’d put a call into the county for bloodhounds and the dogs would be arriving with their handlers by seven.