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  “It’s okay,” Nick soothed. “Really, you don’t have to say anything.”

  To Amy, he sounded almost desperate, as if he were willing the woman to remain silent.

  The woman drew in a deep breath. “No, it’s important. I tried to call you at the station, but they said you were on leave.”

  Nick nodded.

  “Because of what happened,” she guessed.

  “Yes,” he said tightly.

  “I’m so sorry,” she told him. “It’s all my fault.”

  Nick regarded her incredulously. “Your fault? How can you say that?”

  “If I’d told you right away about my ex-husband, if I’d warned you…” Her voice fell to a whisper. “Maybe things would have gone differently.”

  Nick put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “No, Mitzi, nothing that happened was your fault. If anything, it was mine. I just stood by…”

  “No,” she said harshly. “That’s just it, that’s why I had to talk to you. I knew you were blaming yourself.”

  “Who else should I blame?” he asked heatedly.

  The woman sighed heavily. “Maybe it was no one’s fault, not even my ex-husband’s. He had to be sick, right? To think that taking our boy and hurting him would somehow make me love him again.” She shuddered. “Or even that it was a way to pay me back for leaving him. That’s not right. He needs help.”

  “Hopefully he’ll get it while he’s locked up,” Nick told her. “The important thing is that he’ll never get another chance to hurt anyone else.”

  Amy listened to the exchange with mounting horror. She realized now why Nick had been so desperate to find Josh, so determined to stay right by her side until her son was safe. He was trying to make up for not being able to help another little boy, this woman’s son. No wonder he was tormented. No wonder he’d asked so many questions about Ned. The search for Josh must have dredged up a thousand terrifying moments for him.

  The woman spoke to Amy, “I’m sorry to intrude, but when I saw that Nick was here, I wanted to tell him that I don’t blame him for anything that happened. I thought he might need to know that.”

  Nick did, indeed, look as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “You have an amazingly generous heart,” he told her.

  “If I do, it’s because I had an incredible boy in my life for a few brief years. I’m so grateful for that. It was far too short, but he taught me so much. That’s what I want to remember. Not the way he died, but the way he lived.” She hugged Nick fiercely. “Merry Christmas, Detective.”

  “Merry Christmas,” he whispered, his voice choked.

  After she’d gone, Amy reached up and touched the tears on his cheeks. “I am so sorry that you had to relive all that today.”

  He met her gaze. “I’m not,” he said eventually. “Not if it brought you, Josh and Emma into my life. How could I possibly regret that?”

  He turned to Josh, who was rolling a laughing Emma in circles nearby. “Hey, guys, let’s get going. It’s Christmas Eve and Santa’s got a very busy night ahead. I have toys to deliver.”

  His gaze shifted to Amy and he lowered his voice. “And maybe, if I’m lucky, I can even sneak a kiss or two under the mistletoe.”

  Amy laughed. “You can try. I’ve been wondering all day if that beard tickles. I couldn’t tell earlier.”

  Grinning, Nick called out to Josh. “Don’t look, okay?”

  “Don’t look at what?” Josh asked.

  “Do as you’re told,” Amy instructed, laughing. “Mommy’s gonna kiss Santa Claus.”

  Josh’s expression immediately brightened. “Cool!”

  Yeah, Amy thought, as Nick’s mouth settled on hers. It was definitely cool. No, she concluded an instant later, actually, it was hot. Very, very hot.

  Outside the mall, the air was icy and snow was falling, but Amy was still overheated from that kiss. North Carolina might be in for some sort of rare blizzard, but for her this was quickly turning into the hottest Christmas on record.

  EPILOGUE

  Christmas, one year later

  “So, young man,” Nick said to Josh in his booming Santa voice, “What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?”

  Amy had no idea how Trish had persuaded Nick to play Santa for a day once again this year. He still claimed he’d hated every minute of it when she’d coerced him into it the year before. Maybe it had something to do with knowing that Amy would once again be bringing Josh and Emma to the mall for their Christmas Eve visit.

  Josh studied Santa intently, then seemed to reach some sort of decision. He cast a quick glance toward Amy, then pulled Santa’s head down so he could whisper in his ear.

  Nick immediately glanced at Amy, a grin spreading across his face. “Well, now, I don’t know about that, son. Maybe your mom should have a say about something that important.”

  Amy sighed. A puppy? He’d asked for a puppy. Josh knew they couldn’t have one where they were living. What was she supposed to do now?

  “Sweetie, I told you we can’t have a puppy till we move to a house,” she said, which oddly enough only seemed to make Nick’s smile grow. She regarded him with confusion. “He didn’t ask for a puppy?”

  “Nope,” Nick said, carrying Emma down to join her.

  “What then?”

  “A new dad,” he told her. “And he seems to think having Santa for a dad would be pretty awesome.”

  Amy’s cheeks flooded with heat. “Oh, no. I am so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m thinking it’s something to consider.”

  She stared at him in shock. “Excuse me?”

  “Not today, of course, but you know, down the road.”

  “Say sometime after you’ve actually had a chance to think about it?” she asked dryly.

  He laughed, not the fake, booming laugh of Santa, but the amused chuckle of a man she’d discovered had a wonderful sense of humor.

  “Oh, I’ve been thinking about it for some time now,” he told her. “How about you? Has the thought crossed your mind?”

  It was her turn to chuckle. “How could it not, with your folks and Trish pressuring me every chance they get?”

  “So, what do you think?” Josh demanded impatiently. “Is he gonna be my new dad or not?”

  “I think maybe we ought to give your mom a little more time to think about this,” Nick told him. “She might even want a real, romantic proposal.”

  “What’s that?” Josh asked.

  “Candlelight and stuff,” Nick told him. “Keep it in mind. You might need to know about things like that later. In the meantime, why don’t I walk you all to your car. I’ve heard a rumor and I want to check it out.”

  “What kind of rumor?” Amy asked, confused by the hint of mystery in his voice.

  “You’ll see.”

  They walked to the same exit where Amy, Josh and Emma had entered the mall on that fateful day a year ago. When Nick pushed open the door, she immediately saw what he’d been talking about. Once again, snow was falling. It had already covered the ground and turned the rapidly emptying parking lot into a winter wonderland.

  “Snow!” Josh screamed, running ahead and twirling around, his head thrown back and his mouth open so he could catch the fat snowflakes on his tongue. Suddenly he ran over and threw his arms around Nick’s huge, padded waist. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

  Nick winked at Amy. “Sorry, kid, Santa can’t take credit for this.”

  Maybe not, she thought, but he had a lot to do with the joyous expression on her son’s face. He was also responsible for the amazingly lighthearted feeling inside her.

  As far as she was concerned, Santa—Nick—had given them everything they needed and the promise of much more.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for a special sneak peek at

  HONEYSUCKLE SUMMER

  by #1 New
York Times bestselling author

  Sherryl Woods

  coming soon in paperback from MIRA Books.

  CHAPTER 1

  Raylene stood in the kitchen doorway on a day that was surprisingly cool for the first of June. She stared in dismay at the backyard where Sarah’s children, Tommy and Libby, had been playing not two minutes before. Now only two-year-old Libby was in sight. She was standing next to the open gate of the fenced-in yard.

  Tommy’s absence immediately set off panic in Raylene.

  “Libby,” she called. “Sweetie, come here. Where’s Tommy?”

  Toddling to Raylene, her big eyes filled with tears, Libby pointed in the direction of the street.

  “Come inside,” Raylene commanded. She could only deal with one missing child at a time. Raylene scooped up Libby, then raced toward the front door and flung it open to peer up and down the block. Tommy was nowhere in sight. Barely five, he couldn’t have gone too far in the time she’d been in the kitchen, she assured herself. She’d turned away just long enough to put a few cookies on a plate and pour three glasses of lemonade.

  Two minutes, maybe three.

  Normally she would have brought the kids inside when the sitter left to run an errand, but it had been such a beautiful day, she’d decided to let them continue playing in the yard. What had she been thinking? She’d been terrified ever since she’d moved in with Sarah and her family that something like this would happen on her watch. She’d taken every precaution she could think of to avoid it. Now, just one slip and all her worst fears were coming true.

  Opening the door, she shouted at the top of her lungs.

  “Tommy!” She managed to inch over the threshold, but just barely. The panic she’d felt upon discovering Tommy was gone multiplied a thousandfold as she tried to force herself to take the next step and then the next. It took every bit of willpower she possessed not to scramble right back inside. She clutched Libby so tightly that the little girl whimpered in protest.

  “Sorry, baby,” Raylene soothed.

  Again, she shouted for Tommy, but there was no response. Frustration warred with terror. Tommy knew the rules. He knew, even if he didn’t understand, that she couldn’t leave the house to go chasing after him. He was also an adventurous preschooler for whom rules meant very little. He couldn’t possibly comprehend that the thought of leaving the safe haven of their home terrified her. Sometimes it was beyond her understanding, too.

  Ever since Raylene had run from her abusive husband, she’d grown increasingly housebound, scared of everything beyond the boundaries of these walls. It didn’t seem to matter that Paul Hammond was safely locked behind bars, at least for a few more months. She couldn’t make herself leave the house. If anything,

  she’d been getting worse, not better.

  She forced herself to inch down the last step and onto the sidewalk, fought the fear clawing its way up the back of her throat, the trembling in her limbs. Unable to take one more step, she shouted again and again.

  “Tommy Price! You get back in this yard right this minute!”

  She scanned the street in every direction, fully expecting him to pop out from behind a bush, a lopsided grin on his face at having won some misguided game of hide-and-seek.

  Instead, there was no sign of movement on the quiet, tree-lined street. Any teens were inside playing video games or doing homework. The younger children on the block were probably indoors having an after-school snack. An hour from now, more than likely there would be a dozen kids who could tell her in which direction Tommy had gone, but for now there was no one insight.

  Raylene tried to calm herself with the reminder that Serenity was a safe town, and small enough that almost anyone would recognize Tommy and bring him straight home. Unfortunately, those thoughts warred with too many dangerous possibilities.

  She tried telling herself that if a stranger had approached, one or both of the kids would have screamed. They’d been drilled often enough to be alert to that kind of danger. Even Libby was old enough to be wary of anyone she didn’t know. That Raylene hadn’t heard any fearful shouts was some consolation.

  All of this went spinning through her head in what seemed like an eternity, but was probably no more than a couple of minutes. She had a choice to make. She could fight her fears and try to go farther than the front steps, or she could call for help. Given her inability to leave the house for so long, she opted for being smart over saving her pride. Not wanting to waste another precious second, she punched in 911 on the portable phone.

  Her second call was to the Serenity radio station where Sarah had a morning show of talk and music. She often stayed after the show ended to book future guests. It was the station owner and Sarah’s soon-to-be husband, Travis McDonald, who took the call.

  “I’m so sorry,” Raylene kept telling him, trying not to break down in tears as she rambled through the story. “I swear I only looked away for a few minutes, and I tried to go searching for him, Travis. I really tried. I’m standing on the sidewalk now, and you know how long it’s been since I’ve come even this far. I’ve called the sheriff’s office. They’re sending a deputy right away.”

  “It’s okay, Raylene. Everything’s going to be fine,” he reassured her, though she could hear the underlying tension in his normally laid-back tone. “I’ll tell Sarah what’s going on and we’ll be there in five minutes. No need to panic. Tommy’s probably playing next door. Give Lynn a call.”

  “But surely she would have heard me shouting for him,” Raylene protested. “Hurry, Travis, please. I’ll try to go looking myself, but I don’t know if I can.”

  Travis, bless him, didn’t criticize her for this phobia that had taken over her life. He just reassured her that he was on his way. “Call next door,” he repeated. “The number’s on the bulletin board by the phone in the kitchen. Lynn will help until we get there.”

  “Of course,” she said, furious with herself for not thinking of that sooner.

  But when she reached Lynn, the neighbor reminded Raylene that her daughter was in a playgroup this afternoon.

  “I haven’t seen Tommy, but I’ll be right over to help with the search,” Lynn said at once.

  “Don’t bother coming here,” Raylene told her. “If you could just look up and down the street toward town and maybe alert some more of the neighbors, I’ll send Travis in the other direction as soon as he gets here. Surely Tommy can’t be more than a few blocks away.”

  “Will do,” Lynn promised, then hesitated. “Are you okay? Anything you need before I start hunting?”

  “No, I’m fine.” In fact, finding herself with an actual role—acting as command central for news from those actually out searching—finally began to steady her nerves. This was something she could do. She could keep Libby close and safe, make calls, coordinate efforts, even wait for Tommy to wander back from whatever adventure he’d gone on. Shaking with relief that others were now doing what she couldn’t, she sat down on the top step to watch and wait.

  Sitting there on the front stoop, phone and lemonade in hand, Libby in her arms, Raylene peered up and down the street for some sign of Tommy, or at least of Travis or the deputy that the sheriff’s department had promised to send.

  When the wait began to seem endless, she once again tried to venture back down the sidewalk. Even though she took a deep breath and told herself she’d already done this once today, her palms began to sweat. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her breath seemed to lodge in her throat. Tears of frustration filled her eyes. She ought to be able to take this one short step, dammit! There was a crisis, and she was absolutely useless.

  For the first time since she’d given in to her fears and settled for such a limited existence, she realized just how much might be at stake. Though the kids were the sitter’s responsibility at this time of day, Sarah had depended on Raylene to be her backup, to keep her children safe if she ever happened to be left in charge, even for a brief time. She’d let Sarah down, let Tommy down.

&nbs
p; Consumed with self-derision, Raylene realized they all should have known better. Any length of time with her was too long, especially for Tommy, who had his daddy’s stubbornness and tenacity along with the conviction that he was now a big boy. He was growing more independent by the day.

  Raylene should have put her foot down and refused to look after the kids at all, not for an hour, not even for five minutes. She knew Sarah was determined to convince her that she was still normal, instead of some basket case, but Raylene should have insisted that the risks were too great. If anything happened to that little boy, she’d never be able to forgive herself.

  When Travis’s car squealed into the driveway and Sarah jumped out practically before he hit the brakes,Raylene nearly collapsed with relief.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” she said as Sarah hugged her fiercely and told her not to worry. It was ironic really to have Tommy’s mom consoling her, when it should have been the other way around.

  Libby took one look at Travis and held out her arms. There was no question that she adored her prospective stepdaddy. Travis took Libby from Raylene’s arms and held her close.

  “It’s going to be fine,” Sarah said, though her confident words were belied by the fear shadowing her eyes. “Tommy can’t possibly have gone far. What happened, anyway? Travis tried to tell me, but all I could hear was blah-blah-blah through the haze of terror that rushed through me.”

  Raylene repeated the story she’d told Travis on the

  phone. “The sitter went to pick up a few things we needed for supper.” She glanced at her watch and saw that even after all the commotion, less than a half hour had passed. “She should be back here any second. I swear, Tommy and Libby weren’t out of my sight more than a couple of minutes. When I looked back, the gate was open and Tommy was gone. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

  “Well, I can believe it,” Sarah said. “He’s as slippery as a little eel. He’s constantly escaping, you know that, even when Travis and I think we’re watching him like hawks. He’s figured out where his friends live and likes to go visit. He doesn’t grasp the concept of getting permission. That’s probably what happened today.”