Page 71 of No Love Lost

“He knew my schedule and knew I’d be taking Nina to Kimi’s. He knew basically where I’d be stranded. And with my medical history, he knew it would make me weaker.”

She couldn’t stop the shudder this time. Heath held her and growled. “He’s never going to bother you again.”

She nodded into his chest and tried to reconcile the Jonas she’d known for years with the person who’d planned for her to suffer. “What happened to Jonas? He was always just an awkward guy. A good neighbor.”

Marcus shook his head. “He’s definitely not acting like himself. Once he’s secured in the prison in Montpelier, mental health professionals will examine him. It doesn’t seem like an act to me, but they’ll have more resources to be sure. Either way, he’s going to be locked up somewhere for a very long time.”

That made Addy feel better but worse at the same time. Had she done something to cause Jonas to act this way? Had she encouraged him somehow?

Marcus tapped his notebook. “I can see you thinking from here. You didn’t cause this. Nothing you did or didn’t do would cause Jonas to do these things. He’s obviously developed an unhealthy obsession, but it could be more than that. Whatever it is, it isn’t your fault. No blaming yourself.”

Heath had been mostly silent during the entire conversation. Now, he gently placed his hand under her chin until she looked at him. His fierce gaze warmed her. “Some people are broken. You couldn’t have known and couldn’t have made other choices. His actions are on him. Completely.”

She slowly nodded. “Okay. You’re both right. But I still feel bad for him. He moved here to take care of his mother after his father died. His world revolved around taking care of her. Maybe he broke after she died, and he had nothing to focus on. I hope he gets the help he needs.”

Heath’s eyes lightened. “And that’s what makes you such a phenomenal human being.”

Nina stood from the table. “And on that sappy note, it’s time to get ready to head to the Saloon for some Christmas fun.”

CHAPTER 23

Lost Without You

Heath had done some strange things in his life, especially in the military, but he’d never won a three-legged race through the snow while wearing Christmas stockings as gloves until today. He and Nina had crossed the finish line about an inch before Troy and Piper.

He tried to swing Nina around in a circle, but the scarves holding their legs together meant they went tumbling through the snow instead. He cushioned her as they rolled, and her laughter was the best sound in the universe.

Snow had continued all night, but the morning had dawned fresh and bright. The wind had settled, and the sun was shining. A perfect winter day.

There’d been at least a dozen silly events during the afternoon, some inside the Saloon, others in Phail Way Park.

The entire town, plus the people from Midnight Lake and other neighboring towns, had shown up. Piper was onto something here. Carl and Jim’s B&B was full, and there was talk of needing another B&B in the area.

Addy, bundled in layers, walked over to help them to their feet. When he stood, he leaned in to tug her scarf down for a kiss. Nina rolled her eyes, but her smile was as bright as the sun.

He tugged the scarf back up to cover Addy’s lower face. “You warm enough? How do the lungs feel?”

“I’m good. If it gets windy, I’ll go back inside.”

He nodded and slung his arm around her as Troy called out over the microphone. “Okay, last event for the afternoon. This one is a timed event. You’ve got thirty minutes to complete the challenge. You can work in family or friend-sized teams. Keep it reasonable. We asked for your emails earlier, and your task is coming through in a minute.”

Nina pulled out her phone. Their daughter had a competitive streak like him.

Troy continued. “It’s a photo scavenger hunt. You’ll get points for each item along with creativity points. Piper and I are the judges, and anything that makes us laugh can earn bonus points as well. Have fun.”

Nina bounced until her email sounded with a notification. “It’s here. Okay, there are twenty items. Everyone’s going to start at the top. Let’s start at the bottom. Number Twenty is a rainbow.”

They all looked up to the winter sky, which was pretty, but not a rainbow in sight.

Addy laughed. “Looks like it’s time to get creative. I didn’t wear my rainbow socks today. Anyone else?”

Heath laughed. “Forgot mine this morning.”

Nina looked them over. “But we are wearing most of the colors. We can set them up in order and make a rainbow that way.”

Soon, Nina organized the picture with Addy’s multi-colored scarf and fuzzy pink socks, her own orange jacket and yellow socks, Heath’s navy jacket, and her friend’s purple hat. Rainbow accomplished. Heath didn’t think he could love his daughter more. Being able to do these games with her was a gift he’d never known he wanted.

For something to represent the movie they’d watched the night before, they found a panda with a bow around his neck in the Phail Phoods window display. They spotted a wrapped present, a halo, and a Christmas book. They sang Rudolph for the carol singing video and used Addy’s chai tea for something that smelled Christmassy. Every item on the list had them laughing, and he thought his face was going to hurt from all the joy.

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