Page 13 of Run, Run Mistletoe
7
MISTLETOE
Iopen my eyes and smile for the first time in ages. I’ve got a safe new ride for me and my daughter. I’ve got a new friend.
One that I never thought I’d feel anything for. But a soft feeling settles in my belly when I think about Frank.
He’s so sweet. I know that he must have driven a hard bargain with that dealer to get us that truck at that price.
I know that Velvet likes him already.
I know that I can’t stop thinking about how handsome he is with his dark hazelnut eyes and the thick dark hair that falls into his sparkling eyes.
I haven’t felt anything like this in forever. Not since way before Donny left. The spark left our relationship way before he did. I guess I can’t blame him for that.
Not completely anyway. He was sleeping with an intern.
“Mama! It snowed!” I jump out of bed and hit the window, my eyes widening. There’s at least six inches of fresh white stuff on the ground. There’s no way that school will be in today.
Like I willed it, my phone dings with the notification that there’s no school and I sigh, wishing that Velvet had slept in. A little extra sleep would have been nice.
But I get up and head downstairs for coffee. It’s time to take care of the animals anyway.
With a sigh I head out in the swirling snow and holler at Velvet to stay inside and stay out of trouble.
“Play in your room for right now. I’ll be back in soon and make you breakfast.”
“Okay, Mom!” Her little voice makes me smile. She’s such a good kid.
As soon as I get outside, the wind drives the snow into my face and I suck in a sharp, painful, icy breath.
But I don’t stop. I just pull my scarf higher and head for the pen where the chicken coop is and grab their feed on the way. One after the other, I take care of all the animals. Until only the goats are left.
But when I reach their pen, all of them are huddled together except for Valentine. Her soft brown fur is nowhere in sight.
“Val? Where are you, baby?” I turn and run out into the holding pen and call desperately but she’s nowhere in sight and my heart clenches, terror rippling through me.
I’m tearing through the yard when a dark SUV pulls in and I run right past it.
“Hey, Misty! What the heck? Where are you going?”
Whirling around, a sob tears at my throat. “Val is missing. I don’t know where she’s at but she’s managed to sneak out before. I should have checked to see where she’s getting out and fixed it. This is all my fault,” I sob, my whole body trembling with fear and cold.
He grabs hold of my shoulders, his eyes meeting mine. “Hey, hey! This isn’t your fault. You go ahead and finish the animals and I’ll go find her. I thought I saw something on the way in here. I’ll check and make sure that it wasn’t her. I’ll find her, baby. Don’t worry.”
Tears streak my face and I whimper, “You’ll find her?”
His dark eyes meet mine and like I finally notice that it’s Frank, I fall into his arms and he holds me tight, patting my back. “It’s alright. I’ve got this. You take care of the animals here and then get inside out of this mess. Velvet needs you.”
Nodding my head, I sniffle and wipe my nose on my sleeve. He doesn’t even flinch.
Just pushes me over to the barn and gets back in his car and pulls out, waving at me on the way.
I shouldn’t feel better. But somehow I believe he’ll find Val. I trust him.
I never thought I’d trust another man.
But Frank is more unshakeable than any man I’ve ever met. He’s solid as a rock and I know he’ll do what he says. I trust him.
