Page 17 of Balancing Act

Willow took just a moment to consider her next move. Genevieve was probably still ten minutes away. But as much as she hated waking Emma from her nap, Willow dared not wait until her mom arrived to go for Drew.

Or could she wait a few minutes? Drew hadn’t sounded scared on the phone. He sounded annoyed. Petulant, almost. Was it reasonable for Willow to conclude that the stranger had no intention of hurting her son? After all, the bad-tempered stranger had called for her to come get Drew.

And yet… stranger danger. Should she call the police?

Calling the police on a Good Samaritan neighbor wouldn’t be nice. Distant neighbor. Who was this man?

Willow decided she would steal a minute for a quick call to someone who was as good as a cop in this town. She scrolled through her contact list and phoned Zach Throckmorton, the contractor her mom and Aunt Helen had hired to oversee the renovations at Raindrop Lodge. Gage Throckmorton’s son, Zach, had been born and raised in Lake in the Clouds. He knew everyone.

A deep, masculine voice said, “Hello?”

“Hi, Zach. Willow Eldridge here. I have a quick question. Do you know who owns the property at 4743 Running Elk Road?”

“Running Elk Road is the boundary line between Triple T property and some acreage owned by a guy out of Denver. He has a vacation home on it that’s been in the family for a while. Place is called the Hideaway. It’s the only property on that road that doesn’t belong to our ranch.”

“Do you know his name? The guy from Denver?”

Zach thought a moment, then said, “David, maybe? Something biblical, I think. Jeremiah? No, it’s Noah. Noah Tannehill.”

Noah Tannehill from Denver. “What do you know about him?”

“Not much. Why do you ask?”

Willow explained about the phone call and her dilemma. Zach said, “Too bad I’m not at Raindrop today, or I’d come down and stay with Emma. I don’t really know him. Guy keeps to himself.”

A recluse. Willow decided to wake her daughter up and head for Running Elk Road immediately.

Zach continued, “He’s a second-generation owner. Maybe third. I know that Dad has offered to buy that piece of land in the past, but the family refused a strong offer.”

Walking toward Emma’s bedroom, Willow asked, “Any reason to suspect that he kept the property because he needs a place to hide the bodies?”

Zach laughed. “Nah. In fact, it sticks in my mind that there’s something about him that’s positive. Makes him a good guy.”

Okay. Well, that’s encouraging.“Does he live there alone?”

“Don’t know for sure, but the few times I’ve seen him in town, he’s always been by himself. But I wouldn’t worry too much, Willow. I honestly believe Tannehill is a good neighbor.”

“He didn’t sound very neighborly when he called.”

“Could be he was afraid for Drew.”

Willow’s spine stiffened. “Why do you say that?”

“To get from your place to his place on Running Elk Road on foot, Drew must have followed Silver Creek. Being February, it’s frozen over, so he may well have walked on it. However, there are a couple places along that stretch where pools are deep, and hot springs keep the ice slushy. So it’s not safe for him to have made that hike by himself.”

Willow closed her eyes. She’d brought this on herself. She’d sent him off to explore, and explore he did. If he’d fallen through the ice and drowned or frozen to death, it would have been her fault!

No, it would not have been her fault. The only exploring Drew had permission to do this afternoon was along the path from their cabin up to the lodge gift shop. He’d had permission to spend his allowance on a candy bar, not wander off to another mountain entirely across a frozen mountain stream.

Reaching Emma’s room, Willow saw that her daughter had awakened from her nap. Good. “Thanks for the intel, Zach. Just one more thing. Is Noah Tannehill an older man?”

“No. He’s around my age. Maybe a couple years older.”

Well, hmm.So age didn’t explain the Santa comment. But some men did go prematurely gray. And if Noah Tannehill was a recluse, he could definitely have a beard.

Willow ended the call with Zach and smiled at her daughter. “You had a good nap. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. Can I get up now? Can I have a snack?”

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