Page 35 of Holiday Haven

Adam was keenlyaware of Krista sitting beside him as he drove to Alec's house. He'd already gone home to shower and change out of his wet tuxedo. When he’d returned wearing casual jeans and a sweater, he’d found Krista gazing around his condo in awe.

It took him a moment to realize she'd never been to his place. He hadn't consciously kept her out of his home, but the end result was still the same.

He glanced at her, wishing they could go back to the time before Alec’s phone call. He couldn't remember ever having so much fun playing in the snow. Couldn't remember ever wanting to kiss a woman as much as he'd wanted to kiss Krista.

Enough. There were more important things to worry about than his tangled feelings toward Krista. After pulling up in front of Alec's house, he let the engine idle as they waited for his brother. Alec’s brows shot up with surprise when he saw Krista sitting in the passenger seat but climbed into the back without complaint.

“Hi, Krista,” Alec said with a grin.

“Hi.” Adam thought her smile was strained as he merged into traffic. She looked nervous about what the meeting. Yet she was the one who’d insisted on coming along.

“Are we heading straight to Nancy Williamson’s house?” He glanced at his brother through the rear-view mirror.

“Yeah, it's our best chance of finding her at this point,” Alec agreed.

Krista frowned. “You know where she lives?”

Adam cleared his throat. “We know the last known address listed for Nancy Williamson.” He decided not to explain about the night he'd followed the poor woman home on the bus. “We honestly don't know if she's still living there or not.”

“I see.” Krista’s expression was troubled. He understood her concern. He was worried about what they would find when they confronted Nancy Williamson, too.

He found the address Alec had provided, a tiny house located a few blocks from the bus stop. He parked alongside the curb and then climbed out, taking in their surroundings.

“Is that a ‘For Sale’ sign?” Dismay laced her tone.

He had to admit, it didn't look good. The sign hung on a post at a crooked angle, swaying in the wind. The tiny bungalow was in desperate need of a new coat of paint, a few window repairs, and to his unexpert eye, a new roof.

Nancy Williamson had clearly fallen on desperate times. The question was, why?

Drug or alcohol abuse were the most common reasons for financial difficulties. He wondered if they were making a mistake. Exchanging a worried glance with Alec he strode to the front door and knocked.

No answer. With a frown, he rang the doorbell, listening as it peeled through the house. Still no one came to the door.

“Where is she?” Krista asked.

“I don’t know.” He glanced around at the neighboring houses. “Alec, what do you think?”

His brother shrugged. “The cop who talked to her boss at the discount store said that she had already left for home right after work.”

“Are you sure he got the hours right?” Alec had mentioned how Nancy had a job at the discount store located near the bus stop. And he knew it was a short bus ride from here to his pediatric clinic. “Maybe she's working later than he thought?”

Alec sighed. “I don't think so.”

“Should we wait?” Krista rubbed her gloved hands together. “It's freezing out here.”

“No, we can't stand around waiting.” An idea struck. “But we can leave a note. Maybe she's hiding inside the house, scared and worried that we're going to arrest her.” It didn’t bode well if she was hiding inside, but he didn’t see another option. “Do either of you have paper and pencil?”

“Right here.” Alec pulled out his small notebook and pen.

Adam wrote a note, trying to keep it short, explaining that Joy was doing very well at Children’s Memorial and he wanted to help. He scrawled his name on the bottom and shoved the note into the crack in the door.

He hesitated. What if Nancy really didn't live here anymore and didn't get his message?

“I hope she sees it,” Krista’s concerned tone mirrored his thoughts.

“Me, too,” he agreed.

Alec clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, relax. It's not the end of the world that we couldn't talk to her today. We know her name. We'll find her. Maybe I’ll swing by again on Monday.”

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