Page 62 of Reforming Hunt
She grabbed Abby’s hand. “One of the boats broke from the dock, and we can’t find Noah. We think he’s on it.”
“What!” Abby searched the water. Hunt had gotten on a Jet Ski and was starting it up. “Where is the boat?”
Kaylee pointed to the old wooden boat headed at a fast clip toward a large outcropping of granite boulders down the shore.
Abby lurched forward. “No! I need to get to him!”
Kaylee wrapped strong arms around Abby, holding her back. “Help is on the way. If Noah is on that boat, he’s going to need you safe when Hunt and the others return with him. You’re no good to Noah if you’ve drowned trying to swim to him.”
Abby closed her eyes. She’d give anything to keep her son safe. Had, in fact, given up everything within her power to put a roof over his head. And now she’d married Hunt for the same reason.
But Abby’s connection to Hunt had also put Noah in danger, because she’d agreed to let Noah continue on at Club Kids against her best instincts. Or maybe her instincts had been driven by fear. In any case, her son’s life was in danger, and it was all because of Club Tahoe. “I don’t understand. How did Noah end up on the boat?”
“We don’t know for sure that he’s on it,” Kaylee said. “One of the employees saw the boat leaving the dock, and questioned me about it. Hunt wasn’t here, so it shouldn’t have been out. But the keys are missing, and someone released it from the slip. We’ve radioed the boat, but no one is answering.”
By the time Kaylee had finished her last sentence, Hunt was already flying across the water on the Jet Ski. His brothers were in a larger Club Tahoe speedboat behind him. It also looked like the Coast Guard had shown up and were getting close to the vessel.
“But how did you lose my son?”
Kaylee closed her eyes as though in pain. “He was with the other kids this morning; I saw him myself. One of the new Club Kids attendants was in charge—someone who’s less familiar with the children—and he didn’t realize Noah had gone missing. We noticed it at the same time the warning went up for the boat.” Kaylee squeezed Abby’s shoulders. “I have people searching for Noah. We’ll find him. He’s often cleaning the old woody with Hunt, and with the woody out…our biggest concern is that he’s on the boat.”
Abby had seen her son taking care of the woody when she’d been late to pick up Noah. “My son is five. He’d never take the boat out on his own.”
Kaylee shook her head. “I promise you, Abby, I’ve got everyone searching for Noah. The police have been notified. We’ll scour every inch of this place until we find him.”
But it didn’t take scouring the resort, because the Coast Guard radioed in that the boat had been boarded and they’d found Noah. They were on their way back now.
Moments later, Hunt climbed onto the dock with a crying Noah in his arms, and Abby ran to them.
“Mommy,” Noah said, reaching for her.
She pulled Noah to her chest and held him tightly. She would strap him to her body and never let him get three inches from her person if she could. “Are you okay?”
Noah sniffled, his wet cheeks dampening her shirt. “I was stuck on the boat and it was going so fast.”
“I know, honey. How did you get on the boat?”
Noah leaned back and looked at her. “I work on it with Hunt.”
Abby glanced at the man in question, her face hot with fury.
Hunt didn’t even try to mask his horror.
“I polished the side like Hunt taught me, and put the rags away at the helm.” Her son sounded so proud of his “work.” Then tears filled his eyes. “But it started moving when I tried to get off and I couldn’t get back.” He hid his face against her chest. “It was so scary.”
“Shh,” she said gently. “You’re safe now.”
Abby looked at Hunt, but he was storming off toward one of his brothers, waving his hands furiously.
Kaylee walked up. “Abby, I’m so sorry. We don’t know exactly what happened, but after Hunt reached the boat, he said the throttle had been tied down. Someone had tampered with it. I’ll get to the bottom of this, okay? Nothing is more important to me and the rest of the staff than keeping the kids safe.”
“Is it, though?” Her son had been bullied at Club Tahoe, and now, after Hunt had hired more people to watch over the growing children’s program, he’d nearly died in a boating accident.
“Again, I’m so sorry,” Kaylee said, rubbing Noah’s back. “Are you okay, Noah? You’re not hurt?”
Without lifting his head, Noah shook it.
“I’m taking him home,” Abby said.
