Page 24 of A Secret Baby for Christmas
As they discuss the storm, I head to Chloe’s room. She must be having a rare sleep in or hiding from Allie.
But when I peek into her room, she’s not there. Neither is Hugo, and their stuff is gone too. A horrible feeling pools in my stomach.
I jog back to the living area. “Has anyone seen Chloe and Hugo?”
Allie shakes her head. “I only just got up.”
My eyes scan the room. There’s none of the baby paraphernalia that’s become a feature of the cabin, no wet wipes or colorful toys or muslin feeding cloths. That’s when I notice the envelopes on the table.
One is for Allie, and the other has my name scrawled on it.
I rip it open, tearing half the note in my haste. My heart’s hammering in my chest, and the note confirms what the pain in my heart already fears. Chloe and Hugo are gone.
“Fuck.”
Allie looks as heartbroken as I do.
I reread the note, panic rising in my chest. She thinks I was only with her out of a sense of duty. She doesn’t realize I love her. And she won’t come between me and Allie.
She’s so wrong.
I grab my keys, and Allie steps in front of me. “You can’t go, Dad. The roads are closed.”
“Chloe and my son are on that road somewhere. I need to get to them.”
The thought of Chloe and Hugo driving in this weather has my head spinning. It’s dangerous, and anything could happen to them.
“We don’t even have chains.” Allie puts her hand on my shoulder to hold me back. “That’s why me and Hans came back last night.”
She’s right. My car will be useless in this much snow. But I can’t leave Chloe alone out there.
“Fuck.”
“I know a way.” Hans steps forward and grabs his coat. “Follow me.”
I slip my coat and thick boots on and follow him outside. The snow has stopped falling momentarily, but it’s thick and already covered the tracks from Chloe’s car. How did I not notice it was missing when I came in this morning?
“Where are we going?”
Hans leads me away from the lodge up a steep bank and around the back of the resort.
“To get your woman back.”
He’s got a grim set to his features, and I like his determination. Maybe he is worthy of my little girl.
We stop in front of a large shed, and he grabs a set of keys from his pocket.
“Axel will kill me for this,” he mutters as he unlocks the door and slides it open.
Behind the doors is a bright red snowmobile with Wild Heart Mountain Rescue written on the side. I’m so relieved I could kiss him.
“You ever driven one of these before?”
It can’t be any different from a motorbike.
“Never.”
I’m already climbing on as he hands me the keys.
