Paradise Peak (New Americana 5)

Hope returning full force, Hannah squinted against the rain and strained for a clearer view. “Are Liz and Zeke with them?”

Margaret nodded and her chin trembled. She wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand, the rain and her tears mixing together. “Vernon told us about Ben. Liz hasn’t said a word since they left Paradise Peak.” Her expression contorted on a sob. “It could’ve so easily been you caught in that fire. Or Red . . . or any of us, really.” She hugged Hannah again. “Red and I were so worried, and we’re so glad you’re okay.”

Hannah cried with her, waved at the group sitting in Vernon’s car, then said, “I’m going to tell Vernon, Gloria, and Liz to come in out of the rain. We have a room, and you’re all staying with us until we can go back to Paradise Peak. I’m not taking my eyes off any of you until then.”

The truck door thudded shut and Margaret released Hannah. She looked over Hannah’s shoulder, her wet lashes blinking furiously against raindrops, and a shaky smile appeared.

“Travis.” Margaret held out her hands, her shoulders jerking on joyful sobs as she approached him. “You brought our girl back to us. You brought her back. . . .”

Hannah, shivering beneath the cold onslaught of rain, smiled as Margaret and Red both embraced Travis. Then she headed for Vernon’s car to invite the rest of the group inside. But the expression she’d glimpsed on Travis’s face as Margaret embraced him stayed with her, and her brisk steps slowed, water splashing the pants legs of her jeans as she stopped in a puddle. She looked back, peering at Travis’s face through the rain, and noticed the same emotion. Instead of the pleased relief she’d expected to see in his warm, brown eyes as Margaret thanked him, all she saw was guilt.

CHAPTER 9

Hannah leaned over the bed in the motel room and smiled.

Zeke, eyes closed and breathing deeply, rolled to his side and draped one arm around Blondie, who blinked heavy eyes, then snuggled closer against the boy’s middle.

“Did they finally drift off?”

Hannah nodded and glanced at Vernon, who looked at her expectantly. He sat on a cot beside the window, a book in his hands, and the lantern sitting on the window ledge cast a soft glow of light over his lap.

“Blondie was tuckered out after playing so much this afternoon,” Hannah whispered. “And Zeke . . .” She looked back down at the young boy, her smile slipping as she studied the flush along his tearstained cheeks. “He misses his dad. He’s hurting so much.”

And so was Liz. Hannah’s gaze moved over her friend, who slept in the bed next to Zeke, her back to Hannah and her shoulders moving in rhythmic breaths.

Earlier, after reuniting with Red and Margaret, Hannah had run through the rain to Vernon’s car, informed them all the rooms were taken in both the One Stop Motel and the Black Bear Lodge, and had invited them to stay in the room with her and Travis. Accepting the offer, Vernon had thanked her; then he, Gloria, and Hannah had quickly unloaded the few belongings they’d managed to pack before evacuating and hustled inside the motel room to dry off.

Once inside, Vernon and Gloria had shared relieved embraces with Hannah and Travis, and Zeke had been thrilled to reunite with Blondie. The little boy had thrown his arms around the puppy, his pain at having lost his father the night before fading for an hour or two as he’d hugged and stroked his pet. Blondie had perked up at the sight of her owner and, despite her minor injury, had played on the floor with Zeke for quite some time, chasing a small stick Red had found outside and licking Zeke’s chin with gusto.

Margaret and Gloria had taken turns in the bathroom, showering, drying their hair, and donning clean clothes, while Red and Travis had driven to a nearby truck-stop diner that had used backup generators to open for a few hours and provide a limited menu of meals. They’d brought back to-go meals for everyone—including Blondie, who enjoyed a tasty feast of wet and dry dog food on account of a generous donation from the diner’s owner.

Red and Travis had experienced equal success in the One Stop Motel’s office, where Dale had offered them the last two available cots for Gloria and Vernon to use in the room, and a large thermos of coffee, several paper cups, and a small bag filled with individually sized creamers.

By the time everyone had showered, dressed in clean clothes, and eaten, the afternoon thunderstorm had rolled away, and the sun had slowly set, leaving behind a cool breeze that carried wisps of smoke that periodically covered the bright stars in the dark sky.

Full bellies and a comfortable, quiet place to rest had caused everyone’s eyes to grow heavy, and Gloria, stretched out on a cot by the far wall, had been the first to fall asleep. Margaret, sharing the spacious double bed with Liz and Zeke, had been next.

But Liz had stared at the ceiling for what seemed like ages, had not responded to any of Hannah’s attempts at conversation, and eventually drifted off with tears still seeping from her closed eyes. Zeke, whom Hannah had hummed to softly for over an hour, had finally joined her.

“You should get some sleep, too,” Vernon said. He closed

his book and scooted to the edge of his cot. “You’re welcome to use my cot.”

“Oh, no.” Hannah raised her hand to still his movements. “Thank you, but I got a good night’s sleep last night, and right now, I don’t think I could sleep a wink, no matter how hard I try.”

Vernon nodded, a small smile of understanding appearing before he settled back into his cot and resumed reading his book.

Hannah eased away from the bed, stretched tired, aching muscles, then cast one last look at Zeke and Liz before leaving the room.

Outside, a cool breeze ruffled her hair, but the night air had warmed a bit. Slow, even breathing whispered to her right where Travis slumped in a soft camping chair beside the door of the motel room, his chin resting on his left shoulder and his broad chest lifting on rhythmic breaths. The jean jacket he’d draped over his upper body an hour ago had fallen to his lap.

Smiling, Hannah slid the jacket back up his muscular frame, tucked it around his waist, and, being careful not to disturb him, brushed her lips across his forehead in a soft kiss.

He didn’t stir, just continued breathing deep and even, his thick, dark hair, stubbled jaw, and sensual lips all the more appealing beneath the faint glow of stars that brightened between the passing wisps of smoke overhead.

“Sleeping beauty still knocked out?” Red called softly. His gray mustache lifted with his grin as he looked back at her from his seated position on the lowered tailgate of his truck.

Hannah stifled a laugh and joined him, hopping up onto the edge of the tailgate and finding a comfortable position. “Yep. He’s had a rough couple of days.”