“Mommies don’t get scared.”
“They absolutely do,” Holly said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
He hugged both of them tightly, wondering how he would possibly be able to leave them.
Chapter Twenty-Five
HOLLY DIDN’T WANT TO MOVE, TO THINK. EVEN AS THE COLDseeped into her boots and snow settled on her hair, she couldn’t seem to let go of Lydia.
Her gift.
She had come so close to losing her.
Lydia could have been hit by a car on the darkened streets. She could have slipped into a snowbank or fallen into the river or been attacked by a mountain lion.
Holly had always considered her child a miracle but now that word held an even deeper meaning.
She was filled with blinding joy that they had found her.Hehad found Lydia. If Ryan hadn’t acted on instinct and suggested they stop here, it might have been hours before anyone thought to check the park.
“We should let Lydia’s dad and his family know we found her so they can call off the search and let people go back to enjoying Christmas Eve,” Ryan suggested.
Hot protests rose in her throat but she swallowed them down. He was right, though one part of her wanted Troy to suffer as long as possible. If he had been paying attention to their daughter, none of this would have happened.
That was unnecessarily cruel, though. He was no doubt as sick with fear as she had been.
“Yes. You’re right.”
“We should also head to your SUV so we can turn on the heater and warm her up. I’ll carry her. You can call Troy on the way.”
Though she didn’t want to relinquish her child for a moment, she knew her daughter would be safe with Ryan.
With great reluctance, she handed Lydia over to him. Her daughter beamed her generous smile and threw her arms around his neck. He squeezed her in return, looking humbled and gratified by her trust and clear affection.
He carried her toward the vehicle, the two of them looking so right together it made her heart hurt.
Lydia would be as heartbroken as Holly when he returned to San Diego.
That was a worry for another day. Right now, she wanted to focus on the miracle of having her daughter with her, safe and whole.
With fingers that trembled from both the cold and the emotional trauma of the past half hour, she pulled out her phone and called Troy’s number.
“Where are you?” he demanded. “Brittany told me she called and you were on the way. I thought you would be here by now.”
He sounded as frantic as she had been.
“We’re at Spruce Creek Park.”
“Why?”
“Ryan had a hunch and it paid off. We found her. She’s safe, Troy.”
He uttered the same relieved words she did, both an exclamation of relief and a prayer of gratitude. “How did she get clear over there?”
“I guess she walked. It’s only a block or so from your parents’ house. She wanted to see the big Christmas tree again, apparently. Please tell everyone she’s safe and we’re on our way.”
She heard him yell the news to his family and loud exclamation of relief from what sounded like dozens of people.
“We’ll see you soon,” she said, even as some part of her wanted to load up her child into her car and drive her home to Shelter Springs.
