AllFreeNovel
Share Us
All the color had been leeched from his face when Sage had shown him the newspaper clippings and the online reports regarding the kidnapping.
“I’m going to jail,” he had said in a hoarse voice. “No one will ever believe I didn’t play a role in taking you from your birth family.”
“I won’t let that happen, Daddy. Not ever,” Sage had assured him. She had thrown her arms around him and held on for dear life, knowing she could never sacrifice the man who’d raised her. Never in a million years could she ever believe he had been her mother’s accomplice in stealing a baby.
She would keep her promise to her father, no matter how dearly it cost her.
A
s Sage began to drift off to sleep, she murmured a prayer. God had been by her side throughout her life, and even though she was dealing with extremely difficult circumstances, she knew He wouldn’t forsake her. Surely something good would come from her being in Owl Creek.
Please, Lord, help me find the closure I’m seeking. Give me the strength to forgive my mother for her actions and to do what’s right. I don’t know what to do with all of these feelings or how to react when I come face-to-face with the North family. Grant me the wisdom to know how to proceed in the best interests of everyone involved.
Chapter Three
Hank drove down Main Street as a feeling of contentment spread through him. Snow had fallen late last night, covering the landscape with a healthy dusting of the frosty white stuff. There was no finer place in his opinion than Owl Creek, the place he was fortunate enough to call home. Being in Homer had been an interesting change of pace, but he wouldn’t trade his hometown for anything in this world. He beeped his horn a few times at passersby, who called out friendly greetings to him in return.
He loved being out and about during office hours. He had just come from Opal Reed’s house after rescuing her cat from the clutches of a snowy owl who had been hiding in her barn.
Opal had insisted on thanking him with tea and chocolate chip cookies. Earlier this morning he had been called out to settle a dispute between two fishermen who were feuding over a rare blue-colored king crab. Hank had managed to calm the situation down and convince Lou Baskin and Denny Phillips to share the unusual crustacean. When he’d left them the pair had been taking selfies together with the crab and cracking jokes about alerting the media. He chuckled at how raging controversies could be settled so amicably once people used their hearts and common sense.
Small-town life might not be for everyone, but he wouldn’t trade it any day of the week for a high-paying job in a big city.
He frowned as he spotted a few journalists standing outside the North Star Chocolate Factory. They were like buzzards who had descended upon them in droves.
It was a downright shame how people had no respect for boundaries anymore. Nor did they understand that the North family had been through the worst tragedy a family could endure. In every practical way, they were still stuck in limbo with no sense of closure. He truly wondered if they would ever achieve it. Connor didn’t talk about it a lot, but he knew the weight of it hung around his neck like an anchor.
Hank pulled into a spot right in front of the Snowy Owl Diner. The sheriff’s office was only a short walk down the street from his go-to restaurant, which made it convenient. Once he stepped out of his squad car, he beat a fast path toward the diner. He was right on time for his weekly lunch with his two best buddies. His stomach groaned as he entered the establishment.
With a wave at Piper, who was behind the counter serving up meals, he headed toward a table in the back of the diner. Both Gabriel and Connor were already seated and engaged in an animated conversation. Hank slid into the booth next to Gabriel in a seat facing the door. As a sheriff he always wanted to be able to see who was coming and going. It had been ingrained in him when he was in the police academy.
“Hey, Sheriff. What’s going on? How was Homer?” Gabe asked, clapping him on the back as a form of greeting. With his warm brown skin, dimples and soulful brown eyes, he exuded raw charm and personality. Hank couldn’t remember a time when they hadn’t been friends. Matter of fact, the three of them had been tight since they were in preschool. The three musketeers. One for all and all for one.
“It was great to connect with other law enforcement officials. I was able to spend some time with my buddy Boone Prescott, but I couldn’t wait to get home to Addie,” he confessed. He felt a little sheepish admitting it. Neither Connor nor Gabriel had even the slightest idea of how a child could transform a person’s life. Until recently, he hadn’t either. It wasn’t all unicorns and sunshine, but it was the purest love he’d ever known. Hank hoped one day they would both know that type of unconditional love.
Connor shook his head and chuckled. “If someone had told me a year ago that you’d be hightailing it home to change diapers I would have laughed myself silly.”
“Go ahead and laugh,” Hank responded. “That little princess makes me happy just by looking in my direction.”
“We know she does,” Gabe chimed in. “No one deserves happiness more than you, buddy.”
“Right back atcha,” Hank responded.
Hank saw a glint of sadness flickering in Gabriel’s eyes. Within seconds it vanished, replaced by his congenial smile. Hank felt a burst of sympathy for his friend. If things hadn’t unraveled with Rachel, he might have had his own child by now. Instead, Gabe was still nursing a broken heart.
Connor sent Hank a look laced with meaning. He also understood Gabriel hadn’t yet moved past having his bride run out on him forty-eight hours before the wedding. It hurt Hank to even think about how devastated his pal had been to lose the other half of his heart three years ago.
Rosie the waitress stopped by the table and poured coffee into Hank’s mug. When he opened his mouth to put his order in, she shook her head. “They already ordered for you.”
He looked at Gabriel and Connor, then shook his head. “How did you know what I wanted to eat?”
Rosie rolled her eyes. “Hank, you order the same thing every time you eat lunch here. Trust me, it’s not a national secret.”
As Rosie walked away, both Connor and Gabe threw back their heads in laughter. Hank joined in and began chuckling right along with them. Hanging out with these guys always made him feel better.
Both men were sought-after bachelors in Owl Creek. Connor, as the heir to the North Star Chocolate Company, was viewed as the ultimate catch, while most of the single ladies in town wanted to soothe Gabriel’s shattered heart. Neither seemed particularly interested in settling down, however. Not that he should talk. Although he had once dreamed of picket fences and the storybook happy ending, he hadn’t thought of those things in a very long time.
“So how are you holding up?” Hank asked Connor. He could see the telltale signs of stress on Connor’s face. Slight shadows rested under his eyes and creases lined the sides of his mouth. Hank knew he had a lot weighing on his mind.
