Page 15 of Night Moves
“Okay,” she said warily and slid from her seat.
“Stay close to me, Willow.” Natalie undid Sadie’s straps and lifted the sweet child into her arms. She didn’t wake and was twenty-five pounds of dead weight. Natalie hefted her higher, and the adorable child with red hair and chubby cheeks like Willow’s rested her head on Natalie’s shoulder. Natalie took Willow’s hand and joined the brothers at the front of the SUV with the headlights still burning bright.
She looked at Willow. “You met Drake, and this is his brother Erik.”
Willow gave him a long look then faced the cabin. “Don’t like being out here.”
“Think of it as an adventure,” Natalie said, trying her best not to let her own dislike of the great outdoors influence her tone.
“Don’t like adventures.”
“Sure you do. It’ll be fun.”
Willow narrowed her eyes, and her very expressive face declared her lack of trust in Natalie’s opinion. Still, Natalie clutched the child’s hand and followed Erik. She wobbled in her heels and had to pick her way carefully among the scrub. No way she would faceplant due to her stupid shoes. Okay, not stupid. One of her favorite pairs. Just the wrong choice for the woods.
Drake stayed by her side, his gaze roving over the area. His hyperalert behavior raised Natalie’s concern even more.
She searched the shadowed shrubs and trees just out of reach of the warm glow from the porch light. What was lurking out there? Would she let her fear win out, or would she trust this man?
Trust. Ha. That was a word that got stuck in Natalie’s mouth and mind. She’d never really trusted anyone other than Gina. At least not fully. Natalie had come close with Mrs. A, but that was it.
The wooden steps groaned under their feet as they climbed to the porch and entered the cabin. A soaring vaulted ceiling made the room that served as a living and dining room feel larger than it was. A small kitchen took up the back wall, but a massive stone fireplace at the far side of the room was the showstopper.
Drake closed and locked the door. “I’ll get a fire going while you put the kids to bed.”
Natalie looked around the large space with log walls. She spotted two doors. A bedroom and bathroom? And on the other wall a stairway leading up to what appeared to be an enclosed loft.
“The loft has several beds where they can all bunk together.” Drake grabbed a large piece of wood from a stack by the hearth. “There’s a bathroom up there too.”
“Follow me.” Erik crossed the room to the wooden staircase with a rustic log railing.
She released Willow to go ahead of her, and they trailed him up the stairs.
Willow slipped out of her hoodie but gripped George tightly to her chest. “I’m not sleepy anymore.”
“It’s not even midnight. You need to go back to sleep.” Natalie hoped Willow would fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Not only because she needed sleep, but because Natalie needed to form a game plan with Drake for protecting these children. The loft had a door, so she would be able to talk freely once Willow was settled.
Erik flipped back the covers on a twin bed near a window and laid Logan down. Natalie tucked Sadie into a nearby matching bed.
“See you downstairs.” Erik glanced at her but looked uneasy and took off.
He passed Willow, who stood by the door, and Natalie wasn’t surprised by the deep frown on her face. She’d suffered the most with their mother’s disappearance and having a social worker interfering in their lives. The other two missed their mother but were adapting fairly well. Maybe thanks to having a familiar caregiver in their nanny who’d been with the family for over a year.
Natalie planned to suggest they interview the nanny, see if she knew anything about the basement or noticed anything odd in Kirk’s behavior. But now, getting the children to bed was her top priority.
Willow looked around the room, George dangling from her hand, and stifled a yawn. She looked like little Orphan Annie—lost and bewildered. One side of her curly red hair was matted against her head, and her freckled cheek was rosy from sleeping against the SUV door. She looked sad and adorable at the same time.
Oh, gosh.Just the sight of Willow’s dejected body melted Natalie’s heart. Add what Natalie had learned about Willow’s dad tonight, and Natalie’s heart shattered. She’d worked so hard to maintain her professionalism at work, to keep a certain detachment from her clients. At some point tonight, her professional separation had disappeared with these children.
Natalie wanted to take them into her own home and make sure they had a wonderful life.
Seriously.How could she even think that way? She was single and no prospective husband. She wasn’t even dating anyone. Didn’t want to be dating anyone.
No.That wasn’t right. She wouldn’t allow herself to date. She had no time for dates, not with her demanding job. Sure, she was lonely at times, but she focused on how much she was helping families. Helping kids like the Gentry children. She swallowed away her longing for a family.
“You’re looking at me funny,” Willow said.
Natalie snapped out of her thoughts. “Sorry. Do you need to use the restroom?”
