Snowbound Security. Beverly Long

       Chapter 5

      Rico had no idea how much of what she had said was true. But he was fairly confident that she wasn’t a danger to the child or to him. Neither of those things was proof that she had a legitimate right to have Hannah. That and the possibility that she might be in a very bad situation overrode any hesitation to simply wash his hands of them.

      He sat in his SUV, watching over the hotel as she went back upstairs and once again came out with their meager belongings. She put those in her car. Then it was into the office. That took less than five minutes. Then it was back upstairs and when she came out this time, she was carrying Hannah.

      He cursed his ankle. He wanted to get out and help, to carry the child. But because of the stairs, the little girl—thank goodness that had been cleared up, he’d thought he could tell the difference—was undoubtedly safer in Laura’s arms. Laura who? He had still not asked for her last name, and she had still not offered.

      He started his vehicle and pulled up next to her. “For now, I’ll lead the way to the store. We can get whatever you need as well as stock up on some groceries.”

      She nodded and got in the Mustang. They drove, with her staying close on his tail, as if she was afraid she’d lose him. When they got to the small shopping area and he got out, he saw that Hannah had already fallen back asleep. The alternative to waking her up again was for him to stay in the car with her and he knew Laura wasn’t going to go for that. Or Laura could stay while he shopped, but he really had no idea what she wanted or needed.

      “We keep interrupting her nap,” he said, as he stood by the car, waiting while Laura got Hannah out of the car seat.

      “I know. She’s a good sport about it, though,” she said. “She’s a really great kid.”

      He heard something in her voice. Pride. Love. He was more confident than ever that she wasn’t a danger to Hannah.

      Keeping up the pretense that his ankle was much weaker than it was, he reached for his crutches. When they went into Bratt’s Mercantile, which was Moreville’s answer to the looming presence of the superstores that were sixty miles away, in that it offered a hodgepodge of items, ranging from clothing to car batteries to sheets to fresh fruit, she reached for a cart.

      “I’ll push,” she said. “We’ll try to keep things separated to make it easier to figure out who pays for what at the checkout.” She put Hannah in the up-front portion of the cart.

      The selection was broad but not deep, and when she got to the children’s aisle, there were just a few snow pants and coats to choose from. Hannah, however, seemed delighted when Laura picked out size five snow pants and a matching winter coat. Purple with pink trim.

      “For me?” the little girl asked, sounding very excited.

      “Yes. It’s going to get cold and snow,” Laura said. “You’ll need these.”

      “Snow?” repeated Hannah, as if it was something quite magical.

      He understood. She’d probably seen snow on television but if she’d been in Tennessee her whole life, she had absolutely no idea of what was coming.

      “We’ll build a snowman,” Laura promised. She moved over to the mittens and hats, then to the children’s boots. The cart was starting to fill up. After she added a couple pairs of pants and more socks, she looked up. “That should be good. We can get groceries.”

      “What about winter clothes for you?” he asked.

      He could see the indecision cross her face. “I suppose,” she said.

      And when they got to the women’s aisle, she quickly found some black snow boots and a lined brown barn jacket. Here she checked prices before she put the items in her cart. As if she hadn’t cared so much what she was spending if it was for Hannah, but for herself, she was going to watch her pennies.

      Mother bear. Putting her cub first.

      She grabbed gloves and a scarf. “Okay,” she said.

      “I need a couple things,” he said, pointing toward the men’s aisle. In minutes, he’d picked up insulated underwear and a hooded sweatshirt. All in a size much too small for him but he didn’t think she noticed. She likely had no idea how bitingly cold a Colorado wind could be, and he did not want her to be caught unprepared.

      Then it was to the automotive area where he picked up a snow brush and an ice scraper. “You’re going to need these,” he said.

      She nodded and put them in the cart. At the end of the aisle was a display of shovels. He put one in the cart. He had several at his cabin but she could take this one with her. Winter was just starting; she’d have plenty of opportunity to use it if she stayed in Colorado.

      When they got to the grocery aisle, he turned to her. “I don’t want to have to think about who bought what before I eat it. So I’m happy to get the groceries.”

      “I can pay for our share,” she said. It appeared she didn’t want to be in his debt.

      “We’ll figure that out later,” he said. “Let’s just get what we need. I want to get home before the snow starts.”

      The grocery section of the store was busier, as if other people had the same idea. Bread, eggs and milk were flying off the shelves. He got some of each, as well as some packages of chicken and ground turkey, before heading toward the fruits and vegetables. He took some of most everything before moving on.

      They rounded the last corner of the four-aisle section and almost ran into another shopper.

      “Rico Metez, is that you?” a woman asked. “And why are you on crutches?”

      It took him a minute but he realized it was Maddy Bristol. He’d gone to high school with her. Thin, with long dark hair, she still looked very much the same as she did when she was eighteen. “Maddy, nice to see you. Just a little ankle thing, no big deal.”

      “Are you back in the area?” she asked.

      “Just visiting,” he said.

      She turned to look at Laura. “Hi. I’m Maddy. I went to school with Rico.”

      He was just about to jump in when Laura smiled. “Was he a health nut even then?” she asked, waving a hand toward the cart.

      “Only if you consider chili fries and chocolate shakes healthy.”

      “Basic food groups,” Laura said. “Nice to meet you. Good luck in getting home before the snow starts.” She pushed her cart forward.

      “Absolutely.” Maddy pulled a card from her purse and held it out to him. “Keep in touch, all right?”

      “Of course.” Rico took the card and followed Laura. Nicely done, he thought. She’d managed to be polite and engaging without giving up any information about herself or Hannah. His partners always teased him about being a smooth talker, but he was pretty sure he might have found his match.

      At the checkout, he used a credit card for all the groceries and his items; she paid cash for her and Hannah’s clothes, carefully counting out the one hundred and fifty-nine dollars. So few people paid cash for anything anymore. But if she was on the run from the law, she likely didn’t want anybody to be able to find her by tracing her credit card activity.

      And she’d borrowed his cell phone earlier, leading him to believe that she didn’t have one. It was dangerous to be traveling, especially with a child, and not have some way to call for help. But had she dumped that as well because of the risks of being tracked?

      They left the store and put everything in his SUV. He got behind the wheel and tossed Maddy’s card onto the console. While they’d been in the store, the wind had changed. It had picked up, was colder, and it looked as if a wall of gray-colored