Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,3

over the years, and she had no idea who owned them now, only that they were also used for vacation rentals.

Her cabin was to the far right, and every window was blazing with light. There was no car in front, but it was probably parked in the garage. Jake had barely come to a stop when she jumped out of the truck. She thought he'd continue down the lane, but instead he parked and followed her up to the porch.

"Why don't you check on your friend?" she asked, as she rang the bell.

"How much experience do you have fixing water heaters?"

"I know how to relight the one in this cabin."

"And if it's not the light…"

"You think you'll know what to do?"

"Maybe."

Since the most important thing was getting the water heater fixed fast, she let him stay. She pushed the doorbell again and then knocked. She frowned when there was no answer. But she could hear noise inside the cabin. It sounded like the television was on.

She knocked again, then reached for the doorknob. To her surprise, it turned. She opened the door. "Hello?"

She stepped into the living room and stopped abruptly at the sight of a little boy sitting on the floor. He had blond hair and green eyes and appeared to be about four years old. He was holding two small stuffed puppies and watching a cartoon on the TV.

She gave him a friendly smile. "Hi there. Where's your mom or your dad?"

He stared back at her but didn't answer, his gaze traveling to Jake.

Jake immediately squatted down, and she did the same, seeing the fear on the kid's face.

"Hey, bud," Jake said. "I'm Jake. This is Hannah. What's your name?"

"Brett."

"Nice to meet you, Brett," Jake continued. "Where's your mom?"

"She left."

Uneasiness shot down Hannah's spine. "Who's watching you, Brett?"

"She said someone was coming to watch me. Is that you?" He held out one of his puppies. "Frisco is scared."

Her heart melted and she immediately wrapped her arms around both Brett and his puppy. "There's no reason to be scared," she assured him.

"I'm going to look around," Jake said, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

As he headed toward the bedroom, she sat down on the floor next to Brett. "Tell me about Frisco," she said as her gaze ran down his body. He looked healthy, and his jeans and sweater were clean. His hair was combed, and he smelled like soap and shampoo. She looked around the rest of the living room. It was neat and tidy. There was no indication anything had happened here, but she had a bad feeling churning in her gut. Something was wrong. This little boy was alone. Why?

"Mommy said Frisco will protect me," Brett told her.

"Did your mom say where she was going?"

"No."

"What about your dad?"

"I'm hungry."

"Well, let me see what's here to eat." She got to her feet and moved into the adjacent kitchen. There was a bowl of cereal on the table as well as a glass of milk and another glass of orange juice. They were untouched.

Brett ran into the kitchen. "Did you make me cereal?" he asked.

"It was already here, Brett. Your mom must have left it for you."

He scrambled into the chair. "Can you pour the milk into my cereal?"

"Sure." She poured some of the milk over the cereal and left the rest for him to drink.

As he started to eat, Jake came out of the bedroom and motioned to her.

She joined him in the living room. "What's going on?" she asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to alarm Brett.

"You need to see for yourself." He led her down a short hallway into the one and only bedroom. There was a small suitcase on the bed that was open but completely packed. On top of the neatly folded clothing was a note.

She picked it up and read aloud, "Please watch over my son. I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't call the police. He won't be safe if you do." She met Jake's gaze, her stomach churning. "What the hell is this?"

"Trouble," he said, meeting her gaze.

She thought so, too.

"And by the way," he added, "the hot water works just fine. It was just a ruse to get you out here."

"But this woman had no idea how long it would take for someone to come up here. He's a small child, and she left him alone."

"What are you going to do?"

She looked at the note once more and frowned. "She says not to call the police,