Official Escort by Jean Barrett

Author:Jean Barrett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2002-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

THE ATTENDANT at the service station was young, pencil-thin, and had a chin trimmed with a goatee. He was not encouraging.

“I’d like to help you, but I don’t see what I can do. Mike is our mechanic, and he’s spending the holiday with family over in Fraser. He won’t be back on duty here until the morning after Christmas.”

“And there is no one else?” Mitch asked him.

“My brother and I operate the place. He’s good with small engines, but he won’t touch a car. Especially not one that sounds like it could have a serious problem.”

“Any chance I can get my hands on a rental?” Mitch asked him.

The attendant looked at him in disbelief. “Mister, this is Silver Dollar. There aren’t any cars here for rent.”

“What about paying someone to drive us to Salt Lake City?”

“Man, have a heart. It’s Christmas Eve day. You’re not going to find anyone willing to drive you anywhere.”

Mitch and Madeline exchanged looks of silent acceptance. It seemed that they had no alternative. They would be spending Christmas in Silver Dollar. But where?

“Is the motel open?” Madeline asked the young man, indicating the long, low structure situated on a knoll up behind the grocery store.

“Year-round.”

“We had to leave our things in our car. I don’t suppose…”

In that respect he was willing to accommodate them. “My brother’s out on a call trying to repair a snowmobile. When he gets back, we’ll haul your wagon down here.”

Mitch left the keys with him, and they climbed the hill to the motel. It wasn’t much of a motel. Painted an ugly shade of lime green, it had all the character of those roadside tourist cabins from decades ago.

Madeline was noticeably silent beside him. “You worried?” he asked her.

“It isn’t that. It’s the thought of spending Christmas in an impersonal motel room. Though I don’t know why that should be any worse than spending it out on the road or, even if we had reached San Francisco, in a safe house somewhere.”

The holiday saddened her. Mitch didn’t blame her. It suddenly saddened him, too. He thought about offering her words of sympathy, but what could he say?

The front office was empty when they entered the motel. Mitch rang a bell on the counter. The door at the back of the office opened, affording them a glimpse of an apartment. A woman appeared and moved to the desk to serve them. She was stout, had a head of dirty-blond hair in need of disciplining, and a warm, friendly manner.

Maybe too friendly, Mitch thought. In under two minutes she’d introduced herself as their hostess, Betty Schultz, and learned from them that their car had broken down and that they were forced to lay over in Silver Dollar. She was distressed that they would miss Christmas with their family—but wasn’t it lucky that the motel was available for them, which it wouldn’t have been at this time of the year if she and her husband didn’t live right on the premises.

Betty had yet

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