When You're Home for the Holidays: A Hampton Hearts Novella by Abby Millsaps

Author:Abby Millsaps [Millsaps, Abby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2021-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter nine

Rhett

“Penny!”

“Penny! Come on, girl!”

Every second that passed ushered in another stroke of hopelessness. They’d been outside for almost ten minutes now, desperately screaming and sweeping the perimeter of the cabin. Two sets of paw prints mixed in the fresh snow, but it was almost impossible to follow any discernible path from the tracks. The snow was falling too fast, and the wind was pushing the soft powder all over.

Rhett knew screaming was futile—they could barely hear each other as their voices were carried off by the wind. But he didn’t know what else to do.

Haas admitted he had been glancing down at his phone when Penny broke free, so he wasn’t even sure what type of animal she had run after. Was it a deer or a rabbit? Or something more menacing, like a raccoon or a fox?

“Ev,” Tori panted as she ran back over to his side. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. Her face was screwed up in anguish, and he knew she was trying her hardest not to cry.

Fucking Fielding.

“I know,” he replied, yanking her into his side as if holding her close would somehow vanquish all her fears. “Get everyone back over here,” he commanded. “We need to make a plan.”

Tori took off to find Jake and Fielding, both of whom had headed into the woods. They hadn’t made it far. He could still see the little lights of the cell phones they were using as flashlights.

Rhett lifted his hand to his mouth and let out a wolf whistle. Maddie’s head instantly snapped up in attention when she heard the familiar sound their dad had conditioned them to listen for as kids. He waved her over while simultaneously jogging in her direction, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear him until she was standing by his side.

“Okay, we need to work smarter. Can you go into the house and round up some flashlights? There’s definitely one in the kitchen junk drawer, and there should be a few more in the basement bedroom or in the loft. We’ll come meet you back inside and make a plan.”

Maddie nodded wordlessly, her bare hands tented over her mouth as she used her breath to warm them. She took off toward the cabin at a quick pace. Or as quick of a pace as the calf-deep snow allowed.

Rhett turned to see Jake, Tori, and Fielding making their way back to where he stood. He tensed as he watched Fielding drape an arm over Tori’s shoulder. What the hell? Was he really trying to cozy up and comfort her right now? He was the one who’d been playing on his phone and let Penny go in the first place.

“You’d think you’d have a little more urgency to your step, Haas,” he clipped out once he knew they were close enough to hear him. Fielding’s head jerked up at the accusation, his arm recoiling in slow motion.

Rhett sneered. A wave of animosity for Fielding bubbled right below the surface, ready to erupt.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.