waste any time, she raced to the back of the SUV, got a bottle from the cooler, retrieved Molly from the car seat and quickly fed her, then burped her. Normally she would have spent a few extra minutes playing with her and talking to her, but wanting to keep the peace, she put Molly back into her seat, stowed the bottle in the little cooler and returned to the passenger side.
Jared immediately got them back on the road. “So how often does she need feeding?”
Elise winced. “Every three or four hours.”
“Do I have to watch the clock?”
Elise laughed. “No. Molly will remind us when she’s hungry.”
Jared didn’t reply. The song that had been playing softly in the background from the radio he’d turned on while she fed Molly suddenly became static as if they’d driven out of range of the station.
“I’ll find another channel.”
“Great.”
Elise set the dial for a country station, but rather than the twang of a country song, the joyful strains of Christmas carols filled the car. Jared reached down, pressed a button and soft rock poured from the speakers.
No surprise there. She’d already figured out he didn’t like Christmas.
He had lots of money but wasn’t happy, and he didn’t want to go home for Christmas but he had to. There was so much more to this man than met the eye, but Elise had no intention of probing. She had her own troubles to deal with. Getting to North Carolina three days sooner meant she’d get to Four Corners three days sooner. And she had no idea what kind of reception she’d get.
Had her grandmother ever mentioned her to people? Did anyone even know she existed? And why did her grandmother leave her the house when her father should have been the one to inherit it?
For all she knew her father could have had a falling out with his mother and she could be walking into the aftermath of that. Plus, he could have other children. She could have half brothers and sisters. Some might even live in Four Corners. Once they heard who inherited their grandmother’s property, they might also be angry about her being the one to get the farm.
Of course, they might welcome her into the family.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Hoping for that was just wrong. Not because it wasn’t in the realm of possibility, but because if she let herself believe it, she could end up hurt. And she’d had enough hurt in her life. Her dad had left. Her mom had died the summer after Elise graduated from high school. Patrick hadn’t wanted her. Or their baby.
So, no. She couldn’t handle any more disappointment and she wouldn’t hope for things that were at best wishful thinking.
She drew a breath, tried to shake off the fantasy that she might have family who wanted her, but it wouldn’t go away. She saw holiday celebrations in her head, gifts to buy and get from people who loved her, and maybe even Christmas morning at a home filled with love and laughter.
Of course, she could also spend Christmas morning listening to somebody scream at her that she didn’t deserve their grandmother’s land.
Hating her thoughts, she squelched a sigh. She’d managed not to think about any of this for the past month. But the silent car provided too much opportunity for her mind to feed her fears and her fantasies.
“How long do you think this trip will take?”
Jared flexed his hands on the steering wheel. “If I drive fast it’s four days. Normal speed it’s five.”
Four or five days until she faced her future. Maybe even her father. Maybe even a family.
Her stomach quaked. It seemed too soon. Yet four days was also a bit too long to sit in a silent car bouncing between fear and wishes.
At noon, Jared’s stomach growled and he took an exit ramp off the highway, suggesting they eat lunch. They ate an uneventful hamburger and fries in a fast food restaurant, and then got back on the road. Molly fell asleep almost instantly and Jared let the country music channel Elise had found fill the silent air.
At six o’clock, stiff from driving, he turned to Elise. “What do you say we stop for the night?”
She glanced up at the highway sign. “This is it? This is all the farther we’re going? We’re not even out of Nevada.”
Ignoring her protest, he said, “Watch the road signs. We’ll take the exit with the first hotel.”
“But it’s only six o’clock.”
“And my back is stiff.”
“I can drive.”
He peered at her. “Are you kidding? Do you think I’d give you my keys so you could forget to give them back and then drive away in the middle of the night with my SUV?”
She sighed. “You can’t be that distrustful.”
He turned his attention to the road again. “I know you’re eager to get home so I promise we’ll make better time tomorrow.”
She said, “Okay,” but Jared heard something odd in her voice and decided it was disappointment. Though he tried not to, he remembered times he had been eager to get home. He drew a breath, banishing the memories of homemade cookies sprinkled with sugar that MacKenzie had dyed red and green to make it more festive. Of welcome home kisses at the apartment door. Of cuddling together to stay warm in bed because the superintendent turned down the heat at night.
“There. Look.” Elise’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. “There’s a hotel just off this exit.”
He maneuvered the big SUV down the ramp. When they reached the hotel, he drove under the portico, shut off his engine and jumped out of the car. Elise climbed out, too. She immediately opened the back door and freed Molly.
“Hey, kid,” Jared said as Elise walked up to him.
Molly sniffed and snuggled into her mother’s shoulder.
“She’s not quite awake enough to remember you,” Elise explained.
“I’m not offended.”
Jared made his reservation first, so he could take both Molly and the diaper bag from Elise. She opened her purse and pulled out a wallet and though Jared wasn’t one to be nosy, he couldn’t help noticing that she didn’t seem to have a lot of cash. Telling himself she probably had a bank card and a few large bills, rather than several smaller bills, he walked away, cooing to Molly who sniffled as if she wanted to cry.
“How much is it for a night… exactly?”
Hearing Elise’s question, Jared paced a bit farther away from the hotel desk. He remembered that same tone in Mackenzie’s voice when she asked the superintendent how much the rent was for their first apartment. Jared had been about to ask, but she beat him to it. She fancied herself their money manager. The memory of how bad she was with finances made him laugh, and then pinched his chest with wrenching pain.
He immediately pushed those thoughts aside, diverting his attention to Elise for the distraction. But remembering
