Cynthia Thomason - High Country Christmas

“Can we all just hold on a minute here?” Carter said. “Ava, I’ve got some information for you.” Speaking to Sawyer, he said, “Can you wait in the lobby awhile, Miss Walsh? And don’t try running off. If you do, I’ll have the entire police force of this town tracking you down.”

“The entire force of this town?” Sawyer said. “Yikes, I’m scared.”

Ava gave her a hard stare. “That’s enough, Sawyer. Just go into the lobby and wait for us.”

Sawyer looked as if another smart remark were on the tip of her tongue, but apparently she thought better of uttering it and ambled from the kitchen with a last sarcastic comment. “I’ll be waiting, Daddy . Can we stop for ice cream on the way home?”

Once Sawyer had left the room, Ava took a seat at the table. She hadn’t realized how weak her knees felt, how clouded her thinking.

Carter began. “I’ve done some investigating into this situation,” he said. “I’ve discovered that this is the fourth time this year that Sawyer has run away from home.” He waited for a reaction from Noah.

“It’s true,” he said. “She has become impossible.”

“Be that as it may,” Carter continued, “each time your daughter has run farther than the last. If she tries it again, she could very well slip away from you forever.”

“I don’t think so,” Noah said. “She wants you to believe her life is horrible, but I doubt she’d actually give up the advantages she has for a long absence. She’ll always come back.”

Ava looked at Carter and, avoiding direct eye contact with Noah, she said. “Sawyer was riding with a truck driver. She hitchhiked from Chapel Hill. Surely as her father, you understand the risks associated with that type of behavior. I mean, she was lucky this time, but...”

A muscle worked in Noah’s temple. “You think I don’t know that? I see where you people are going with this, but you’re way off base. Sawyer won’t try this again. She’ll be fine when I get her home. She’s made her point and knows she scared the...well, scared me pretty good.”

Carter’s features reflected his skepticism. “For how long?”

Noah sighed heavily as the room remained quiet. “Look,” he said. “Sawyer and I have our problems. I travel in my profession. I’m not home a lot, and Sawyer lives with housekeepers—very carefully selected housekeepers that I personally interview. I check their credentials. But Sawyer has a problem with boundaries. The relationships haven’t worked out.”

He shifted on his chair and leaned forward. “As a matter of fact, we’ve gone through so many housekeepers that it’s no longer a case of me requesting their references as it is the ladies requesting ours. Word has gotten around.” He tried to smile, but apparently realized the lack of humor in what he’d just said. “It’s not easy to find someone Sawyer will listen to.”

“Where is Sawyer’s mother?” Ava asked.

Noah frowned. “Currently in a small town outside of Barcelona I believe. Mary Kate and I divorced three years ago. She claimed to need peace and tranquility, and the tension around her relationship with Sawyer could never provide that. They argued all the time.”

Ava remembered his confession that he was married when he left her house in the middle of the night six years before.

Noah actually did smile this time. “You may find this hard to accept, but things have gotten easier for Sawyer since her mother left and we filed for divorce. We no longer hear from her, and we’re both okay with it.”

“You sure about that?” Carter asked.

“I’m sure. Ask Sawyer yourself if you don’t believe me. The last few years I was married, Sawyer did not grow up in a happy household. Her mother and I...” He paused. “Let’s just say, our family would not have made an ideal sitcom.”

“So let me make sure I have this right,” Carter said. “Sawyer has no mother in her life, and her father is mostly an absentee parent who leaves her to be raised by a housekeeper.”

Noah’s lips thinned. “I have to work, man. I make a good living. Sawyer has everything she needs.”

Ava and Carter shared a communal look of understanding. Yes, Sawyer had material things.

“Are there any other family members who could help with this situation?” Ava asked.

Noah shook his head. His gaze was fixated on Carter and the hallway where Sawyer had disappeared. He obviously didn’t trust either one of them. “My mother is designated legal guardian if something should happen to me. I had to select someone since my profession involves pretty high risk. But right now my mother lives in Oregon. We rarely see her. Mary Kate’s mother kept Sawyer for a while. They weren’t a good match. She sent her back to me.” Noah stood. “If that’s all, we’ll be on our way now.” Turning to Ava, he looked at her for a long, uncomfortable moment and said, “Thanks again for taking Sawyer in last night and for contacting the authorities in Chapel Hill.”

One look from Carter told Ava that he was not about to let this matter drop.

“Mr. Walsh,” Carter said, “I’m not comfortable with releasing Sawyer to your custody.”

Noah sputtered his amused disbelief. “Oh, you’re not? Well, sorry, Chief, but that’s not your call.”

“Actually, I think it is,” Carter said. “I see a threatening situation here, and I’m bound by law to try and prevent it.”

“Threatening? I’ve never touched that child!”

“Maybe you’re not the threat, Mr. Walsh, but your daughter’s life is in danger from other outside influences. Every time she runs away, she is at risk.”

Noah started to speak, but Carter raised his hand. “Not only that, but my wife is a social worker for the state of North Carolina. She works with children and families, and she would never forgive me if I turned Sawyer over to you since she has clearly and repeatedly shown the behavior of a runaway.”

“I don’t care what your wife is,” Noah said. “No one takes my daughter away.” He sighed. “Look, Sawyer and I have our differences. I’ve already admitted to that, but we’ll work them out...”

Ava sensed Noah’s anger escalating and realized the importance of keeping this situation calm. She spoke in a low, even tone. “Please, Mr. Walsh... Noah, think about Sawyer. Some type of intervention is needed to keep your daughter safe. Maybe you don’t realize what happens to kids on the street...”

“Nothing is going to happen to her. I’ll keep a closer eye on her.”

“Your techniques obviously haven’t worked,” Carter said.

“I’ll set stricter rules. She won’t run away again.”

“Yes, she will,” Ava said. “This is my profession, running a home for at-risk children, and I see the signs in Sawyer that I’ve seen in other kids. She will keep running away.”

Noah stared first at Ava and then at Carter. After several tense moments he spoke to Ava. “Can I see you outside? Just for a few minutes.”

Had he recognized her? She didn’t think so. There was nothing in his facial features to indicate the past had come back to him. “Yes, of course. We can step out on the back porch for a minute.”

“Now, hold on,” Carter said. “Anything you need to say to my sister you can say to me.”

Noah gave him a sharp look. “Why? Are you suddenly the administrator of this home?”

“Stop it, both of you,” Ava said. “Carter, I’ll be fine just outside the kitchen door. You stay here and check on Sawyer.”

“Yeah,” Noah said. “If she runs away this time, that’s on you.”

Ava walked out ahead of Noah. When they were alone, she further convinced herself that he didn’t recognize her. She had looked much different then. Her hair had been long and highlighted with auburn. She’d worn glasses all the time. She’d been thinner. Besides, a man with his looks and what she remembered as charisma must have had several relationships with women in the last years. Why would he remember that one night with her? “What do you want to talk about?”