Katie hugged the older woman back, still uncertain about what she saw. The front door to Clara's house was open and light flooded the stoop in front of it. From where she stood, Katie could see a large entry, one that seemed very out of place in what appeared to be a tiny cabin.

"It is very nice to see you again, Mrs. James."

"Oh, please, I'm not that old. Just call me Clara."

"Um, okay… Clara."

Clara turned to Kaiden. "She's adorable. Even cuter than I remembered."

Kaiden winked at Katie. "I know, right? That nurse's uniform didn't do a thing for her."

"Those scrubs you all wear are nothing like those adorable little dresses nurses wore in my day."

"Scrubs are a lot more practical though."

"Hmmm… I suppose you're right. Well, it's nice to see you again just the same. Kaiden, bring her inside. I'm going to go right quick and make sure the chicken coop is secure. Wolves…" She smiled at Katie. "Dang things get hungry and my chickens aren't all that smart enough to get out of the way."

Clara headed off toward the edge of the lighted clearing. Kaiden took Katie by the elbow and turned her toward the cabin. They stepped inside the cavernous entryway. It was even larger than it had looked from the driveway.

Kaiden closed the door behind them.

"What about your mother?"

"The wolves are terrified of her and Betsy. She has lived up here by herself for a long time."

"Betsy?"

"All her guns have names. The one she likes best is that old shotgun. She calls it Betsy."

"All her guns?"

"A hobby. Come on, let me show you around."

Clara James's hobby was to collect firearms on top of a mountain. This James family held a lot of surprises.

Katie couldn't imagine what there was to see, there couldn't be much left of the cabin. She followed Kaiden through a door and gasped. They had stepped into a massive great room with a kitchen and dining area on one end and huge living area taking up the rest of the space. An enormous flat screen television hung on the far wall surrounded by a brown leather sectional sofa.

Kaiden pointed toward the seating area. "Ma's newest acquisitions. She loves a good football game and got tired of going into town to see games on Sunday so she had the living room decked out theater style and a satellite dish the size of Staunton installed outside."

"Your mom is a go big or go home kind of person, isn't she?"

"No one has ever described her quite so well. Wait until you see the bedrooms and bathrooms." He led her down a long hall pointing out Clara's room, his twin brother's room, and Logan's room. At the end of the hall they stopped in front of a closed door. "This is my room."

"How… this place is huge… I mean from outside…"

"It looks like a little log cabin from out front but the home is built in to the side of the mountain. Completely solid and totally safe, exactly the way she likes it. Let's go in here and you can clean up in the bathroom before Ma feeds you the obligatory spread of food she always pulls out for guests."

"Okay. I could stand to wash my face. It's been a long day."

Kaiden opened the door and walked into his bedroom. Katie followed, in total awe of what she saw. It was like taking a step back in time to the old west. Rustic, carved wooden bed, colorful Mexican style blankets and upholstery and a stone floor polished to a high shine gave the room a homey feel.

"This room is beautiful."

Kaiden grinned. "I hoped you would like it." He sat on the edge of the king-sized bed. He motioned to a door at the end of the room. "The bathroom is through there if you want to use it."

Katie nodded and headed toward the bathroom. Her shower that morning seemed like it was days ago. The bathroom was as large and glorious as the bedroom. Peace and calm immediately wrapped itself around her in the form of cool stone and rustic earth tones. She eyed the large open shower longingly but she knew she didn’t have time to use it. Yet. After she washed her face and used the facilities Katie returned to the bedroom to find Kaiden stretched out on the bed with his head on the pillow. He smiled when he saw her.

"What did you think of the bathroom?"

She walked over to the bed and perched on the edge of the mattress. "Everything here is amazing. I never would have guessed from the way it looks on the outside."

"Exactly what she wanted." He smiled at her and patted the pillow next to him. "Want to rest for a few minutes before we eat?"

Katie eyed the pillow with longing. The bed looked so very comfortable and she was so worn out. The little nap she had in the truck hadn't done much to take the edge off her exhaustion.

"Okay. But only for a few minutes. I don't want your mother thinking I am some kind of tramp, jumping in bed with her baby boy."

Kaiden laughed. "My mother would be so overjoyed if you were here to take advantage of me. She is afraid I'll die alone after what happened with my ex."

Katie settled against the pillow and rolled to her side so she could face Kaiden. "I think your ex-wife was a nit wit."

"A what?"

"A complete and total ass. I don't know why she couldn't appreciate what she had. If you were my…" she paused, thinking about her next words. "I mean, we all want someone to love and be loved by. Why throw it away like that?"

"People can be pretty stupid sometimes." Kaiden reached over and laced his fingers in hers. "I am finding it easier not to care so much about Cara leaving now."

She caught the huskiness in his voice again and it warmed her. "I know what you mean. If only we could find Nathan. Then I can have my life back."

"Tomorrow we will pick him up at his parent's place and then this will be over. I am hoping you and I will be able to—"

"Kaiden! Where are you?" Clara's voice echoed down the hall and through the open door to the bedroom.

"Be right there, Ma!"

Clara stood in the doorway. "What are you screaming for, son? I'm old but I'm not deaf."

Katie sat up, feeling the heat in her face at being caught in bed with Kaiden. "I'm… we…"

"Relax, honey, you two aren't teenagers and I'm not gonna call your parents." Clara still had her shotgun slung over her shoulder.

"Chickens all right, Ma?" Kaiden asked as he stood up next to the bed.

"Caught me a wolf with ole' Betsy here. He was stalking the coop and dared to bare his teeth to me." Clara laughed as she turned to walk out the door.

Kaiden motioned to Katie to follow him as he headed down the hall toward the kitchen. Her stomach let out a large growl. It had been hours since she had eaten last. She hoped they were heading straight toward that massive spread Kaiden had promised her.