“That will be $12.55,” Claire said, her smile forced as she punched the numbers into the terminal.

Nadine tapped her card on the terminal to pay and took the coffee from Tess. “So, I heard you had to move again,” she said as Claire handed Nadine her order.

“Yeah. Nik Austin is tearing the house down. So it just was a matter of time.” It was easier to say those words than it would have been a few days ago. Seeing the equipment in front of the house, hearing the crash of the wood had ended the dream she had clung to. She wished Nik would get the apartment done quickly so he could move on.

“Really? I was at the town office the other day for an article I’m working on, and one girl made some comment about Nik coming in. What a hassle it was to change the tear-down permit he applied for.” Nadine grinned. “Of course, she did add that it wasn’t such a big deal, seeing as how he was so good looking.”

Claire kept her face expressionless, but even as she held Nadine’s curious gaze, she wondered what changes Nik had applied for.

“Enjoy your sandwich,” was all Claire said.

Once Nadine left, the store was empty of customers.

“What you think Nik was doing at the office?” Tess asked, checking Claire’s reaction.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s none of my business anymore.”

“So you haven’t texted him or talked to him?”

“He hasn’t called me, either.”

“It’s a new century,” Tess said. “You don’t have to wait. Besides, you’re the one that took off without letting him know anything.”

Claire slid open the door of the display case and pulled up the muffin tray. “I better fill this up.”

“I wish you wouldn’t be so stubborn.” Tess walked back to the kitchen with her. “The guy probably doesn’t even know why you left.”

As Tess spoke, common sense fought with the loneliness that had dogged her the last few days. And with the loneliness came the second thoughts that also plagued her. “I’m not sure what to do,” she said, setting the empty muffin tray on the butcher block island. She bit her lip as she turned to her sister. “What do you think I should do?”

“I think you should go over to Nik and ask him why he’s tearing down the house. What he thinks it will accomplish and if he will ever get over the pain and sorrow he feels. Just put it out there.”

“And what if I don’t like his answer? What if I don’t like to hear him tell me he’s leaving?”

“Do you like him?”

Claire held that thought a moment. “I do. But like I said, I don’t think I can get involved with someone who clings too hard to the pain of the past. Someone who wants to move on.”

“How do you know he does?”

“Because he told me. Often. That was his plan. And I don’t want to risk putting myself, or Emma, through that again.”

Tess sighed as she took a container of freshly made muffins out of the refrigerator. “I get that. But Andy also left because he didn’t want to be a father to Emma. We both know that was a factor.” Tess set the muffins on the tray, glancing up at Claire as she did.

“I know.”

“And Nik seems to get along with Emma, so that’s not a problem for him.”

Claire realized the truth of what Tess was saying. “But…”

“But what? I know you’re scared. I was scared to let Jace back into my life. We don’t like being vulnerable and risk being hurt. But would you sooner let him go? Let him walk out of your life and end up lonely again without giving him a chance?” The tray was full, and Tess washed her hands again. Then she picked up the tray. “It’s up to you. You’ve taken control of many parts of your life. Take control of this part.”

Claire’s thoughts were a jumble of choices and concerns. Her old vulnerability returned but she could also see the truth in what Tess said.

But before she could make a decision, her phone rang.

“Maybe that’s him right now,” Tess said with a grin.

“Yeah, right.” But despite her cynicism, she couldn’t squash a tiny flare of hope. Which turned into concern when she looked at the screen. It was the school.

“Mrs. Donnel,” a voice asked. “This is Eileen from the school. We are wondering if Emma is at the cafe with you.”

Claire’s heart stuttered. “No. She’s not. Isn’t she at the school?”

“Well, it seems she’s disappeared—”

“How? When?” Panic bloomed in her chest, spreading icy pulses through her body.

“She was out for recess, then, when it came time to bring them all in, she wasn’t present and accounted for.”

“She’s not here. Is she at my parent’s?”

“No. She’s not.”

“Did you call the police?”

“That was our first call, but they asked us to check with you. Please, understand, we had no idea—”

“Find her,” Claire blurted out. “Find her now.”

“We will. Please, again—”

But Claire stabbed at the screen before she could hear another apology. Her heart was racing, blood pounded her temples, panic clung to her heart. Had she been kidnapped? Lost?

And what could she do?

Tess came back just as Claire was yanking her jacket off the hook at the back of the store.

“What’s up?” Tess asked. “You look terrified.”

“The school just called. Emma didn’t come in after recess. I’m going to look for her.”

“Did they call the cops?”

“Yes.”

“Is she at Mom and Dad’s?”

“Apparently not.” Claire struggled to button her coat with her hands trembling.

Tess came close and caught Claire’s hands. “Maybe you should stay here. In case she comes here. You can’t go running off, willy-nilly to look for her. If the police are involved, they’re better equipped than you are.”

Claire bit her lip, fear pounding a threatening rhythm. “But I don’t know what else to do.”

“I think it’s best you wait here for a few minutes at least. Just to make sure she’s not trying to come here. If she doesn’t come then we can shut the cafe down and go out looking for her.”

She couldn’t argue with the sense of that, but at the same time, her mother’s heart wanted to be doing something. Anything.

“Okay. I’ll give her another ten minutes but then I’m going looking.”

And while she waited, she knew she had another call to make.

* * *

“So, you’re loaded up and ready to go.”

Skip Moore handed Nik his copy of the bill and with a wave of thanks, Nik climbed back into his truck.

As soon as he pulled away from the lumberyard, his phone rang.

His heart gave a renegade skip. Ever since Claire left, every time his phone rang, he wondered if it was her.

But it was only Chance.

“So… we’ve got a small problem here,” Chance said, morosely.

“Define ‘problem.’” He almost rolled his eyes. Ever since he started work on the house it seemed like one problem led to another problem. Not for the first time he wondered if he was doing the right thing.

“There’s a little girl here. She’s crying and she’s mad at me because I tore the porch down. I have no idea what she’s talking about, but she’s semi-hysterical. Gotta help me out bro. I don’t do little kids.” Chance sounded positively fearful.

“Is her name Emma?”

He heard Chance’s muffled voice, then he came back. “Yeah that’s what her name is. And she’s saying something about a daddy. I dunno. I’m kind of lost here, buddy.”

What was Emma doing at the house? She was supposed to be in school. On the tails of that thought came a surge of panic. What was she doing all the way over there? Did Claire know what was going on?

“I’ll be right there.” He ended the call and stepped on the gas, heading back to the house. As he did his phone rang again. He clicked the button on the steering wheel to connect the call to hands-free

“Nik? This is Claire. I’m calling about Emma. I just got a call from the school that she’s gone. Do you have any idea where she is?” Claire sounded frantic. Nik didn’t blame her. A parent’s worst nightmare; a missing child.

“Well my partner just called. Apparently, she’s at the house. I’m heading over there right away.”

“Oh, thank you, Lord,” Claire said, her voice breaking. “I’m coming too.”

“I’m not far from the coffee shop, I can pick you up.” As soon as he spoke the words, he wondered if he’d made the right choice.

But he had a frantic mother, and a child who decided to run away on his hands. Now was not the time for personal feelings.

When he pulled up in front of the café, Claire was on the street, her arms wrapped around her midsection, like she could hold herself together that way. He reached over and opened the door to his truck and she jumped in. She wore her usual bandana, and stained apron. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed, and she looked frightened half to death.

“I think she’s okay,” was all Nik could say to assure her. “Chance didn’t seem too fussed, other than he had to watch a little girl.”

Claire clenched her hands in her lap, her knuckles white. She shot him a quick glance, fear etched into her gentle features.

So much had happened between them, but Nik still reached across the cab and covered her hands with one of his. “She’s at the house and according to my partner, she’s okay. We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

Claire bit her lip and to his surprise, she twisted her fingers around his. They were icy cold but even that simple touch sent a flood of warmth through him.

They drove that way all the way to the house. Holding hands, connected by their concern for Emma.

Nik drove well over the speed limit. When he got to the house, he hit the brakes, his tires screeching. And before he had shut off the truck, Claire was out the door, calling for Emma. Almost at once, her daughter came around the house running toward Claire.

Nik got out of the truck, following a little slowly. The weight on his heart lifted in relief as he saw Emma and Claire cling to one another.

She was okay.

Chance came around the house scratching his head.

“So, what happened?” Claire asked, kneeling in front of Emma with her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. Claire gripped Emma tightly in a bear hug again, then pulled back, checking her over to make sure she was okay. “What were you doing coming here?”

Emma pulled in a hiccupping breath, rubbed her hand over her nose, her cheek wet with tears.

“I wanted to talk to Nik. You weren’t going to, and I needed to talk to him. I was going to ask him not to tear the house down. But he started already. The house will be gone. And you're not marrying him, and he will not be my daddy. I’m so very sad.” She sobbed harder, falling into Claire’s arms.

Nik glanced from Claire to Emma to Chance, trying to figure out what had happened.

Chance took a step back, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I think now would be a good time for me to take a coffee break.” Chance gave Emma and Claire a wide berth and held out his hand to Nik. “I’ll take your truck. You go ahead and straighten this out.”

As Chance took the keys, he leaned in close. “I’m gonna take my time. You get this fixed.” He held Nik’s eyes, his gaze hard. Steady.

Then he left.

Claire still held Emma, stroking her hair, her own cheeks glistening with tears.

Nik joined them, resting his hand on Emma’s head. He wanted to pull Claire into his arms, but his emotions were jumbled right now, and a dozen questions plagued him, but he held his feelings back, if only momentarily. He didn’t want to interrupt the love-fueled reunion of a mother and a daughter. Instead he called the school and the police to let them know Emma had been found. When he was done Emma had stopped crying and Claire stood, looking over at Nik.

His breath caught in his throat as their eyes met and held each other. The old feelings returned so fast, it was like he’d never been angry with her. Like she had never left.

He caught himself and took a step back to create distance between them.

Sorrow settled over her face, and he regretted the step. But he had to be firm. She still held too strong a hold on his heart.

Nik turned his attention to Emma. “Are you okay?”

Emma just nodded, then looked over at him, her expression holding the sting of accusation. “Why are you tearing down our house?”

Nik frowned, taken aback at her question. “It’s just the porch, honey. We needed to take it down because it was no good.”

“But you made a big mess of the back of the house,” Emma said, sniffing. “And Mommy said that it doesn’t matter if you take the house down, but it matters to me. I don’t want you to wreck my bedroom.”

Nik’s confusion grew, as he tried to sort out what Emma had said.

“Did you think I was tearing down the whole house?”

“You said you would,” Emma said, her voice as accusing as her expression.

Nik allowed her words to settle for a minute, then he turned to Claire. “Is that what you thought, too?”

Claire folded her arms over her stomach. “It’s what you’ve always talked about. And I came here that one day when the track hoe and the dump truck were here. The guy showed me a work order for a teardown. For this house.”

“Was that the day you and Emma moved out?”

Claire confirmed. “I thought you were tearing the house down despite what you said. I thought you couldn’t get past what happened to you here. And I thought once you were done here, you were moving. Just like you always said you were.”

“And you probably also thought I didn’t care how you felt about the house,” Nik ventured.

Her quick glance downward indicated that he was right.

And with that one movement everything fell into place.

“I’m sorry you ended up meeting Norm. He wasn’t supposed to come at all. I cancelled that work order.”

Claire stared at him, her eyes roving over him, her brows furrowed. “But the porch…”

Nik held her puzzled gaze. “The foundation is sagging, and the roof is a mess. It’s gotta come down. For safety reasons.”

Claire looked from him to the house, swiping at the tears on her cheeks, still clutching Emma’s hand. “So, you’re not taking the house down?”

Nik took a step closer to her. “No. I’m not.” He spoke quietly, afraid anything he said might send her away again. “I’m fixing it up. Got some ideas for the inside.”

“And when you’ve fixed it up?” Claire held his gaze now and a tiny ember of hope glowed within him when he glimpsed the expectation in her eyes. “Then what?”

“I was thinking of moving in. I’ll need a place to stay, after all.” He watched her closely while he spoke, hoping, praying that what he had to say was what she wanted to hear.

“And why is that?” she asked. Her words were tentative.

“I’ve got a big job coming up here in Sweet Creek. It will take about three years and, while that’s in the works, I’m sure I can get other contracts.”

“So, you’re staying?”

Nik laid his hand on Claire’s shoulder looking deep into her troubled eyes. “I’m staying. And not just for my mother and my sister or the work I’ve set up.” He looked down at Emma who watched the conversation between her mother and Nik with a puzzled expression. “Emma and you. You two are the main reason I want to stay.”

He wished he felt as calm as he sounded. It was like walking to the edge of a cliff and turning his back to the yawning, void behind him. Completely vulnerable. All it would take was the tiniest rejection the smallest push and it would all be over. He would have gambled for nothing.

Claire blinked slowly. She was silent at first... Then a soft smile stretched her lips. Her eyes shone. But she stayed where she was.

“You’re staying for us?” she asked.

“You’re not moving away?” Emma squealed.

“I’m not. I figured I’d better stay close to the women I love. You and Emma.”

Without hesitation, Emma launched herself at Nik, grabbing him around the waist, almost toppling him. “You’re staying. You’re staying.” Then she pulled back looking him straight in the eye, her own narrowed as if measuring his intent. “And are you going to be my daddy?”

Claire gasped, and Nik laughed at her forthrightness.

“Emma. Please,” Claire reprimanded.

“Well? Are you?”

“It depends on what your Mommy would like,” was all Nik dared say.

Emma sighed, pursed her lips and twisted them to the side as she looked at Claire. “Are you going to say yes?”

Claire still looked stunned and Nik took another chance.

He took her hand pressing it between his, looking deep into her wide, surprised gaze.

“I love you, Claire. I really do. It’s not a perfect love and I know I’ll make mistakes, but I promise to do the best I can.”

“You love me?”

Nik heard the puzzlement in her voice and for a moment he wondered if he had pushed too hard, too fast.

But then Claire squeezed his hands in return. And she pressed her other hand to her lips, as if trying to hold her emotions in.

“I really love you,” Nik repeated, hoping she believed him. “I realized how much when you left. I didn’t want to miss you. Didn’t want to think you could hold my heart so securely. I didn’t like how I felt without you.”

“And what about me?” Emma asked. “Did you miss me too?” she asked.

Nik pulled his hand out of Claire’s, and lifted Emma into his arms, giving her a tight hug. “I missed you so much,” he said, holding her close, thankful she was okay.

Emma pulled away, her hands framing his face. “I missed you too.” she repeated. “And so did my mommy. She was crying all the time at the cabin.”

Emma’s innocent words made Claire blush and gave Nik a surge of hope.

“She did, did she?”

“Did you cry?” Emma asked. “When we were gone?”

Nik gave her another hug, then lowered her to the ground, keeping her hand tucked in his. He took Claire’s again, smiling at her.

“Yes. I was very sad. I missed you and your mother. A lot.” He gave Claire’s hand a tug. But it took very little encouragement for her to move toward him, to step into his one-armed embrace. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his heart so full he thought it would pop out of his chest.

“Can I go into the house? To make sure my room is okay?” Emma asked.

“Yes. But stay away from the kitchen and dining room, okay?” Nik told her.

“Of course. Because I don’t want to go out the back door and end up on the ground. Because there’s no porch,” Emma announced as she pulled away from them and ran up the front steps.

She disappeared into the house and Nik took advantage of her absence and pulled Claire into his arms again, holding her close, sharing a deep, warm kiss with her, his lips moving gently and then with more insistence.

She clung him to her, returning his kiss with an ardor that surprised and pleased him at the same time.

A passing vehicle honked at them and Nik pulled away, suddenly embarrassed.

But Claire smiled. “Probably no one important,” she said. “Besides, it doesn’t matter. A lot of things don’t matter anymore.”

“Like what?”

Still resting in his arms, she looked over at the house. “You know, I made too much of this place. Put too much pressure on it for me to give me my happy-ever-after. Well, that’s what Tess told me, and she was right.”

She turned back to him. “I’m sorry for not realizing what you had to deal with. I’m sorry that you went through such awful things here. I understand how you would want to erase that time from your life. So, if you want to tear the house down and start over, I’m fine with that.”

Her eyes were sincere and her words gave him a freedom he hadn’t felt in years.

“I mean it,” she said, giving him a tiny shake as if to underline what she was saying. “The house doesn’t matter. Your peace of mind and happiness does.”

Nik gave her another kiss then smiled down at her, tracing her features, committing them to memory. “You know, it doesn’t matter to me either. I’ve been looking the house over and I have a few plans for it. Some changes I’d like to make. But I want it to stay up. It has a lot of character and I want to make it our home.”

She smiled at him. “Home. I love that word.”

He pulled her close again, resting his head on hers, his eyes closed as his heart filled with a love he never thought he would experience.

“I do too,” he whispered.

“Are you guys coming?” Emma called out from the front door. “I want to talk about my bedroom.”

Nik chuckled and pulled away, still looking at Claire. “Her majesty has summoned us.”

“I’m sorry—”

Nik touched her lips with his finger, smiling as he shook his head. “You never have to apologize for her. She’s a gift and a treasure.” For a fleeting moment Nik thought of the child he might have had, then looked back, his heart full. “And I thank God for giving me you and her.”

Claire chuckled and slipped her arm around his.

Then, together they walked toward their new home.