Free The Best Christmas Ever by Cheryl Wolverton Page A

her!”
    The panicked voice sent a chill down his spine. “Find her? Find who, Sarah? Mickie?”
    “Yes. School got out early today. You know that. But she had a tutoring session and I was trying to make that cake she wanted and time got away from me.”
    The chill turned to full-blown alarm. “Go on,” he said, despite the fact he was certain he heard her sniffle. “Tell me.”
    “I was only ten minutes late. I rushed up to theschool. A few children were still around, so it wasn’t as though I was that late. But she wasn’t there.”
    Terror gripped his heart, but he forced it down. Sarah was hysterical enough for both of them. “What did the principal say?”
    “I didn’t ask her. The teacher outside said she had just seen Mickie in the line but didn’t notice her leave the school yard. I started tracing the route home, thinking she might have walked, but couldn’t find her. I went back up to the school. I’ve even been home. She’s nowhere. I thought about calling the police—”
    “Mr. Warner?”
    He waved at his secretary, motioning her out, but she came forward. “Mr. Warner, Stephanie Williams is on the phone. It’s about Mickie.”
    His gaze snapped up at those words. Relief and a sudden suspicion filled his mind. “Sarah, hold on a minute. I may have found Mickie.”
    He punched the other line, feeling the tension increase. “Ms. Williams?”
    A trilling laugh floated over the phone line. “I’ve told you a dozen times to call me Stephanie, Mr. Warner.”
    “My secretary said it’s about Mickie,” he interrupted, feeling his already frayed temper slipping even further from his control.
    “Why, yes, it is. Why, the poor little dear. You know I volunteer up there three days a week. I stayed after to help test some of the slower children today during tutoring. You know, they had tutoring today. Anyway…”
    Justin wished he could rip the words out of her, but Stephanie had her own way of telling a story and atalent for drawing the attention to herself. Already, though, his body was relaxing. Mickie was with Stephanie. Somehow he just knew it.
    “Yes?” he questioned when she didn’t continue.
    “I was getting ready to bring my own child home and Mickie was still there. I had a feeling she was thinking about walking home the way she kept looking around for her ride. The poor little dear. I know you’ve been having trouble with baby-sitters, so I asked her if anyone was coming to pick her up. She said her aunt Sarah had forgotten her. I didn’t know you had a sister. I insisted she ride home with me and we’d call as soon as we arrived, but we forgot, having our cookies and milk, so I’m calling you now.”
    Justin closed his eyes and counted to ten. Stephanie wanted him as her next husband. She’d done just about everything to get the message across except send him a telegram. She loved his house, his money and the social position she would have. Oh, he knew her kind. But this was too much. Mickie really liked Stephanie’s daughter, but the woman was lonely and needy, imagining him as the answer to her problems. He didn’t want to tell Stephanie exactly what he thought of her stunt or whom she had terrified, nor did he want to let her off scot-free. Father, give me patience, he thought. “I’ll let Sarah know what happened and she’ll come over and pick her up.”
    “Oh, that’s not necessary. The girls are having a wonderful time. Why don’t I just keep her until suppertime. You can stop by on your way home from work and have dinner with us…”
    “Thank you, Stephanie,” he said, “but I don’t think that’s possible. Sarah is the new housekeeper andshe’ll already have started supper. Besides, Mickie knows she’s suppose to wait or call.”
    “Oh, I hope you’re not going to chastise Mickie for the sitter’s being late,” Stephanie said in a pouty voice.
    “No. No, not for that at all,” he said, though he would have a talk with his daughter again about getting