Free Her Mistletoe Protector by Laura Scott

the car in gear, backing carefully out of Gerald Ashton’s driveway. At this moment, he didn’t think he’d ever admired a woman more than he admired Rachel. She was beautiful, smart, sincere, and the one of the best mothers he’d ever known.
    And the part of his heart that he’d sent into a deep freeze after Becky’s and Sophie’s deaths thawed just a little.
    * * *
    Rachel gratefully climbed out of the car at the coffee shop, hanging on to her new phone with a death grip. Nick purchased two large coffees and then found a small table near a gas fireplace. It was nice and cozy near the fire, and she sipped her coffee, gazing up at the wreath hanging above the mantel as he booted up the laptop.
    “You can do some searching while I figure out a plan about handling the exchange,” Nick said, turning the computer toward her. “Plus, I need to call a friend of mine to help with the exchange. Don’t worry,” he added, when he saw her dismay. “Jonah is someone I’d trust with my life. Unfortunately, we can’t do this alone, Rachel. We need backup.”
    She nodded, her stomach twisting as she understood what he was saying. Getting the money from the bank was the easy part. Keeping her son alive during the exchange was going to be much tougher.
    But failure was not an option.
    As Nick made his calls, she sat there feeling numb. Even after he’d finished, she could only manage to stare blindly at the computer screen. For a moment she was tempted to start praying again. She regretted her harsh words to Nick earlier this morning. She’d been angry and had taken that anger out on him, wanting to hurt him the same way she was suffering.
    Was she crazy to ask for God’s help? Why would God listen to her? Her parents hadn’t been religious, but she sensed they’d believed in God. At least they’d seemed to. Maybe she really was missing something important.
    For a moment she bowed her head and opened her heart. I’m sorry, Lord. I never should have said those hurtful things. Especially when they’re not true. I know Nick believes in You and I want to believe, too. Please help show me the way. And please keep my son safe in Your care. Amen.
    As before, the moment she finished praying, a sense of peace settled over her. She looked up and caught Nick staring at her, and she forced herself to smile. “I’m sorry, Nick. I do want to believe in God. I want to believe He’ll keep Joey safe.”
    “I’m so glad, Rachel,” he murmured, reaching over to take her hand in his. “Looks as if my prayers have been answered. I’ve been praying that you’d allow the Lord to help carry your burden.”
    Nick’s hand was warm on hers, and she found it odd that she didn’t want to let go. Never before had she ever depended on a man to help her. Except for her father, especially when she’d needed to escape Anthony. She knew she was lucky to have Nick’s help with this. She never would have been able to manage alone.
    Her new phone rang, interrupting the peaceful silence. Startled, she glanced at the screen, half expecting to see the familiar blocked call.
    But the call was from Edith Goodman, her assistant. She winced as she realized she had forgotten to let Edith know she wouldn’t be in the office today. Or at all, considering she wouldn’t be the owner of the company once she returned from the bank in a few hours. “Hi, Edith,” she said to her assistant. “I’m sorry I forgot to let you know that I’m taking the rest of the week off.”
    “The rest of the week?” Edith’s voice rose sharply. “This isn’t like you at all. What in the world is going on, Rachel?”
    “I’m sorry, Edith, but there’s something important I have to do.” She wanted to reassure her assistant that Gerry would be there to take over the company, but Edith would find that out sooner or later. No need to spill the beans yet. “Just cancel my meetings and let everyone know I’m taking a personal leave of absence, okay?”
    “If