Run, Hide - By Carol Ericson Page 0,6
his mouth and giggled. “Mommy?”
She tickled his cheek with the ends of her long hair. “Do you like it?”
“You look funny.”
“Thank you.” She thrust her hand, palm up, over Cade’s shoulder. “Do you want to look funny, too?”
“Uh-huh.” He bounced in his seat.
Cade slapped the electric hair clippers into her hand and she showed it to Gavin. “Do you want a haircut?”
Gavin pointed into the front seat. “Like him?”
Jenna’s gaze flicked to Cade, her newly brown eyes narrowed. “Yeah, sort of like him.”
Gavin nodded.
She pushed open the back door away from the entrance to the parking lot. “Scoot over here, so your hair will fall outside.”
She flicked on the switch of the clippers, which vibrated in her hand, and ten minutes later, Gavin ran his hand over his buzz cut, grinning from ear to ear.
“I wanna see.”
She scooped him onto her lap so he could see in the rearview mirror. Gavin giggled again, and a smile tugged at Cade’s lips.
“Okay, now that you both look funny, let’s go to Lovett Peak Ski Resort and get something to eat.”
“Isn’t that kind of...public?”
“Exactly.” He started the car and snapped on his seat belt. “It won’t be easy for them to...uh...snatch their cargo in the middle of a ski resort, even if it does occur to them to look there.”
Jenna’s creamy skin paled even more, and Cade mentally gave himself a good, swift kick. If she didn’t realize those guys were after Gavin, she did now. But maybe she needed to know.
Cade pulled the car into the parking lot of the ski resort, maneuvering around skiers and snowboarders packing it in for the day. He parked the car and waited while Jenna zipped up Gavin’s jacket and pulled his mittens onto his hands.
When Jenna had Gavin properly bundled, Cade slipped his weapon in the inside pocket of his jacket and got out of the car. He opened Jenna’s door and stood toe-to-toe with her for the first time since he’d blasted back into her life.
“You look good, Jenna.”
“Yeah, because I just caked on about two inches of makeup.”
He caught a long strand of the wig as it fluttered outside her hood and wrapped it around his finger. “I meant even before the disguise.”
“Oh, you mean when I was tearing down the street with my son tucked under my arm after just witnessing...” She trailed off, glancing down at Gavin crushed against her side.
“I mean...” She had no intention of making this easy on him. He disengaged his finger and yanked the hood off her head. “You’re a brunette. Let the casual observer see that.”
They crunched across the parking lot as a light snow began to fall. More skiers and snowboarders headed to their cars or the city and hotel shuttle buses, the boarders clomping along in their heavy boots.
Gavin pointed a mittened hand at one of them. “Snowboard.”
Cade’s hand hovered above Gavin’s head. He wanted to pick up his son, but would he allow that? Would his mother? “Have you been on a snowboard yet, Gavin?”
“No.” He skipped once and slipped on the slushy snow at the edge of the parking lot.
To save Gavin from a fall, Cade scooped him up in his arms and buried his face in his neck. He didn’t smell like a baby anymore. He smelled sticky and a little grungy. Just like a boy should.
Gavin laughed and kicked his legs. “Tickles.”
Cade released a pent-up breath. At least his son hadn’t pushed him away. “I’m ticklish, too.”
He met Jenna’s eyes over Gavin’s head. Ouch. Did her blue eyes have as much fire as this brown pair? Or had he just forgotten?
Never. He remembered every minute detail of Jenna’s face...and body.
“Uh, I’ll just carry him to the lodge, if that’s okay.”
“It’s okay with me.” She shrugged. “And Gavin is friendly. He’ll go with anyone.”
Double ouch.
They climbed the stairs to the cafeteria situated in the resort’s ski lodge. As Cade suspected, the après-ski crowd filled the restaurant, bodies, equipment and winter clothing taking up every spare inch of the place. He saw a few empty tables, but he didn’t want to split up from Jenna while someone grabbed a table and someone else grabbed the food.
“What sounds good?”
Jenna tipped her chin at the counter for Italian food. “Gavin likes pizza and there should be some pasta there, too.”
“Italian, it is.” Cade continued to hold Gavin so he could point out what kind of pizza he wanted, while he and Jenna decided on some pastas and sauces.
Jenna carried one tray with Gavin