A Christmas Wish: Dane (5 page)

When the alarm went off a couple of hours later, Charlotte was already out of bed and had dressed in a pair of his old sweats and a T-shirt. His mind was foggy with lack of sleep and he needed coffee in the worst way. If the toys he had to put together had as many pieces as he thought they did, he’d probably need several cups.

“I’m g
oing to check and make sure Jayden’s really asleep and not hiding around the corner somewhere,” she said, not looking him in the eye. Something had shifted between them during their lovemaking, and she wasn’t hiding her nerves as well as she’d been. “He’s been trying to see if Santa is real for the last couple of years, but he can never stay awake long enough.”

She slipped out
of the room before he could say anything and he grunted as he dug in the dresser for a pair of jeans. He pulled them on and then saw the small black box sitting in the corner of the drawer he’d hidden there earlier. On impulse, he plucked the box out and stuck it in his pocket. No time like the present, he thought, though his hands were suddenly damp with nerves.

Dane made his way to the kitchen to make coffee and didn’t know how long he stood and stared at the coffee pot in a sleep haze before he remembered how to put the grounds in. But then Charlotte’s worried voice cleared his mind and snapped him back to reality.

“Jayden, this isn’t funny. Where are you?”

Dane ran down the hall and stopped when he almost bumped into Charlotte. “What’s wrong?” he asked, taking her by the shoulders. Her face was white with panic.

“Jayden’s gone. His bed is empty and his shoes and jacket aren’t where he left them.
I’ve looked everywhere.”

“Let’s look again, just to make sure. Maybe he fell asleep some place else while he was waiting for Santa.”

She nodded, hope blooming in her eyes, and they started a search through the house. They weren’t bothering to stay quiet any longer and soon doors were opened all through the house.

“Everything all right?”
Cooper asked

“Jayden’s not in his bed.” A cold fear gripped a
round Dane’s heart and the thought that crossed his mind was almost enough to paralyze him. “Oh, God.”

He ran to the f
amily room where he’d left the Bible and skidded to a stop. The folded piece of paper was gone.

“Jesus, he didn’t,” Cooper said from behind him.

“Check and see if anything is missing from the supply box while I get dressed. Hopefully he went out prepared.”

Dane threw on
extra layers of clothes, a jacket, scarf, and hat that covered his ears, and he pulled on thick socks and his warmest boots. Things could get rough during this time of the winter and he needed to be prepared. By the time he got back to the kitchen Cooper had gotten things organized. He handed Dane a pack with extra blankets and a thermos of hot chocolate, as well as flashlights and flares if he needed help.

“Charlotte says his backpack is
gone, and there’s a flashlight and some matches missing from the supply box, as well as one of the thermal blankets.”

Dane breathed out a sigh of relief. “That’s something then.”

“I checked outside and it’s starting to snow again, but you can still see his tracks for now. We’ll take the snowmobiles to save some time. Cade and I will ride with you until the ravine and then we can split up on foot. Everyone else will wait here in case he comes back.”

Dane saw Charlotte shaking her head. She’d gotten dressed and was ready to walk out the door, and she looked like she was ready to flatten Cooper if he suggested otherwise.

“He’s right,” Dane said, stepping in front of Cooper so he was the target of her anger instead. “Jayden needs someone here in case he comes back.”

She pushed at his shoulders, but he didn’t budge.
“I’m going. You can’t stop me.”

“I’m asking you to trust me
, Charlotte. I promise I won’t come back without him.”

Tears welled in her eyes and he wasn’t sure she was going to give in. But she
finally nodded. “I trust you to bring him back. But hurry.”

Dane nodded and
kissed her once, and then grabbed the pack Cooper had made up for each of them. Then he set out with his brother and his cousin to find his son. He only hoped they could find him before the snow covered all his tracks and made conditions even more treacherous.

They followed Jayden’s rapidly disappearing footprints
for more than a mile until they hit the ravine. Dane knew in his gut where Jayden was headed, but it was dark and the landmarks on the map wouldn’t be easy to see, even with a flashlight. It would be easy to get turned around, especially someone who wasn’t familiar with this particular area.

He cursed himself for not taking the time to show
Jayden basic survival skills. What kind of father was he? It was a miracle he at least knew enough to take dry matches and the thermal blanket. 

The three of them parked the snowmobiles at the ravine and then set out on foot, each going in a different direction. Visibility was getting more difficult as the wind and snow picked up in speed and strength, and he only hoped Jayden had the sense to find some protection
from the elements and stay put.

Dane knew the area by heart. He’d roamed the land his entire life and knew the easiest paths to take.
The flashlight was powerful and the high beam spread wide over boulders and the occasional fallen log. The footprints were easier to see under the canopy of trees because the snow hadn’t gotten to them yet, but they disappeared altogether when he got to the creek.

“Jayden!” he called out over and over again, but there was no answer in return.

With every sector Cade and Cooper marked off they sent a signal to the satellite phone on his belt, and he did the same with them. Jayden was nowhere to be found and dawn was fast approaching. It was a hell of a Christmas morning, but he’d told Charlotte the truth. He wouldn’t stop searching until he found their son.

Dane
switched his flashlight off as the sun peeked over the mountains and fear like nothing he ever knew clawed at him as he saw a piece of cloth snagged on low lying brambles just at the creek’s edge. The current was fast moving, and if he’d been swept downstream there was no telling where he was. Not to mention how fast water that cold could shut down the body.

“Jayden!” he called out again
, his voice beginning to go hoarse.

He stepped up his pace until he was practically running,
and he had to remind himself to slow down and be methodical. Panic wouldn’t help anyone. It was that reminder to himself that had him pausing at the sight of a fir tree that didn’t look quite right. It was thick and full, and the branches hung low so they almost touched the ground, but several of them were broken and bowed down, and they seemed to be precisely placed. He moved closer and looked around the base, proceeding with caution in case a wild animal was using it for shelter. Then he saw the tip of a shoestring and his heart almost stopped in his chest.

“Jayden.” He wasn’t sure
if he said the name aloud or just in his head. He ran to the tree and pushed the branches aside, and then he fell to his knees at the sight of the small body curled up beneath the limbs. He’d used the fir branches to protect him from the cold ground and he’d cocooned himself with the thermal blanket on top, and Dane had to admit he was impressed with his son’s ingenuity.

He
tore his gloves off with his teeth and reached under the neck of Jayden’s coat to feel for a pulse, and he almost burst into tears at the feel of the steady thump beneath his fingertips. He was sleeping.

“Come on, buddy. Time to wake up.” He shook the boy’s shoulder until eyes that matched his own stared back at him. The
y registered fear first, then surprise, followed by worry.

“Are you hurt?” Dane asked, giving Jayden time to get his thoughts together. He ran his hands lightly over his arms and legs and saw the tear on his jacket where he’d run into the brambles. Other than a few scrapes on his face he seemed to be fine.

“Just cold. And hungry. It started snowing and I had to stop.”

“I see that. Smart thinking using the tree for cover.”

“I read about it in a book once.”

Dane dug in the backpack and pulled out
another thermal blanket to wrap around him. “Don’t shrug me off. I need to do this.” And then Dane wrapped his arms around his son and held on for dear life. “You scared the hell out of me, kid. Don’t ever do that again, okay?”

He felt the small head nod against his shoulder and pulled back to look into Jayden’s surprised face. “Don’t give me that look. You’re my son. I love you.”

“You never did before,” he blurted out. “Not all that time when me and Mom were by ourselves.” He looked embarrassed at the outburst and tried to pull out of Dane’s arms, but Dane wouldn’t let him.

“If I’d known about you
, there is nothing in this world that would have kept me from being with you. You can believe me or not believe me, but that’s God’s honest truth.” 

Dane let Jayden go and sat down beside him, putting his back to the trunk of the tree. He dug in the backpack again and came up with the thermos and a couple of power bars and handed them over. And then he used the satellite phone to signal that he’d found Jayden.

“You really worried your mom taking off like that without telling anyone.”

Jayden’s lip quivered, and he busied himself pouring cocoa into the thermos so Dane wouldn’t notice.

“I didn’t mean to,” he finally said. “I just thought—” he stopped talking and Dane waited for him to go on, but he stayed silent.

“Tell me what you thought,” he said. “Whatever you say is just between the two of us.”

Jayden shrugged. “It’s stupid. I just thought that maybe if I was the one who found the gold—“ he paused and looked up at Dane. “Then maybe it would make me a real MacKenzie.”

Dane felt his heart swell in his chest
. “I hate to break it to you, but you
are
a real MacKenzie. You’re mine in every way possible. I could show you pictures of me at the same age you are now and you wouldn’t be able to tell us apart.”

“That’s what Uncle Riley said. He said you were hell on wheels w
hen you were a kid and that I shouldn’t lead with my left like you do because it’ll leave me wide open. I’m not really sure what that means.”

Dane arched a brow. “Uncle Riley needs to watch what he says.”

Jayden smirked, but his expression turned serious once more. “If I’m a MacKenzie, how come that’s not my last name?”

“Do you want it to be your last name?”

He shrugged again. “I was just thinking it would be easier if it was the same as everyone else’s, ya know? Less confusing.”

“I see.” And he did see. “What do you think we should do about it?”

“Do you love my mom?” The question was asked with innocent curiosity. “Because I think she needs someone who loves her a lot. She’s a good mom.”

“
She is a good mom. You’re very lucky you have her. And yeah, I love her a lot.” His voice was hoarse with emotion. “Is that the reason you haven’t really wanted me around these past months? Are you afraid your mom might love me and stop loving you?”

Jayden shrugged again and Dane almost smiled, remembering how frustrated his mother used to get when he did the same thing.

“I can tell you with certainty that your mom will never stop loving you. Don’t you think it’s possible to love more than one person at a time?”

“I guess so.”

“Well, I know so. There are a lot of MacKenzies, right? And I’ve got room to love them all. But you and your mom are special. I love you guys more than I ever thought possible. Just like I know your mom loves the both of us.  And she may not know it, because your mom likes to handle things on her own and she’s a little bit stubborn.” Jayden snorted out a laugh and Dane smiled. “But she needs the both of us to help take care of her and love her too.”

“So what do you think we should do?” Jayden asked, repeating
Dane’s earlier question.

“I think I should marry your mom and you should be my best man.
MacKenzies always stand up for each other.”

His face brig
htened a little. “If you marry Mom, am I supposed to call you Dad?”

Dane’s throat tightened but he tried to pla
y it casual so Jayden didn’t know how badly he wanted it. “Only if you want to.”

Jayden
nodded and changed the subject. “How are you going to get Mom to marry you? She can be pretty stubborn about that stuff.”

Dane remembered the rin
g he’d stuffed in his pocket and maneuvered around until he managed to dig it out. He opened the box so Jayden could see the square-cut emerald surrounded by tiny diamonds. It was delicate and beautiful, but also sturdy and made to last. 

“What do you think?”

“I think she’ll get grease all over it when she’s working on cars.”

Dane laughed and snapped the lid closed. “Hopefully she’ll take it off before she works on them. Maybe I should get her a chain so she can wear it around her neck.”