ISAAC MACALLISTER'S life revolves around building his business and doing his best to give his daughter Sara a strong sense of family. Over the years he's had to learn how to keep their little family together on his own, but this Christmas Isaac is g...
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Where was her car? Jenna stood in front of the cabin, refusing to accept what her eyes were telling her. No car. No stuff. No brother. Just tire tracks in the snow leading away from the cabin. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Jenna sat down in the cold chair on the front porch of the cabin and opened her purse.
Sure enough, her wallet was gone, including all her cash and her credit card. He must have cleaned her out when he went in to get her bags.
Eli had done some stupid things before, but he had never resorted to outright theft. At least not that she knew of. This time, he had definitely crossed a line.
But karma was a real bitch. Brother dearest was going to be in for a surprise when he tried to use that card. It was only a backup—with a $500 dollar limit.
Since she'd hurt her knee, she'd taken to carrying a few of the most useful cards in her phone case. A quick check revealed that her driver's license, credit card, and bank card were still in her pocket.
She wasn't exactly helpless. She might be stuck here for Christmas, but she was pretty sure he wouldn't risk her wrath by coming back. That meant her primary goal of getting him away from Isaac and Sara's family Christmas had been achieved.
Now, she had to do some damage control.
*
Isaac raced down the path towards Jenna, her note in his hand. He was furious, and didn't try to hide it.
"Really, Jenna? You're just going to leave without any kind of goodbye? Do you know how hurt Sara will be by this?" Who was he kidding? He was more hurt than Sara could ever be. He'd thought Jenna was the kind of woman who cared enough not to do that to people she loved. But maybe she didn't care. Just because they'd spent one incredible night together and pretended to be a family for a few days didn't necessarily mean anything at all. At least not to her.
All he knew was that he hadn't felt this way about anyone in a long time, and he wasn't going to let her walk away without finding out how she actually felt.
"Isaac, I don't want to leave. But I know my brother, and he has a knack for ruining family holidays. If I don't give him what he wants, he's liable to explode. I wanted him well away from here before that happened. The last thing I wanted was to put you and Sara at risk."
That didn't make Isaac feel better at all. He didn't trust Eli, and he definitely didn't like the idea of Jenna putting herself in a dangerous situation. He would happily help her deal with her brother if she would just stay—at least through the holiday season so they could figure out if they had something real.
"Please don't leave like this. Please stay for dinner and say a proper goodbye to Sara until we can figure out what to do with Eli."
"Actually, it's looking like I'll be staying a bit longer than dinner. My brother stole my car and my wallet. And took all my stuff with him. Now I'm stranded and have exactly the clothes I'm wearing, a mostly empty purse, and my crutches."
Isaac's terse expression faded away as he processed what she was saying. He was furious that her brother could do that to her, but couldn't really get as mad as he ought to, given the circumstances. Jenna wouldn't be trapped in a car with her angry brother for hours, and she wasn't leaving. "You're staying?"
She frowned. "Wait a minute. I tell you my brother has stolen my car, leaving me stranded—and all you have to say about it is that you're glad I'm not going?" Jenna was obviously furious, but Isaac hoped she would be able to see the humour in the situation at some point in the future.
Isaac grinned. "It's all about priorities. And my priority right now is to keep you from leaving. It wouldn't be right for you to go without at least tasting one of those lovely-looking pies you made for dinner."
Jenna looked down at her yoga pants and flannel shirt. "I'm not sure that I'm dressed to meet your family."
"You look perfect to me. But if you really want to change, my sister is about your size, and she always packs way more stuff than she needs. I'm sure she'd be willing to lend you something until we can get you into town.
*****
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