Special Delivery (Mountain Meadow Homecoming 1) by Laura Browning Page A

thick, fluffy flakes. As the contraction rippled through her, Holly clutched the edge of the kitchen counter and tried to regulate her breathing. She stared at the phone in frustration. She had no way to call anyone. Stupid.
    Well, it would be hours before she needed to worry. Weren’t first labors generally long? And someone would bring Tyler home. She could get a ride into the hospital then. In the meantime, she would pack a bag for her and the baby.
    * * * *
    Spence tapped his finger on the manila envelope in front of him and smirked. The detective hadn’t brought much, but it might be enough. Tyler was enrolled in the Castle County Schools, a fifth grader at Mountain Meadow Elementary. He’d made some other phone calls, but had so far come up empty. His information didn’t include a physical address, just a PO box.
    Maybe it was time for a ski trip. He and Seely could go through there, giving him the perfect excuse to stop and nose around just a little. Holly’s baby should be born any time. A Dilby. That was all his parents cared about. So if he could deliver, they’d quit pestering him.
    Yep. Time to head to the mountains.
    * * * *
    Snow blanketed the town square, and Jake thought of the additional box of food he had for Tyler and Holly. He had to let Jenny know not to say anything. He told Holly the boxes were gifts from Doc, but aside from the first one, Jake had packed them. He hated to think the grief she would give him if she found out. Hell, Evan was already calling him Father Teresa. Yeah, he hated the way he smirked when he did it, too, like he thought Jake was going all moony over Holly. He was just being neighborly, like his parents had taught him.
    He called the general store and talked to Susie Tarpley, letting her know he’d run Tyler home in a couple of hours. In the meantime, he finished the paperwork on his desk. It included a proposal to the town council for an expansion to the building and the force. Right now they had just six sworn offices. Jake hoped to add two more. Ernie had shuffled more and more of the administrative work on him. About four-thirty he grabbed his coat and cap and checked in with the chief.
    “I’m gonna get out of here early. I told Jim and Susie I’d run the Morgan kid home, so I’ll be in my truck. I’ll have my cell phone with me, though.”
    “Careful. Scanners are starting to light up with a lot of traffic problems north of here along the interstate. Looks like this is switching over to freezing rain.”
    Jake frowned. All they needed was an ice storm. Snow was one thing, but when things iced up, nobody moved no matter what they drove. He stopped by his house and grabbed the food he’d forgotten, tossing the box onto the backseat of the four-door truck. A half hour later he halted in front of Tarpley’s.
    The snow indeed switched over to thick drops of freezing rain. They plopped like syrup on the windshield before the wipers whisked them away. Why was he doing this? Holly didn’t even live in Mountain Meadow, and she hadn’t given him any come-hither looks. Hell, maybe that was it. She was so determined to do everything on her own… Tyler slipped and slid his way to the passenger door and climbed in. Jake waved to Jim and Susie across the seat.
    “Buckle up. This could be an interesting ride home.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Have you talked to your sister to let her know you’re on the way?” Jake put the truck in gear. When Tyler didn’t respond, he glanced over and saw the boy shift. “Tyler? Did you call her?”
    “Our phone’s shut off.”
    Jake started to swear, remembered the boy sitting next to him, and bit his tongue, smacking his palm against the steering wheel instead. “You mean to tell me your stubborn sister is all alone out there on bed rest with no way to call anyone?”
    “Yes.” Tyler’s voice shook. “We couldn’t pay it, so they cut it off last week.”
    Last week ? Why hadn’t she said anything? He’d been by several times.