A Christmas Prayer: An Autistic Child, a Father's Love, a Woman's Heart (Christmas Romance) by Linda Wood Rondeau Page B

to “come clean” as she’d said, intending to disclose his relationship to Gib, judge’s order or not.
    He called Kyle. “I already know you’re at Alexis’s. Any luck?”
    “No.”
    “Need help?”
    “Not yet. I stopped by to see if Alexis had any other ideas where Gib might have gone. I know you think highly of the kid, but stay where you are. Can’t get you a detail and look for Gib, too.”
    For the first time, he realized his presence in Jasper Falls had inconvenienced many, and he had not been the help he’d intended to be. “Doesn’t the kid have a GPS tracker? I hear they’re becoming more popular for disabled children.”
    “Alexis tried a few different ones. Gib ditched all of them.”
    “You’ll call me if you find him?”
    “Third on my list of notifications.”
    “Third?”
    “Alexis and my chief before you.”
    Awareness bruised. As far as Jasper Falls was concerned, Ethan Jacobs, a rising star of Country Music, was not their king. He was subject to the rule of law here as anywhere. He had thought that perhaps he could return, throw his money around, and the town would honor him as their favorite son. Respect must be earned, not bought.
    He loved Gib, perhaps more from duty, though the more he knew of him, the larger his love became. Alexis showed more love through locked cabinets than Ethan did with a roomful of Tony Lama boots.
    When he first learned about Gib, he was an issue, a problem, something Ethan’s Christian nature told him to fix. How? What was God’s plan? Had the Lord given him an opportunity to correct the mistake he’d made long ago? He told Jan MacKendrick he’d be happy to slow his career down, write more songs, and be on the road less. Hardly a sacrifice. He’d never liked being a roadie.
    Ethan returned to his band. “Danny, can I borrow your rental?”
    His bass guitarist looked up with questioning eyes. “If you smash it, you pay the penalty.”
    “Of course.”
    Danny tossed him the keys.
    “You guys keep rehearsing without me. Make sure you break for lunch. On me.”
    “Where to in such a hurry?”
    “Have a hunch where the kid is.”

Chapter Thirteen
    Ethan remembered his old hiding place, a quarter mile behind the Duncan Mansion, beyond the encircling thickets and forestry. He wondered if the trail still led to the small, secluded pond that dropped fifteen feet below the steep embankment in most places. Sometimes, he’d go there with a liquor bottle and a girl. Only the serious hikers and those seeking refuge from the tumult knew of its existence. Those who did made it their special place, secreted from most of Jasper Falls.
    Over the last few days, Ethan had grown acutely aware of Gib’s ability to disappear underneath the noses of the Gideon staff, something Ethan had also excelled at in his youth. Gib found hiding places known only to the architects and the extremely curious. Not so unlikely for him to know about the pond and its only access point.
    Ethan combed his hair forward, slipping on sunglasses and a cap he kept in his jacket for those times he didn’t want to be recognized. If memory served him right, the dirt access road would take him most of the way through the forest. He’d have to hike the rest of the way. He trudged through the snow, carefully marking the trees so he could find his way back.
    When he reached the drop-off, he called out for Gib. No response—only his own echo. A deer grazing on the other side caught his attention. There it was, the clearing and graduated slope where he had run away to so many times in his youth. He followed the treacherous rock ledges along the embankment until he reached the clearing.
    He remembered the series of large boulders at the pond’s edge. He looked behind the largest one first. There was Gib, fast asleep, his small head peeking up from a mound of pines. Ethan crouched next to Gib and gently shook his coverings.
    Gib’s eyes shot open. “How did you find me?”
    “I used to come here