Chapter 2: There is No Place Like Home

It was dark out as a car pulled into what looked like a parking place in the middle of the woods.

"Momma, are we here yet?" a little girl sitting in the back of the car asked.

Her mother responded back, "We are here honey, we are at Grandpa Aaron's lodge. We are going to sleep in the car tonight, it is too dark to make our way to the fishing lodge."

The next morning came early. "Hailey, are you ready. It has been a long, long time since I have been here. Not sure what shape the lodge will be in, so we will need to be very careful, okay."

Hailey answered, "Okay, Mamma".

The mother and daughter made the quarter a of mile hike to the lodge. From the outside it looked like it was in fairly good shape considering no one has taken care of it in about thirty years. Jennifer was hopeful they would be okay. She made Hailey stay outside as she walked around inside the lodge. The lodge looked like time stood still. Things were dusty, a bit dirty and a few windowpanes were broken. But all in all, everything looked good. She let Hailey come in and she showed her to her bedroom.

A couple of days later, after Jennifer and Hailey were getting settled in, Jennifer took Hailey around the surrounding area so she could familiarize herself with it. They collected some berries to eat. Then when they returned, they would go fishing on the Lake to catch dinner. Jennifer was teaching her daughter how to fish. Then she would fix up the lodge to get it ready for winter.

Jennifer did not let Hailey go far from the lodge without her. One day while Jennifer was inside working on cleaning and Hailey was outside near the lake a young man approached her.

"Hello," said the young man.

"Hello," said Hailey.

"I am Alex Hawkes, what is your name?"

"I am Hailey Pete… hmm," as Hailey had to remember the newest last name she was using. She had little issue with the new last name and said it slowly, "Hailey Mont…gom…ery, Nice to meet you, Alex. Are you going fishing?"

"Yes, are you?" Alex asked.

"Yes, but I am not very good at putting the worm on the hook and taking the fish off. My mom helps me, but she is busy working inside. I am hoping to surprise her with some dinner," Hailey explained.

"Is it okay if I join you? I can help you with that and show you some tricks," Alex explained. He thought it would be nice to fish with someone besides his dad or fish alone.

"That would be great. How old are you, I am ten. We just moved here," Hailey said.

"I am fifteen. I have lived here since I was five, but I have been coming up here my entire life. We live in the cabin my grandfather built about an hour and a half from here by horse," Alex explained. Then he asked Hailey, so many questions. "Where did you move from? How long are you staying? Is it just you and your mom? What about your dad?"

"We came from a small town in Iowa. It took days to drive here. This is our new home or at least for now. Momma promises we will live here for a while. We have moved a lot. It is just my mom and me. My dad died in a car crash before I was born. So, it has always just been the two of us."

"I am sorry, my mom died when I was 5. We moved up here for good right afterwards," Alex said sadly. "I have very few memories of her, but she was beautiful, and my dad really misses her. I see him staring at her picture. He visits her grave often when we go to South Lake Tahoe."

"I don't think I have ever seen a picture of my dad. My mom does not talk about him much," Hailey said sadly.

"Did your mom buy the old Lodge? I have never known anyone to stay here before," Alex asked.

"No, my mom's grandfather owned this place. She was little older than me when she moved up here," Hailey said.

"I wonder if my dad knows your mom. My dad lived here most of his life," Alex said wondering.

"What do you do for school?" Hailey asked.

"I am home schooled by my dad. I am only gone into school to take tests occasionally," Alex explained.

"That is what I will be doing too," Hailey said.

Hailey suddenly got a bite on her pole. Alex started to walk her thru the process.

Jennifer stepped out the door to check on her daughter. She saw her fishing, but she was not alone. There as a man with her daughter. Jennifer was scared.

She decided to call her daughter back to the lodge in hopes of scaring the man away.

"Hailey, where are you?" Jennifer shouted.

"Over here momma" Hailey answered.

"Hailey, I need you to come in now."

"But momma we were just fishing," Hailey pleaded, "I want you to meet my friend."

"Hailey, NOW!" Jennifer interrupted with a stern voice.

"Sorry, Alex I have to go. Good to meet you," Hailey said. Hailey grabbed her fish and ran up the hill to her mom.

"You too, maybe we can do it again," Alex responded. Alex watched has Hailey got up to her mother and they went into the lodge. Jennifer gave Alex a cold look before heading in.

"Hailey, who was that?" Jennifer asked.

"That is my new friend, Alex."

"Where did he come from?" Jennifer asked.

"He lives about an hour and half from here with his dad. He gets home schooled, just like I am going to be," Hailey said.

"So, what did you tell him about us?"

"I told him I was Hailey Montgomery and we moved here from Iowa. Just like you said," Hailey said proudly.

"Good job sweetie," Jennifer praised her daughter. She hoping that is all she said. "Remember we have to be careful, so the bad men don't find us."

That evening Cody and Alex sat down for a nice dinner with the fish that Alex had caught earlier in the day with Hailey.

Cody asked his son, "Good fish, where did you catch it."

"At Lake Jen, by Aaron Bass's Lodge". Alex answered. "Oh, dad there are people living out there now. The Montgomery's."

"Montgomery's, hmmm don't know that name," Cody said.

"I was teaching Hailey how to fish. I ran into her when I was going to my favorite fishing hole. She said they just moved in, and she is hoping for a more permanent place. Sounded like they have moved around a lot."

"Hmmm. No one has lived there in about thirty years," Cody responded.

"Hailey said her mom grew up there. That Aaron Bass was her grandfather," Alex said.

"Did she say if her mom's name is Jen?" Cody asked.

"No, did you know Aaron's granddaughter?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, sweet kid, very talkative and curious about everything," Cody said.

"She did not seem to want Hailey to hang around me, when she saw us together, she ordered Hailey inside. Before her mom went into the house, she just gave me a look, it gave me a cold chill," Alex said. "The other weird thing, Hailey started to introduce herself as Peterson and then changed it to Montgomery."

Cody reassured his son, "I will walk down there and talk to her, reintroduce myself. I imagine you had some bad timing, does not sound like the kid I used to know. She was very friendly."

A few days later there is a man walking around the Lodge. Carefully staying out of sight but spying on the Lodge. Then there is the sound of a shot gun being cocked. Jennifer was pointing a gun at Cody's head.

"You move, you die," Jennifer said to the man. "Keep your hands up and slowly turn around," Cody did what she said in forceful tone. "Get on your knees".

Cody was not liking how this was going but complied.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Jennifer said trying to stay as strong as possible. Not showing any fear.

"Jennifer is that you?" Cody asked.

"I am asking the questions here. Who are you and what are you doing here," Jennifer sounded a bit angry.

"I am Cody Hawkes; I live about an hour and half from here. My son Alex was here the other day fishing with your daughter? My family was close to Aaron Bass, and I was just checking to see who was now living here. Jennifer, do you remember me?" Cody was trying to get through to Jennifer. Things did not seem to be registering too fast.

"Cody…Cody Hawkes?" Jennifer seemed confused.

"Yes, Cody Hawkes. I have a brother Matt and my father was Jesse Hawkes," Cody confirmed. Everything was finally sinking in for Jennifer and she lowered her gun. Cody slowly got up.

"Cody, I am sorry. I did not recognize you," Jennifer said. "Why were you sneaking around?"

"My son mentioned someone was living here. He met your daughter, but I wanted to make sure who was here, squatters or something. What is with the gun?" Cody asked.

"This world is not a safe place. You never know who might be lurking around," Jennifer said. "So, Alex is your son?"

"Yes, bit of a chip off the old block," Cody stated. "What brings you back to the mountains, after so many years?"

"Just trying to get a fresh start, thought this would be a quiet place to be," said Jennifer.

"Some place to disappear?" Cody asked.

"Something like that," Jennifer confessed.

"If you and your daughter need help getting ready for winter, Alex and I would be more than happy to help," Cody offered.

"The place is in pretty good shape. I think we will be okay," Jennifer said. "I need to go, bye Cody". She turned around and left. It does not seem like her daughter told her everything. Now she is wondering if they should stay or if they should hit the road again. She knows Hailey would be unhappy moving again but might be necessary to keep them safe.

Cody could not understand what just happened. First Jennifer pulls a gun on him and then she just took off. She did not recognize him or remember him. It had been many years since he had seen her, but she had changed a lot. Cody thought he would have gotten a warmer reception. He felt she was so focused that he was there to hurt her, she did not know him or that maybe really was not Jennifer.

Jennifer went back into the lodge, shut the door, and locked it. She just slid down onto the floor. She brought her shaking hand to cover her mouth with the other hand holding the shot gun. She could have easily shot Cody Hawkes, so afraid who might be out there. She put her head onto her knees and cried until she could get herself under control.

A week later Cody walks into the ranger station. David was staffing the desk.

"Hey, David. Is Josh in?" Cody asked.

David answered, "I think he is in the kitchen?"

"Thanks man," Cody went back into the kitchen, only Josh was there.

"Josh, how are you doing?" Cody asked.

"Good Cody, what brings you off that mountain to civilization," Josh asked.

"I had to get Alex registered for school, get his materials, and supplies for the winter," Cody answered.

"Where is that rugrat?" Josh asked.

"Getting spoiled by his Aunt Robin. I think she would adopt that boy if I let her," Cody answered. "But I think I will keep him," both men laughed.

Cody asked, "Hey Josh, can I ask a favor?"

"Anything for you man," Josh answered.

"Alex told me that someone is living up at Aaron Bass's old lodge. Forestry department has no record of anyone staying there. Can you look up some names for me?" Cody asked.

"Of course, who is it?"

"Jennifer Peterson, Montgomery, or Jacobs and see what you can find out about her. She has a 10-year-old daughter named Hailey. Alex mentioned that the mother is Aaron Bass's granddaughter Jen. When I talked to her, she seemed a bit off. Like she did not know me. Or totally afraid of something or someone."

Josh asked, "Why multiple names?"

"Jacobs is Jen's maiden name. When Hailey introduced herself, she had said Peterson first, but then changed it to Montgomery. It took her a bit to pronounce her last name. Someone her age should be able to pronounce her last name without thinking about it. It seems a bit odd. When I got to the cabin, I was looking around to check out the situation before walking up. Jennifer snuck up on me and had a shot gun pointed at my head. She tracked me in the woods, and I did not hear her. When I told her a who I was, it seemed to take a while for it to register. Almost like she was on drugs, or she did not know me or knew who I was."

"You must be getting old man, if she was able to sneak up on you," Josh said. Cody was an expert tracker and for someone to sneak up on him is unusual. "Cody, I will do some looking around. Give me a couple of hours and I will let you know."

"Thanks Josh. I will be in town for a while, so just call. And can you keep it between us, for now. I do not think Wilson would be too happy with you helping me," Cody asked, but he really did not need to ask.

"Sure man," Josh said as he headed back to the office to get to work.

Couple hours later Cody got a text message from Josh on his findings. They decided to meet away from the ranger station and away from prying ears. Josh was off duty now, so they met at a nearby Park.

"Cody, this is very strange," Josh said. "So, I looked up Jennifer Peterson and Montgomery. I did not find anyone fitting that description based on the information you gave me. This is where gets a bit stranger. I looked up Jennifer Jacobs. She is married to Roy McGovern in Miami, Florida. About eleven years ago Jennifer McGovern was reported missing. Then few months later Jennifer filed for divorce in Nebraska. The partition was never granted. Then nothing. Like Jennifer Jacobs McGovern no longer existed, there are no records of her. There is no record of child born to Roy and Jennifer McGovern. Or child born to just Jennifer McGovern or Jacobs. However, Jennifer was hospitalized few years earlier. She had fallen down some stairs where she broke her arm and caused a miscarriage. There was a police report made on possible spousal abuse, but later it was stated the fall was self-inflicted and it was closed."

"What?" Cody exclaimed.

"There is more. Her husband, Roy McGovern is a police officer in Miami. He closed the missing person's case after the divorce papers were issued. But he never signed them. There is no other sign of Jennifer since then, she just disappeared" Josh explained.

"Hailey told Alex that her father had died before she was born," Cody said.

"Do you think she is running from an abusive husband or is she really not Jen?" Josh asked.

"Possibly, can you keep it between us for now. I am going to see if I can feel her out and see what is really going on," Cody said.

"Sure, thing Cody," Josh said. "Hey, I heard Commander Wilson is retiring in 5 months or so. Are you thinking of putting your name in to replace him?"

"Na, it is not the life for me. Matt tried to convince me again, but I told him no," Cody answered. "I told him you should be the next commander."

"Cody, it will never happen. I do not know what your brother has against me, but he would never name me the CO," Josh said.

"I don't know either, he can be a bit of a block head," Cody teased. Josh just smiled and chuckled.

At Matt and Robin's house, Alex was visiting with his Aunt Robin. Alex and Robin are eating lunch.

"Aunt Robin, you are a girl, right?" Alex asked.

"Last I checked," Robin chuckled. "What is it, Alex?"

"Last time I had to go into school and take a test, I met this beautiful young lady, Christy. We have been emailing back and forth ever since," Alex said shyly. "She wants me to take her to a school dance.

"Does your dad know about this?" Robin asked.

"No, he won't understand," Alex said.

"I think he would more than you know," Robin remembering that Cody was quite girl crazy at that age. Cody was a bit awkward around them too, all he knew about women was from Jim Cutler's romance novels.

"He is not interested in that kind of stuff," Alex said. "I don't think he even knows what it is to date or how to dance."

"Well, I can teach you about dancing," Robin said. "But I think you should talk to your dad about girls and dating. Your dad loved your mom so much. He was such a romantic with her. When your mom died, that part of him died with her. I think he has been so focused on raising you, he has forgotten that part of himself. You are a lot like your dad when he was your age. I hope someday your dad will find someone to love again. He has a big heart and lot of love inside him.

"If you say so," Alex said looking down.

"Talk to him, he will listen," Robin said giving him a side hug. "Are you ready for that first dance lesson?"

"Yeah," Alex answered.

"Let's go," Robin said. Robin got Alex into the proper stance and giving him instructions on how to slow dance. Alex would step on her feet from time to time but was catching on. The two were laughing and having an enjoyable time.

Cody walked into Matt and Robins house thru the kitchen. He could hear Robin and Alex in the living room. He peaked into the room and saw that Robin was teaching his son how to dance. He snuck out and went to Matt's office to speak to his brother.

Even though Cody and Matt fought the last time they saw each other; they were still brothers who loved each other and respected one another. The continuous fight they had was about Cody and Alex moving back to South Lake Tahoe, Cody had just learned to ignore it.

"Hey Matt," Cody thought he would talk to Matt about Jen. See if he knew anything about what happened to her. Matt was last one to see Jennifer and was the one who found Aaron when he died. The rangers had done a wellness check on him. Aaron had passed away in his sleep. Matt got hold of Jennifer and helped her with the arrangements. But when it came time for the funeral, the rangers were called away on a search and rescue. Robin had gone into labor and Matt was by her side. Cody had been working at Glacier National Park and could not get away. Jesse was still a bounty hunter in San Francisco. Matt tried to get his father to come back for the funeral as Aaron was like a father to him, but no use. Outside some locals who knew Aaron. Jennifer was all alone to say goodbye to her grandfather.

"Hey Toad, never guess who I saw last week?" Matt teased.

"Who?" Cody suspected but wanted to get Matt's reading on her.

"Jennifer Jacobs, I guess Jennifer Montgomery now. She came by the station with her daughter to introduce themselves to the rangers and brought some very good snacks to the crew," Matt said. "She said she ran into you at the lodge. Something like sneaking up on you with a gun."

"Yeah, never heard her coming," Cody said with a cautious smile. "We really did not have a chance to talk."

"It is so sad that her husband died in a car accident a few months before Hailey was born. She reminded me so much of Jennifer at that age," Matt took a deep breath.

"Do you know what brought her back here now?" Cody asked.

Matt answered, "Sounded like she was looking for some change, a new start. She inquired about some part time work, maybe something that paid cash."

"She said about the same to me," Cody decided to keep Josh's findings to himself for now. He wanted to see how Jennifer would re-act.

Matt and Cody joined Robin and Alex in the living room. Robin and Alex were slow dancing.

"Do I have something to be jealous about?" Matt chuckled.

"Never my love," Robin said and gave him a kiss.

"So, what is with the dance lessons?" Cody asked.

"Just trying to give this mountain man some class," Robin piped up. She looked at Alex and gave him a wink. They had a secret between them. Alex had a girl at the local high school that he been emailing. He is hoping to ask her to one of the upcoming dances. He is shy and wanted first to see if he could dance. Living up in the mountains he did not have the opportunity to go to dances and be around many women.

"So, is this kid causing you any problems Robin?" Cody smirked.

"He is a perfect angel, outside of stepping on my toes. I would keep him if you let me," she said with a wink and a smile.

"You can pay for his grocery and clothing bills. He is eating me out of house and home and growing like a jack rabbit," Cody said jokingly.

Josh was eating some snacks that were in the kitchen back at the ranger station. "Kelly, did your mom make these cookies, very good," Josh said with a mouthful.

"No. it was that new resident at Aaron Bass's Lodge. She came to introduce herself and her daughter and brought us some treats," Kelly said.

"What was her name?" Josh asked.

"Jen and Hailey Montgomery, I believe," Jessica answered. "Seemed like a nice family. She came when you were off last week."

Jasper walked into the kitchen, "Thought we were not going to tell Josh about our visitor, so we can have all the goodies for ourselves."

They laughed. "Jasper, that lady was a friend of our dad, wasn't she?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, he knew her when she was younger. He was extremely excited to see her," Jasper said.

"Thanks for the info and for sharing," Josh grabbed another cookie before leaving the room. Then with a cookie sticking out of his mouth he texted Cody to give him a heads up.

Jennifer was sitting in the kitchen at the lodge looking at an unpaid tax bill she had picked up while in town. There was no way she could come up with the money to pay the back taxes on Aaron's Lodge to keep it. She had never planned to come back. Aaron's estate covered the taxes for many years. She never worried about it. There was a notice that the property will be auctioned off in the spring, unless she could pay missed taxes and fines. She just hoped they could get through the winter before they would have to leave.

Cody and Alex headed down to the lodge on horseback. Cody has brought Jennifer a peace offering to hopefully get her to open up. It was an unusually warm fall day. People were out hiking, camping, fishing, and rock climbing one last time before the cold brisk winter headed in.

Cody and Alex pulled up to the lodge, just as Jennifer and her daughter were heading out of the cabin with their fishing poles.

"Good morning," Cody yelled. He did not want Jennifer to think they were spying and sneaking up on them.

Hailey shouted, "Are you here to go fishing with us?"

Cody responded, "if it is okay with your mom. I am Cody Hawkes; I am Alex's dad."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Hawkes, mamma is it okay?" Hailey looked at her mom.

"Go ahead, but don't go too far" Jennifer said. She watched them closely. Alex and Hailey heading down to the lake. Jennifer and Cody hung back a bit.

Cody said, "I want to apologize for scaring you the other day. Alex told me someone had moved in, but I wanted to make sure who was here before approaching the lodge. There have been some issues with people with drugs and stuff throughout the mountains."

Jennifer said, "I guess I should apologize for pulling a gun on you."

"I probably would have done the same," Cody said with a smile. Jennifer smiled back.

"I brought you a peace offering. I was down at the ranger station last week and Matt mentioned you did not have a radio yet. I brought an extra one we have."

"Cody, thank you. It would be helpful," Jennifer said gratefully.

That was the first time that Cody had seen glimpse of the old Jen. She seemed more at ease than their last encounter.

"Let me help you get it set-up and I can show you how to work it," Cody said and Jennifer nodded.

Cody grabbed the equipment, and they headed inside. Cody was able to get the radio and antenna set up. He was able to show her how to use the equipment and verified with the ranger station that it worked.

Jennifer stepped away for a bit. Cody was at the dining room table and noticed a pile of papers. He looked to make sure she was not close, and he started looking thru them. At the top of the pile was the unpaid tax bill. He looked at it and then heard Jennifer coming back. He quickly put it back on the pile.

Alex and Hailey caught a number of fish for lunch. Cody and Alex got the fish cleaned up, as Jennifer got everything else ready. The four them had wonderful time talking about the weather of the day, the beauty of the fall leaves, and stories of what it is like to live up in the mountains. The conversation was going well. Cody made sure they had enough firewood to last a while. Cody offered to come back and have them cut some more. They decided to walk around a bit before Cody and Alex had to leave. Days were getting shorter, and they wanted to get back home before dark. Jennifer had taken off her coat as she was getting warm from their walk. Cody noticed a long scar on the back of her arm.

"What happened?" Cody grabbed the back of her arm.

"Oh that. I fell off the curb and landed right on my elbow. I did a real number on it," Jennifer explained.

"Looks like it was painful?" Cody asked.

"It was and sometimes is. It was a long time ago," Jennifer voice faded as she spoke.

"Matt mentioned that Hailey's father died in a car accident before she was born?" Cody asked.

"Yes, he died on the scene. Couple months before Hailey was born," Jennifer answered.

"He was your second husband?" Cody decided might be suitable time to get her reaction about Roy.

"What?" Jennifer asked.

Cody closed his eyes. He knew he screwed up. He probably should not have asked yet; it had been a good day, and he may have just spoiled it.

"I know you were married to Roy McGovern, and you partitioned for divorced about a year before Hailey was born. So, I assume you married again to Hailey's father," Cody confessed.

"How did you know about Roy? I have not told anyone about him. Not Matt, not anyone," Jennifer was getting defensive.

"When Alex was here some things Hailey said did not make sense. Then when I saw you, you were acting off. I had a friend investigate your background," Cody explained.

"Cody, what gives you the right to look into my past," Jennifer said.

Cody just laid it all out there, "Are you really Jennifer Montgomery or are you Jennifer McGovern, Jennifer Peterson? who are you? There is no record of Jennifer McGovern after you filed for divorce. You just disappeared. There was missing person put out on you and they just closed it. Who are you? Did Roy hurt you?" Cody just spilled it all out there.

Jennifer was about to slap Cody, but his reactions was quicker, and he grabbed her wrist preventing her from slapping him. Jennifer stiffed and her eyes filled with terror. Cody saw it and let go of her arm. He knew he went too far. She had been badly hurt by someone in her past.

"Hailey, say your goodbyes. It is time for Cody and Alex to leave," Jennifer shouted.

"Momma!"

"Now!" Jennifer shouted, she then turned to Cody, "You need to leave now."

"Jennifer, I am sorry," Cody pleaded. "Just let me explain."

Jennifer fired back strongly, "Cody, you need to leave now and don't come back. I don't need people like you in my life."

Cody and Alex got on their horses and left. Jennifer and Hailey went into the lodge. Jennifer sent Hailey up to her room. Jennifer just broke down.

"Cody, what did you do?" Jennifer was shaking and crying.

"Mamma, are you okay?" Hailey asked her mom, "Did Mr. Hawkes make you sad?"

"I am okay, baby girl," Jennifer tried to comfort her daughter.

"Why can't Mr. Hawkes come back, can Alex?" Hailey asked.

"Cody and I disagree on some things. I think it best that Cody and Alex stay away for a while," Jennifer said.

"He is my friend. I want to see him again," Hailey was angry at her mom.

"Hailey, just can't see him right now. It is not forever. I just need some space right now, from his father. We just need to work out some grown up stuff," Jennifer said.

"I guess, momma," Hailey was sad.

"How about tomorrow we go boating out on the lake and have a picnic," Jennifer tried to cheer her daughter up.

"Then will you make up with Mr. Hawkes? I want to stay here momma; I don't want to move again," Hailey pleaded.

"Hailey, I just need some time to think," Jen's world was crashing around her. She did not expect that things would fall apart here so fast. She never thought Cody would be that suspicious of her and investigate her past. Could she trust Cody or Matt about her secrets? All she wanted was to forget about her past with Roy. She had not been this scared in a long time. She wondered if Cody's research would lead Roy right to her. He has found her several times in her past and she was afraid he will do it again.