by Jaclyn Hardy
Heather knew if she climbed out of bed, she’d freeze, and she wasn’t quite ready to do that yet. Janie had already gone down to breakfast, leaving the room empty. The wind beat against the window, making Heather smile. Hopefully that meant Stuart was still around. Even that didn’t get her out of bed. If she went downstairs, the memories from last night might prove to be wrong.
She couldn’t believe she’d kissed him. It was on the cheek, but still—it was so completely out of character for her. But then, so was sitting up half the night playing card games with a guy. Why did she think getting into a relationship right now was a good idea? Not that it was going to happen. Stuart was a nice guy who she enjoyed hanging out with, who made her stomach flutter every time he smiled at her with those dimples. But it didn’t matter. She only had a few more days before it was time to go back to school. And with that came the letter that would determine her future—which meant she could end up on the other side of the country. The thought depressed her more than she cared to admit.
Her stomach rumbled for what had to be the hundredth time, and Heather sighed. It was time to get up. She reached down and grabbed her robe and pulled it into bed to warm it up.
Janie burst into the room. “You’re still in bed? Breakfast is about to be cleaned up.”
“I’m getting there.” Heather sat up and quickly shoved her hands into the sleeves of her robe. “Is it still crowded downstairs?”
“I think what you really want to know is if your guy is still here. And the answer is yes, but I don’t think he’s staying much longer.” Janie dropped onto her bed. “Why’d you come in so late last night?”
Heather grimaced. She’d hoped Janie was sleeping. “We were playing cards.”
“You’re not going to ditch this guy like all the others, are you? I like him.”
“I don’t ditch guys.”
Janie held up her hand. “Let’s see, there was Derek, Mitchell, that one crazy guy you brought home last semester.”
“His name was David and he wasn’t crazy.” Heather laughed at the expression on Janie’s face. “Okay, so he was a little crazy. How was I supposed to know he spouted Shakespeare at random moments?”
“You were dating him. You should have known.” Janie climbed off her bed and threw Heather’s clothes on the floor as she went through her luggage. “Wear this.”
Heather held up the floral blouse. “I don’t even know how this got in there.”
“I put it in there. It brings out your eyes.” Janie held a finger up in front of Heather’s nose. “Don’t let him go, or I’m going to be ticked. He’s the first guy you’ve actually smiled for. And besides, if he can survive playing a card game with you, he’s a keeper.”
“I’m not that competitive,” Heather mumbled, but she knew that wasn’t true. “Besides, why do you care?”
“Because I don’t want my sister being a cat lady.” Janie grabbed her room key from off the dresser. “Are you coming?”
Heather pointed at her hair. “You think I want to go down looking like this?”
“Oh, right. You fix that. I’ll go get your breakfast ordered.” Janie slammed the door before Heather had a chance to answer. For being twelve, Janie sure acted like she was twenty-five.
It was true that Heather had a bad record with guys, but she didn’t need her little sister to remind her every moment she got. But again, Heather had her residency coming up and couldn’t afford to get into a relationship right then. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and made sure she had her key and her phone before leaving the room.
People milled about the lobby, some helping take down Christmas decorations, while others chatted with friends or family. This hotel was insanely busy for being out in the middle of nowhere. The large windows were caked with snow from the blowing wind. It was a perfect time to stay inside.
Heather walked into the dining room and searched for Janie. Her parents waved from a table near the front. She weaved her way through and sat down to a breakfast of oatmeal and fresh fruit. Janie knew her well.
“Morning.” She drizzled honey over the oatmeal. “What are your plans for the day?”
“We were just trying to decide that. We’d hoped to go see the ranch, but it looks like the roads are going to be pretty bad.” Mom sighed. “We came to visit family, but we may just be hanging out here for the next few days.”
“That’s not so bad.” Heather took a bite of her oatmeal. It was cooked to perfection and still hot.
Dad raised his eyebrows. “I thought you wanted to get out of here.”
Janie shot her a sly look. “Mom, can I go play games?”
“Stay with your brothers.”
“Thanks.” She took off, leaving Heather with her parents.
Dad leaned forward. “Janie tells me you have a boyfriend. When did this happen?”
“Uh . . . depends on which boyfriend she’s talking about.”
“The guy who sat with us yesterday.” Dad studied Heather. “Was she right?”
Heather shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s a nice guy, and we’ve spent a lot of time together, but I’ve known him for what, three days?”
Mom laughed. “You realize that’s how long your dad and I knew each other before he asked me to be his girlfriend, right?”
“Really?” Heather looked between them. “How’d I never hear that?”
“We’ve told you that story, right?”
Heather shook her head. “I would have remembered that. I thought you two dated for a couple of years before finally getting married.”
“We did. But I knew as soon as I met her that I wanted her to be my wife. It just took a while to get her to agree.”
Mom elbowed Dad. “If I remember right, you had to finish your degree first.”
“That was part of it.” Dad chuckled. “We were at a dance and I saw her across the room. It took a bit to get up my nerve, but I finally asked her. I took her out the next two nights, and then asked her to go steady.”
Heather glanced up to see Stuart talking to a few friends on the other side of the room. Her heartbeat raced when he laughed at something someone had said. It took a second to realize her parents were watching her with smiles on their faces.
“He’s a nice guy. I just can’t let anything get in my way of getting this residency. I’ve worked too hard for it.”
“Sweetie, if you keep waiting for your residency or graduation or anything else, the right time will never come. We’re not telling you to marry the guy. We just want to see you happy, and Janie’s right. This is the happiest we’ve seen you in months. If not years.” Mom reached over and patted Heather’s hand. “Good luck. I think we’ll go see what their library has to offer.”
Heather waved at her parents, then stared down at her oatmeal. She couldn’t believe her parents were trying to match her with some guy she’d just met.
“Can I sit here? Or are you too into your oatmeal?” Stuart stood next to her table, smiling down at her.
“It’s not talking back.” She waited for him to sit. “No work today?”
“I’d hoped to head home but the drifts are too high. The joys of Idaho weather.” He leaned back in his chair. “If the wind dies down, I might be able to get home tonight, but I’m not holding my breath. It’s a white-out right now.”
Heather glanced over at the windows. These weren’t as caked with snow, but she couldn’t see much through the fog. “I wouldn’t want to go out there right now.”
“Good idea.”
“Is your new house going to be okay in this?” Heather pushed her bowl away and rested her arms on the table.
Stuart shrugged. “I hope so, but I won’t know until I go back. There aren’t any trees like there are here, so it’s getting the brunt of the wind.”
“Yikes.”
“Yeah, but it should be fine. I hope.” Stuart pulled out his phone. “I got a few pictures the other day.”
Heather took the phone from him and flipped through them. “
I love it. This is the kitchen?”
Stuart leaned in, and Heather caught the smell of his aftershave. “Yeah, I’m putting an island here, and another counter here with two ovens.”
“Wow. Plan to feed an army in that kitchen?” Heather had to focus on her breathing as his fingers brushed against hers.
“No, but it does have to feed my ranch hands. Whenever I hire some.” He scrolled through. “There’s my land. See that tree there in the distance?”
“That one?” Breathe, Heather. She pointed at a large cottonwood tree.
“Yep, that’s the end of the property.” He flipped to another picture. “And then I’m up against the mountain on this side.”
Heather’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t imagine owning that much land. “Seriously? What are you going to do with it?”
“Raise animals, grow crops, a little of everything.” He took his phone back.
“How’d you get that much land?” Heather caught herself. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.”
Stuart chuckled. “It’s okay. I actually inherited some of it from my great-grandpa. He bought up a lot of the land in the area, but never did much with it. He’s sold most of it over the years, but my dad convinced him to keep this plot. He’d wanted to use it himself, but Mom wanted to stay in town.”
“That’s cool. I think the most my dad ever inherited was my grandma’s car.” Heather laughed. “It was this old VW Bus and it was painted in rainbow colors. My dad drove it for years, and I was mortified every time he took me to school in it.”
“Does he still have it?”
“Nope. He sold it when he got the huge contract. Figured he should probably drive a respectable car. Strangely enough, I actually miss the thing.”
Stuart smiled. “Crazy how that happens.”
“Yes, it is.” Heather twisted a strand of hair around her finger until she realized what she was doing. “So what does your dad do?”
Stuart cleared his throat and looked down at the table. “He’s . . .”
“Hey, Stuart.” A guy walked up and glanced over at Heather before handing Stuart a paper. “Your dad says to check your phone. He’s been trying to call. The freezer is defrosting somehow and you’re about to lose everything inside.”
Stuart cursed under his breath and jumped up. “Sorry, gotta go.”
Heather stared after him in shock. So he was a grocer? That would be horrible to lose everything. She hesitated before jumping up to run after him. Maybe she could help. Then she could stay at her aunt’s house if the weather was too bad to get back out here.
“Hey, Stuart, wait.”
Stuart paused and turned, worry etched in his face. “Yeah?”
“Wait. Let me come with you. I can help.”
He shook his head. “You won’t want to help.”
“Of course I will. Just let me grab my coat.” Heather took the steps two at a time and grabbed her coat from her room. She could tell her mom and dad where she went later. She had to catch up to Stuart.
Stuart stood in the lobby, his expression guarded. “Ready?”
“Yep, let’s go.” Heather gasped as the door opened and the cold air hit them. “You want to drive in this?”
“I don’t have much of a choice.” He climbed into his truck and Heather climbed in on her side. “This could get bumpy.”
Heather grabbed onto the armrest on the door. “The roads aren’t clear yet.”
Stuart didn’t say anything as he gunned the motor and plowed through a snowdrift. “I’ll just have to clear it myself then.”
“So, why didn’t you do this before?” Heather cringed as they went over another drift. She really needed to just keep her mouth shut.
“Dad said he had everything under control. I shouldn’t have listened.” His face was set in a scowl as he concentrated on the road ahead.
Heather kept quiet and held on tight as they burst through snowdrift after snowdrift. Maybe she should have just stayed at the hotel—oh, right. She let go of the armrest and pulled out her phone to send a quick text.
Maybe jumping in the car wasn’t the most brilliant idea, but she couldn’t just sit there if something was wrong with the store. “Things are going to be okay, right? I mean, it’s snowing, so you have a freezer of sorts right there.”
Stuart shook his head. “Not this time. Dad wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t bad.”
He turned the corner and they slid for a moment before continuing on. Too bad she hadn’t had this truck after sledding last night. She wouldn’t have gotten stuck. But then she wouldn’t have had the chance to hang out with him the rest of the day. Of course, right now he wasn’t exactly the greatest company.
The town finally came into view and Heather could have kissed the ground. The roads were almost worse here. Fewer drifts, but the ice had them sliding, even with his four-wheel drive. Stuart pulled up to the curb and turned off the truck.
He sat there for a moment, clenching his jaw. “Please don’t hate me.”
“Why—” Heather cut off as Stuart jumped out of the truck and ran into the building.
She climbed out and pulled her coat tighter to her. The icy winds bit into her cheeks and nose and she ran inside the store. And stopped in shock. This wasn’t a grocery store. It was a butcher shop. Filled with guys shouting to each other while they moved huge slats of meat from one freezer to the other. No wonder he’d avoided talking about what he did.
The first time they’d met he’d made fun of her diet. When she asked what his dad did, the subject was immediately changed. He’d been afraid to tell her what he did for a living . . . for fear of losing her?
Heather shook her head and smiled as she pulled off her coat and grabbed a pair of gloves and an apron. The larger slabs were too heavy to carry, but she could take the cut-up pieces. The smell in the freezer was terrible. She had to step back out and take a deep breath before walking back into it.
It was too frenzied to talk to anyone or find out what needed to be done, so she just grabbed what she could and followed everyone else. The meat had names written on the sides, so she tried to keep them together the best she could with the ever-shrinking space in the freezer.
She went back for a second armful, snagging a mask on the way. It made breathing in easier, but still didn’t completely take away the smell. At least this way she wouldn’t pass out from lack of oxygen.
On her way out of the broken freezer, she ran into Stuart. His eyes widened as he looked down at the meat in her arms.
“I thought you’d left.”
Heather shook her head and kept moving. She wasn’t about to let go of the breath she was holding. After the last load had been moved, she sat down on a bench as far away from freezer as possible. The smell was still there, but it wasn’t quite as bad.
Stuart walked over and sat next to her. “Want me to take you to your aunt’s house? This could take a while.”
“What happened with it?”
“The electricity went out with the winds last night. Only thing Dad can figure is that there was a power surge when it came on. Knocked out the compressor.”
Heather flinched. The same thing had happened to their fridge when they’d gone on vacation one year. It hadn’t been great to come home to a week later. “Ouch. Are you sure you don’t need any more help?”
“Yeah, there’s not much we can do until we get the part. Thankfully we’d just emptied out several orders or it could have been worse.” Stuart rested his head against the wall.
“Okay. My aunt’s house is fine. I don’t want to brave those roads again any time soon.”
Stuart laughed. “Neither do I. I’ll let my dad know where we’re going.”
He went to the back while Heather put her coat back on and threw away her gloves, apron, and mask. A large man came out with Heather and wiped his hands. His smile was almost identical to Stuart’s.
“So you’re the one I’ve been hearing about. It’s nice to meet you.” He held out a hand. “Th
anks for all of your help.”
“You’re welcome. It’s nice to meet you too.” She shook his hand and winced at the strength in his grip.
Stuart put an arm around her and guided her toward the door. Heather’s stomach did flip flops as they walked toward the car. She immediately missed his touch when he let go to open the door.
The drive to her aunt’s house was short, but still adventurous. If anything, the roads had gotten worse in the hour or two they’d been inside the butcher shop. Stuart pulled up in front and stopped.
He cleared his throat. “So . . . you don’t hate me?”
“Why would I hate you?”
“Because . . . I’m the local butcher.” He played with a loose thread on the seat between them.
Heather laughed and shook her head. “Stuart, it’s a job. It’s not like I hate all meat-eaters. I actually loved a good hamburger up until a couple of years ago. But I had a few roommates who were vegetarians, and I got used to their food. After a while, I decided I felt better eating what they did and stopped eating meat.”
“So, going in there didn’t gross you out or anything?” he asked, surprised.
“You realize I’m going to be a surgeon, right? I’ve seen worse.”
His puppy dog eyes were too cute. She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, but this time, Stuart turned his head at the last moment and their lips met. Heather jumped back in surprise, then leaned in to kiss him again. When she finally pulled away, he seemed just as dazed as she felt. Her heart thudded in her chest as she fumbled to find the door latch.
“Thank you for the ride. See you around?”
“I sure hope so.” He hesitated. “What if . . . what if you didn’t go in there right now? Can we go to lunch or something instead?”
Heather looked over her shoulder at her aunt’s house. If she knew her aunt Cassie, she’d be staring out the window at them, but she didn’t care. “You don’t have to get back to the shop?”
He shook his head. “We’re closed for now, and the part won’t be here for a couple of days.”
