by Amy Burnt
“That dressing was as good as you said it would be,” Jake said and patted his stomach appreciatively.
“Yes, but now I feel like curling up and taking a nap. I normally don’t eat such big meals during the work day,” Abby said as she stretched her arms.
Jake insisted upon paying the check when it came, and afterward they bundled up to dart across the parking lot.
“So where do you live around here?” Jake asked Abby on the drive back to the airport.
“I have a cozy little cottage in the woods not too far from here. Connor and I are very happy in our little piece of paradise,” she happily answered.
Jake tried not to show his obvious disappointment. She was taken. Of course she was taken. She was beautiful, smart, sexy, and mechanically inclined. What was there not to love? He fell quiet for the rest of the short ride.
“I’ve got to make a couple of calls,so I will catch up with you in a little while,” he told her when he had parked.
“Um, okay,” Abby said, sounding slightly miffed. She jumped out and headed to the main buildings. While Jake watched her walk away, he noticed that the sky looked heavy with snow clouds, and the snow was already beginning to fall.He sat back in the driver’s seat to think about this new revelation with Abby. Obviously, this Connor guy couldn’t mean too much to her, since she had only just mentioned him now. On the other hand, she seemed pretty happy to be living in the middle of nowhere in a little house with the guy.
Even though it wasn’t his style to go after a woman with a boyfriend, after weighing his options for several moments, Jake decided that he still wanted to pursue Abby. He found himself tempted to ask her the simplest questions, just so he could find out the answer, like How did she take her coffee? And What was her favorite color? No other woman had ever made him feel this way or want to know these little things. This whole experience was new and thrilling to him.
After all of his contemplation, he called Will to see if things were still going well with Scarlett, but the call went straight to voicemail.
Chapter Three
“Okay, those clouds look like they mean business,” Scarlett said as she pointed to the sky while they rode the lift up the mountain. She and Will had been on the slopes for hours now, but the weather had taken a sudden frigid turn from the sunny skies that had greeted them when they had first started skiing earlier.
“We probably need to head back,” she added, snuggling up to him for extra warmth.
“I agree. It wouldn’t be any fun to get stuck up here in a snowstorm,” Will said. When the lift reached its destination, they exited and made it down the mountain as quickly as they could. By the time they reached the bottom of the mountain, snow was falling heavily and the wind was blowing it everywhere.
“A cup of something hot sounds really good about now,” Will suggested through chattering teeth as they turned in the ski equipment they had rented.
“I would kill for a cup of hot cocoa. My toes are numb!” she said in agreement, rubbing her hands together.
The lodge was fairly packed with guests who had the same idea and were eager to get out of the blustery weather and warm themselves. Scarlett and Will exchanged a look.
“Maybe we should go ahead and make our way back to the cabin. This weather isn’t anything to play with, and we could be end up waiting a long time if we order something,” she told Will.
“You’re right. There is probably some hot chocolate or coffee in the cabin, anyway. The kitchen seemed pretty well stocked,” Will agreed. They gathered their things and took the short but uphill drive to Will and Jake’s rental cabin, just in the nick of time.
“If we had waited any longer, we would have been stuck at the lodge for sure,” Scarlett told him matter-of-factly after they had hurried inside, shaking the snow from their clothes and hair.
Will put his arms around Scarlett and nuzzled her neck. “It’s a good thing we left then,” he murmured into her ear.
Scarlett thrilled at the suggestive tone in his voice. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him toward the bedroom. She had some really good ideas on how to spend the time being holed up in a cabin during a snowstorm with the man of her dreams. Maybe this blizzard was more of a blessing in disguise than she realized. She now had the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with Will, free of all distractions. Unless his friend, Jake, made it back to the cabin somehow. The way it looked outside made her highly doubt that would happen, though.
“I can think of a much more fun way to warm up than hot cocoa,” Scarlett said, smiling sinfully as she led him in the direction of the bedroom.
* * * *
The airport was completely out of control. Because of the snowstorm, air traffic had come to a screeching halt. The passengers who had been connecting to other flights were directed to the only motel in Pinesville, and Abby and the other airport employees were busy for most of the afternoon shutting down everything at the airport as quickly as possible before they all got stuck in the terminal. Jake stayed busy helping the staff batten down the hatches against the blizzard.
“You should really go ahead and get home,” Abby admonished him. “This storm is going to cover the roads really quick,” she added. Jim and Abby were sending people home as soon as jobs were finished, and soon only the two of them, as well as Jake, were left closing up.
“I am not leaving until you leave,” Jake said. They flew around locking doors and turning off machines.
“Okay you two, this old man is leaving. I don’t want to spend the night here. You both should be leaving now, too,” Jim said when they had finished.
“Okay, Dad. I am leaving in a few minutes. I just have to send out a couple of flight schedule changes and messages that the airport will be closed until further notice, since Scarlett is off today,” she said and gave her dad a hug and a kiss.
“I will wait to leave until she leaves,” Jake assured Jim. He wanted to make sure the older man knew that his daughter was in safe and capable hands.
After Jim left, Jake said, “Abby, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but you really need to hurry up if you plan on leaving. It is coming down strong out there. Everywhere I look is blurry white.” He was peering out the office window at the deluge of snow pouring from the sky.
“I just have to shut it down, and we can leave,” Abby said as she closed down the computer system.
“Maybe we should just stay here for the night. It is pretty bad out there,” Jake told her.
“That isn’t an option for me. Connor is terrified of storms and there is no way I am leaving him all alone,” Abby said as she was putting on her thick coat. Jake couldn’t imagine what strong and confident Abby could see in a guy who was scared of snow.
“If you are going to insist on leaving, I am coming with you. I think you are underestimating the severity of this storm, and if you get stranded, it will be better if you aren’t alone,” Jake said.
“You don’t have to do that. You need to get home yourself,” Abby pointed out.
“Well, I am not going to let you leave here all alone in the middle of a blizzard,” Jake insisted. He was not about to budge.
* * * *
Abby knew she had no choice but to let him accompany her home. The squaring of his shoulders and firm set of his jaw told her that he was not going to allow any other option if she chose to leave.
With a roll of her eyes, she muttered, “If you insist, but I want you to know that I am completely capable of taking care of myself.” Jake shrugged into his own coat,put his hand on Abby’s arm, and looked at her intently.
“I know you can, but this storm looks pretty terrible, and I couldn’t live with myself if something terrible happened to you while I was safe here in a warm and dry place that would be perfect for riding out a storm,” he told her with a hint of annoyance.
Abby swallowed. Jake’s proximity made her thought process cloudy, but his lightly veiled insult about her leaving made her want to punch him. Even though she was sure she wou
ld be fine, she really was secretly glad she wouldn’t have to weather the storm all alone, although she would rather die than admit it.
After bundling up with extra care, Abby locked the door, and they made their way across the blanketed parking lot to Abby’s truck. It took several moments as they fought against the wind and heavy snow. When they both were inside the cab, Abby cranked it up and sat there a moment, letting it warm up as they caught their breath. The trek across the lot had required a lot of energy.
“Oh my. You were right. It’s awful out here!” Abby exclaimed. If it wasn’t for Connor, she would get out of this truck and camp out in the airport until morning when the storm would be finished passing.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Jake said. She edged slowly out of the parking lot. If she was extra cautious, she was certain she would make it home safely.
“I think you are going to probably have to stay the night at my house,” Abby said as she gripped the wheel. “I have a comfy couch, a warm fireplace, and plenty of quilts,” she offered.
“That would be great. I appreciate it, as I have a feeling that only a person who has lost their mind would try to get somewhere in this storm,” Jake said through clenched teeth.
Jake’s snide comments were starting to annoy Abby.
“Look, I didn’t force you to come with me. You can keep your comments to yourself,” Abby told him.
“Geez. Okay, sorry. All this insanity for Connor has me on edge,” he replied.
Though the drive was taking considerably longer than normal, Abby let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she had been holding in when she turned onto Wildwood Road. Only one more mile and she would be pulling into her driveway.
Obviously, she let it out too soon, because when she had driven only twenty more feet, she hit a patch of ice and lost control of the wheel. For a few seconds, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Abby tried to correct the wheel, but it was too late. They ran off the road and into a large snow drift. The entire front end of the truck was encased in snow.
“Are you okay?” Jake asked after they abruptly stopped.
“Yes, I am fine,” Abby replied, breathing heavily from the shock.
“I told you we shouldn’t have left, Abby!” Jake said tensely.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Abby shot back as her adrenaline set in, making her shake.
“Yes, you did. I didn’t think you were the type of woman who needed to coddle someone like this Connor. I guess I was wrong,” Jake muttered.
At that remark, Abby saw red. She shoved at the driver’s side door until it opened against the snow and hopped out. She angrily stalked down the road to her house. Her anger and adrenaline were so strong, she barely noticed the frigid conditions. She didn’t care whether Jake would follow her or not. If he wanted to sleep in the truck, call for assistance, or walk all the way back to town, she didn’t care.How dare he! Connor meant the world to her and if it weren’t for that darned patch of ice, she would already be home safe and sound. That accident could have happened to anybody.
Thirty minutes later, she stomped onto her front porch, chilled straight to the bone. She shivered as she fumbled at the lock on the front door, her fingers not wanting to insert the key properly.She could hear Connor whining inside. Poor thing, she thought.
As soon as she opened the door, he was jumping on her.
“Calm down, boy. I’m here,” she cooed. She scurried to the kitchen to get one of the pills the vet had prescribed to give Connor during storms. After she coaxed Connor into taking his medicine by hiding it inside one of his favorite treats, she heard heavy footsteps on her porch. She went to see who was at the door.
Of course, it was Jake. She opened the door amid Connor’s incessant barking.
“Hush Connor!” she said before acknowledging Jake’s presence.
“Connor? Connor is a dog?” Jake questioned in surprise.
“Yes, Connor is a dog. A very frightened dog,” Abby tersely replied.
A look of relief crossed over Jake’s face.
“What did you think Connor was?” Abby questioned as she patted Connor’s head. He would be snoozing away very soon.
“I thought Connor was your loser boyfriend who needed you in a storm,” Jake sheepishly told her, still standing on her porch.
Abby sighed at the ridiculous mix-up. “Come in, Jake. It’s cold,” she motioned him inside.
“Do you think you could get a fire started?” she asked him as she shut her front door against the blustery wind. “Everything you need is right there.” She motioned toward the fireplace.
“Sure, no problem,” Jake quickly agreed, seeming anxious for a task.
Abby went to change into warm, dry clothes. After she changed into yoga pants and fleece pullover, she grabbed the biggest pair of pajama pants she owned and an oversized sweatshirt for Jake. He was a pretty big guy, and even though she was tall, the pants would surely still be several inches too short. It was all she had to offer, though.
She went back into the small living room and was greeted by the sight of Jake standing in just his boxers, inches away from the fairly impressive fire he had started. She turned away, embarrassed by the sight of an almost-naked guy making himself so comfortable in her living room.
“I brought you some clothes. I hope they’ll fit,” she said, holding them out to him while trying to keep her eyes averted.
“Thanks.Sorry about the lack of clothing, but my shirt and jeans were soaked through,” he explained as he took them out of her outstretched hand.
“I figured that was the case. You can change in my room. It’s the door on the left,” Abby said as she went into the kitchen to make them some coffee. She was going to have to get some dinner going soon, too. I hope the power doesn’t go out, she thought.
As soon as she started rummaging through the cabinets, the familiar silence of all electricity ceasing alerted her that the power, had in fact, made an exit. Crap, she thought as she busied herself locating candles, flashlights and her backup generator.
“So how do I look?” Jake asked with his hands on his hips. Abby paused in her search and turned to see what he meant. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle the laugh that threatened to burst out.
“You look . . . fine,” she said and cleared her throat to fight down the fit of giggles that had suddenly overtaken her. The pajama pants Abby had assumed would sort of fit Jake did not fit him at all. They were well above his ankles and way too tight.
“I can tell you mean that,” Jake laughed. Abby gave into her laughing spell and leaned over onto the counter until she could gather control of herself. Wiping the tears away, she took a deep breath.
“Jake, I wish I had something that actually fit you, but I’m not well stocked in the men’s clothing department,” she teased.
“It’s okay. At least they are dry,” Jake said as he bent down awkwardly to check on the fire.
“Yeah, I guess. So, the power’s out as you can see. I’ve got candles, plenty of firewood, and a backup generator, but I don’t like to use the generator unless it is an absolute dire emergency,” Abby explained.
“I think if we both camp out here in the living room, we will be good and warm. This is a pretty awesome fire, if I do say so myself,” Jake remarked as he poked at the logs.
Abby rolled her eyes. Men and their fascination with fire. She would never fully get it.
“All right. While you admire your handiwork, I am going to see what I can pull together for dinner. I’m thinking peanut butter and jelly,” Abby told him as she headed over to peek in her pantry.
“Whatever you have is fine with me,” Jake called out.
After she made a couple of sandwiches, she took them and some bottles of water into the much warmer living room. Jake had arranged a very comfortable-looking pallet on the rug in front of the fireplace. It looked like it was several quilts and blankets thick, and he had pulled the throw cushions from the sofa and chair onto it, as wel
l.
Between the candles scattered around the room, the roaring fire, and the soft pallet on the floor, Abby swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She felt nervous; this was all so romantic. Too romantic, Abby thought.
“I see you’ve been busy,” Abby remarked as she placed the sandwiches and bottles on the coffee table and sat on the sofa. She wasn’t ready to join Jake on the floor. She didn’t know if she could trust herself not to jump on him. It’s been way too long, she mused.
Jake turned to face Abby. “I figured we would need a warm place to sleep. The couch isn’t too close to the fire and it sure isn’t big enough for two,” he winked. Abby could feel her cheeks turning a rosy red, despite the chill on the sofa. What was this guy thinking? She had to admit, the more she got to know him, the more she liked him, but he was leaving in a few days. The path before her was far too familiar, and she refused to go down that road again.
“Well, the couch is big enough for one. One of us can sleep up here and the other on the floor,” Abby said with a decisive air.
“Whatever makes you most comfortable, Abby,” Jake said as he picked up a sandwich.
During dinner, Abby was consumed with her own thoughts. What was Jake expecting? Was he going to try to kiss her? She wasn’t sure she could withstand his charm if he did. Keeping a literal distance between them was the only way to keep things from turning really physical.
“Abby, I can hear your teeth chattering from all the way over here,” Jake said into the shadowy recess of the room. Abby had insisted on taking the couch, which was farther away from the warmth of the fire and farther away from the temptation of all the masculinity in the floor. Jake tried to get her to take the pallet, but she wouldn’t hear of it; she insisted he was her guest, after all.
“I-I’m f-fine,” Abby said. She tried to huddle further down into her mass of blankets, but she couldn’t escape the icy chill seeping into her bones.
