Page 46 of No Love Lost

Graham had texted Addy the night before that he was back from his training session and would look at her car today. With Heath in their life, she’d barely missed it, but she’d be happy to get Wabi back.

Heath had shown up in the morning to take Nina to school and make plans for what they were cooking together tonight. As Addison tended to default to grilled cheese and soup, she let the two of them make the choices.

Happy she hadn’t had to go out into the snowy, blowy day, she filled her tea mug and headed to her laptop. Excitement filled her as it always did when she dove into her stories. She wished she could somehow go back in time and assure that scared young girl that she’d be okay. That life would be good.

While her computer powered up, she opened the drawer for her current notebook and pens. She had only taken the laptop with her to Boston and she must have been in a hurry when she’d packed because her current notebook was in the wrong drawer.

It only took seconds to set up, take a sip of tea, and switch her brain to author mode. Then she dove into her other world.

Zigi was deep in the forest, learning the hard way that what birds ate didn’t always agree with humans when a crash had Addy bounding out of her chair.

Nothing was out of place in the main room or kitchen. A frigid breeze led her to her bedroom, where a tree had crashed through her window.

For a moment, she simply froze in place, staring at the mess. Glass spread over the dresser, the bed, and the floor. The pretty limbs of their Christmas spruce stuck right through the window, reaching the bed. Wind whipped into the room and snow was already building up on the dresser.

Addy pulled herself together and moved to change into her boots from her slippers. Then she moved back into the room and tried to shove the tree. “Come on, back where you belong.”

It didn’t work, but she needed to get that window cleared and closed up before the gap leached all the heat from the house.

Addy closed the door to her bedroom behind her and grabbed her phone from the desk. She texted Heath. A tree crashed through my window. Could you see if anyone at the farmhouse has a board I could use to cover it up?

It only took a moment for him to text back. Are you okay?

That made her smile. I’m fine. It was in my bedroom. I was working.

Good. I’ll find something and be there ASAP. Stay warm.

He was such a good man. Addy put on her jacket, hat, scarf, and mitts and tucked her phone and inhaler into her pocket. She stuffed a blanket under the door to her room, hoping to keep the cold contained to the bedroom.

Outside, the wind tried to snatch her breath, but the scarf kept out the worst of it. When she turned the corner, the wind hit her full in the face, and she turned to walk sideways and keep her breathing clear.

At the side of the house, she found the tree had snapped through, and her heart hurt. This was their Christmas tree, the one she and Nina always decorated for the season. There wasn’t room in their tiny home for a real tree, so they’d used this beauty instead.

The wind had been blowing all night, and their poor little spruce hadn’t been strong enough to withstand it. She had to blink away tears, and she knew Nina would be devastated about it as well.

At least the siding didn’t have more than scratches. With a sigh, Addy moved through the accumulated snow and tried to yank the tree out of the window. She heard a truck pull in and looked over to see Jonas hurrying her way. “Addison? Are you all right?”

“Hi, Jonas. I’m fine. This poor tree isn’t, though. It just snapped in the wind.”

“Was your daughter in the room?”

“No, she’s at school. It was just me at home, and I was working in another room.”

“That’s good. Let’s see if we can get the tree out. I’m sure I can find a board up at the house to cover it up afterward.”

“Thank you. I’m hoping Heath is on the way with something, but the faster we get this out, the better it will be.”

Together, they yanked at the tree but it was wedged in tightly. Addy worked to keep her back to the wind and her breathing in control, but it was a challenge.

The sound of more engines had her turning again. Heath and Sean jumped out of their own vehicles. A large board sat in the back of Sean’s truck. Heath moved toward her immediately. “Addy, you shouldn’t be out here. And you shouldn’t be exerting yourself in this wind. How’s your breathing?”

“I’m fine. It’s my house, and I’m not playing damsel in distress.”

Heath’s eyebrows shot up, and then he grinned. “You couldn’t pull off damsel in distress if you tried. Will you take a break when it bothers you?”

She nodded, happy he wasn’t trying to take over and was trusting her own judgment about her health.

With Heath and Sean’s help, it didn’t take long for the four of them to get the tree out of the window and the board nailed up. She hadn’t needed that break before anyone else. “Thank you. All of you. Come on in, and I’ll put on something hot. I’m sure we could all use it.”

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