Page 13 of A Wedding in the Bay

Her thoughts were interrupted as a fierce gust of wind blew against her car, rattling it. Johanna winced as she turned out of the grocery store parking lot and started driving toward her cottage. She reminded herself that the most difficult part of her trip was over—now all she needed to do was walk from her car into her house with the bag of groceries.

She arrived home and smiled quietly to herself when she saw her house. Nestled quietly amidst snowdrifts, it looked peaceful and inviting. Despite the intensity of the weather, she was still very glad that she had moved to Blueberry Bay. She had found life to be warmer and more peaceful ever since she’d come there.

She parked her car inside her little garage and shut the door. Then she hurried inside her house through the back door, letting out a sigh of contentment as soon as she was inside her warm kitchen. She tossed her keys down onto the kitchen counter, and then set the grocery bag down beside them.

As she glanced at the clock, she realized that the mail must have come by then. Letting out a groan, she turned back toward the door. Ordinarily she would have let getting the mail wait till another day on such a cold afternoon, but she was expecting a package with a new book in it that she was eager to read. Since she was already bundled up in her coat and hat, she decided she would just hurry down the driveway and come right back.

Then I can get nice and warm, she thought. I’ll put on a cozy sweater and start baking. That will warm me up in no time.

She stepped out the back door with her purse still hanging over her shoulder. She left the door slightly ajar and started walking down the driveway.

At that moment, the wind picked up again into a fierce gust. She winced and continued to walk—and then she heard a thud. For a moment, she didn’t think anything of it, and then her heart sank.

“Oh no,” she murmured, turning around and hurrying back toward the house.

Sure enough, her back door had closed in the gust of wind. Her heart hammering, Johanna turned the handle and pulled. It was locked.

She clapped a hand to her mouth, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by her predicament. She turned to the garage, but she knew that the side door was locked and she’d already shut the main door. Sucking in her breath, she snatched her purse off her shoulder. She began to dig through it, hoping frantically that she’d placed a spare key inside it. It proved to be empty of any spare keys. Holding her breath, Johanna checked every one of her pockets—she even unzipped her coat to check inside the pocket of the blazer she was wearing underneath.

She groaned as she finally had to admit defeat. The wind traced icy fingers across her cheeks and she shuddered.

“That was smart, Johanna,” she muttered, annoyed at herself. “Now what are you going to do? You’re going to have to call Dane and ask him to come pick you up. It’s not safe to be standing out in the cold like this for too long.”

She sighed, knowing she would have to call a locksmith. She hoped that someone would be able to come let her back into her house sooner rather than later, but it seemed that the cozy afternoon she’d planned for herself had been decidedly spoiled. She reminded herself that things weren’t too serious—she was surrounded by people who would help her if she asked for it. She still felt disappointed, however—she’d so wanted to get started on her baking. And she’d so wanted to be warm again!

At that moment, she heard a honk. Confused, she turned her head in the direction of the road, where a green Ford truck had slowed to a stop in front of her driveway. Leaning out of the driver’s window was Everett Howell.

Johanna’s stomach did a somersault the moment she saw him. She might not have been able to recognize him from that distance if it weren’t for his red cap—and the unusually stocky breadth of his shoulders. Of all the people who had to show up at that moment, it seemed to her that he was the worst possible one. He was the only person in Blueberry Bay who she felt uncomfortable speaking with—she was still squirming every once in a while when she remembered how awkward the dinner party had been.

“Are you locked out?” he called. His voice echoed slightly across the snowy yard.

She exhaled, letting out a frustrated huff of air. For a moment she wondered how on earth he’d figured out so quickly that she was locked out, and she was inclined to be offended by how quickly he’d come to that conclusion. Then she remembered that she’d been standing out in the cold frantically checking all of her pockets.

“Yes,” she called back faintly. She knew he was about to offer to help her out, and her stomach twisted in nervousness. She would have much rather handled the situation herself if she could have, but she wasn’t going to turn down an offer of help, even from Everett. The wind was bitingly cold and she couldn’t wait to get out of it.

He turned his truck into her driveway. It gasped and rattled as it approached, and she felt somewhat appalled by how loud it was. She stood waiting for him at the back door, her lips pressed together firmly.

He swung out of the driver’s door and walked across the driveway toward her. His boots made crunching sounds in the salt that Johanna had sprinkled across the cement. His dark eyes looked kind, and also slightly amused.

“What happened?” he asked, smiling a little as he reached her side.

She exhaled again, feeling embarrassed and frustrated with herself. “I just got home from running errands. I wanted to bake this afternoon, and I needed—well, never mind. I went out and I came back, and once I was inside, I remembered I wanted to get the mail. I stepped out without closing the door fully behind me, but a gust of wind blew it shut. The door handle locks automatically, and my keys are on the counter inside.”

Everett nodded, glancing at the back door. “Sorry to hear that. Today’s not a fun day for something like that to happen.”

“No, it isn’t,” she agreed heartily. “I was so looking forward to being warm and comfortable. This is very annoying, and I’m embarrassed about it. I’m grateful you’ve offered to get involved, but I wish you hadn’t caught me in this predicament.”

He smiled, shaking his head. “This kind of thing could happen to anybody. No need to be embarrassed about it.”

She returned his smile feebly, feeling grateful that he’d said that. “Thank you. I have to admit, part of me expected you to just have a laugh at my expense and then leave.”

He shook his head. “I would never. Leave a lady out in the cold like this? Besides, I was on my way home from work. I don’t have anything else important to deal with right now. I can help you get back into your house. Let’s figure out what we can do.”

She smiled, surprised by how gallant he was being. “Well, thank you. Hopefully something works sooner rather than later. It’s very uncomfortable out here.”

He shrugged. “I’m used to it. If you want, you can go sit in my truck for a while. It’s still warm in there—and you can even start the engine again if you want.”

She glanced at the dirty truck, frowning in distaste. “No, thank you. I’ll stay out here. I can’t expect you to find a solution all by yourself, anyway. That would be rude of me.”

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