Page 46 of Snow Going Back

She looked down at her arm and blinked in surprise at the three angry red gashes. ‘I’mbleeding,’ she said with a strangely detached voice. ‘I can’t even feel it.’

‘That’s the adrenaline,’ Sam told her. ‘But it’ll wear off. Let me sort that out before it does. It’ll be easier.’

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she should decline. Sam was the enemy, not a friend. But in the face of Aubrey’s attack, something had changed in his voice. In his eyes. So instead, she simply nodded, holding her arm out with an inexplicable feeling of trust. As he went to touch it, she gasped and pointed to the angry red burn that ran uphisarm.

‘Yeah,thatI can feel,’ he told her with a small, grim smile.

And that was what tipped her over the edge. She wasn’t sure if it was the burn or the shock wearing off, or a combination of everything that had happened, but as Kate opened her mouth to speak, she suddenly let out a loud sob. Tears filled her eyes, and she shook her head helplessly, trying to force them away, but they wouldn’t go, and as the second sob followed, she covered her face with her hands.

‘Hey, it’s OK,’ Sam told her gently. ‘You’re safe now. They’re not coming back.’ He hesitated for a moment and glanced over to the kettle on the floor, scratching his head. ‘You know, er… I heard a cup of tea is the ultimate solve-all solution for you Brits, but how do things stand after one’s been terrorised by the kettle?’

Kate laughed through her sobs at the perfectly timed joke and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Her grin softened to a thankful smile. ‘You know, I don’t think there’s anything that can strip the therapeutic qualities of a good cup of tea for us Brits. Not even being terrorised by the kettle.’

TWENTY-SIX

Sam walked over to the sofa Kate was sitting on with two steaming mugs and handed one over. The kettle had been unharmed, other than a small dent in the side, much to Kate’s relief.

‘Thanks,’ Kate said, blowing on it before taking a sip. ‘Oh.’ She pulled back. ‘That’s onestrongtea.’

‘I figured we could both use a touch of the Irish in there tonight,’ Sam replied, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa and twisting to face her. ‘Well, technically Scotch,’ he added. ‘Let’s call it a Celtic tea.’

Kate smiled and pulled her feet up to give him more room. Cosied up in a warm blanket, she’d now regained full control of her emotions since Sam had joked her initial shock away. She was grateful to him for that. It had been exactly what she’d needed. She was grateful, too, for the gentle care he’d then given her patching up her arm. And for saving her from Aubrey’s psychotic attack. Out of nowhere, Sam had gone from being the most maddening adversary she’d ever faced to being her all-round hero. Life really was funny sometimes. She glanced at him over the rim of her cup as she took another sip.

‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. ‘You know. For earlier.’

Sam rested his arm across the back of the sofa and shook his head with a grim expression. ‘I should have warned you about those two. I’m sorry.’

Kate frowned. ‘It’s not your fault.’ She tipped her head to the side with a wry expression. ‘Which actually makes a change compared to everythingelsethat happens to me around here.’

He let out a short sound of amusement. ‘True,’ he admitted. ‘Thatwas definitely not me though.’

‘So sending someone toprison’sacceptable, but you draw the line at permanent scarring?’ Kate asked with a laugh.

Sam thought it over, then nodded. ‘I’d say that about sums it up.’

‘I’d better cancel that tattoo artist I had booked in for you then,’ she joked.

Sam laughed. ‘What were you going to do? Rose or skull?’

‘Neither,’ she replied, meeting his smile and feeling suddenly warmed by it.

He was even more handsome when he smiled. In fact, it completely transformed him. She felt a tug of something in her core. Something inviting. Something she couldn’t quite place. She glanced away quickly, feeling flustered suddenly.

‘I’d rather not ruin the surprise in case we go back to all that and itdoesescalate to that level,’ she said, getting her thoughts back on track. ‘But it was rude, and it was going to go here.’ She pointed to her forehead with a grin.

Sam shook his head with a groan. ‘You’redangerous.If I’d realised this when we first met, I’d never have got on the wrong side of you.’

Kate looked down at her mug. As kind as he’d been to her tonight, and as much as she appreciated that, Sam was still the same guy he’d been an hour ago. One heroic act didn’t change a whole person, and she needed to remember that. There was ashort silence, and then he spoke quietly, his words taking her by surprise.

‘I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you since you arrived here, Kate. The person you’ve seen really isn’t who I am. I don’t know what came over me these last couple of weeks.’ He shook his head and turned to look out of the window. ‘I know it probably doesn’t look like it to you, but I loved my aunt very much.’

Kate waited for him to continue, listening with interest.

‘They took me in when I was twelve, after my parents died. It was a rough time. They had to fight to get me outta the system after the state threw me in there.’ Sam stared into the distance for a moment. ‘But they did. And they gave me a home and a family and treated me like I was their own. They were just like that. If they had something to give, they’d give it, without question. Especially kindness.Alwayskindness.’ He smiled, looking down at his mug. ‘The day my aunt died, I was with her. I held her hand.’ He swallowed hard. ‘It was the hardest goodbye I’ve had to say, and I’ve had to say a lot. I needed to get away from everyone after; couldn’t stand the sympathy and the attempts to help. I just needed some time to process things on my own. So I took off to one of my empty projects and camped out for a few days.’

‘Projects?’ Kate asked.

‘I build affordable, sustainable eco houses and solutions,’ he explained. He looked up at her with a half smile. ‘I know you had me pegged as a careless bum, being around here so much lately, but not the case, I’m afraid. Sorry to disappoint you.’

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