Page 188 of Snap Shot

Her kiddos have the opposite reaction. “Meeeeee!”

“What about you, Indi?” He motions to the skating ribbon. “Come along. Get a taste of farm life.”

I follow without question, but not without a jab. “Sure, Radek,” I say. “Maybe you'll actually beat me back to the house.”

Landon lifts a ladder above his head through the waist-high snow surrounding the shed. “Y'know, this drift reminds me of a story.”

His sister makes a rumbly disappointed noise.

“A story?” Sadie asks.

He blows out a sharp breath as he sets the ladder against the roof. “There's a place they call Copperhead Creek, in the Deep South of the United States, right in the heart of the Carolinas.”

Gunnar gasps. Delaney grimaces. “This better not be a spooky story. They're too young and last time—”

“Shhh. You're ruining it.” The ladder clangs with every step of his boots on the rungs.

She pinches between her eyebrows. “I swear to God, Landy, if they grow up to be little psychopaths—”

He ignores her and continues, shoveling snow down the slope of the roof. “Purple wisteria already blooming through the pines, no one expected the Great Blizzard ofwlahhhh!”

Our eyes travel in an arc as the rest of the snow loosens, releasing a sudden avalanche and launches Landon back into the fluffy snowbank, shovel comically flying off to the side.

Delaney sighs and pats the kids on the shoulders. “Show's over, kids. Nothing to see here.”

“Awww! I wanna hear the rest of the story.”

“Maybe next time.” She herds them toward the main house. “You got him?”

I nod and trudge through the snow, then peek over a Landon-shaped cutout. “Need some help?”

“Is this Heaven? I think I see an angel.”

“Ithink you've hit your head. Grab my hand, Radek.”

He does, but my foot slips and I tumble forward. A layer of snow piles onto us. Landon goes to brush it off my shoulder and misses, his glove coasting across my cheek instead. “My head's fine.” His steely eye contact steals my breath as the sky grays, clouds looming overhead. “Indi, can we go inside?”

—————

The dryer whirs in the background at a steady rhythm as the fire crackles and hisses. I cinch a woolen blanket around me, bringing my knees to the thermal undershirt covering my chest. Other than the pair of cotton briefs I have on, it's the only clothing that didn't get wet. Somehow the snow had gotten inside my coat and soaked through.

Landon pads over in his own blanket, the red tinge from the fireplace highlighting the cut muscle on his shirtless torso. They disappear as he joins me on the rug. I shiver.

Panels of flannel open to let me in. “You're cold. Come here.”

“What happened to 'no touching?'”

“We've broken lots of rules, Indi. What's one more?” He scoots closer. “If you're okay with it.”

I agree. When he lifts and places me sideways over his lap, I melt into his warmth. It feels right.Hefeels right.

His scruffy chin sits on my shoulder. Gold flames dance against the blues of his gaze. “Did you have a good Christmas?”

“Yeah, I did.” My thoughts speed by. To tell Landon, what to tell him, how to—

“What was the best part?”

“Ooh, tough choice,” I intone. “Definitely watching the shed snow take you out. Highly entertaining.” It's a snarky attempt to lighten the tense air between us. “What about you?”

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