Page 51 of Hold Me Before You Go

“Are you alright?” a second deep voice cut through the warm air.

I turned my head to find a man in a black cowboy hat with a dark beard standing at my feet, staring at me. He was dressed in a thick, black Carhart coat, dark jeans, and black boots. After taking him in, my eyes landed on his face, and I noticed his gray eyes…matched the blond man’s.

They must be related, but I didn’t recognize this man, only the blond one.

Slowly, I nodded, answering his question.

The dark cowboy narrowed his gray eyes. “You don’t have to lie to us. We aren’t going to hurt you,” he assured. “Your feet need to get checked for frostbite, but I don’t want to do that unless you tell me you’re okay.”

I said nothing.

“Maybe we should call Val,” the redhead suggested. “Maybe she and I could…” She trailed off.

The dark cowboy looked over to her. “No. She’s with Caleb and Nancy Jane. I don’t want them out in the cold.”

Nancy.

Nancy.

Nancy Cross.

The headstone. The graveyard. The man in the cowboy hat.

“If she doesn’t want to talk, then she doesn’t have to,” the jagged voice cut in, making me jump.

I looked around but couldn’t see the owner of the voice anywhere. However, I discovered I was in a cabin. My eyes landed on one of the windows beyond the couple to see heavy snowfall being whipped around by the harsh winds. That was all I could see, just a wall of white and gray. I felt something in my gut twist.

I was stuck here.

“Would you like some water?” the woman asked, pulling my attention back to her.

My eyes darted to the small kitchen in the corner and then back to her. I found myself nodding again, my throat desperate for moisture.

The woman gave me a small smile, and the man behind her helped her up. As she walked away to the kitchen, I pulled the wool blanket to my chest and stared at the fire.

I was safe.

I was safe.

These people weren’t going to hurt me.

I was safe.

I was safe.

These people weren’t going to hurt me.

Yes, they are. They are strangers. You can’t trust them. Don’t take the water. Get up and leave. You have to leave, or Brandon will find you—-

You’re safe now, Sunshine.

Grayson’s gentle voice cut through my anxious thoughts like a mighty sword, silencing them once and for all. My heart skipped a beat, and I wanted nothing more than to be in Grayson’s arms, to hear him tell me he loved me. Hell, I’d even take us arguing over Tic-Tac’s name at this point.

I just wanted to go home.

Tears formed in my eyes, and I bent my head, wiping them away quickly. I didn’t need any more strangers seeing me cry.

The two men in front of me conversed quietly as the woman made her way over to me with a tall glass of water. “Sorry, that took a second,” she apologized with a faint smile as she jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “That’s not my kitchen.”

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