Page 64 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
He glanced over just in time to see her try to hide a bittersweet smile.
Please help us hold these feelings back,he prayed inwardly.We’ve got to do the right thing for the kids.
And it occurred to him that there was at least one good thing about the fact that they were leaving soon. If Nora stayed much longer, there was no way he’d be able to resist confessing the depth of his feelings to her.
17
NORA
Nora thought she heard something downstairs that night just as she was heading to bed.
She figured it was probably just River headed back to his place, but she decided to check on the kittens, just in case. In this cold, it would be bad if one of them figured out how to get out and wound up alone.
But when she got downstairs, the kittens were sleeping happily in a pile in the crate, and River’s coat was gone from the hook by the back door.
She was about to head back upstairs, figuring she had just heard the wind rattling the windowpanes. But before she could, there was a beep and a buzz from the kitchen.
She turned to find River’s phone charging at the outlet on the counter. He must have forgotten it. Frowning, she headed over to grab it.
The screen showed a local weather warning, which must have caused the buzz. She looked out the window at the snowy night. The weather out there was definitely dangerous.
He shouldn’t be without his phone overnight. What if his parents have an emergency or something?
She headed to the door, pulled on her coat, and sank her feet into her boots. The kids would be fine for a few minutes. River’s cottage was practically right next to the house. It was like getting something from the car.
The wind was strong and bitterly cold—it almost pushed the door shut on her as she stepped outside. Heavy snowflakes filled the air, shimmering as they slanted down in the porch light.
“Wow,” she murmured to herself.
The cottage was right there. She knew it shouldn’t be a big deal to pop over there, even in the wind and snow, but she felt a bit like an explorer at the north pole anyway as she trudged down the porch steps and onto the lawn.
The path of footprints River had made when he left was already disappearing. Nora leaned into the wind, putting her head down to keep the flakes from hitting her eyes.
At last, she reached the porch of the cottage.
From the house, the cottage looked charming. But up close, she could see the paint peeling in curls and feel how soft the boards of the porch were under her feet.
She knocked on the door and heard footsteps right away.
“Nora,” River murmured as he opened the door.
He looked sleepy, but handsome, and the savory scent of a wood fire wafted toward her.
But Nora just pushed past him, unable to believe her eyes.
A shaft of moonlight pierced the roof, and snow fellonto the rug below, accumulating in spite of the glow of the wood stove.
“River,” she murmured, looking around.
There wasn’t a bit of furniture in the cottage. River seemed to have a camping cot set up against one wall, a jug of water, and a duffel bag of clothing.
The walls were cracked, plaster falling away in some sections to reveal the wood lathe and horsehair beneath.
“It’s fine,” he said flatly. “There was a tarp on the roof, but it must have blown off in the wind. I was just heading out to replace it.”
“You’ve been staying out here?” she murmured.
“Sure,” he said. “I’ve got everything I need.”
