Page 63 of Snowbound
“How cold is it?”
“Ten degrees. That’s twenty-two degrees below freezing.”
Oh god. Yeah, the bright sun made it look warmer than it really is.
He presses a fresh mug into my hands—hot steaming tea, made with cream and sugar. I sip and watch him.
And all I can think about is that snowball. That look. If I’m honest? At that moment, I knew I was his, even if I didn’t understand it yet.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Owen
The phone buzzesagainst the counter. Once. Twice.
I ignore it.
Emma’s still curled into the armchair, her knees drawn up beneath one of the wool blankets. Her hair’s still damp where the snow melted around her hairline, her cheeks flushed adorably pink. The fire casts her in gold.She hasn’t said much since we came back in. Just watched me.
I’ve been quiet. I can’t break the feeling that if I say something… I’ll ruin everything. It’s perfect, just like this.
She gives me a thoughtful look, like she knows something’s shifting beneath my skin.
The phone buzzes again, and I turn it over.
Shit. “No cell reception” is a great excuse when you don’t want to hear from your family or your boss, but Seamus McCarthy isn’t a patient man. Neither is my father.
Sure enough.
Two messages. One from my father. The other from Seamus, the man they call The Undertaker.
Da
Call me. We need to talk.
Boss
Kilkenny. Friday. No delays this time. Big job. You in or out?
I stare at the screen. The snow hums outside, the wind brushing the eaves. My lungs go still.
She doesn’t ask what it says. But I know she sees me looking.
I lock the phone and place it face down.
I don’t move… just stand there, my palms braced against the edge of the counter. The warmth of the cabin has nothing to do with what I feel. I’m split open, cold at the edges, burning at the core.
Ireland.
It was always going to come back to this.
Half my life is there. The jobs. The family. Bits of me I’ve left half-buried. I never told Emma how deep that world goes. How long it’s been calling.
And now it’s not just calling. It’s demanding.
Friday.
That’s four days.
