Page 49 of Knotty New Year

She whispered the answer, her stutter almost gone. “You fell into a snowbank, off-piste on a black run. No one knew you’d g-gone out. By the time Luke found your note, all the lifts had stopped running. Ski patrol…” She paused. “You went into heat; that’s all that saved you.”

I sucked in a breath as a shaft of light illuminated the room. “That’s not possible. I had a mating heat with Pax already, and I’m on the annual shot. I can’t have a heat until—”

“Apparently, you can,” another woman said from the doorway. It was Lin, holding a tray with a steaming pot of tea, a pile of shortbread, and some crackers and cheese. She looked like she’d been crying. “We’ve been texting and calling Nicky the whole time, since we found you. He feels terrible that he’s not here. Worse than terrible.”

“But he’s… not here?”

“He’s on his way. I swear.”

I held up a hand. I didn’t know if I wanted to hear his excuses. I wasn’t sure I wanted to even see him. “Can I have my phone, please?”

She passed it to me. I opened it. Soleil was still in the Caribbean somewhere, but Rain? She’d show up with a shovel, duct tape, and no questions asked.

I typed in two words.

Pig farm.

Rain: FUCK. Grapefruit???

Not yet. Maybe. TTYS.

Rain: Pigs it is. On my way.

Lin sat on the edge of the bed while Valentine slipped away. “He had reasons, believe it or not, Candy. Not all of them were good, but Nicky needs to be the one to tell you everything that happened.”

“No, he doesn’t. He may not have said it aloud, but he’s made it clear over the past week that he doesn’t see me as… Well.” I had to close my mouth, or I’d scream. Or cry. Finally, I squeaked out, “I wasn’t his priority, was I? I don’t know that I ever will be.”

“Don’t say that. Please, give him another chance. This was all just a series of awful timing, bad weather, and misunderstandings. He loves you, I swear—”

“I don’t want to talk about Pax.”

She chewed at her lip. “Then can I at least tell you why you went into heat?” When I nodded, she went on. “The Paxson Pharma shot we all take, the annual one? You know there was a mislabeling at one of the factories. We thought it was all doses that went to the Northeast, but a few doctors in other states got some of the bad batches.”

“Dr. Grantham?”

She nodded. “She’s Valentine’s doctor, too, so Kati has been freaking out. There are way too many hot alpha ski bums here.” I closed my eyes as she went on. “My brother had no idea you could possibly go into your heat when he put you on the plane. He didn’t know your doctor was one of the affected ones. He called a dozen times in the night to check on you.”

“He didn’t come.” It was all I could say. “He promised. And he lied about the weather.”

“No, actually, there was a weather delay, but he was in Dallas. He found out on his way here that our brother Victor was coming home. When I tell you about Victor, you’ll understand.”

I held up a shaking hand, and noticed it was bare. I had no idea where the ring Pax had given me was, not that it mattered now. “If he wanted me to know, he would have told me. I get it. I’m not family.”

Her eyes went wide. “But youare.You’re everything to him.”

I blinked at her, my head still aching, and wondered if it would be rude to ask her to leave. “Obviously not. I want to go home.” I tried to swing my legs out of the bed, but she held my arm.

“You can’t. He’ll be here with Victor any minute now. Here, have some tea.”

I pretended to settle down, but I used the moment when she stirred honey in the tea to pick up my phone and text Rain one more time, with only one word.

Grapefruit.

Lin kept talking, nervously and quickly. “It’s not safe for you to go; the doctor said your heat is only suppressed. And I promise Pax will explain it all better. He thinks you’ll never forgive him for this whole mess—that you won’t want to stay with him.” She wiped her streaming eyes.

“Sheshouldn’tstay with me.”

The voice at the door was the one I’d wanted most in the world to hear for the past few days. But his words cut me to my core.

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