Page 8 of Winter's Kiss

“Of course,” I replied, with a turn from the window. Anna walked in with a small tray, a single cup, and a small plate of cookies placed on top. With a smile, I moved to the edge of the bed as she placed the tray down.

“You seemed a little down at dinner. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I’m sure you miss your family.” She cupped her hands in front of her with a sweet smile across her face, her head a slight tilt as she continued. “Theo had mentioned your trip to see your sister.” I nodded in confirmation.

“I do miss them, but I know they will be there when I get there.” I smiled and took hold of the cup.

“Then what troubles your mind?” She paused. “Does this have anything to do with my son?” Her question took me off guard. My gaze lifted instantly to find a sweet smile stretched along with her features. Had I been that transparent about my attraction toward him in the few interactions we had?

“I… I don’t know how to answer that.” Anna moved to the side of the bed; a light laugh moved from her lips as though she found humor in my answer.

“I saw the way you looked at him this morning.”

Embarrassed, I shook my head with a light chuckle. “Well, I guess I need to work on my subtlety.”

Anna laughed with a shake of her head. “He’s always had this effect on women.” She laughed lightly. “Up until his junior year, it became a chore chasing the women from the house.” She paused. “Although I’ve never known him to avoid a woman before. Must mean he likes you.” She teased with a soft elbow hit.

“He doesn’t know me,” I responded.

“True. I would have thought today in town would have changed that.” With a scoff and arch of my brows, I cleared my throat and lifted from the bed.

“Perhaps it has something to do with the blonde he seems close to.” I had taken a few steps from the older woman before I turned, the expression on her face nearly a match to the one Rowland had with my comments about the mysterious blonde.

Moments of silence filled us before Anna slowly stood and moved toward the door. What had I said? What was the deal with this woman? These people had opened their homes to me, saved me from certain death on the side of the road and in less than twenty-four hours, I had upset two of them. I parted my lips to apologize or say anything when Anna turned back toward me.

“I don’t know you, dear, your past or your future. Yet, something tells me you are not here by simply luck or unfortunate if you would like to say. My son takes that same road once a week, yet this week he traveled it twice.” She smiled.

“I’d like to think maybe it was the universe that brought him to do that on the very day you needed to be saved. Just as perhaps the universe brought you far from your planned path to that long strip of road.” She paused with a slow exhale; a sweet smile pulled along her lips. “Sometimes the unexplainable is explanation enough.”

Without another word, she gave me a slight nod and turned on her heels. What did that mean? I stood in confusion, the wind a strong howl just outside the window. I looked out the window, that same glow in the distance. The smoke lifted to the sky from the chimney.

That night I lay in bed, my arm draped over my head, my stare locked on the shadows on the wooden ceiling. I had never met a family like the Quinn’s before. Theo and Anna were so welcoming, as though they had expected and waited for me. Did they open their home to others? As naïve as my friends and family thought I was, there was something about them that made me trust them fully, even in such a short time. Then there was Rowland.

What was it about him that made me unable to get him from my mind? We had barely had a conversation, shared only brief moments of connection, and yet he occupied my mind fully. Was it his mystery? Could it be the danger I felt beneath the surface?

An attempt to pull me closer rather than push me away? I rolled to my side; my gaze lifted to the late hour on the clock.

Suddenly I lifted to a sitting position, my stare set outside the window to that same glow in the distance, the snow that continued to fall. If Anna was right and this was the universe telling me something, I needed to know. Was I supposed to meet Rowland? Had he been meant to save me? Was he the person who could offer me the answers I searched for?

I slid on my boots, snatched up his coat, and pushed my arms through the sleeves with a quick step from the room. My gaze lifted to Theo as he walked up the stairs, a soft grin pulled across his lips. It was as if I needed to not say a single word before, he motioned toward the front door.

“Clearest path is off the kitchen. The flashlight is hanging next to the door.” He slid past me and turned to head toward his room as I hurried down the stairs. My movements met with his continued words. “The blonde, well, sometimes people become fixtures in our life.” I stopped and turned. Had he just answered all my questions? Did I need to bother going to see him?

“So, he does have a girlfriend or wife?” Theo shook his head at my question. “I’m confused.”

“I never said that.” Theo smiled lightly. “Have a good night, dear.” With a wink, he continued his steps from the stairs, my mind riddled with more questions than I had moments before.

I exhaled slowly and tried to think of any reason not to go see him before I made my way toward the back door. At the very least, I would apologize for overstepping.

He did save me, after all.

Five

The walk down the long path proved to be more than I had prepared for. Dressed for. Each step sunk into the thick covering. The wind blew across my face as though knives cut along my skin. I could hear the howl of wild animals in the distance, and my step quickened. My paper-thin night pants did little to protect me, the bottoms soaked from the snow. I held his coat closed around my frame, my head down, while I pushed past the halfway point.

The small cabin seemed a million miles away, much further than I had thought. My steps slowed with the thickness of the snow growing. Should I have taken this as a sign to stop, turn around, and return to the main house? Perhaps, yet I fought through my fear, my second-guessing. I trusted myself at that moment and pushed through.

I wanted to find out if Rowland was with someone. I didn’t know why, I just needed to know. Did he feel the same attraction towards me as I did him? No matter what I found out when I knocked on his door, I needed to apologize to him. His expression in town, the small interactions I had with his parents, and the fact he remained absent the day, proved I had hit a topic not comfortable for him. Did it matter why? He had saved me from freezing to death. I owed him an apology for my overstep.

Tired, and freezing, I stepped onto the small, covered porch of his single-level cabin. I wanted to take a minute to collect myself but knew at the very least I needed to get inside to warm up. The temperature continued to drop; the snow fell harder and for a moment I wondered if I had traveled to Alaska instead of Kentucky.

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