Page 18 of Winter's Kiss

I could not stand there and not say something, regardless of how I had been raised. With a smooth movement around him, I placed my hands flat on the table, and my gaze lifted to meet with Bella’s. I smiled, she smiled, before I spoke in a calm, steady tone.

“Women like you are a dime a dozen where I’m from. Vile creatures who play this woah is me card. The ones that believe love is a curse. The ones jealous of what the person next to them has.” I leaned forward slightly more, and the smirk on her face faded. “Would you like to know what happens to those vile creatures?”

“What’s that?”

“They die alone. Without ever having felt love, the sting, and the healing that comes with it. I pity you. It’s clear you’re still hung up on him. I can smell the jealously on you.”

“You forget, stranger. I had the man long before you got lost on a snowy road.” She snapped with a snarl. I smirked and nodded my head.

“Can’t imagine why he would have run from that union. Probably the same reason every table in here is full of people, except yours.” I pushed on my hands and stood up straight, directly in front of Rowland, with my glare focused on her.

Bella sat in silence; our stares locked as though we threatened one another without a word spoken. I had never spoken my mind in such a way, never walked into a sure conflict. Yet, with him, his name, and his well-being, I could not walk away. I didn’t know how long I would be in the small town, but I would be damned if, while I was there, I allowed Rowland to be made to feel horrible. He had every right to live his life how he wanted. He needed to know someone would stick up for him, not embrace the gossip that seemed to come with such a small town.

Rowland took my hand the second I stepped back beside him. I hadn’t noticed patrons had listened and watched my interaction with Bella. Rowland and I interlocked our fingers as he walked me through the grill. I glanced over at Anna, who stood by the bar with her hands over her mouth, yet was unable to hide the enormous smile she had plastered across her features. Rowland snatched up my coat from the rack as he walked me outside.

I took a quick step behind him when suddenly my feet came to a stop.

He released my hand and turned to face me; his hands lifted to cup along the sides of my neck. I looked up at him and, for the first time since I’d met him, there was light behind his eyes. A smile was hidden beneath his beard. What did this mean? He spoke not a single word before he leaned forward, our lips connected with a powerful, deep, kiss there on the street of Muddy Waters. In his arms that moment in front of the grill, I felt alive, safe, and happy. My body felt as though it could have floated away if not for his hold.

Ten

The next week went by and with each passing day, I felt myself grow closer to Rowland, his parents, and even the town of Muddy Waters. Something in him changed after that day in the grill. Our kiss in the ever-watching eyes of the townspeople. Without even trying, Rowland and I had become the talk of the town. Who was I? What was I doing in town and, of course, how long would I be there?

As Theo worked on my car, Rowland kept me occupied with something new every day. He introduced me to old high school friends, buddies he regularly spent weekends with, out of Muddy Waters. He showed me the local high school and told stories of his wins and losses on the football field. Even introduced me to one of his old teachers, who looked at him in such admiration.

It had been hard to make many steps through the town without running into a young woman from his past. Women who I knew were old lovers, even without his confirmation. It was how they looked at him, hung on every word he spoke, smiled at him, and laughed when there wasn’t much need for the reaction. At one moment, I thought I had even seen a hint of jealousy in their eyes.

Rowland seemed different. We walked hand in hand down the main street. He joked and laughed. He smiled and the tone of his voice seemed relaxed, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was as if someone flipped a switch on him, as though life had entered him. I looked forward to each day, a feeling I couldn’t remember the last time I had.

Nights were even more perfect when it was just the two of us. I had moved into his cabin, all my things brought from the main house. I woke next to him and slept next to him. We cooked together and followed by him holding me in front of the fire. At times he would read to me, it was close to heaven as I could have imagined.

I hadn’t even realized how quickly Muddy Waters started to feel like home. Just one week and everything felt as though I had finally found my place. People listened to what I had to say, took notice of what I felt or what I wanted. There were no pressures to change my thoughts or make an action I didn’t want. I had set out to find myself, to have an adventure. Was it in Muddy Waters?

I should have known as everything seemed to line up, something would cause my path to shift yet again. The afternoon had been calm and relaxing, while Rowland and I remained at the cabin. As I sat on the couch reading, Tucker at my feet, Rowland walked from the bedroom with a slow stride. My gaze lifted to him, my lips curled to a wide smile.

“That was Theo.” My smile faded slowly with those three words; I knew what he was about to say. “Your car is done.” Rowland stood at a distance from me, his gaze reflected one of confusion. I nodded my head with a quick smile before I closed the book.

“I guess we knew that was coming.” Rowland nodded his head with my comment, but remained still, silent. Had I misjudged how welcomed I was? The expression on his face made me second guess it all. I nodded my head and stood from the couch. With a swift movement around the furniture, I placed the book on a small end table.

“I guess I’ll start packing,” I added in a soft tone. Had I wanted him to tell me not to? Tell me to stay with him? Of course, I did, yet I never expected it. I started my way across the room. My steps stopped just as I moved to pass him. I gasped with his sudden grip on my wrist, our gazes connected as we stood side by side.

“Will you go somewhere with me?” Confused, yet unable to deny him, I nodded my head.

“Anywhere,” I replied simply.

We drove for only fifteen minutes when his truck came to a stop, my eyes set on the landscape in front of us. Mountains in the distance, trees so high they looked as though they touched the heavens. At the base is a lake that is iced over, with a thick blanket of snow surrounded by open land. It was something you would see in a painting by Thomas Kincaid. Breathtaking.

Rowland sat in silence, the truck still running as I looked over at him. Why did he bring me here? What was this place? I remained still, silent, waiting for him to say or do anything. I wanted to know what he was thinking. What he felt about me, even though the idea of him telling me my feelings were one-sided, scared me to death. I ran my palms over my blue jeans, with a quick bite at my bottom lip, when he started to talk.

“I’ve not been here in over a year.” I turned my attention to him, his stare locked on the open landscape before us. “I guess I feared it.” I returned my gaze to the distance.

“It’s beautiful.” He scoffed at my words; our gazes connected.

“It was supposed to be. Now it’s just part of my life, frozen in time.” My brows furrowed at his words.

“Why?” I knew why. I would have to be a fool not to. I wanted to hear him say it, to admit it out loud. I knew Rowland still punished himself and had more life experience than me, but I knew if he was ever going to heal, he had to speak.

“I had planned to build a cabin,” he paused with a motioned nod in the direction.

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