say much. You’re happy with everything? I’m worried she’s railroading you.” Even without looking at her sister’s face she knew she’d done it again. “Forget I said that. She loves you. I can see that.”
“You can’t help yourself, can you?” Rosie’s cheeks were flushed. “Why are you so convinced that this marriage is a mistake? You’re as bad as Grandma.”
“We never met our grandmother.”
“I know, but Mum has told us how she disapproved of them getting married so fast. And look how it turned out.”
Katie thought about her parents rolling together in the snow like children, and off on a romantic date. “You’re right. I’m being ridiculous.” She had to stop this. She had to stop always looking at the evidence that supported the bad, instead of the good. Why was she such a mess? Whatever the reason, it was up to her to sort it out.
She had to stop protecting her sister, and instead support her.
She crossed the room and hugged Rosie. “Tell me you’re happy. That’s all I want to hear.”
“I’m happy.”
“That is the only thing I care about. Apart from dancing, of course. I care about dancing. Is that Dan outside?” She grabbed her coat and her bag. “Let’s do this. Let’s have fun.”
From now on she was forcing herself to focus on the positive, not the negative.
Every time a dark thought entered her mind about the risk of whirlwind relationships, she was going to think of her parents rolling in the snow. Her parents kissing like teenagers.
It had worked out for them. There was no reason why it couldn’t work out for Rosie.
Maggie
“When Catherine said the restaurant was in the mountains, I didn’t realize it was literally in the mountains and that we had to ride in a snowcat to get here.” Maggie walked the few steps to the cabin and into the welcome warmth. She sniffed the air. “Herbs and garlic. Smells good.”
“And we’re going back on the horse-drawn sleigh. I’m not sure if that will be better or worse.” Nick handed his coat and scarf to the restaurant staff, scattering snow across the floor. “Are you cold?”
“No. Those blankets they gave us were warm.” And she’d had to slide close to him on the seat to make room for others. Her thigh had pressed against the length of his thigh, her arm against his arm, two halves pressed together as if they were a whole. She’d had to remind herself that they weren’t a whole. That their two well-fitting pieces had been split apart. But her mind had refused to cooperate and had dragged her back to that moment earlier in the tree house. Heated from the inside, she’d barely noticed the cold.
Even now, as he helped her with her coat, she noticed the light brush of his fingers against her neck. It was as if her body was suddenly supersensitive to his touch.
He handed her coat to the staff. “Apparently it’s possible to snowshoe up here, too.”
“I’m glad we took the snowcat option. There are limits to my need for adventure and I don’t want to have to work that hard for my dinner. Are we seriously going back down in a horse-drawn sleigh? Will the horse be friendly?”
“As long as it gets us safely back down the mountain I don’t much care about its personality.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me that camels are worse.”
“Camels are definitely worse.”
They were shown to their table, and Maggie slid into her chair by the window. Even though she felt unsettled and more than a little confused by her own feelings, it was impossible not to be charmed by the atmosphere. As they’d crawled up the slope in the snowcat, she’d wondered if the journey would be worth it, but her first glimpse of the place had convinced her that it was. The Alpine-style restaurant nestled in the trees, halfway up the mountain. It was a cozy retreat from the frozen world outside, its wooden walls lit by tiny lights, and the air scented by wood smoke and wholesome cooking.
It was dark outside so the view was limited, but the lights from the cabin lit up the surrounding forest and trails.
“It’s pretty.” Snow floated and swirled past the window, gentle but relentless. “Do you think we’ll be snowed in?”
He slid on his glasses and opened his menu. “I don’t know, but being trapped in a restaurant wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. The wine list looks good, and at least we won’t go hungry.”