She was in the middle of nowhere, with a man she didn’t really know. Was this a wise move? Events of the last two months had made her jumpy. Once, she’d moved through life with confidence, but she no longer trusted her judgment. The doubts snaked in from nowhere, making her second-guess every decision. Was this safe? Was she making a mistake? Was she going to look back on this moment and feel like kicking herself for doing something stupid?
She breathed deeply. Sometimes life required you to make a choice between two less than perfect options. A storm was coming in, so trying to find her way back on her own wasn’t going to end well. This man knew where they were, and he knew how to find shelter. And he wasn’t a stranger. She knew him. He and Dan had been friends forever.
He waited, surprisingly patient. “You’re anxious, but you don’t need to be.”
This was embarrassing. “You think I’m stupid.”
“I don’t think that.”
Still, she felt compelled to explain. “I don’t always—” She brushed snow away from her face. “I made a bad judgment a little while ago, and it didn’t turn out well.”
“And now you don’t trust yourself because you’re worried you’ll misjudge a situation.” He let go of her hand and pulled the hood of her jacket farther over her head to keep out the cold and the snow. “This isn’t one of those situations, Katie. Everything is going to turn out fine. Providing we move now, before we both get frostbite.”
She’d expected sarcasm, or one of their usual barbed exchanges. She hadn’t expected gentleness. He had kind eyes. Why hadn’t she seen that before?
“Let’s go.” This time she took his hand, and she held tightly as the snow deepened and the trail narrowed. The trees were barely visible and the world became nothing but swirling snow. The visibility was reducing by the minute and she shivered, partly from the icy wind, and partly at the thought of what might have happened to her if she hadn’t met him on the trail. She would have been caught in this alone and unprotected.
She was grateful for his strong grip and solid presence, but she didn’t understand how he could know where he was. The world was a blur. “Are we lost?”
“No. Be careful here—” He held a branch back for her and she stumbled past, conscious of the weight of snow pressing down on the branches above her.
“It’s like Narnia.” She glanced at him. “From The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
The corners of his mouth flickered. “Just because I live in the mountains doesn’t mean I didn’t get an education.”
“I didn’t mean to sound rude. Not everyone reads the same thing, that’s all.”
“Careful. That sounded almost like an apology.”
“It was an apology.” She trudged next to him, the deep snow tugging at her boots. Walking was exhausting work, even with snowshoes, and she was relieved when he paused at the edge of the trail and she saw the flicker of lights through the trees.
“We’re here.” The snow smothered all sound, but the lights kept flickering through the trees and then suddenly the forest opened up and she saw the cabin.
“Oh—” She stopped and stared through the swirl of snowflakes.
“What? It’s not fancy like Snowfall Lodge, but it’s home.” He gave her hand a tug and they walked the last few steps to the cabin.
“It’s incredible. Like something out of a fairy tale.”
He pushed open the door. “Those are the stories where someone always dies, right? You think there’s an evil witch inside who is going to feed you cookies?”
“I hope so. Right now I would wrestle a witch for a cookie.” She was surprised by the warmth of his smile. It was impossible not to smile back. She followed him inside, grateful to be out of the snow. “Isn’t it lonely living all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“I happen to think this place is somewhere, not nowhere. And I’m happy in my own company.” He reached out and helped her unzip her coat. “You’re shivering. Sit by the fire and I’ll make a hot drink.”
She slid off her boots, rubbed her hands with her arms and stepped through an arch into the living area of the cabin. She fell in love instantly. With the thick, soft rug that covered the wooden floor. With the crowded bookshelves that lined three of the walls. A pair of antique skis hung