“It’s not unreasonable to expect to trust your partner. You didn’t let him bulldoze you. You trusted him and he abused it.”
I turned from the window. His jaw was tense and his knuckles were white on the wheel. Jonah was upset. On my behalf.
Today wasn’t the worst day of my life, but I needed the reassurance.
I never thought I’d find comfort in Jonah Dunn.
The tangle of emotions inside my chest added a few more knots. To take my mind away from my destroyed wedding and my unlikely rescuer, I hunted for a view of his cabin through the flurries. The peak of a building I hadn’t seen before poked through the fir trees.
“What’s that place?” His cabin should be tucked farther in, but he’d either moved it, which was absurd, or he’d had a few trees removed since I’d been here last.
“My shop.”
“You have a shop?” How long had it been since I’d been to Jonah’s barren cabin? Over fifteen years had gone by since I’d last ventured up this mountain.
“I have a shop,” he echoed.
The area overall hadn’t changed, but the scenery was different with the giant metal-sided shop with one large garage door on the side and a smaller one on the end. A regular door was beside it, facing the cabin across a short expanse.
The view was still stunning. Jonah had built the cabin halfway up the small, sprawling mountain, overlooking a valley that had a stream cutting through it. He used to hunt waterfowl with Eli, and I’d been invited to their parents’ house for pheasant stew or roast duck.
The water was mostly frozen with a few wet-looking spots from the recent unseasonably warm days, but the grasses along the back were brown and much of the growth was covered with snow. Trails laid down by the wildlife tracked from the tree line to the water’s edge. The other side of the valley was Bailey land.
No matter the season, the area was pretty.
Jonah turned into the driveway and—whoa. The shop was nicer than I’d first thought, with timber accents the same color as his house and a brown tin roof. There was a rocking chair sitting outside by a side door.
Did Jonah watch the sun rise over the lush stream in the summers?
I shouldn’t dwell on Jonah’s habits, but thinking about him was easier than dwelling on how my family was handling the Harringtons. Or how disappointed the guests were that they’d made the trip to Bozeman for nothing. Did the drama make the trip worth it?
Nope. Not dwelling on today. I focused on Jonah’s house.
The cabin was an A-frame structure made out of thick round logs with a brownish-red tin roof. It was just as simple and stunning as it had always been. Large windows took up the wall, and with the sparse trees, the view of the valley would be breathtaking. I could enjoy my favorite winter drink, a spiced coffee with a splash of bourbon, and admire the view.
A garage had been added using the same materials.Jonah pulled inside. He hit the button for the garage door and we were enclosed in darkness.
“Are you sure you want to stay here?” he asked. He’d killed the engine, but neither of us made a move to leave. “The snow’s getting heavier and you know what it’s like. Doesn’t take much to block you in.”
I nodded. Where Mama lived, it was easier to get in and out when the weather was bad. We had the equipment to move snow if needed, as long as the visibility was there.
“I can take you to your mom’s,” he offered.
He’d have to go close to town to get to Mama’s, and then he’d have to get back before the snow got too deep or the wind kicked up too strong. “What if you get stranded in town?”
“I can stay with my parents.”
From his tone, I could tell bunking with Adam and Vera Dunn wasn’t ideal. I didn’t want to inconvenience him more than I had, but also, I didn’t want to leave his side. He’d stepped in when I’d been too stunned to move. I’d been a rabbit before a hawk.
Why was Jonah so willing to help me? I thought he hated me.
My siblings would do the same for me, but they were family. They’d feel like they had to. They would know not to berate me for impulsive weddings or last-minute cancellations. Jonah didn’t have to. He didn’t owe me. Heshouldhate me.
When I fucked up in life, I did it big.
“I’d like to stay.” I picked at a nail. My pretty manicure was a soft wild-rose color, the same shade I would’ve made the bridesmaid dresses without Corinne’spushy influence. Her lips had thinned when she’d seen my fingertips.
She’d said black and white with a touch of silver was the perfect winter look. Maybe the next bride Boyd manipulated would have the same style as her.
