We work, clearing off tree branches until the bridge is clear. On the other side, a tractor similar to Sam’s drives up, clearing the last bit of snow on that side. A man hops out, grinning. Based on his looks alone, he’s somehow related to Sam.
“Holy hell, that’s a lot of snow.” He stops. “And who is this?”
Sam’s arm goes around me. “This is Charlie.”
Liam flashes a grin that’s all easy charm and wind-chapped cheeks. His eyes, though? They’re sharp. Curious. Definitely taking in the way Sam’s arm is wrapped snug around my shoulders.
“Charlie, huh?” he says, pulling off his gloves. “You the city girl who came storming in with the blizzard?”
“Guilty,” I admit, unable to stop the laugh that slips out.
“She also nearly floated down the creek in a Prius,” Sam adds, smirking.
Liam lets out a bark of a laugh. “Now that’s a story I got to hear.”
Phern rolls her eyes. “Liam, you don’t have to flirt with everyone.”
He raises his hands. “I’m just sayin’—a woman who braves a flood and ends up snowed in with my grumpy cousin? Sounds like a legend in the making.”
Sam shakes his head, which makes Liam grin wider.
He turns back toward his tractor. “I’ve got a radio in the cab. You want me to call in and let folks know the bridge is clear? Get it fixed up for you?”
“Yeah,” Sam says, glancing toward the planks now clear of snow and debris. “Might as well.”
As Liam climbs back into the cab, I glance up at Sam. “He’s a lot.”
He chuckles. “That’s why we only let him visit.”
“Hey, I heard that!” Liam calls from the cab, laughing.
Sam just winks.
Beside us, Phern tosses one last branch to the side. “I’m going to start heading back. That stew isn’t going to make itself.”
She walks past us with a quick smile that doesn’t quite meet her eyes.
I glance at Sam. “You still owe me a ‘tell you later,’ by the way.”
His smile fades a little. “Yeah. I know. Phern almost drowned in a flood when she was sixteen in a similar situation as yours. My friend, Will, saved her.”
“Oh my gosh.”
“It was pretty traumatic for her.”
“I can imagine!”
He takes my hand, lacing our fingers together, the gesture warm despite the chilly wind curling around us.
“Let’s head back,” he says.
He leads me to the tractor, climbing into the cab first. Hand out, he helps me up before pulling me onto his lap. His jaw grazes my neck.
“I missed you.”
I turn, kissing him. “Missed you, too.”
Liam honks his horn across the creek and a radio beeps.
