“You were pretty confident I’d say yes to staying in your spare bedroom and not on that couch,” I said, smiling up at him.
“I knew you weren’t crazy enough to sleep on that thing,” he replied. He looked at me with a softness in his eyes that I hadn’tseen since the night he took me out to Crowley’s Ridge for the first time.
Snowflakes fell in my hair and onto my face as we made our way to Jace’s truck. The wind blew harder, pelting our faces with snow as Jace marched through the inches that had already fallen. He pulled me closer, trying to shield me from the wind. Warmth radiated from his body. His cologne was strong, but in a good way. It reminded me of fresh mountain air and pine trees.
When we got to his cabin, Jace carried me from the truck up the steps of his front porch, just like he had at Ellie’s. He didn’t put me down until we’d reached the middle of his living room.
The snow outside continued to build. The windows were frosted, with snow collecting along the outside frames. As the wind howled, the lamps that hung from his front porch rafters swayed.
“The spare room is back this way,” Jace said, pointing to a hallway off to our right. “It’s just across from the master bedroom where I’ll be.” I looked down the hall, studying the incredible work Jace had put into building his cabin.
It smelled faintly of fresh pine wood and some kind of cleaner. Exposed wooden beams stretched across the ceiling, and a large stone fireplace dominated the living room. Cozy rugs covered the wooden floors, and plush couches were arranged around a low coffee table.
The kitchen, visible just past the living room, had a rustic charm of its own with open shelving lined with mismatched mugs, copper pots hanging above a butcher-block island, and a small window above the sink dusted with frost that let in the muted winter moonlight. There were little touches everywhere that made it feel lived in yet intentional—blankets folded over chair backs, Jace’s boots sitting next to the front door, and framed photos of his family scattered throughout each room.
“I’ll just take the clothes Ellie let me borrow and go change,” I said, holding up the grey sweatpants and old George Strait T-shirt she’d given Jace for me to sleep in when he told her we were leaving before he woke me up.
“Holler if you need anything,” Jace said as I walked down the hallway, disappearing behind the door that led to my room for the night.
Jace’s spare room carried the same simple, solid vibe as the rest of the cabin. A king-size bed was tucked against one wall with a quilt laid neatly on top. Matching nightstands flanked each side with lamps casting just enough glow to give the room a soft, warm ambiance. The bed sat low to the floor, making the space feel even cozier.
Across from the bed, a floor-to-ceiling window looked out over the small river that ran through McKinley Ranch. Snow fell in thick heaps, covering everything in a pristine white blanket. I couldn’t see the river beneath the window, but the view was still breathtaking.
I stepped into the bathroom for a little privacy and couldn’t help but think this might be my favorite room in the cabin. A gleaming clawfoot bathtub sat at the far end, practically calling my name. The entire bathroom was marble-tiled, with wood lining the lower walls, giving it a rugged, woodsy feel that fit perfectly with the rest of the cabin.
It blew my mind that Jace had taken a simple vision and turned it into this beautiful cabin out in the middle of nowhere—his own version of heaven. Before today, I’d never experienced a snowfall on McKinley Ranch, but I was suddenly jealous Ellie got to experience this every time it snowed.
With my comfy clothes finally on, I decided to head back to the living room for a few minutes to let Jace know I was headed to bed for the night.
As I rounded the corner to enter the living room, the cackling of red flames stopped me in my tracks. I stood still in place, my entire body shaking as my mind flashed back to the night of the fire. I could smell the smoke all over again, bitter and harsh. The memories of flames dancing up the walls, engulfing everything in their path.
Except this time, the flames weren’t jumping from one side of the room to the next, climbing up to the ceiling. Instead, they were enclosed safely in Jace’s fireplace, which he had innocently lit while I was changing. It was already warmer in the room than when I had left. The burns on my side tingled—phantom pains. My mind was playing a trick on me. My body was convinced the situation was real.
Jace didn’t know that I hadn’t so much as lit a candle since the fire. Flames terrified me, no matter how small. I knew better than anyone else how one small flame could turn into several bigger ones within seconds, swallowing everything in its path—including me.
Jace stood from in front of the fireplace, turning to me. “I started a fire, it should warm—” He stopped talking when he turned to see me cemented in place, my entire body losing all its color.
“Cassie, what’s wrong?” he asked. He made his way to me in three long strides, pulling me in, my body still frozen in time. “You’re shaking, Cass. Tell me what’s wrong,” he begged.
But I couldn’t. I just kept shaking, staring at the fire in front of me. He looked back, finally making the connection.
“Shit Cass. I didn’t think about the fire. I’m so sorry,” he said, scooping me up. My legs wrapped around his waist and my arms around his neck as I tucked my head into his shoulder, so I didn’t have to look at the fire that had triggered a response in me I hadn’t known was possible.
He marched me back to the bedroom out of sight of the fire. But instead of taking me to the guest bedroom, he took me tohisbedroom and sat me down onhisbed.
He sat me down carefully, standing in front of me, holding on to each of my thighs. Gently, he tilted my chin up, making me look him in the eyes.
“Cass, there’s no danger. You’re safe. Do you understand?” he said, staring into my eyes. I nodded weakly, my fight-or-flight response still not fully convinced. “I’m going to go put the fire out and then I’ll be right back, okay?” he asked, waiting for my approval to leave.
I nodded softly, not wanting to be alone, but wanting to be away from the flames even more. As Jace left the room to put out the fire, I crawled under the covers, needing more protection from the flames than just being in a different room. I knew it was crazy, but my mind wasn’t making sense right now. I needed something, anything to make me feel protected, and this was what felt right in the moment. After Jace came back, I would leave and maybe go take a hot bath or something to help calm myself down. But this blanket was the best I had for now. It would have to work.
Chapter 29 – Jace
I was beyond frustrated with myself. Why hadn’t I considered that Cassie might still be terrified of fire? Sure, it had been two years since that night, but I was stupid for not thinking about the fact that she might have been more traumatized by the fire than I was. I wasn’t the one who almost lost their life. Cassie was the one who’d passed out from smoke inhalation and woken in a hospital bed the next day, barely clinging to life. By that time, I was long gone—already in Florida, trying to survive the night in my own way.
Dammit, I should’ve known better.
I quickly put out the fire, double-checking for embers that might reignite and cause Cassie more trauma than I already had.
