“She would have already left town. Why don’t I…hang on a minute. Someone’s driving past our house.”
Matthew didn’t wait for his brother to tell him who it was. He rushed into the hallway, grabbed his jacket, and walked into the freezing December night.
It was Ashley.
He ran across to her car and opened the door. “Hi. Come inside. I’ve got the fire going.”
She sent him a grateful smile and took a box off the passenger seat. “I can’t believe it’s so cold.”
“It’s supposed to get worse over the next few weeks.”
Ashley sneezed. “Sorry. This cold is getting worse, too.”
“Come on. Let’s go inside before you blow the house down.” He took the box out of her hands and they rushed into the cottage, closing the door on the bitter nor’wester.
“I’ve forgotten what it’s like here in the winter.”
“In a few weeks, you won’t notice the cold.”
“I hope so. I bought every piece of thermal underwear I could find.”
Matthew smiled. He’d been with Ashley when she’d seen a pair of red, white, and green striped leggings. She’d bought those and a matching thermal top. If they’d had a matching hat, she would have added that to her purchases, too.
“There’s one good thing about winter. It’s great cuddling weather.” She took the box out of his hands and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him close. “I won’t kiss you. You’ll get my bugs.” She pulled away from his arms and let rip with another enormous sneeze.
Her red nose and watery eyes didn’t bode well for the romantic evening he’d planned. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Ashley blew her nose and smiled. “It’s a cold. Apart from wanting to sneeze every ten minutes, I feel fine. Where’s Sean?”
“I don’t know. He went into town and should have been home more than an hour ago. I’ve tried calling his cell phone, but he’s not answering.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
Matthew’s phone rang. He looked at the caller display and frowned. “It’s Nathan. I won’t be a minute.”
His brother got straight to the point. “You stay with Ashley. I’m heading into town. Good luck for tonight.”
“Thanks. I’ll need it.”
“You’ll be fine.”
Matthew wasn’t so sure. He knew Ashley loved him, but marriage…that was a whole different level of commitment.
“Has Nathan heard from Sean?” Ashley asked.
“No. He’s heading into town to look for him.”
“He might have met someone he knew.”
Matthew hoped she was right. Out of all his brothers, Sean was the most reliable. If he had met some friends or gone somewhere else, he would have called. “Nathan will let me know when he finds him. Come and sit closer to the fire. I’ll make you a hot drink.”
Ashley walked across the room. “Your Christmas tree is beautiful.”
He turned toward the woman who had changed his life, and for the first time that day, smiled. Whatever happened tonight, he knew without a doubt that Ashley was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She made him happy, made him believe that there was a reason he’d been placed on this earth, a reason to wake up each morning and make that day better than the last.
Ashley touched one of the glass ornaments on the tree. “This looks really old.”
“It is. The glass balls were my great-grandparents. They were my favorite decoration when I was younger. I couldn’t work out how the little figures got inside.”
