“Just be careful you don’t wind up getting knocked up by a cowboy you don’t know the name of,” I mutter. “Olivia would say that’s a bad plan. At least get a phone number.”
Winnie snorts and shakes her head. “Got it. Hook up, ask for number, pray for no little beans.”
“At least you’re far past the point of a teen pregnancy with twins.” I hook my thumb in my direction with a shrug. “Their dad was captain of the football team, and I thought that was so, so cool. And he likedme. Ugh. Naïve little me didn’t think about condoms or birth control untilafterspring break when we low-key ‘dated’, and by then it was too late.”
“Shit,” Winnie whispers, looking over again at her niece and the twins. “That’s intense. Did he stick around? I mean, I guess not, but...”
“Initially,” I say quietly. “And then his parents reminded him he had a future, and that future couldn’t include us. He died after we graduated. Hit and run. Never had a chance. Until that point, he’d been present but not with us emotionally because he knew he’d leave. Arlo remembers a little of his dad, but Cleo was such a daddy's girl. She didn’t sleep for weeks. His parents came crawling back when they realised they’d been cut out of two different wills, I heard. But by then, I’d moved on.”
My new friend sits back with another shake of her head. “Fuck it.” She riffles through her purse and pulls out her keys. “This is the front door key to my brother’s cabin.”
My eyes widen as I watch her pull the key off the chain. “What? No?—”
“Hush.” She slides it towards me. “He won’t know. The man doesn’t use security systems or anything fancy. All you have to do is keep quiet, leave it as clean as you found it, and be out the day before he returns. He won’t know. But you shouldn’t be sleeping in your car or at that sketchy motel on Saint View. Not when you can have a clean bed and an actual house to stay in while we get you that jobandapartment.”
Tears burn my eyes, a lump forming in my throat. “I don’t want to impose on your brother.”
“Well, he can suck it up,” Winnie replies with a firm nod. “You’ve already gone through enough with those kids. It’s the least we can do. And what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
With trembling fingers, I take the offered key. Guilt and hope both crash into me, a war I probably won’t win. But then I look over at my kids, my two sweet, tired children who just want to start over, and I tuck the key into my pocket.
“How long is he going away for?” I ask warily.
Winnie smiles. “That’s my girl.”
THREE
CALEB
Ican’t ignore the feeling that something isn’t right. It’s like a firm pressure in my chest, a hard lump that won’t go away. I’ve never enjoyed these dumb trips, but I can’t bring myself to even want to participate. I just let the rich city jerks fish and drink and talk shit as much as they want. The only reason I’m here is to make sure they don’t die or go missing on the mountain.
But as soon as the weather changes? I get them the hell out of there and myself on the road.
It was hard enough leaving when my fight with Winnie had been so fresh in my mind. It’s another to know my sister probably still went behind my back and did the very thing I asked her not to.
And honestly, I wouldn’t blame her. Winnie wants to help people. It’s her greatest strength. She cares deeply for all those around her, and I know she yearns to have more. A family, love, whatever. Her heart is big enough for it all. And although I know she doesn’t want to intentionally piss me off or go against my wishes, she will if it means helping someone if they need it more.
Which is why I have a damned good feeling I know what the hell is going on in my cabin right now.
I could call Winnie and warn her I’m heading home early. Tell her to get her new friend out of my cabin ASAP, especially with the weather turning south. The snow was meant to start clearing a week ago, and we were supposed to see winter letting up, but it appears Mother Nature has a few surprises left for us.
If I’m right and thereisa woman with her children staying in my cabin, then I need to get there sooner rather than later. I can handle getting snowed in. I’ve got a deep freezer in the basement stocked with prepped meals, and the entire space is set up like a small convenience store. Canned goods, lentils, pasta—you name it, I have it. But Winnie doesn’t have a key to that door, so neither does my squatter.
I don’t even have it in me to be mad at this woman, as much as I should be. If sheisthere, then it’s likely she either doesn’t know my stance, or she’s doing what she can to protect her kids. And as much as I want to be angry, there is a part of me that isn’t.
I growl as I pull into my driveway. The snow falls heavily, already obscuring the road I’d shovelled before leaving. I have a feeling this woman doesn’t have a vehicle equipped for driving through it. She might not even realise the danger she’s in, being trapped on the mountain.
And if I can’t get her and her kids out quick enough, she’s going to be trapped withme.
I see her car parked under the small undercover parking space I built last summer. I made it two cars wide for when my siblings come to visit, especially during winter, even though they don’t use it very often.
When I pull in, my heart races, but I jump out of the truck with my pack in hand. As soon as I make it into the storm, I stop short. A wind howls through the trees, bending even the thickest of trunks as it gusts over the mountain, making the snow fall sideways.
I trudge through it up to the small, covered porch, each breath icy. There are no lights on in the house, but the generator whirls. I can just hear it over the forceful wind.
When I try the front door, it’s unlocked. My heart leaps into my throat as I quietly push it open.
From the doorway, I look in and find two small bodies lying on the sofa, blankets that aren’t mine draped over them. From here, I can’t make out ages, but they aren’t as young as I thought they’d be. They’re both sleeping, a boy and a girl, and I can’t make myself want to wake them when they look so peaceful. They haven’t even noticed the wind or incoming storm.
