Wound their fingers and pressed them against his chest. “I missed you.”
“Me too.”
His gaze dropped to her lips, then lifted to meet her eyes. When he spoke, his voice turned raw. “It’s not midnight yet.”
Her breathing hitched. She’d waited for this moment, hadn’t known if she’d get it back. “Somewhere it’s midnight.”
She only saw his eyes twinkle for a split second before his lips touched hers and she closed her eyes to savor the moment. All her hopes and dreams for the future became attainable in that earth-shattering kiss. It had been worth the wait, more so because they’d worked for it.
A clearing of a throat brought the kiss to an abrupt end. Jessa stepped back, glanced up and saw Phoebe—she’d already forgotten her sister was on her way.
Phoebe’s cheeks twitched, a telltale sign she was trying not to grin wide. “Sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I run upstairs and get the dress?”
“Help yourself. I’ll meet you at the party.”
Landon’s mouth straightened to a thin line. “I’m interrupting plans, aren’t I? You have that party at Rachel’s tonight.”
Her lips curved upward. “This is better.”
“I agree, but I know it’s important that you’re there for her.”
“Will you come with me?” Now that she’d had the sweetness of his kiss, she couldn’t imagine midnight without him.
“If I’m welcome.”
“Of course you are. Rachel asked if you’d be there.”
“You didn’t tell her no?”
She ran a finger up his arm, convinced tears of happiness could well at any minute. “I had faith.”
Chapter Eleven
Harsh gusts of wind whipped at his truck, swinging the trailer into the other lane. Landon gripped the steering wheel with both hands, maintaining any control he could. Near whiteout conditions made safe driving impossible, but he had no choice. Pulling off the road on the non-existent shoulder wouldn’t be any safer. He’d have to power through until the next exit.
Forecasts had called for only a dusting, but unexpected weather changes brought a blizzard. The last time he’d driven in this weather, he’d made it two miles in an hour. At that rate, he’d reach Jasper Lake, the closest place to stop, by midnight. So close, yet so far away.
He’d called Jessa before he left the last stop. She’d asked him to stop in, but he’d declined in case the dusting turned into more. Safety first, plus he’d see her this weekend for Valentine’s Day. The joke was on him as he’d have to stop there anyway. There was no pushing home tonight—from the most recent report he’d heard on the radio, the system continued to the New York/Pennsylvania state line.
Hmm, that’s one punch line I like, though. Getting stranded in Jasper Lake didn’t sound like a terrible idea. Other than the torturous drive there, he rather liked the impromptu plan. He would call Jessa and give her a head’s up, but right now he couldn’t risk either the distraction or taking his hands off the wheel.
He couldn’t afford the lack of focus either. Setting aside thoughts of Jessa, he gave his full attention to the road. A pair of headlights appeared going the opposite way, moving faster than they should.
“Slow down, buddy.” Landon shook his head, aggravated by the person’s reckless driving. One wrong move could send the car careening across the median into him or another vehicle.
Thank goodness the one car behind him kept a safe distance. At times, he wasn’t sure the car remained due to the heavy snow, but then he’d catch a glimpse of the lights.
“Help us all get off the road safely, Lord.”
The harrowing drive continued. His fingers hurt from holding the wheel tight, but any play in movement would cause him to lose control. In his five years of driving commercially, he’d never been afraid or concerned about any situation on the road until now.
Two hours and five miles later he drove onto the exit ramp, taking it at a snail’s pace. Well, not that slow. He’d been curious once and looked it up—a snail moved at approximately one meter per hour.
Up ahead, just off the exit, he saw a car pulled over with its hazard lights blinking. Part of him wished he could avert his gaze and keep his eyes straight ahead, but the human side of him knew that wasn’t a possibility. In this weather, he had a moral obligation to stop and check on the welfare of the car’s occupants.
He tapped the brakes, bringing his rig to an excruciatingly slow stop. He turned on all his lights for visibility and said another prayer for safety. God was hearing from him often tonight. Before he left his truck, he wrapped his scarf around his neck and pulled his wool cap over his head. He reached into his coat pockets, grabbed his gloves, and slipped them over his hands.
Not knowing what he might find, he also retrieved his phone from the dash mount and felt for his pocketknife attached to his jeans. Some drivers carried pistols for protection, but since he rarely made overnight runs, he didn’t see the need.
