He didn’t believe her. His side-eye look silently showed his doubt, but he carried on all the same. “I was headed home and saw Holden’s snowmobile parked out front. Just wanted to make sure everything was okay in here.”
“You’ve been out this entire time?” Holden’s arms crossed over his chest.
“The Hendersons lost a huge fir. Took out half their deck. I helped Roger cut it up and haul it out. Then I stopped by Miss Patty’s and you know that woman. Wouldn’t let me go without a cup of tea—albeit cold—and a good, long story about the colossal snowstorm of 1962.”
“Let me guess, this is nothing compared to that historical blizzard,” Rachel surmised.
“Believe it or not, she actually admitted this was worse.” Lance gave a shrug. “And according to the news, there’s more to come. Apparently, this is just a small break before it starts dumping again.”
“Then I should probably take advantage of that and head out while I can.” Holden’s eyes found Rachel’s in the candlelit room. “Will you be okay here by yourself for the rest of the night?”
She would be fine physically. She had watched him keep the fire going all evening and knew what to do. But her heart…the thought of their moment from earlier not having the chance to unfurl made it squeeze with disappointment.
There would be noto-be-continued. Morning would come and shine a light on their foolishness. It had been a vulnerable moment, but not one they would reenact.
No, the stars, the snowflakes, and the storm had perfectly aligned, and the chances of that happening again were woefully slim.
Rachel couldn’t keep the disheartened sigh from escaping.
“I’ll be fine.”
Holden’s eyes lingered before he gave a long nod. “You’ll call me if you need anything?” He moved like he was going in for a hug, but then stopped short, aware of Lance gaping at his side. “You should have my number in your phone now. Please feel free to use it.”
“I’ll be just fine, Holden. You don’t need to give me a second thought.”
Whatever made him hesitate earlier was no longer an issue, because Holden pressed in close and took her swiftly into his arms. His words tickled her ear as he said, “That’s going to be sort of impossible.”
And then he was gone. All three of them, out the door and loaded up on their snowmobiles.
Rachel stood a moment on the porch, catching her breath and rallying her heart, wondering why it suddenly felt whisked away on that snowmobile too.
* * *
Rachel was rarelyaware of the sunrise. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know it took place every morning. It was just that she never really relied on its rays to wake her. Alarm clocks, programmed coffee makers, and email notifications typically did that.
But the power was still out, and that meant it was solely Mother Nature’s job to illuminate the day.
The fire was entirely gone. She’d done her best to keep it ignited, even setting an alarm on her phone to wake her every couple of hours to check on it and add a log or two. But by four in the morning, she hit the snooze. She was dog tired and another blanket would have to suffice.
As she curled up on the couch beneath several layers of heavy fabric, she couldn’t help but feel as though she was missing something. Or someone. Being held in Holden’s arms felt like a dream. Had it all been one? Had she dreamt up the moment between them? Contrived the connection that had her heart quickening within her chest and knees going weak every time she replayed the tender scene?
And what had he meant when he said he was trying to get her attention all of those years ago by asking her to the dance? Had he been trying to get her attention ever since? She had always viewed Holden as a potential roadblock to her success, never as a person who had real, tangible feelings.
A person who seemed—against all odds—to have feelings forher.
She didn’t know what to do with that.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she yawned and stretched her arms above her head. She thought it was a ringing in her ears, but when she dropped her hands back down and the jingling continued, her eyes landed on the vibrating phone. She scooped it from the coffee table.
Hope nosedived when she saw it wasn’t Holden, but lifted once she heard her mother’s voice on the other end.
“Mom! How are you and Dad? Is everything okay?”
“We’re fine, sweetie. The market’s fine too. In fact, we’re thinking of opening up today, on the off chance customers can make it into town for supplies. Since we have to stay put, might as well make the most of it.”
“Do you think anyone will?” If her parents couldn’t get out, she doubted anyone could get in.
“The highway is down to one lane, but it’s passable. It’s just when you head further up the summit that things get dicey,” Paula said. “I just wanted to call to make sure you knew to stay put. Roads by the cabins haven’t been plowed and likely won’t be for some time.”
