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“We had an accident—”

“It’s the night for it, apparently.” The woman sighed and opened the door wider. “You’d better come in.”

9

Brooke

Brooke was so relieved that Matt was back safely in the warm that it took her a few seconds to register the two figures—a man and a woman—who stumbled through the door after him.

The man was more practically dressed than the woman, snow clinging to his weatherproof jacket and coating his sturdy boots. He was clutching a bag as if he was guarding it with his life. The woman was young—mid- to late twenties Brooke guessed—and she was wearing a beanie in a vibrant shade of pink. Her hair spilled over her cream bouclé coat, which was gorgeous but utterly impractical for the weather. She was coated in snowflakes and shivering but somehow she was smiling.

“You have no idea what a relief it is to be inside in the warm.” She opened the edges of the coat she’d been clutching and removed it gingerly, trying not to shake more snow on herself or the floor. “I’ve never been more grateful to see a house and civilisation. There’s nothing like a near-death experience to make you appreciate heating.”

How was she still smiling after wading through thigh-deep snow after an accident?

Her positivity made Brooke feel inadequate.

She’d never felt less like smiling. Her insides were knotted. Her muscles were tense. She should be coping better. Taking things in her stride, like this young woman. She should be thinking isn’t this fun instead of this might be the worst day of my life.

“The storm is getting worse.” Matt shrugged out of the heavy coat Mabel had lent him and handed it to her with a smile of thanks. “I reckon this might have saved my life, so thank you.”

Mabel took it from him and held it close as if there was comfort to be had from simply holding it.

Despite her own anxieties, Brooke saw the gesture and wondered. That coat clearly meant something more than a way to protect someone from the weather.

She realised with a flicker of shame that she’d given barely any thought to the impact this storm was having on Mabel. One minute she’d been hunkered down with her cats, and the next she was dealing with an invasion of strangers who were filling her house with snow.

When Brooke had stumbled through the front door of this beautiful house, she’d been thinking of nothing but the survival of her family. Her girls. But now the immediate risk had faded, she found herself asking questions.

Who was Mabel, and why was she living all alone in this remote house? She thought about Elsie’s comment about the Christmas tree. She always used to have a tree, but she doesn’t anymore. And because that makes her sad, she tries not to think about it.

Clearly, Brooke wasn’t the only one with a complicated life.

“I suppose it will give us a good story to tell.” The young woman tugged off her hat and rubbed at her hair with her fingers. “I’ve never seen so much snow.” She stepped towards Brooke. “I’m Izzy. This is Jason. Thank you so much for taking us in.”

Underneath the coat she was wearing a tartan miniskirt, red tights and a pair of heavy black boots that Brooke’s mother would have described as “practical.” A long stripy scarf was draped around her neck, and she looked like a cross between an impish elf and an unusually attractive construction worker. But she was undoubtedly stylish, and Brooke studied her for a moment and felt a twinge of envy. She never would have had the courage to wear something so eclectic and colourful. Even cold and sprinkled with snow, Izzy looked fantastic.

“I don’t live here.” Brooke gestured to Mabel. “It’s Mabel you should be thanking. This is her home. Like you, we had an accident and were forced to take shelter.”

And now she thought about it, Mabel hadn’t exactly welcomed them with open arms. She’d opened the door a crack and looked at them with suspicion. Brooke was fairly sure it was the children who had made her decide to let them in.

And maybe that wasn’t so difficult to understand. If she lived on her own in the middle of nowhere, she’d probably be wary of strangers pounding on the door.

“Thank you, Mabel.” Izzy stepped forward and gave Mabel a spontaneous hug. “Without you, we’d be freezing to death right now.”

Mabel looked startled by the hug but she gave Izzy an awkward pat.

“Yes, thank you.” Jason put the bag down carefully and then turned to Matt. “And thank you for trudging through that snow to rescue us. I don’t think we would have seen the house if it weren’t for you.”

“It was your car I hit?” Izzy stepped back. “I’m so sorry. I promise I’ll pay for any damage.”

“We’d already caused a fair amount of damage ourselves,” Matt said. “We crashed into Mabel’s wall. Your accident probably compounded it.”

“It’s a miracle none of us were hurt,” Izzy said. “And in the end that’s all that matters, isn’t it? Everything else can be fixed.”

Brooke wished she could be as philosophical. Izzy was right, of course, but knowing that didn’t lessen Brooke’s stress levels. Generally speaking, she tried to practise gratitude but right now thinking of all the ways in which this could have been worse wasn’t working for her.

We are alive.