A Wedding in December

“Does this road ever get blocked in winter?”

“It can have its tricky moments. There’s a rest area up ahead at Grizzly Creek. We’ll stop there for a short time. Are you hungry?”

She discovered that she was.

After a hastily eaten snack she headed down to the water with him, her hands wrapped around the drink he’d bought her. The air was fresh and cold, the mountains rising straight up from the river. Snow clung to boulders and the water bubbled past patches of ice.

“I bet that water is cold.”

“Icy.” He stood, legs spread, hands thrust into his pockets. “Dan and I used to spend our summers rafting on this river. Further downriver you have the Shoshone rapids—Tombstone, The Wall and Maneater.”

“Funny, none of those names are tempting me to ask you to take me white-water rafting. I can’t think why.”

“Come back in the summer and I’ll take you. I think you’d enjoy it.”

“What makes you think that? Do I look sporty?”

“No, you look tense. And clinging to the side of a raft while you’re being thrown around in wild water surrounded by breathtaking scenery is a good way of making you forget everything except the moment.”

“I’m going to have to take your word for it.”

“You’re missing out on a real adrenaline rush. It’s pretty thrilling.”

She took a sip of coffee, feeling the warmth spread from the cup to her fingers. London, with its gray skies and rain, seemed like a long way away. For the first time in a while she felt half-human. “Thanks but I think I’d prefer to get my thrills elsewhere.”

He finished his coffee. “You shouldn’t be afraid of adventure.”

“Who says I’m afraid?”

“You’ve been grilling me about Dan, which means you’re the type who researches everything in detail before you commit to something. You don’t trust your instincts.”

“I don’t have instincts where Dan is concerned. I’ve never met him.”

“Precisely.” He dropped his cup in the trash can. “But you’re assuming he has a past he needs to hide. And you’re not even the one who is marrying him. Are you always this cautious?”

“I’m not cautious.”

“No? When did you last do something that scared you?”

Seeing Dr. Braithwaite had scared her, and lately she’d been scared every time she’d arrived at work. “We should probably get going. My family will be expecting me.”

He studied her for a moment. “Sure. If that’s what you want.”

They headed back to the car, and negotiated the next section of road in silence.

They reached a town called Glenwood Springs, and he followed the signs for Aspen.

Katie must have fallen asleep because when she woke they were driving down a snow-covered drive toward a brightly lit building.

“That’s pretty.”

“Welcome to Snowfall Lodge.”

“This is it?” She gazed at the sloping roof outlined by tiny lights. There was a deck and what appeared to be a Christmas tree in every window. Her spirits lifted for the first time in weeks. Even she should be able to heal in a place like this. “It’s charming.”

“It’s a cool place. But you’re not staying here. You’re staying in one of the tree houses in the forest.”

It was like being shown paradise and then being told your ticket wasn’t valid for that stop.