A Wedding in December

Absently drying the ends of her hair, she sat down on the sofa.

When he came back into the room he was carrying a tray loaded with food. His hair curled damply over the neck of his thick, cable-knit sweater. “Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” She tried not to notice the way his jeans fit snugly around his thighs. Her trousers clung, too, but because they were damp and uncomfortable. But what was the point of taking them off when she’d have to put them back on to walk back to the lodge? And then there was the fact that she didn’t want to run around his cabin in her underwear.

He put the tray down and took the towel from her. “Sure you don’t want a hot shower?”

“I’m fine, thanks. This looks delicious.”

There was a fresh loaf and a slab of creamy butter. Plump tomatoes, mountain ham and chunks of cheese.

Trying to ignore her damp clothes, she picked up a plate. “The bread looks delicious. Did you go to the store this morning?”

“I baked it myself.” He smiled at her surprised look. “What? You think all I’m good for is rescuing women from ice and snow?”

“I didn’t need rescuing.”

“That’s more like it. I was missing the argumentative side of your nature.” He cut a couple of thick slices of bread, speared one and put it on her plate.

She knew she was being ungracious. Her shoulders sagged. “You’re right. I needed help. And I’m grateful. Thank you. Not only for the food, but for rescuing me.”

He piled ham and cheese on her plate. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

She buttered the bread, took a bite and moaned with pleasure. “This is good. I haven’t had freshly baked bread since the last time I was home, which is months.” She helped herself to cheese, caught his eye and put the plate down. She wasn’t being fair, was she? “I suppose I do owe you an explanation.”

He stretched out his legs. “On second thought, it can wait. Eat. Stop worrying for five minutes.”

That was easier said than done, but she ate hungrily, knowing she was going to need fuel for the trek back to Snowfall Lodge. “What time does it get dark?”

“In a couple of hours.”

She glanced at her watch and realized five hours had passed since she’d left her parents’ cabin. “I had no idea it was so late.” She scrambled to her feet. “I have to get going.”

Jordan sliced off another chunk of cheese and added it to his plate. “Where exactly are you planning on going?”

“Back to Snowfall Lodge. Where else? My family will be wondering where I am. My parents, particularly my mother, will be worried.” And for once she was the cause. She, who tried hard never to worry her parents, had stormed out of their tree house without even allowing them to explain. She’d told no one where she was going because she hadn’t known where she was going.

What were they thinking right now? Maybe they’d already called search and rescue.

“They won’t be worried. They know you’re with me.”

“How could they possibly know that?”

He cut more bread. “I texted Dan earlier, when I saw you on the trail. More cheese?”

“No, thanks. You texted him?” She frowned. “I couldn’t get a signal.”

“It comes and goes. You can relax. No one will be worrying.”

“I’d still like to talk to them myself.” What exactly had she said to her parents? The whole conversation was a blur. Had she hurt her mother? That was the last thing she wanted, but she’d been so shocked. “Can I use your phone?”

“There’s no signal in the cabin. You have to walk up the trail a little way, and you can’t do that in this weather. Settle down, Katie. We’re going to be here awhile, so you might as well calm down.”

“You do know that telling someone to ‘calm down’ is a sure way of making them super stressed and mad, don’t you?”

“Yes.” He spread butter on the bread. “I like you better when you’re mad. All this amenable vulnerability is starting to rattle me.”

She had no idea what to say to that. “I have to get back. Even if my parents aren’t worried, I still need to talk to my sister. And I need to do it urgently. There are reasons.”