Snowbound

Her lower lip was getting pouty. “Not when it’s

snowing like this.”

Troy Thorsen grabbed a hat and put it on her, pulling

it down over her ears even as she shook her head madly,

fighting him. “You have to come out, or we won’t have

even sides.”

She yanked it off and threw it at him, her eyes

flashing. “I don’t have to do anything.”

Their teacher intervened. “No, you don’t. Amy, if

you’d rather stay inside, that’s fine. Mr. Fallon has a

good library. You can pick out a book and read in front

of the fire with me.”

“But, Ms. Mac!” the skinny kid protested. “Aren’t

you coming out?”

“Are you kidding? Not a chance.”

“Bummer,” somebody muttered.

Kelli sniffed and pointedly turned her back on

Amy. “Let’s just go out. It doesn’t matter if sides

aren’t even.”

“Yeah,” a couple of them agreed. All began zipping

parkas and donning hats.

Amy smiled at Hopper, the boy she’d been hanging

on. “You could keep me company. We could play a game.

Or, like, explore the lodge.” Be alone, her tone promised.

Yanking on gloves, he missed the full wattage of her

smile and possibly her implicit promise. “Nah, it’s going to be cool out there. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Standing to one side, John saw anger flare on her face.

Then, “Oh, fine!” she snapped. “I’ll come already.”

She appropriated a parka the girl in braces had been

reaching for, picked out a faux-fur headband that left

her hair to ripple down her back and chose gloves.

“Cool!” Hopper declared, as oblivious to the cold-

shoulder she gave him now as he’d been to her earlier,

flirtation.

Coatless—she’d loaned hers to one of the girls—

Fiona followed them out onto the porch. “Remember,

you’ll stay right in front. I want to be able to see all of

you whenever I glance out.”

“Yes, Ms. Mac,” they all said dutifully, meanwhile

rolling their eyes.

Shaking her head, she came back inside and shut the

heavy front door. “Want to bet on how long they last

out there?”

“I’m going to say ten minutes for the one who didn’t

want to go.”

She laughed. “Hopper may live to regret not falling

in line.”

“Or be very, very grateful he ticked her off early

on.”

This smile was wry. “Amy is a bit of a handful. She’s

an only child, which doesn’t always mean spoiled…”

“But in Amy’s case does,” he said bluntly.

“I shouldn’t have said that.” She seemed perturbed

at the idea of criticizing one of her charges. “I’m an only

child myself.”

Interesting. He wouldn’t have guessed. Nodding in

acknowledgment, he changed the subject, “If you’ll

excuse me, I have work to do.”

“Can I help?”

He shouldn’t succumb to temptation. Spending time

alone with her wasn’t smart. But she was not only the

first woman to interest him since he’d landed stateside,

she was also the first person of either gender he’d had

any inclination to talk to.

So he said, “If you want to clean bathrooms.”

He was ashamed of himself for sounding ungracious.

She’d been more than generous in getting the whole

group to help out. Once upon a time, he’d known how to

make pleasant conversation. Not so long ago. Before…

John willed his mind to go blank.

Fiona helped hold him in the here and now. “Our

bathrooms?” She sounded horrified. “We can clean

them ourselves.”

“We’ll just do a quick swipe. Before your charges

come in and need hot baths again.”

“Oh, dear. They will, won’t they?” She nodded.

“Fine. But they won’t have made their beds, either, and

we’re not doing that for them.”

She sounded so fierce, a trace of amusement stirred

in him. He hardly recognized it. He’d lost his sense of

humor along with so much else in Iraq.

Climbing the stairs, he asked, “Are you going to be