Snowbound with the Soldier

Jason pulled away. “He never got the chance. He stumbled into the opening of an abandoned building, triggering a booby trap.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry.” The words were lacking, but they were all she had. “He was lucky he had you as a friend.”

Jason shook his head. “No, he wasn’t. If I hadn’t lost my temper, he’d still be alive. I always end up hurting those closest to me.” He paused yet again, as though to pull himself together. “Now, how about you finish untying my boot?”

Kara blinked repeatedly before making short work of unstringing his laces. “Is there anything that can lessen the pain in your knee?”

The tension in his face soothed as they moved on to a new topic of conversation. “Sometimes I use a heating pad, but without power that isn’t an option.”

She tried to think of a substitute. “Do you have a hot water bottle?”

He broke out into a chuckle. “Do they still make such a thing?”

She shrugged. “Hey, I’m just trying to help.”

“I know. And I appreciate it.”

The sincerity in his eyes sent a warmth swirling in her chest. When he smiled, her heart tripped over itself. She needed some distance. Some air. Anything to calm the rush of emotions charging through her body.

“I’ll be back,” he said. “I need to change into something dry.”

She nodded and made her way over to the mess of wood on the floor. Work was a welcome distraction, but all too soon she had the logs neatly stacked, and had no idea what to do next. She plopped down on the couch and reached for a magazine. It was a sports issue, but thankfully, not the swimsuit edition. When she lifted it, something fluttered to the floor. A photograph.

It landed upside down. She wondered what image was on the other side. His ex-girlfriend? Did he sit here at night thinking of her? The chance that she’d been letting herself get all tangled up in old emotions while he was secretly pining for another woman left Kara spinning. The old Jason wouldn’t have done that, but this new Jason she knew next to nothing about.

Anxious for an answer, she snatched up the photo. Her gaze riveted to the image of two young men with similar blue eyes and brown hair, each holding a colorful snowboard. Their appearances were so strikingly similar that they’d been mistaken numerous times for brothers.

Shaun...

At that moment, the floorboards creaked, announcing Jason’s presence. He joined her on the couch. “Ah, I see you’ve found the picture of Shaun. Do you remember that time?”

Did she remember? She was the one who’d taken the photo.

“I remember.” She swallowed hard. “We were sixteen. And life was so much easier back then.”

Jason took the photo from her and held it in front of him. “Never thought we’d be sitting here nearly twelve years later, and things would be so screwed up. Back then we were the Three Musketeers. Now you and I hardly speak to one and other. And Shaun’s...”

“Dead.” The word pierced her chest.

“I know. It’s been what? Seven years since he died in a car accident.”

“How do you know about it?” She turned to him. “When you left, I thought you cut off all contact with Pleasant Valley. Or was it just me and your father you cut out of your life?”

His brows furrowed together. He reached out to her, but she scooted to the far end of the couch. “It wasn’t like you’re thinking.”

“Then how was it?”

“When I left, I vowed I wouldn’t look back. It was easy to get lost in my job, my mission. In the beginning, I’d volunteer for whatever assignment came up—regardless of the risk—but as the years passed, my curiosity about what went on back here grew.”

She crossed her arms and glared at him. “So who did you contact?”

“You’ve heard of the internet, haven’t you?”

She released a pent-up breath. “Oh.”

“That’s where I came across the Pleasant Valley Journal and stumbled over the article about Shaun’s car accident. Damn shame. He was so young. He had his whole future to look forward to.”

She nodded. Unable to find her voice, she thought of the boy who’d always followed Jason around, from childhood through their high school days. He’d always been there for Jason and her. Trusted, funny and dependable. Those were the traits she’d loved about Shaun.