Snowbound with the Soldier

by Jennifer Faye

  Kara had started singing a round of “Deck the Halls” when the little hairs on her neck lifted. She had company. Resisting the urge to turn around, she finished hanging the icicles. She took a couple of steps back and inspected her work. Each light had been positioned with care, and then the garland had been added. And last but not least she’d used an assortment of ornaments, small at the top and large at the bottom. She’d been thrilled to find some with Jason’s name on them.

  “Well, what do you think?” she asked, admiring her handiwork.

  Secretly, she longed for him to ooh and aah over the trouble she’d gone to. She waited, wringing her hands together as the silence stretched out. At last Jason stepped up next to her, but he remained silent. He hated the tree. She was certain of it. Her heart sank.

  She turned to apologize for overstepping, and to offer to take it down, but the wonderment reflected in his blue eyes halted her words. He stood transfixed, seemingly lost in memories. She hoped he’d gone back in time—to happier days, when his mother was alive.

  Kara had never known his mother, but on the rare times he mentioned her it was always with devotion and reverence. He made her sound as if she’d walked on water. Kara used to wonder if that was what had happened to their own relationship. Had he matched her up to his mother and found her lacking?

  “These ornaments,” he said. “Were they in the loft?”

  She nodded, but realizing his gaze hadn’t moved from the tree, she added, “Yes. Do you remember them? Some have your name on them.”

  He stepped toward the tree and lifted an ornament of a little blond-haired boy on a rocking horse. His name was scrolled in black paint along the runner.

  “I can’t believe you found these.”

  “Surely you don’t think your grandmother would have tossed them out?” He obviously hadn’t glanced in those boxes to see what the woman had packed away. He was in for a surprise.

  “They weren’t hers. These,” he said, holding the rocking horse ornament, “belonged to my mother.”

  “You didn’t know they were up there?”

  “After my mother died...my dad threw out everything. Pictures. Books. Anything that reminded him of her.”

  Kara’s heart ached for Jason. No wonder as a kid he’d never wanted to spend time at that house. It’d been stripped of everything that was important to him. His mother. His past.

  “Even the Christmas ornaments?” she asked, trying to keep her voice level to hide her astonishment.

  “This was my mother’s favorite time of year. She died the week before Christmas.”

  Her death had happened years before Kara knew Jason. At last she understood his Scrooge-like attitude.

  “My grandmother must have known what my father was doing, and salvaged what she could.” He turned to Kara. “Thank you for finding them.”

  She swallowed the lump of emotion clogging her throat. “I’m happy you were able to reconnect with your past.” At least part of it. But there was one more thing he needed to do. “Maybe it isn’t too late for you and your dad.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  Jason’s frosty tone warned her not to go any further along this path, but being so ill, the man wasn’t capable of tracking down his son and pleading his own case. Jason’s father needed her help, and after he had helped her move up through the company, providing her with the means to support her daughter, she wanted to do this for him now. Somehow she had to convince Jason it wasn’t too late to rebuild that broken bridge.

  “Christmas is a time for love and forgiveness.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling his tension. “If not for your father, then do this for yourself. Forgive him for the past. Let it go.”

  He pulled away from her. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

  “I’m asking for a Christmas miracle.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  IN THE STRAINED silence, Jason helped hang a few last ornaments. All the while, he tried to understand why a bunch of colorful ribbon, satin and molded glass should cause a lump to form in his throat. He swallowed hard, trying to push down the sentimental pang in his chest.

  Still, his mind tumbled back in time. He clearly recalled being an excited little kid going with both his parents to pick out a Christmas tree. He knew his father would rather be at home watching football, but his mother insisted they search the mountainside for the perfect tree. Through the snow they’d trudge until his mom gave her stamp of approval on a very special pine tree.

  Of course, that had been before his dad lived only for his next drink. Before everything went so terribly wrong.

  His father, for all his faults, had loved his wife. And he’d played along with the festive plans for the holidays, making Jason’s mother very happy. Would playing along with Kara make her just as happy? Maybe in this one instance Jason should follow the old man’s lead.

  He turned to her. The expectant look on her face immediately had him uttering, “You did a great job with the tree.”

  Her smile blossomed and her straight white teeth peeked out from behind her lush lips. An urge mounted within him to cave in to his desire to sample her sweetness—once again pull her close and see if her kisses were as good as he remembered.

  “You can help me with one last thing.” She knelt down next to an open box. “And what are you doing in here, little one?” She straightened, holding Sly in her arms. “Guess you don’t have the same aversion to the holiday as some people we know.”

  Jason rolled his eyes at the cat’s silly expression. And Sly’s purring was the loudest he’d ever heard. It seemed Kara had totally won over his cat. What was next?

  After Kara placed the cat on the quilt on the couch, she turned back to the box and pulled out an elongated container. Something about it rang a bell in his mind, but he couldn’t quite pull the fuzzy memory into focus.

  “I found this earlier and knew it would be the perfect final touch.”

  She peeled back the tissue paper and reached inside. With great care, she lifted out a Christmas angel. His Christmas angel. The breath hitched in his throat. Each year, his mother had helped him put the angel on top of the tree.

  “Could you help me with this?” Kara asked, holding the delicate object out to him. “I’m too short to reach.”

  He accepted the angel and gazed down at her painted blue eyes, graceful wings and golden halo. The white material had yellowed over the years, but she was still beautiful. His vision blurred. Damn, dust from these boxes must be irritating his eyes. He turned his back to Kara and swiped an arm across his face.

  Then, clearing his throat, he rose up on his toes and placed the angel atop the tree. He took a moment to make sure it was properly positioned, just as his mother would have insisted. Then he stepped back.

  “Looks perfect,” Kara said.

  He nodded, not yet trusting his voice.

  “I’m so glad I was able to find it. Childhood mementos can be so precious.”

  His gaze remained on the angel. A powerful sensation came over him, as though his mother was trying to send him a message. He knew it was impossible. Ghosts weren’t real. People couldn’t talk to you from the great beyond. Still, there was this feeling that she wanted to get a message to him. But what?

  “It’s like it’s a sign,” Kara said, startling him with her choice of words.

  He turned to her, noticing how the Christmas lights highlighted her delicate features. Here in this setting, she didn’t look like someone he needed to hold at arm’s length. Maybe if he let his guard down just this once...

  The lights flickered. A surprised gasp crossed Kara’s lips. Then they were plunged into darkness, except for the glow of the fireplace.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of wood to keep us warm.”

  “You don’t think the p
ower will come back on like it did before?”

  “Not with those fierce winds. We’ll be lucky to have power by tomorrow.”

  Even though the strings of lights on the Christmas tree were darkened, the silver garland shimmered in the firelight.

  “We’ll need more blankets before this night is out,” he said, starting for the bedroom. “I’ll grab some from the closet. They might be a bit musty, but better smelly than frigid.”

  Not only was he stuck with an unwanted houseguest, but they’d be a lot closer as they huddled around the fire for warmth. What in the world were you supposed to do while snowed in with your ex? Okay, well, he knew what he wouldn’t mind doing....

  That couldn’t—it wouldn’t happen. His teeth ground together. Stick with the plan, he reminded himself. Remain cool and detached.

  With an armful of old blankets, he headed back to the living room. “I found these to keep us warm.”

  “Do you really think we’ll need all of those? It’s pretty warm in here already with the fire.”

  “For now. With the winds whipping around out there, the temperatures will plummet. The house will cool off quickly and you’ll appreciate some extra blankets.”

  He stood rooted to the spot, watching as the light danced across her porcelain-like face. Most women looked better with a touch of makeup, but not Kara. She didn’t need any paint to enhance her wide green eyes, her pert little nose or those pouty lips that always drew his attention.

  Not wanting to be called out for staring, he turned around to stoke the fire. Thinking it could use another log, he grabbed one from the dwindling stack.

  “I better haul in some more wood to hold us over for the night,” he said, not relishing the thought.

  “You can’t go out there. It’s too cold and windy. We can make do.”

  “We don’t have enough logs to keep the fire going all night.”

  “What about your knee? It won’t be good having it out in the cold.”

  “You’ve certainly got that fussing and worrying bit down pat. Your daughter is very lucky to have you.” Jason couldn’t be sure, but by the way Kara ducked her head, he’d bet she was blushing. “Don’t be embarrassed about it.”

  “I’m not.” She lifted her gaze to meet his. “I’ll fetch the wood. You’ve already done enough with getting dinner and cleaning up. It’s my turn to help out.”

  Their gazes locked and held. At first there was a challenge in her eyes, as though she was tempting him to look away first, just as they’d done numerous times as kids. But then there was something more, something deeper. His breath lodged in his throat. He should turn away, but couldn’t.

  He was entranced by her eyes, seeing not only their beauty but also a hint of pain. What had put it there? Was it him? Had he hurt her that deeply all those years ago when he’d taken off for the army?

  He ran his hand over his short hair. His thoughts strayed back to his time in the military, with its camaraderie and the way it kept him on the go, not leaving him time to dwell on his past mistakes. Even in basic training, there hadn’t been anything they could taunt him with worse than what he’d already heard from his own drunken father.

  Jason had worked his butt off, proving himself to the world. As his rank rose, his bruised ego gained strength. He was a soldier, an identity that had filled him with pride. And he’d been a damn good one...until he’d lost control. He’d let his dark side out. And the price had been devastating.

  But how did he explain any of it to Kara? How did he open up to her and tell her that he was still groping around, trying to figure out how to keep his unsavory side under wraps?

  Anxious for some physical labor, he headed for the door. “I’m the man. I should be the one getting the wood.”

  “You’re the man?” Her fine brows lifted. “Where the heck did that come from?”

  He sighed, realizing far too late that he’d said exactly the wrong thing. “I just meant that you’d want to stay inside next to the fire.”

  Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. Apparently that wasn’t the right thing to say, either. Why did it seem as if he suddenly couldn’t open his mouth without sticking his boot in it? Military life had been so much easier. He knew what was expected of him—follow orders and don’t complain. Being a civilian left him grasping for the right actions, the right words.

  “Does the power outage constitute us being thrown back into the dark ages?” She planted her hands on her hips. “Me woman. You man. Let me hear you roar—”

  “Hey, that isn’t what I meant.” He chuckled at the ridiculousness of this conversation. Definitely the wrong move, as Kara’s expression grew darker. “I was just trying to be nice. After your car accident, I figured the last thing you’d want to be doing tonight is stumbling around in the snow again.”

  When the fury in her eyes dimmed, he breathed easier. “I’ll be right back.”

  Sly got up from her spot on the couch. She stretched, before jumping down and running past him on the way to the door, where she stood up on her hind legs and pawed at the knob.

  “Oh, no,” he said. “You aren’t going outside tonight. You’d blow away.”

  “Here, Sly. Stay with me, sweetie.”

  Jason’s shoulders tensed at the sound of Kara calling the cat by a name she used to call him.

  Just let it go. That was then, this is now.

  * * *

  Minutes later, a thump followed by a crash sent Kara scurrying to the door. After shooing the cat away, she reached for the handle, but before she could grasp it, the door swung open.

  A gust of frigid air swirled around her, sending goose bumps racing up her arms. Jason stood there with a layer of ice on his hat as well as his coat. Purple tinged his lips while his lashes and brows were caked with snow. But it was the dark scowl on his face that had her worried.

  “What’s the matter?”

  He shook his head, then he handed over his armload of wood, before exiting back into the stormy night with a pronounced limp. She wanted to call after him to stop and rest, but she knew he wouldn’t listen. Kara ran to the side of the fireplace and dropped the split wood in a heap. They continued working together until all the wood was piled on the floor. With the door locked, barring Old Man Winter, Jason limped to the chair by the door.

  “Here, let me,” she said, rushing over to help him with his boots. “You obviously aggravated your knee. And it’s my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on you retrieving my belongings from my car, you wouldn’t have...done whatever it is that you did.”

  He reached down, grabbing her hands in his. “It’s not your fault.”

  “Of course it is.” She yanked free of his hold and continued her fight with the iced-over knot.

  “Kara, you aren’t listening to me. The limp. It’s permanent.”

  This time she stopped fiddling with his laces and stared up at him. “What are you saying?”

  “Remember how I told you I have a medical discharge?” She nodded and he continued, “Well, it’s because of this injury to my leg.”

  A sickening feeling settled in her stomach. “How bad was it?”

  “Bad enough.”

  She needed more than that. The pile of secrets and omissions between them was unbearable. She wouldn’t stand for any more. She lifted his wet pant leg up to his knee, revealing an ugly red line snaking down his calf.

  The breath locked in her lungs. Her vision blurred. It tore at her heart to think of him bleeding and alone in a foreign country, miles from home. He’d had no family by his side in the hospital to talk to him, to hold his hand. No one should ever be that alone.

  Jason lowered his pant leg. “It’s an ugly mess farther up. So much for those sexy legs you used to go on about.”

  She dashed her fingers over her eyes. “Tell me what happened?”r />
  He shook his head, once again blocking her out. “Just write it off to ‘shit happens.’”

  Sensing he hadn’t opened up about it to anyone, Kara pressed on. After seeing the sizable wound, she knew keeping the memory all bottled up inside wouldn’t allow him a chance to heal. “I’d like to know, if you’ll tell me.”

  He rubbed his injured knee as though unearthing those memories increased his discomfort. “It wasn’t anything spectacular. Just a normal day in the Middle East. Our unit was out on patrol....”

  He paused and his gaze grew distant, as though he were seeing the events unfold in front of his eyes. His jaw tensed, as did the corded muscles of his neck. She wanted to reach out to him, but hesitated.

  Jason cleared his throat. “My buddy Dorsy was on foot patrol with me. Earlier that day, he’d spotted a Christmas card addressed to me. The return address had a girl’s name on it and he jumped to the conclusion that I had a secret girlfriend.”

  The thought of Jason in another woman’s arms left a sour taste in Kara’s mouth. But she had no claim over him. Who he chose to spend his time with shouldn’t matter to her.

  “Were you and this girl serious?”

  He swiped a hand over his face before rolling his shoulders. “No. I didn’t even know her. Besides, I don’t get involved in serious relationships. Not anymore.”

  “I noticed,” Kara muttered under her breath. His arched brows let her know her slip hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Sorry. Please go on.”

  “The card was from a high school student whose class had sent them to deployed soldiers. But Dorsy wouldn’t drop the subject. He kept pushing, wanting to know... It doesn’t matter now. The thing is I couldn’t take his digs any longer. I told him to shut up, but when he wouldn’t, I lost control—I shoved him.”

  Kara placed her hand over his cold fingers. “Yelling and giving him a push isn’t so bad. I’m sure he forgave you.”

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