Snowfall on Haven Point

by RaeAnne Thayne

  “No, honey. You know I wouldn’t let that happen. For now, we’ll bundle up to keep warm. If we have to, we’ll go stay at a hotel.”

  “Maybe the tree smashed our car,” Will said. “If it did, how will we even get to a hotel?”

  “I promise we’ll figure something out. Chloe, you can climb back into your bed if you want and read your book. Or both of you can climb into my big one, and just this once, you can take Sadie with you.”

  They chose that option and she settled them into her bed with Chloe’s flashlight, an extra blanket and a wriggly, warm little Havachon and then headed back to the living room.

  The temperature of the house had dropped another few degrees while she was in with the children. She couldn’t see Cade at first and thought perhaps he had gone outside to check the situation. She was changing her slippers for boots to join him when she thought she heard two distinct male voices, raised and angry.

  A moment later, the door opened and to her complete shock, Marshall hobbled in on his crutches with a plastic bag tied around his orthopedic boot and Cade right behind him, his handsome features furious.

  “I told you the situation was under control. You didn’t need to come down here.”

  “I wanted to make sure everybody was okay,” Marshall said stubbornly.

  “So you walked through nine inches of fresh snow on crutches.”

  “All of three hundred feet. It’s not like I trekked to the top of Mount Solace.”

  Despite his nonchalance, she could see he was in pain and she quickly pulled a chair around so the stubborn man could sit down.

  Looking a little embarrassed, he sank down. He had walked through deep powder on crutches to make sure she and her children were all right.

  How on earth was she supposed to resist that?

  “You are certifiable,” Cade declared.

  “Yeah. Probably. So what’s the story?”

  “I was in the middle of assessing the situation when I got a little distracted by the sight of some idiot hobbling down the snowy street. From what I could see, the roof of the garage is damaged but not completely destroyed. Looks like it barely missed your car, which is good, but I hope you’re done with your Christmas shopping because it likely will be a day or two before you’ll be able to go anywhere.”

  She released a breath. “What about the power?”

  “The tree took out the line from the street. I’ve already called the power company, but they’re backed up and probably won’t be out until late tomorrow or the next day. You’re going to have to find somewhere else to sleep for tonight and possibly tomorrow, but all in all, you’re lucky. If that tree had fallen the other way, it would have come down right where you were sleeping.”

  As the reality of what might have happened began to soak in, Andie suddenly felt like the tree had just fallen on her. They might have been killed. All of them.

  Her knees suddenly felt weak and she didn’t quite trust them to hold her up, so she sank onto the sofa as raw relief, gratitude and, okay, a little smidgen of self-pity battled inside her.

  For heaven’s sake, hadn’t her children been through enough? Other people were sleeping soundly in their beds, getting ready for Christmas, carrying on with their safe, normal world without having to worry about where they were going to live for the next few days. Now here she was having yet one more crisis to contend with.

  “You’ll stay at my place,” Marshall said instantly. “There are two extra bedrooms, which should be plenty, if the kids don’t mind doubling up.”

  “I can stay in a hotel.”

  “You think you’ll find one that will take Sadie and the cat I just saw peeking out from under the couch?”

  She had forgotten about the dog and Mrs. Finnegan. “I can try.”

  “Or you can just say, thank you, Marshall, pack a change of clothes for the kids and walk those three hundred feet to my place.”

  She didn’t want to be alone with him.

  That seemed a ludicrous thing to worry about in the middle of a crisis, but she couldn’t help it. She had been doing her best to prevent their lives from becoming more intertwined. Where Marshall was concerned, she didn’t appear to have an ounce of common sense and was a kiss or two from losing her head over the man.

  What was the alternative? Eliza and Aidan would probably be happy to put them up at Snow Angel Cove and there would be plenty of room in the sprawling house, but Andie didn’t feel right calling them.

  She had other friends she could call, but the idea wasn’t appealing. She was certain any of the Helping Hands would be willing, but, really, who wanted unexpected houseguests—pets included—a few days before Christmas?

  She was still trying to figure out what to do when the children wandered in, Chloe leading with the flashlight and Sadie bringing up the rear.

  “I’m cold, Mommy,” Will complained.

  “It was too dark in your room and the wind is scary. What if another tree blows onto the house?” Chloe said.

  “It won’t, honey,” she assured her daughter, pulling them both close.

  Her first—and only—priority was doing what was best for her children. They counted on her to keep them safe and she was all they had.

  Marshall’s house was familiar to them and close enough to their own place if they needed to run back and forth for things. Staying with him made the most sense—even if it was the option that left her the most uncomfortable.

  “Fine. Thank you, Marshall. I appreciate your kindness. We’ll stay at your house for now while we figure out how long it will take to get things straightened out here.”

  He gave a brief nod and she thought she saw relief in his features. “Good decision,” he said.

  “Very wise,” Cade agreed. “Why don’t you pack up what you might need for a few days and I’ll pull my SUV over and drive you all to Marshall’s place? That way you don’t have to trudge up the street with your things.”

  She was once more indebted to Cade. Here he was, coming to her rescue again, just as he had the night Rob Warren had come to Haven Point.

  How grateful she was for good neighbors and friends who were willing to step up in the middle of a crisis, she thought as she started making mental lists of all the things the three of them—and Sadie and Mrs. Finnegan—might need for a few days.

  When she had random moments of self-pity, of feeling her burdens and troubles were heavier than she could carry, she only had to remember she didn’t carry them alone anymore. She had a support network here in Haven Point, one she cherished more every day.

  * * *

  HOSTING THREE UNEXPECTED HOUSEGUESTS—not to mention a shy cat and one friendly little mop of a dog—turned out to be less of a burden than Marshall might have expected.

  By the time Cade helped Andie and her children load a couple of suitcases into his SUV, then drove the lot of them back to Marsh’s house, the children were wrung out from the early-morning adventure and more than ready to climb into bed.

  Andie settled them into the larger of the guest rooms, then made her excuses and quickly took her pets and the rest of their belongings into the other guest room. Marsh did his best to help, ignoring her protests that she could do it herself and carrying in a few of the lighter bags.

  She needed to rest—he could see it in the shadows under her eyes, the pallor of her skin. She looked thin-boned and fragile, as if that December wind out there would blow her all the way to Shelter Springs.

  He didn’t expect to sleep—it had been his inability to get there that had led to him gazing out the window at 2:00 a.m. in time to see her tree fall—but the moment he made his painstaking way to his own bed and crashed, he fell asleep in an instant.

  He awoke with weak winter sun trying feebly to push itself through the window and the unmistakable morning smells of fre
sh coffee and sizzling bacon.

  And pain, of course. Since his bout with the SUV, it had become his constant, unfailing companion. First thing in the morning and just before bed seemed to be the worst, and he’d figured out if he could ride those moments out, he could usually manage the rest of the day.

  By the time he finished the delightful process of trying to shower without being able to stand on both legs—and then the ordeal of trying to shave, comb his hair and dress himself—he was almost ready to go back to bed.

  He needed to at least go say hi to his guests, he decided, and hobbled out of his bedroom and down the hall.

  As he approached the kitchen, he heard Andie laughing at something one of the kids said. He spotted her standing by the sink, her lovely features alive with happiness and humor. His chest ached a little and he wanted to stand there all morning and just drink in the sight that seemed so warm and perfect for a snowy winter’s morning.

  “Hi, Sheriff Marshall,” Will said, spotting him first. “We ate your bacon and some eggs. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t think we should, but we were hungry and my mom said she would pay you back.”

  “I will,” Andie assured him. Though she was smiling as she said it, he thought she looked a little embarrassed. He was embarrassed, too—and more than a little shocked—by his urge to hobble across the kitchen and kiss away that blush, right in front of her kids.

  “You’re welcome to anything you find. Please. Help yourself.”

  “Don’t worry. We didn’t eat it all. We saved some for you,” Chloe assured him.

  “Good. I’m starving.”

  “Sit down,” Andie urged. “I’ve got another batch of bacon just about ready, along with some scrambled eggs and toast.”

  His stomach rumbled. He hadn’t been hungry the night before at dinnertime and had contented himself with a yogurt and a banana. Right now, bacon and eggs sounded fantastic.

  “You really don’t have to wait on me, you know. I can get it.”

  “Sit,” she ordered with a stern look.

  He decided not to point out it was his kitchen. Well, his sister’s, anyway. Only a fool would argue with a woman who wanted to feed him. Instead, he made his way to the table and sat across from Chloe. Instantly, Andie poured him coffee and set it down in front of him and Sadie scampered over to sit beside him.

  How odd, that they all seemed to fit right in here.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” he asked Chloe after his first restorative sip.

  “Snow day,” she said, beaming in clear delight. “It’s my first one ever!”

  “Count yourself lucky. Schools don’t close on account of weather all that often around here.”

  It felt wrong to just be sitting here. In serious weather, he was usually right out in the middle of the mess, directing traffic, investigating accidents, helping the utility companies restore power and gas if necessary, doing welfare checks on older people who couldn’t get around.

  He would check in with dispatch as soon as he ate so he could see if there was anything he could do to help.

  A moment later, Andie slid a plate piled high with food in front of him.

  “Wow. This looks delicious. Thanks.”

  She sat across from him. “You’re going to need your strength to put up with us today, especially since we won’t be able to go anywhere.”

  A few days earlier, the thought of being stuck in his house with a woman and a couple of kids would have had him wanting to chew off his own cast to escape.

  Now it seemed infinitely appealing. The quiet domesticity, the giggling children, the dog under the table, eager for scraps.

  The lovely woman sitting across from him, smelling like summer flowers and heaven.

  He wanted all of it—which scared the hell out of him.

  “Is something wrong with the eggs?”

  “No. Why?”

  “You’re frowning at them like they’re contraband. Do you want ketchup or salsa or something on them?”

  “No. They’re fine. Delicious, actually. Thanks.”

  He attacked the rest of the breakfast with vigor, mostly to keep from thinking about how empty the kitchen would feel when they were gone again. He was finishing his last bit of perfectly cooked bacon when the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it!” Will sang out, jumping down from his chair and racing from the room before his mother could stop him.

  Andie shook her head. “Sorry! I guess we need to have a talk about not running to answer the door in someone else’s house.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “It’s Wynona and the police,” Will announced, just a moment before Cade walked in, accompanied by, shock of shocks, Wynona.

  “Wyn!” Andie exclaimed. She jumped up and hugged her friend as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.

  “I leave town for a few months and what happens? My brother breaks his leg and my dear friend and her kids end up on the streets. Maybe I better reconsider spring semester! Who knows what might happen next?”

  His sister turned her attention to him next, giving his leg a fierce once-over, then reaching in and hugging him. “Hey, Marsh. I hear you saved the day when their tree fell down.”

  “I didn’t do much. Just called Cade and he did all the legwork. What are you doing here? How’d you get here? Don’t you know we just had a blizzard?”

  “I finished my last final yesterday and decided I couldn’t wait until the roads were clear to come home, so I caught a ride with a friend of mine who drives a plow through the canyon.”

  Impulsive and focused. That was Wynona. She wanted something, so she went after it, however she could figure it out.

  He turned to his friend. “Anything new on the situation at Andie’s place?”

  “The power won’t be back on until tomorrow afternoon, I’m afraid, and that’s with crews working around the clock. With that wind and sleet, we’ve got over five hundred people in Haven Point alone without power, including two entire downtown blocks.”

  “Oh no!” Andie exclaimed. “What terrible timing, the last few shopping days before Christmas.”

  “Apparently the representative from the power company told McKenzie that fixing the outages that impact multiple families is the first priority, then downtown businesses. You’re a ways down on the list, I’m afraid.”

  “I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”

  “I also talked to your landlord. Gerald said he would have a crew out later today to work on cutting the tree that fell, so you can at least get your car out.”

  “But even so, we can’t go back home without power and heat.”

  “Does that mean we get to stay with Sheriff Marshall another day?” Will asked.

  “You can stay as long as you need to,” he promised. “Even if it’s after Christmas before your house gets fixed, you’re welcome here.”

  “Thanks! It would be cold if we really had to sleep in the streets.”

  Will grinned and gave one of those quick, impulsive hugs Marshall had figured out were the kid’s specialty, the ones that never failed to make him smile.

  When Will climbed down, Marshall happened to catch his sister’s gaze and found Wyn watching them with a baffled look.

  What? Hadn’t she ever seen him interact with kids before?

  “I still hate to put you to so much trouble,” Andie fretted. “I’m sure I could find a hotel room in Shelter Springs. You need to focus your attention on healing, not on entertaining a houseful of guests and pets.”

  “Yes, it’s a real hardship, being forced to endure having someone around to put on a fresh pot of coffee and make me breakfast.”

  He smiled at Chloe’s infectious giggle.

  “Let’s not argue about this again, okay? You’re mo
re than welcome to stay here. I insist on it. It’s the most convenient option and this way I don’t have to worry about you being on the snowy roads between here and Shelter Springs.”

  He almost wished they indeed could stay through the holidays.

  Okay, where did that come from? He was supposed to be keeping her at a distance, not finding more excuses to spend more time with the Montgomerys. He shouldn’t be imagining Christmas Eve around the fire with the kids in their pajamas, reading holiday stories and eating cookies and bouncing off the walls with excitement.

  “Hey, since I had to ditch my car at the road department lot to catch a ride with the plow, I’m in need of wheels for a couple days,” Wyn said. “Can I borrow your truck, since you’re not using it?”

  Wyn could outdrive most of his deputies, as she’d proved at the last high-speed chase training, when she was still Cade’s number one officer. She was an excellent driver and he could see no reason to refuse.

  “The keys are hanging by the front door.” He paused for just a beat and had to add, “Just don’t scratch it.”

  She finished the rest of the refrain along with him. “Or bring it home with an empty gas tank,” they both said in unison, and Wyn laughed.

  It was one of John Bailey’s familiar refrains, one he repeated to all of his children each time they took out one of his vehicles.

  He felt a deep pang for his father, missing the guidance he had always provided. Maybe if John were here, Marshall wouldn’t be making such a mess of things with his own son.

  “Andie, why don’t you come help me, to make sure I get the right keys?”

  She looked surprised but rose to follow Wyn out of the kitchen.

  Were they talking about him? Or did that particular assumption only make him narcissistic?

  He wasn’t sure. He only knew he suddenly didn’t know if he liked the idea that his sister was close friends with his... Andie.

  Not his anything, he reminded himself. She wasn’t his fake girlfriend or his real one. Just a neighbor who needed help. He might not be able to find himself out on the front lines of the storm, but he could offer safe shelter for a woman and her children who needed it.