by Vivian Arend
Rachel stared out the window and tried hard not to think about anything. Instead she watched the tops of the tall pine trees dance against the blue sky as Trevor guided the truck along the narrow road. She admired the thick clumps of snow resting on the outstretched branches and wondered how the trees possibly held up that much weight without their limbs tearing free.
“Did my brother do something to piss you off?”
Rachel snapped upright, twisting to face him. “Of course not.”
Trevor grunted. “There’s no ‘of course’ about it. He’s just as capable of pissing a person off as any of us.”
“He hasn’t done anything. Everything’s fine.”
“But you didn’t want to wait until this afternoon to do this trip with him. Gotcha.”
Maybe Trevor wasn’t as slow as Lee and Anna thought. Rachel wasn’t about to spill her guts, but talking about her concerns in a generic way might help. “I’m trying to figure out how to start an awkward conversation.”
“With my brother.”
“Yes. Because you’re right, otherwise I would have asked him to drive me, but I’m not sure what I want to say to him right now.”
“He’s not that tough to talk to. I mean, he can be a bit of a jackass, but as far as younger brothers go, I kind of like him.”
His plainly said pronouncement made Rachel smile. “I kind of like him too.”
A snort escaped him. “I should hope so. You two have been living in each other’s pockets for the last couple of months. That would’ve really sucked if you hated him.”
They hadn’t been keeping their time together a secret. “I don’t think anybody hates Lee, well, except maybe for my ex-husband.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“Oh, Lee doesn’t hate Gary. They’ve never had any reason to interact—” Trevor wore such a strange expression Rachel stopped in mid-sentence. “What?”
He paused. “No one ever told you? Lee never mentioned it?”
“Mentioned what?”
The longer Trevor remained silent the more her curiosity rose. Finally he spilled the beans. “Last August when Gary was in town, Lee punched his lights out.”
Rachel laid her hand on the dashboard so she could lean forward and examine Trevor’s face closer. “Why on earth did he do that?”
“Gary was at the bar with…” Trevor paused again. “I don’t want to bring this up. I don’t want to say something that’s going to hurt you.”
Oh. Understanding dawned. “Gary was at the bar with another woman. It’s okay, I knew he was cheating on me.”
“Doesn’t make it right to drag it out again into the light of day.” Trevor glanced at her. “I’m sorry. He was an asshole. You didn’t deserve that.”
“You’re right.” Only it was interesting how little it hurt to think back to even a few months earlier when she’d been packing up her things and leaving him. She’d changed. Moved on.
Now she had a whole new set of troubles to deal with.
She offered Trevor a smile in the brief moment he took his eyes off the road. “I didn’t know Lee had done that. He shouldn’t have.”
Trevor made a rude noise. “Right. He should have just let the guy have a free pass, even though Gary was fooling around in public. No, Rachel, there’s no way Lee would have ever let that go. Not when it involved the woman he loves.”
“What?” Rachel shook her head. “Lee’s not in love with me. And he certainly wasn’t in love with me last summer.”
“Really?” His disbelief was clear. “You need to look a little harder, sweetheart. Lee has been crazy about you for a long time.”
“It’s not that serious,” Rachel insisted even as her cheeks heated, torn between hope and fear. “We only started seeing each other a couple of months ago.”
Trevor tapped his hands against the steering wheel, counting on his fingers before humming decisively. “Hmm. Which means it’s been two months plus eight months since Lee decided you were the one for him.”
“But…” Rachel let out a slow breath. “I wasn’t even dating him back then. I never encouraged him at all.”
“You didn’t have to.” Trevor made a face. “My little brother is one of the most stubborn people on the face of the earth. He saw something in you that intrigued him, and that was it. Boom.”
“Boom.” Rachel imitated Trevor’s comment, gesture and all, dragging a reluctant smile from the man. He seemed far more serious than she’d seen him before.
“Face it,” Trevor shared somberly. “The fact you officially got together with him back in early December doesn’t change how he feels about you. I’m pretty sure he had his seduction planned to the hilt. That’s just how he rolls. Not very impulsive, but rocklike and immoveable when he decides what he wants.”
In spite of the flutter of hope in her chest, Rachel didn’t know what to do with this information.
Fortunately, Trevor had had enough sharing and fell into a sort of silence, humming along with the radio as she watched the trees go by.
Even if Lee loved her, finding out his world might have changed overnight? It was going to be a shock.
She needed to…
Lordy, what she needed was to grab a pregnancy test ASAP. Then at least she’d know for sure if she had to dredge up the courage to face him, life-altering conversation and all.
Trevor pulled to a halt outside the cabin, the truck shimmying in the thick snow that lay piled to the top of the wheel wells. “Go get what you need, but stay clear while I turn the truck around.”
Rachel went willingly, dropping out of the truck cab into thigh-deep snow. She struggled to the front stairs, feeling her way to the front door and letting herself into the icy-cold cabin.
She went to light a candle, her fingers numb just from removing her gloves to deal with the match. She inched toward the wall, moving at a slow pace as the flame flickered. Outside, the truck engine roared in protest as Trevor made a five-point turn to get the nose of the truck pointed down the mountain again.
Every time she exhaled, clouds of white surrounded her. She held the candle ahead of her and waited for a gleam of gold in the darkness.
She’d just wrapped her fingers around the necklace and had turned to the door when the rumbling sound of the truck grew quieter, as if the engine were moving farther away. Rachel hurried forward, jerking the door open in time for the red taillights of Trevor’s truck to vanish down the snowy road.
It took a moment for her brain to catch up with what her eyes were seeing. He wasn’t turning around; he had left her.
Trapped at the cabin with no way to get home.
Chapter Eleven
Lee was barely in the door before something flew at him from the living room. He raised a hand to knock aside the pillow his brother had hurled.
“What the hell are you doing?” Lee demanded.
“That’s what I was going to ask you,” Trevor growled. “You know, you’re a damn idiot, screwing things up with Rachel.”
Lee jerked to a stop, totally confused. “What? What are you talking about?”
“She phoned me this morning, and when I picked her up she looked like she’d been on an all-night bender, and not the good kind.”
The entire conversation so far was like stepping into the twilight zone. “What…? Rachel phoned you? Why would she call you?”
Trevor rose out of the easy chair he’d been sprawled in and stalked toward him. “Why don’t you answer that? She insisted you hadn’t done anything wrong, but she sure didn’t look like you’ve been doing things right, either.”
“Stop,” Lee snapped. “Stop talking gibberish and tell me what’s going on.”
As his brother moved in on him, Lee stood his ground. Trevor was taller than him, but Lee was broader, and the last time they had a full-out fistfight it ended in a draw. Trevor wouldn’t start something unless he had a damn good reason.
The extra couple of inches meant Trevor got the advantage, glaring down as he spoke.
“I didn’t say anything about you acting the fool over Rachel, partly because I didn’t think it was any of my business, and partly because I like her. She deserved a whole lot better than what that bastard Gary did to her.”
“I agree, which doesn’t explain why you’re lecturing me.” Lee shook his head. “Back up about twenty yards, bro. Why did Rachel phone you this morning?”
“Because she didn’t want to phone you, jackass. She’s obviously got something on her mind that she’s scared shitless to talk to you about. So instead of calling you, she called me on the pretense of wanting to pick up some trinket she forgot at the cabin you two got snowed in at.”
“A necklace. She already told me she forgot it there.”
Trevor narrowed his eyes. “But she didn’t tell you why she’s got dark circles under her eyes and has no idea you’re in love with her?”
This conversation simply wasn’t happening. Lee had to be dreaming the entire thing.
Then part of his brother’s comment struck him hard. “Did you tell her that I love her?”
“Well, duh.”
For fucks’ sake. Lee dropped his head into his hands and scrubbed his face in frustration. “You know, genius, you could have let me deal with my own love life.”
“Why? Because you’re doing such a great job of it?” Trevor grumbled like only an annoying older brother could. “What happened to the Rachel who was all full of energy and excitement? The woman looks like hell.”
“Of course she looks like hell, she’s been sick as a dog with that flu that’s going around town.”
Trevor’s mouth hung open as horror filled his expression. “She’s been sick?”
Lee was past his bursting point. He caught hold of his brother by the front of the shirt and shook him, hard. “Why did Rachel call you? What did you do?”
Trevor caught him by the wrists, struggling until he broke Lee’s grip. “Fuck. She asked me to drive her to the cabin, so I did. And then I thought you were being an idiot and not talking to her, so I…”
He increased the space between them warily.
“You what, you shit?” Lee demanded.
His brother cleared his throat. “I figured what you two needed was a good space of time to talk, and it didn’t seem like she was interested in that, so I did you a solid.”
“I’m one second away from skinning you and using you as a bathmat,” Lee warned.
Trevor sighed. “I’m sorry. I left her there.”
Lee paused, dread growing in his gut. “Where did you leave her?”
A moment later his worst fears were confirmed as Trevor lifted his head and confessed. “The cabin. I left her at the cabin.”
Of all the stupid, idiotic…
“I’ll help you go get her,” Trevor offered.
Lee snapped up a hand, pointing to the front door. “You’ve helped enough already, asshole. Go load my sled in the back of my truck then get the hell out of my sight before I do something I regret.”
Fortunately his brother didn’t argue. He vanished out the front door as Lee rushed to his room to gather warm clothing and emergency supplies into a duffel bag.
He was on the road in under ten minutes, heading west with a sense of foreboding as he gazed up at the dark clouds gathering over the Rocky Mountains.
Trevor was an idiot; that much was clear. But more than him abandoning Rachel at the cabin, Lee was worried about whatever had upset her in the first place. She knew how to survive—she could take care of herself until he got there, but he needed to be there for her.
Halfway to the cabin his first fear came true. The road was blocked by a fresh avalanche. The heavy snow accumulation from over the winter had slid down the hillside and piled six feet deep across the entire surface. No way could he get his 4 x 4 to the other side of the mess.
Which is why he had a backup plan. The skidoo was slower, though, as he followed the twisting path, a sense of urgency driving him forward.
The farther up the road he traveled, the more the temperature dropped, not only from the elevation but from the wall of clouds blanketing the sky, dark and ominous. Lee pushed the sled hard to cover the remaining distance, but snowflakes were falling before he made the final approach, enormous fluffy flakes that coated everything including the front of his mask.
He had to slow down and crack open the protective guard over his eyes to keep from driving over the edge of a precipice. With every mile that passed the words repeated in his brain again and again, urging him to hurry, hurry, hurry.
It wasn’t until he rounded the final corner and saw candlelight glowing in the window and smoke puffing from the chimney that Lee finally took a full breath. Rachel was capable, she was competent—but accidents happened, and if she’d been hurt…
He parked the sled under the eaves where the pine boughs formed a protective shelter. As he hurried toward the front door he paused, staring at the window for a closer look.
The glow wasn’t only flickering light from a single candle on the table. Rachel had set a series of candles in the windows, both in the living area and beside the bed. The cheery glow was deliberate, and told him she was not only okay—she’d put out candles to welcome him.
Another layer of fear faded.
Then there she was, standing behind the candles. The light shone on her face, brightening her eyes, turning her into a shimmering angel. He would’ve only been a shadowy shape to her, but she nodded, tilting her head toward the door.
He made it up the stairs in time for her to swing the door open and welcome him in.
Chapter Twelve
The urge to crowd forward and examine her to be sure she was all right was powerful. He closed the door behind him and discarded his gloves, grabbing her fingers and holding them tight as his gaze danced over her face, looking for signs of distress.
Trevor had been right about how tired and wan she looked, but there was also a sparkle in her eyes as she squeezed his fingers in return. “I’m okay. And I’m glad you’re here, but what were you thinking? There’s a huge storm coming in—”
“No way would I leave you sitting here alone thinking you’d been abandoned.”
She worked to undo his coat, pushing the heavy fabric from his shoulders and running her fingers through his hair. “What you mean, think? I was abandoned, damn your brother to hell.”
“I didn’t have time to kill him before I came out. Besides, I figured you’d like that honour.”
He ditched his boots and went willingly with her to in front of the fire where she seated him then crawled into his lap. “I’ll plan something slow and painful in revenge, although in one way the bastard helped me. After he drove off, I had to get my act together, and somewhere in the middle of lighting fires and finding food, I found something else.”
Lee cupped her cheek, holding her close, thankful for every moment they had together. “What did you find?”
Rachel laid her hand over his. “My courage.”
Maybe Trevor would be allowed to live. Had his brother been right? “What’s wrong? Why do you need to be brave?”
She didn’t answer right away, just smiled and leaned forward to press a kiss against his lips before scrambling off his lap. “I’ll tell you in a minute, but first I’ll get you a hot drink.” She shook her head as she moved easily in the small space. Comfortable and familiar. “I can’t believe you rode the skidoo up here again.”
Lee caught her fingers, needing her to know what was building inside. “If I had to walk, I would have. Nothing could have kept me away.”
The expression on her face hovered between joy and uncertainty as she dropped to her knees and wrapped her fingers around his hand. “I believe you, and that amazes me.”
He was going to say something profound and deep, but when she lifted his fingers to her mouth and kissed his knuckles tenderly, Lee lost all ability to speak.
And when she lifted her gaze to his and smiled, he fell even deeper.
Rachel took a deep breath, then
blew his world apart. “I’m in love with you,” she confessed.
Lee’s heart kick-started, pounding against his rib cage. “Holy. Shit.”
Her laughter poured across the room. “Yeah, right?”
He brought her back into his lap. “I didn’t expect that, but I’m glad because I love you too. I have for a long time.”
“Since forever, according to your brother,” she taunted, “but I’d like to think it’s since we started going out.”
“I am going to find a deep hole to push him into,” Lee promised.
“I don’t know if I want to hang him from the rafters or hug him,” Rachel confessed. She stroked her fingers through Lee’s hair, her expression gone thoughtful. “I was confused this morning, and part of it was realizing how much you mean to me. I didn’t expect that—not because you’re a terrible person, but because I thought I was done needing a man in my life. I thought I’d been too hurt to ever truly want someone with me all the time.”
Every one of his dreams was coming true. “But you want me.”
She nodded. “Very much.”
He kissed her because it was impossible not to.
Rachel pulled back, more on her mind. “After Trevor dumped me, I made a quick mental list of everything I needed to do. And the entire time I was lighting the stove and dragging out the box of supplies you’d restocked, I was thankful for the things you’d taught me. And not just here in the wilderness, although we’ve shared an experience some people might not have their entire lifetime.”
“Not many people get snowed-in for days,” he teased. “It’s something special.”
Her smile flashed, but she wasn’t done, rising to her feet and pacing away a few steps before turning. “I had no intention of keeping this a secret, but this morning I was worried how you’d react. But then”—she gestured around them at the cabin before looking into his eyes—“I thought back to our time here and how you took every emergency in stride. You were smart, and mature, and I really looked up to you.”
This was building to something big, and Lee hoped he would live up to her expectations. “Just tell me. There’s nothing you can say that will change how I feel about you.”