Snowbound - Harlequin.com
Snowbound - Harlequin.com Snowbound - Harlequin.com
210 SNOWBOUND THE FIRST DAYS were wonderful. Fiona didn’t think she’d ever been happier in her life. She got up early and kneaded dough while he heated the ovens and spooned muffins into tins. Once the bread was in the oven, she slipped on a wool sweater and stepped outside on the front porch with him, each of them cradling a mug of coffee, to watch dawn lighten the sky. The first morning it came gradually, charcoalgray becoming infinitesimally paler shades until they could see fine snowflakes floating toward the ground, moving so slowly it was as if time itself had slowed, too. The second morning, she understood why John didn’t care that no movie theater was within driving distance. Hollywood couldn’t touch this show. The colors alone stole her breath. She had seen glorious sunsets, but these colors had more delicacy. She couldn’t have named the vivid hues. The words “pink” or “peach” were woefully inadequate. And all the while, the world was utterly silent, as if it, too, held its breath. When the show was done and morning arrived, she looked up at John and said, voice hushed, “I never knew what I was missing.” “It’s not the same down there.” He, too, spoke quietly, as if out of respect. “Until I came up here, I didn’t know.” “Surely in Iraq, with open desert…” He shook his head. This time, his voice was flat. “No. Dawn there…it was splashier.” Yes, that was the word she’d have used for sunsets on the coast, where she and her family used to vacation. “I’d better check the bread.” He turned and went in,
JANICE KAY JOHNSON 211 leaving her to follow and wonder: had he gone in because the show was done, or because she had made him think of a time and place he wanted to forget? Worry niggled at Fiona for the first time since she’d arrived. Was it chance that they hadn’t yet talked about his experience in Iraq? Well, perhaps “chance” wasn’t the right word. The truth was, last night they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. They hadn’t done nearly as much talking as she’d imagined. A smile curved Fiona’s mouth. Nope, she didn’t regret how they’d spent the night at all. Besides, they still had plenty of time to talk. She followed him in, almost satisfied that she’d imagined his change of tone at her mere mention of Iraq. The lodge didn’t quite empty on the morning of the twenty-fourth, but over half the guests left. The two singles were still here, still completely uninterested in each other or anyone else, and one couple stayed. They were the ones that surprised Fiona. They dressed well, and had been rather social since she arrived, as if being so came naturally to them. She could picture them hosting Christmas parties, not choosing to celebrate the holidays in a rustic lodge far from the trappings that meant Christmas to most people. Curious, but trying to avoid being tactless, Fiona asked casually over lunch, “Have you stayed here before over Christmas? It’s going to be different for me.” The woman seemed to force a smile. “Our daughter is a junior in college. She’s doing the entire year abroad.” “Oh? Where is she?”
- Page 160 and 161: 160 SNOWBOUND God. He wished it wou
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- Page 170 and 171: CHAPTER TEN IN HER REARVIEW MIRROR,
- Page 172 and 173: 172 SNOWBOUND “Why are you making
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- Page 178 and 179: 178 SNOWBOUND John, We made it safe
- Page 180 and 181: 180 SNOWBOUND Then he skipped over
- Page 182 and 183: 182 SNOWBOUND couple in a Lexus SUV
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- Page 188 and 189: CHAPTER ELEVEN THE ROAD FELT famili
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- Page 198 and 199: 198 SNOWBOUND enough time alone to
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- Page 202 and 203: 202 SNOWBOUND “Temporarily.” Hi
- Page 204 and 205: 204 SNOWBOUND “Yeah.” Just like
- Page 206 and 207: 206 SNOWBOUND time within the last
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- Page 218 and 219: 218 SNOWBOUND despite the gloves bo
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- Page 224 and 225: 224 SNOWBOUND ing his nose and his
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- Page 228 and 229: 228 SNOWBOUND Seeing her start to t
- Page 230 and 231: 230 SNOWBOUND “I really thought
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- Page 234 and 235: 234 SNOWBOUND “Do you ever talk t
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- Page 250 and 251: 250 SNOWBOUND logged and farmed in
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JANICE KAY JOHNSON 211<br />
leaving her to follow and wonder: had he gone in because<br />
the show was done, or because she had made him<br />
think of a time and place he wanted to forget?<br />
Worry niggled at Fiona for the first time since she’d<br />
arrived. Was it chance that they hadn’t yet talked about<br />
his experience in Iraq?<br />
Well, perhaps “chance” wasn’t the right word. The<br />
truth was, last night they hadn’t been able to keep their<br />
hands off each other. They hadn’t done nearly as much<br />
talking as she’d imagined.<br />
A smile curved Fiona’s mouth. Nope, she didn’t<br />
regret how they’d spent the night at all. Besides, they<br />
still had plenty of time to talk.<br />
She followed him in, almost satisfied that she’d<br />
imagined his change of tone at her mere mention of Iraq.<br />
The lodge didn’t quite empty on the morning of the<br />
twenty-fourth, but over half the guests left. The two<br />
singles were still here, still <strong>com</strong>pletely uninterested in<br />
each other or anyone else, and one couple stayed. They<br />
were the ones that surprised Fiona. They dressed well,<br />
and had been rather social since she arrived, as if being<br />
so came naturally to them. She could picture them<br />
hosting Christmas parties, not choosing to celebrate the<br />
holidays in a rustic lodge far from the trappings that<br />
meant Christmas to most people.<br />
Curious, but trying to avoid being tactless, Fiona<br />
asked casually over lunch, “Have you stayed here before<br />
over Christmas? It’s going to be different for me.”<br />
The woman seemed to force a smile. “Our daughter<br />
is a junior in college. She’s doing the entire year abroad.”<br />
“Oh? Where is she?”