Page 6 of All Snowed Gin

“Good news is it shouldn’t take long to clear once they can get to it, it’s just a matter of—”

"Lou, I gotta go.” My voice is rushed, my insides panicking again. Because I can’t turn this gal out.

It was one thing to think I could rush her back to her car when it would only be a few hours for the de Baers to get a tire up here for her or tow her back to Gold’s Gas and Garage. But now…well, now there isn’t a way for them to make it up here. Fuck.

“Gotcha. Well, radio if you need me!”

“Will do.”

Lou says goodbye with his equally weird sign-off, giving me a moment to think about things—and how I’m going to handle this. Because the last thing I want is for her to stay. This holiday is bad enough. No need to go making it worse with company. A stranger at that. But I know I can’t turn her out. The weather is horrible and she clearly was not prepared for it.

I’m just going to have to suck it up.

Stepping back into the kitchen, I’m just in time to see her spin around, phone pressed to her ear, smile on her face. Damn, is she pretty. Those bright green eyes sparkle under the recessed lights, lips the color of raspberries just begging to be kissed.

“Oh, hi,” she says, giving me a little wave. “What’s your number here? The guy at the local garage is asking in case he needs to call back on his way up.”

“Is that Winston?” I ask. She nods. I reach out for the phone, not saying anything, but she picks up the hint, handing me the receiver. “Winston, Pierce Adams. Hey, just got a call from Lou. Bridge went out?”

“What? Hold on, Pierce,” Winston says. There’s a long pause with muffled voices on the other end, but then Winston returns. “Yup, Hudson just walked in and said the same thing. Damn, that’s bad luck. Tell your gal there that we’ll be up there as soon as we can, but it’s gonna depend on the bridge, and with Christmas coming—”

“Yeah, I got it. It’s not gonna be today. Or tomorrow.”

“Dude, you’re lucky if it’s this week.”

Fuck. He’s not wrong. Nothing in this town moves quickly. And with both the snow and a holiday, it’s going to come to a standstill. To make matters worse, this is something we all saw coming. That old, covered bridge is pretty, with plenty of history, but has also been the victim of budget cuts for years. It’s needed a new roof for a long time. I knew I should have done something about it last summer. I was too lost in my own grief though.

“Noted. Just call once you’re on your way. We’ll be here.”

Winston chuckles before hanging up. At least he finds me funny.

It’s time to bite the bullet, though, and break it to little miss I-don’t-own-a-coat that she’s gonna be here for a while.

“What happened?” she asks, worry taking over her face.

“Rose, you did say it was Rose, right?” I ask. Fuck if I forget her name already. Thankfully she nods, brows turning inward. “Well, Rose, I’m Pierce. And you’re not going anywhere.”

“What do you mean I’m not going anywhere?”

Her shrill voice slices through the air, making me wince. The worry that was on her face is now complete and utter fear, as she starts to back away from me. Shit, that was not the way to word it. Who the hell am I, Freddy Krueger? I’m not about to hold her hostage in my boiler room.

“Nothing like that. Breathe. I’m not a serial killer.”

“Pretty sure a serial killer would say that.”

Touché.

“You came into my house, remember?”

“To use the phone! And now you won’t let me go.”

Ugh. I am not handling this well. I need to start over.

“Hi, I’m Pierce Adams. And the reason you’re not able to leave is that the bridge is out. The old roof collapsed and is blocking the lanes. You have to wait until they clear it.”

“What? No. That can’t be,” Rose exclaims.

“Well, it is. So I hope you have more than just that to wear.”