Snowbound with the Soldier

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Her gaze shot to the two doorways off to the side, below the loft. Maybe she could wait out the storm in one of those rooms.

“I’ll find you something to wear.” Jason got to his feet. “Come on.”

He led her to the nearest bedroom. Before he even opened the door, she guessed it was his. Definitely not her first choice for accommodations. She couldn’t imagine sleeping in his bed, surrounded by his things.

“What’s in the other room?”

“Wall-to-wall furniture. My grandmother had the great room loaded with so much stuff you could hardly get around.”

So much for that great idea.

She stepped into his room. It wasn’t spacious, but roomy enough for a dresser and a double bed. Her gaze lingered on the bright colored scrap quilt covering the mattress. The thought of being here alone with Jason had her lingering at the doorway.

Her mind reeled back to the summer of her sophomore year in college. Jason had told her that he wanted to leave Pleasant Valley, that he was joining the army. In the very next breath, he’d proposed to her. He wanted to elope with her after she earned her journalism degree. The answer had been a no-brainer—a very definite “Yes!” But she hadn’t wanted to wait. She’d planned to drop out of college and earn her degree via the internet while following Jason around the world. She’d been so certain she could make it work.

She recalled how they’d made love over and over, celebrating their impending nuptials. At the time, she’d thought her heart would burst from the abundance of love. Never once had they been bold enough to come together in the luxury of a bed. Their special spot had been a remote pasture near a creek at the back of the resort, where the warm rays of the sun had kissed their bodies. The place hadn’t been important, only that they were alone to talk, laugh and love each other.

When Jason abruptly left Pleasant Valley—left her—seeing the world was no longer an option. As the only child of two loving parents who worked manual labor jobs to get by, Kara realized as soon as she learned she was pregnant that she couldn’t burden them with another mouth to feed. The day after she’d finished her junior year of college, her job at the Greene Summit Resort went from part-time to full-time.

Youthful endeavors and girlish dreams were lost to her. With the most sweet, well-behaved baby counting on her, Kara grew up overnight. Her parents were supportive, but the bulk of the responsibility for child care fell to her, whether she’d been up half the night for feedings or exhausted from a strenuous day at work. It was a lot to adjust to, but she would do anything for her daughter—then and now.

The dresser drawer banged closed, jarring her back to the here and now. When Jason handed over a pair of gray sweatpants and a flannel shirt, their fingers briefly touched, causing her heart to skip a beat.

“Thank you.” She jerked her hand away.

“The bathroom is just through that door.” He pointed over his shoulder. “I’ll go get you something warm to drink.”

“You should rest your leg,” she protested.

“I’m fine. But you won’t be if you don’t get out of those wet things.”

Before she could utter a rebuttal, the door thudded shut. Irritation niggled at her. Did that man always have to have the last word?

She rushed over to the door, only to find it lacked a lock. Nothing like feeling utterly vulnerable. With a sigh, she turned and leaned back against the door. She stood there for countless minutes with his clothes clutched to her pounding chest. She inhaled deeply and Jason’s manly scent assailed her senses. She couldn’t resist burying her face in the soft flannel. Even though it had obviously been laundered, spicy aftershave clung to the material. He wore the same brand as he had years ago. Okay, so maybe not everything about him had changed. She smothered a groan of desire.

After everything that had happened, why did she still have a weakness for him? But no matter how many memories bombarded her, they couldn’t go backward. What was broken between them couldn’t be undone. The only thing for them to do now was to take a step forward—in opposite directions.

Determined to stave off her lingering attraction to him, she rushed off to the bathroom. The pulsating water eased her achy muscles and the billowing steam soothed her anxiety. She refused to let the crush of memories overwhelm her. She just had to treat Jason in the same gracious manner she would anyone else who rescued her.

Minutes later, dressed in the warm clothing, she glanced in the oval mirror mounted above the chest of drawers. Kara didn’t need to inspect her reflection to know she looked ridiculous, as though she’d just fallen out of a Salvation Army donation bin. She cinched the baggy sweats around her waist so they didn’t slip down over her hips, and rolled up the dangling sleeves.

That left dealing with her hair, which was an absolute mess. She attempted to finger-comb the waves, but it didn’t help. Surely there had to be a brush or comb around here. She scanned the dresser top, taking in the papers and envelopes haphazardly dropped in the middle. She noticed how there were no photos of people from his past or ones currently in his life. It was as if he was a clean slate just waiting to be written on, but she knew that was far from the truth.

A small, flat box sticking out from beneath the papers snagged her attention. Though she knew it was none of her business, a longing to learn more about this man from her past had her reaching for the box. It creaked open. Suspended from a red-white-and-blue ribbon was a gold five-point star with a laurel wreath surrounding a silver star in the center. Her heart swelled with pride for Jason. Her eyes grew moist as she realized he must have put his life on the line to receive such a great honor.

With her thumb, she lifted the medal and read the engraving on the back: For Gallantry in Action. A tear dripped onto her cheek. Jason was a bona fide hero. Just not her hero.

A brief knock at the door drew her attention. “Uh...coming.”

She repositioned the medal and snapped the lid closed. Just as she was about to return the box to its original spot, the door squeaked open.

Heat swirled in her chest before rushing to her cheeks and ears. Nothing like getting caught red-handed, snooping. Still, part of her was glad she’d learned this important detail of Jason’s life. Knowing their country had taken time to recognize him for risking his life touched her deeply. Before her stood a rock-solid hero with broad shoulders, hefty biceps and a chest any woman would crave to be held against—except her.

Kara refused to let his gallant acts or obvious good looks change what she knew about him. When a relationship got too serious or hit a snag, he’d rather skip town than talk out their problems. She refused to get involved with someone she couldn’t trust.

His blank stare moved from the box in her hand to her eyes. “I have the water heated up. I just need to know if you want tea or coffee.”

“Tea.” Her mouth grew dry and she struggled to swallow. Giving herself a moment to suck down her embarrassment, she took her time returning the box to the dresser top. At last she turned. “I didn’t read about your heroism in the paper.”

He leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms. His eyes needled her. “Snooping, huh?”

She didn’t know if her face could get any hotter without catching fire. Unable to deny his accusation, she went with a different tack. “Such a great honor shouldn’t be kept a secret.”

“And that justifies you going through my things? Digging up unwanted memories?” The roughness of his voice spoke of a deep emotional attachment to the memories.

“Why were you honored?” she asked, needing to understand what had happened to him during those missing seven years.

“I did what had to be done. End of story.”

“Does everything have to be some sort of deep dark secret? Or is it just me that you refuse to be honest with?”

Pain reflected in his eyes, but in a blink, it was gone—hidden behind an impenetrable wall. Regret for snapping at him rolled over Kara. She hadn’t meant to make him defensive. She truly cared about what had happened to him.

“I’ll get you some tea.”

“You don’t need to bother.” She didn’t want to be even more of an imposition. “I can just wait in here, out of the way, until the snowplow digs us out.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“It’s for the best. This way we don’t have to get in each other’s way. You can go about your business like I’m not even here.”

“This room isn’t very warm. You’ll be a lot more comfortable in front of the fireplace.”

“I could just bundle up in a blanket.”

Why was he being so difficult when she was trying to make this awkward arrangement as tolerable as possible for both of them? Surely he wasn’t any more interested in spending time with her than she was about spending it with him.

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged. “But you should know that as soon as I get your tea, I’ll be in to get my shower. And with the bathroom being a bit cramped, I tend to strip down in the bedroom.”

Heat scorched her cheeks until she thought for sure her hair would go up in smoke. So much for her idea about keeping distance between them.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” she said. “You wouldn’t have a comb handy, would you?”