Liam didn’t know if he could be that man.
But in that moment, watching her stand there in the falling snow, her eyes meeting his with that quiet strength…
God, he wanted to try.
They were silent for a moment. The wind picked up, blowing the loose snow around like frozen glitter, only it didn’t stop. “Oh, wow, it’s really coming down. Where is everybody?” Cassidy asked.
Liam hadn’t realized that they had fallen so far behind the group. He’d been too caught up in listening to Cassidy’s story. The trail was disappearing beneath the heavy snow, and if they weren’t careful, they’d get turned around.
“I know right where we are,” Liam said. “Or… I’m pretty sure I do. There’s a shelter nearby—the llama barn.”
Cassidy knew Liam’s family was opening up a llama sanctuary, and truth be told, she’d been desperate to see it.
“On my family farm. Follow me.”
They pushed on through the deepening snow. It was easily almost up to their knees by now, falling in thick flakes, making the trail harder and harder to see. The only sounds were the crunch of their boots and the whisper of the wind through snow-laden pines.
They moved in silence until the shape of the barn appeared ahead, its dark silhouette a welcome sight against the pale winter sky.
Liam pushed open the heavy wooden door. “We can keep going if you want,” he said, brushing snow from his coat as they entered the barn, “but it’s probably another fifteen minutes to the main house.”
The air was warm, still, and quiet, carrying the faint, comforting scent of hay and wood shavings. “No, this is great. Let’s stay here for a minute.”
The barn was rustic, with exposed beams crisscrossing the ceiling and a row of four stalls lining one side. In the open area at the back, fresh hay had been spread in golden piles, and thick wool blankets were folded neatly on a bench.
The llamas barely acknowledged them at first. One looked up briefly then went right back to munching alfalfa from a trough, its ears flicking lazily.
Cassidy tiptoed closer, careful not to startle them.
One of the llamas—an especially fluffy one with lopsided bangs—wandered toward her, blinking slowly. Cassidy grinned then hesitated.
“Is she friendly?” she whispered.
“Mostly,” Liam said, trying not to smile. “That’s Daisy. She likes attention, but she’s been known to nibble if she’s feeling ignored.”
“Good to know,” Cassidy said, carefully extending her hand. Daisy sniffed it then pressed her velvety nose into her palm, as if granting her approval.
“Well, hello to you too,” she murmured.
Just then, another llama—this one shorter and rounder—shuffled up behind her and started nosing at her coat pocket.
“Oh! Hey! That’s not a snack!” she said with a laugh, gently nudging it away.
“That’s Tinsel,” Liam said. “He’s obsessed with granola bars. If you have one on you, he’s not above pickpocketing.”
Liam pulled out his phone and texted Zoe. She replied within minutes—everyone had made it back safely, Tyler and his daughter were already in their truck, and the rest of the group had settled in at the farmhouse.
She looked around, her eyes catching on the string lights, the tidy stalls, the quiet glow of the space, and Liam swore the tension in his chest pulled tighter.
Because she was smiling, and the barn felt different with her standing in it.
It was just a shelter from the snowstorm, just a stop on the way home.
But with her there, it felt like more.
Liam knew she must be freezing. He was, and he had on far better gear than she’d brought.
He walked over to where the tools were stored and grabbed one of the thick blankets. He shook it out and brought it over, wrapping it around her shoulders.
