Page 4 of Let It Snow

“Shana, I mean it—don’t leave like this. I’ll be worried about both of you then and my Christmas will be completely shot to hell.”

She smiled and reached up and touched his face. He softened and she leaned in and gave him a hug. He was warm and yielding and hugged her back, solidly and comfortably like perfect fitting mittens. She loved him. Cap had been her best friend and confidante and she would never let that go no matter what.

“I’m sorry, Cap.” She knew he cared about her. About Dane. It wasn’t about his Christmas. He had friends on the island and family not too far off. He was whole as far as she could tell.

“You don’t even know where the hell he’s taking you—”

“I thought you would know.”

Cap shook his head.

“Where did he come from?”

“Off the boat. He called from the ferry landing in Vineyard Haven. He hasn’t been here more than a couple of hours. I don’t know much about him. Couldn’t raise Oscar on the phone, but he’ll call me back soon.”

“I thought you said you vetted him?”

“I ran a criminal check. He’s clean.”

“Under the name Padre Pedro.”

“I ran his prints.”

“Padre Pedro isn’t the problem.” She didn’t bother stating that Dane was the problem since it was too obvious. She blew out a breath. “I don’t know what else to do. Maybe he needs a break from me.” She took another deep breath to gather herself and stood straight. “I need a break from him.”

“Permanent?”

She had no idea what the answer to that was. “I suspect the padre will help me come up with the answer to that one.” She sounded desperate. She was.

Cap stepped aside and she hefted the bags into balance and walked back down the hallway and into the kitchen.

Dane and the padre stood there blocking her way. She had to get past Dane to get to the door where the padre was ready and waiting. He had a jacket on now. An old mud-colored Carhart. Shana knew it was Dane’s old jacket because she’d bought him a new one to replace it last winter. She hated the sting behind her eyes, the strike to her heart and the tightening of her chest. Damn him.

“I’m leaving, Dane.” She managed to sound strong and sure.

“I know.” He stood still. And in the next instant when he moved, when he should have embraced her in a farewell hug, he instead stood back. He moved from her path to let her go.

Something pushed her forward against the pull of her heart, the pull of him and everything that he was, everything that he meant to her. Something stronger than pride propelled her to the door without a look back, not even a quick glance over her shoulder at his face, the handsome, strong, beaten, sad face that she loved.

She saw it in her mind’s eye the way she wanted to see it—without the soul-crushing defeat and sorrow—the way he’d been last summer before his mother’s visit. Closing her eyes tight she pushed open the door and stepped out into the cold cleansing snow and headed for the Jeep.

Chapter 3

Shana drove the Jeep with the padre to the Ferry in Vineyard Haven.

After a minute, she said, “What the hell are you doing? Why are you butting into our business?”

He said nothing. He looked at her like she was a television character. Remote. So she pressed further.

“I don’t buy the Oscar-sent-me story.”

“I have no idea what I’m doing, only that I want to do good. I don’t know why Oscar told me Dane’s story, I only know that Dane needs help.”

“You’re afraid of him, aren’t you?”

“Some. But I’m more afraid for him, afraid of him sinking into self-destructiveness.”

She snorted, reminding herself of the way Dane snorted at her when she said such things.