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She thought back to the look in his eyes, and the words he had said took on a whole new meaning in light of what he had shared tonight.

I’m not trying to put the cart before the horse, I know I have a lot of work to do before I’m the kind of guy a woman would want to bring home to her mother. But one day I’ll be ready to be good to a good woman, I promise you, Ana.

22

RORY

Rory left the firehouse at five in the morning, feeling drained in every sense of the word. After a night spent in low visibility, with the rumble and scream of the plow overwhelming his senses, snow flashing in his headlights, and his mind filled with prayers that he wouldn’t hit a curb or a car, Rory was exhausted, starving, and barely able to move.

Under two feet of snow, Trinity Falls was as unrecognizable as an alien planet. And unlike the other volunteer drivers, Rory didn’t know every inch of the town like the back of his hand yet.

But he had worked diligently all night long, and managed to keep the accumulation at a minimum on the streets of his new hometown. Hopefully things were under control enough at this point that the regular guys who plowed for the municipality could keep the roads open and there wouldn’t be terrible accidents or folks snowed-in for days. Though he was pretty sure there hadn’t been enough volunteers to work through the night out in the rural areas that surrounded the village.

In any case, he couldn’t worry too much about it. He had about two hours to clean up, eat something, and maybe catch a quick nap before he had to be back to the shop for work.

Hopping in his truck, he started the engine and pulled his phone out to check the time while he let it warm up a little.

All night long he’d been hoping to hear something from Ana. Of course all his focus had been on plowing safely, so he hadn’t really been able to check. But he cheered himself up during the most stressful moments of the night by picturing himself sitting down this morning to find a nice message or voicemail from her.

After all he had confessed to her last night, he was sure that she would have something to say. Even if it wasn’t what he was hoping for.

Instead, the only message was from Beau, left late last night.

Beau (bossman):

Cal Cassidy told me you volunteered to plow tonight. I appreciate you doing something to help out the town during the storm. That’s good of you. You’ll be wiped out after, so don’t bother coming in, just get some sleep. We’ll call it a paid day off for civic duty done.

Rory let out a slow breath, relieved that he didn’t have to go work on cars when he was so tired that he was practically shaking. He would have done what he had to do. But he was lucky to have a guy like Beau as his boss.

He tried to focus on feeling grateful, and not let himself spin out over Ana as he drove back to his apartment.

She’s not going anywhere, he told himself. I’ve still got time to prove myself.

Sometime later, Rory awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of his phone ringing.

He sat up and was stunned to see that it was dark outside his only window.

“How long was I asleep?” he mumbled to himself, as he reached for the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, buddy,” Beau Wilson said cheerfully. “Were you still sleeping?”

“Yeah, bossman,” Rory said, running a hand through his hair. “Sorry about that. Have you been trying to reach me?”

“No, no,” Beau said. “I’m glad you got some rest. But I was wondering if you might be able to do me a favor?”

“Sure thing,” Rory said.

“Great,” Beau replied. “I sent the boys home, but someone’s just come in looking for a mechanic. I thought I’d try you to see if you felt up to stopping in.”

“Of course,” Rory said, crawling out of bed. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Take your time,” Beau told him. “We’ll see you when you get here.”

Rory hung up and stretched, feeling glad he’d indulged in a nice hot shower before crawling into bed, but wishing he’d taken the time to eat something.

He dressed quickly, trying not to read too much into the fact that Ana still hadn’t texted or called.

She probably thinks I’m obsessed with her, he thought to himself sadly as he pulled on his coat. And I guess she’s right.