Page 5

They had fit together so perfectly. Their shared passion for music, their easy laughter, the way they could talk for hours about everything and nothing. It had felt right, as natural as breathing.

She had woven dreams of a future together. He wanted to go to medical school and she . . . well, she wanted to do exactly what she was doing. Music therapy.

As she navigated the familiar streets toward home, those long-ago dreams seemed as distant as the snowcapped mountaintops.

How easily it had all shattered.

He would be living down the street from her now. Unless she went out of her way, she had to pass Stanley Kenner’s house every single time she left her place.

The realization sat heavy in her chest. How would she manage, knowing he was so close? The man who had broken her heart into a thousand jagged pieces that she had never quite managed to put back together completely.

Every glimpse of him would be a reminder of what she had lost, of the future that had slipped through her fingers like melting snow.

She let out a short laugh despite herself. Nothing like an unexpected blast from the past to make a person appreciate their nice, quiet, predictable existence. Maybe she would take up jogging or something. At least that way, she could run in the opposite direction whenever she saw him.

Chapter 2

For far longer than he should have, Wes stood in the parking lot of his grandfather’s retirement community watching Hannah’s taillights fade in the increasing snowfall.

She looked even more beautiful than she had been when he left, if that were possible. He had always found her captivating, with her mischievous smile and free spirit. Now she was stunning.

Hannah Goodwin had always seemed to vibrate with some kind of inner melody. Music wasn’t simply something she loved; it was an integral part of who she was. He remembered how she would hum softly under her breath while studying, her fingers absently tapping out rhythms on textbooks or coffee mugs.

Her laughter always had a musical quality to it, light and melodious, and in quiet moments, he would sometimes catch her swaying slightly, as if moved by some unheard song.

While he had been back to Shelter Springs a handful of times since he left, he hadn’t bumped into her in all those years.

He had done his best to stay away, especially after he learned she had moved back. Being here, remembering everything, was too painful.

Still, he hadn’t avoided it completely. His grandparents had lived in Shelter Springs and his grandmother and his father were both buried near each other in the cemetery on a hill overlooking town.

A year ago when he had come to town for his grandmother’s funeral, he had seen Hannah’s twin sister in the grocery store.

He could still remember the way his heart had pounded fiercely and his insides had clenched until he looked closer and realized it was Holly, not Hannah.

When he made the decision to come back to Shelter Springs for the holidays, he had fully expected to see her. The town wasn’t that big and it was hard to avoid someone completely.

He hadn’t expected this burning desire to reach out and pull her right back into his arms.

Hannah was his past, he reminded himself. Walking away had been the right thing to do, especially for her.

A snuffle distracted him from his thoughts and he looked down to find his Belgian Malinois, ever patient and watchful, sitting at his side.

Embarrassed at his own thoughtless behavior, leaving a wounded dog in the cold while his mind traveled well-worn tracks, he tightened his hold on the leash.

“Let’s get you inside where it’s warm.”

Kodi heeled and followed him with docile obedience into the warmth of the Shelter Inn.

He wanted the old Kodi back, not this listless creature. The vets said it would take time. But two weeks after he was injured on the job, Kodi hadn’t come close to returning to his usual energetic, playful self.

Yet one more reason for Wes to feel guilty, in a lifetime of them.

“Let’s go see Stanley, shall we?”

At the mention of one of his favorite people, the dog nudged his head against Wes’s arm as they headed through the lobby toward his grandfather’s apartment.

The sounds of holiday music and chatter greeted him as he passed the large recreation room that served as gathering place, chow hall and social club.