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“No.” With a sniffle, Ash reached up and wiped his cheeks. “No, she’s just—”

Something seemed to snap, Cass could almost feel it—a sudden tension in the air—and Ash lowered his head into his hands and sucked in a sharp breath.

Ah, damn.

He wasn’t sure what he’d said, but whatever it was hadn’t been the right thing. Silently cursing himself, Cass moved closer and hesitated only for half a second before reaching out and setting his hand gently on Ash’s shoulder. With a light squeeze, Cass cleared his throat. “Let’s get you inside, huh? Before your niece gets too cold?” When Ash nodded slightly, Cass squeezed his shoulder again and then backed up. “Do you have a bag? I can carry that for you, and you can just worry about . . . What’s her name?”

Ash looked up at him, his mouth set in a tight frown. The tears still fell down his cheeks, but he seemed to ignore them, and his lower lip trembled as he spoke. “Bri. Uh, Brielle Rose. But we—we call her Bri.”

A shudder of some deep emotion Cass couldn’t even identify rocked him then, and Cass let his gaze drift over to the infant, whose eyes were still closed lightly. He smiled softly. “She’s beautiful, really,” he murmured, and when he looked back at Ash, Ash was just nodding and wiping his cheeks again. Cass bit his lip. “So, um, you want to get her, and I’ll turn off your car here and get your luggage and diaper bag and whatever else you need?”

“Yeah, um, okay. M-my stuff is . . .” Ash motioned vaguely toward the hatch of the small SUV, and Cass nodded.

“Sure, yeah. Be careful here, okay? It’s slippery.”

“Yeah. I-I’m sorry about earlier,” Ash said, and when his eyes met Cass’s this time, it seemed like maybe there was a hint of something else in them. Ash seemed to force another smile. “I’ll, uh, be more careful this time, since you probably won’t be able to catch me with your arms full of luggage and stuff.”

A quiet huff of laughter escaped Cass, and he shook his head as his grin widened. “Probably not. Yeah. Best if you stay on your feet this time?”

“Yeah, that’s probably best.” Ash’s lips twitched up in a little bit bigger of a smile, and god, it was just enough. Cass’s heart reacted—stuttering and jumping around in his chest—and there was this immediate feeling of some fluttering warmth that was pleasant and wholly unfamiliar to him.

He ignored it, because that was what he needed to do. And he gave Ash one more nod before he moved to turn off the car and grab Ash’s bags.

Shaina (Thursday, December 9, 2021 – 11:23 a.m.): Don’t tell me. I don’t even want to know, do I?

Shaina (11:25 a.m.): Scratch that. Tell me. I absolutely do want to know. You decided to stay put because the roads are still bad, right? Because that’s what you should have done

Shaina (11:31 a.m.): ASH!

Shaina (11:31 a.m.): Just let me know you’re okay. Please

Chapter Seven

Ash

Ash chewed on his lower lip as he signed the hotel registration form with a shaking hand, trying to ignore the knot twisting painfully in his gut. It wasn’t really a big deal, putting another few hundred dollars on his credit card. In the grand scheme of things, that wasn’t what was really important. What was important was making sure Bri stayed safe. And it definitely wasn’t safe to be driving right now.

Maybe if he’d been a more competent driver, it would be different. He could be on the road now, halfway through the Siskiyous and almost to Oregon.

Or maybe if he’d left a day sooner, he’d have avoided the stupid snow and ice altogether. Or if he’d just stayed with Shaina and her parents for one more day.

Or maybe—maybe if his sister was still alive . . .

Dammit.

“Shaina is your sister?”

The horrible pain of his grief ripped through him, and he closed his eyes as he set the pen down and pushed the form back across the counter. “Here you go. I-I hope I’ll just have to stay the one night, but—but if, uh . . .”

He trailed off but forced his eyes open. The man behind the counter—whose name tag read George—gave him a kind nod and then took the form and started typing on the computer again.

“Don’t worry,” the man said. “The room will be available tomorrow as well. Just let us know before checkout time if you plan to stay. It won’t be a problem, Mr. Finnley.”

Ash nodded, though his jaw was still clenched and, like most of the day today, he was still fighting tears. The shaking hadn’t stopped, either, even now—even standing here, with neither him nor Bri in any kind of danger.

He glanced sideways at where Cass now knelt next to Bri’s car seat. The infant was still asleep—thank goodness—but she’d somehow latched onto Cass’s pinky finger and didn’t seem to want to let go. Cass lifted his eyes and gave Ash the kindest smile.

God, he was so thankful. If not for this random stranger and his kindness . . .