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Hank stood at the back door to his mother’s house feeling like a human icicle. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt so frozen to the bone. On his way to Trudy’s house his truck had broken down. And to make matters worse, his cell phone had died, leaving him stranded without a ride or a means of communication. Due to the storm, no other vehicles were on the road to rescue him. He had been up a creek without a paddle.
“Hank! Come in from the cold!” Trudy urged, quickly making her way to his side.
“Don’t mind if I do,” he said, wincing as he walked in. “I’m sorry for bringing snow in, Mama, but my feet might be frostbitten.”
“What happened, Hank?” Sage asked. “Did you walk from town?”
He nodded, his teeth chattering. “Sadly, my truck broke down about three miles or so down the road. There were no houses on the route where I could seek shelter, so I had to hoof it here.”
Sage let out a gasp of disbelief. “You must be frozen all the way through!”
“Help him get that jacket off, will you, Sage?” Trudy asked. Sage didn’t waste any time helping. He felt energized simply by her close proximity to him, and when she brushed against him as she took his coat off, he caught a whiff of a honey scent.
Hank shivered. He was frozen to the bone and in need of some sustenance. All during his three-mile walk he’d dreamed about a mug of piping hot tea and his mama’s home-baked bread. He could hear his stomach grumbling.
“Hank. Go inside the spare room and I’ll bring you a pair of sweatpants, socks and Jack’s old robe. You need to get out of those wet clothes,” Trudy commanded in a no-nonsense voice. Hank followed her instructions, hobbling down the hallway after struggling out of his boots.
Switching up his clothes made him feel refreshed. He returned to the kitchen while Trudy went to the laundry room with his wet garments.
“Sit down. I’ll get you a cup of tea. Are you hungry?” Sage asked. He nodded, feeling too depleted of energy to answer. Folks who weren’t used to Alaskan weather didn’t understand how things could turn deadly in a heartbeat. If he’d stayed out in the elements much longer he might be dealing with the long-term consequences of frostbite.
He watched Sage as she foraged in the cupboard for cups, then turned the kettle on. Her movements were graceful and efficient. Within minutes he had a cup of tea placed in front of him along with a serving of cheesy toast. Hank didn’t waste any time digging in. He hadn’t eaten since early this morning.
“Feeling better?” Sage had a smile on her face as she looked at his empty plate. Not even a crumb remained. He’d also drained his teacup.
Hank leaned back in his seat. “Yes. Thank you. It’s funny how quickly the tables can turn. I’m usually the one keeping watch over everyone else in town.”
“Now it’s your turn to be taken care of, Sheriff. I imagine you’ve earned it.”
He fiddled with the handle of his teacup, his gaze focused on it. “When I was out there in the snow I kept thinking about Addie. I kept praying for God to watch over her in the event that something happened to me.”
“Oh, Hank...” Sage murmured. “I’m so sorry your thoughts took you to that place.”
“I suppose it’s the product of being Addie’s only parent. It’s one of my greatest fears. If something happens to me, she’ll be parentless.”
“That’s not going to happen!” Sage said in a scolding tone. “And if it does, you have Trudy and Piper as wonderful stand-ins, not to mention her honorary uncles, Gabriel and Connor. It’s nice to have a village.”
“That’s true. None of them would ever let me down, or Addie. You haven’t met Connor yet, have you?”
“No, I haven’t had the pleasure. Maybe at the cook-off we’ll run into each other.”
“I’ll make a point to introduce you unless Beulah beats me to it. She’s a very proud grandmother.”
“Knowing Beulah, that’s not hard to imagine,” Sage said, her expression inscrutable. Sometimes Hank wished he could get inside her head and see exactly what she was thinking. There still remained a little mystery about her, which both perplexed and fascinated him. With every moment he spent in her presence, Hank found himself wanting to know every single thing about her.
The sound of Addie’s chattering reverberated from the baby monitor. He made a move to get up from his chair, only to be stopped by Sage.
“I’ll go get her, Hank. Please don’t get up,” Sage insisted, placing her hand on his arm.
She returned a short while later with Addie nestled against her chest. His daughter looked very content, which wasn’t always the case with people outside the family. But because she saw Sage each and every day, they’d developed a close bond. Hank couldn’t resist reaching for Addie. It had been a long day without seeing his little girl.
“Hank, I told Trudy the news earlier. I’m going home in a few days.”
Hank felt his heart lurch at Sage’s unexpected announcement. Although he’d known she would be leaving town before too long, he hadn’t imagined it happening so soon. The knowledge left him feeling deflated. He’d just begun to explore his feelings for her and now she would soon be nothing more than a memory.
“I’m sorry to hear it. You’ve been a fine addition to this town.” His throat felt clogged.
For the life of him he couldn’t think of anything else to say, but he knew he wanted to come up with something to make her change her mind and stay.
