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“And how long do you expect that to take?” The tension in Jess’s voice was almost painful.
“As long as you need,” he said. “I’ve got plenty of time, and I’m willing to wait. And I promise that the story you told me won’t go anywhere—ever.”
Jess studied his face, etched in the reflected headlights from the Jeep. Such a handsome face, so strong and gentle. It would be so easy to give in to this man, to melt in his arms and forget the reasons why she’d packed up and fled his home in the middle of the night. But surrender wouldn’t change what had happened. And it wouldn’t make the anger and distrust go away. Maybe nothing would.
“I think it’s time you were going,” she said.
“All right.” He shifted in his seat. “But I was hoping for some kind of answer.”
“Fine. You deserve that much, at least,” she said. “My only answer is that I need time and space—and don’t ask me how much because I don’t know. That’s the best I can do. Take it or leave it.”
“For now, I’ll take it.” He opened the door. A gust of windblown snow whooshed into the car. He pulled the door partway closed, gripping the handle. “The weather’s getting worse. I’ll drive behind you as far as the motel. You can’t fault me for wanting you to get there safely.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. But don’t call me. If I have anything to say, I’ll let you know.”
“Let’s get going.” He climbed out of the car, closing the door quickly. Jess put the Taurus in gear and pulled back onto the road. She drove slowly, half blinded by the flying snow. The road surface was already getting slick. She was grateful for the headlights that stayed behind her, far enough to avoid a glaring reflection in her rearview mirror.
Twenty minutes later, she reached the motel and pulled into her parking place. The Jeep lingered at the edge of the lot until she’d safely unlocked the door to her room. Then Cooper swung the heavy vehicle into a U-turn and headed back down the highway.
Jess watched the red taillights vanish into the storm before she went inside. The room was chilly but once she turned it on, the noisy space heater worked. Still wearing her coat, she sank to the edge of the bed, waiting for the air to warm.
The next-door neighbors were having some kind of party, with loud music, raucous laughter, and occasional thumps and bumps, like bodies crashing into furniture. She had reason to complain to the manager, but why bother? She already knew that she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Sometime after 1:00 a.m., the noise next door faded away. Clad in her flannel pajamas, Jess lay sleepless in the bed. If she were home, or even at Cooper’s, she might get up, make herself a snack, and curl up in a chair with a good book. But here there was no place to go and nothing to do. Nothing except lie here, listen to the rattle of the heater, and think about how her whole life had turned topsy-turvy.
She could have forgiven Cooper on the spot tonight. Why had she insisted that he prove himself? What had entitled her to demand such a thing? She wouldn’t blame him if he threw up his hands and walked away from her.
None of this mess was Cooper’s fault. It was hers. Why couldn’t she simply let go of her fears and love him? Wasn’t that what she really wanted?
Outside, the snow was still falling. If it kept up, the school district would probably declare a snow day. She would call in and check tomorrow morning. If school had been canceled, she would give herself a break—go somewhere nice for breakfast, do some Christmas shopping at the mall, even sit through an afternoon movie.
Maybe a day of total self-indulgence would lift her spirits and give her a fresh outlook on her own problems, which were nothing compared to what others were dealing with—like Ruth McCoy, who was struggling to keep her family safe and start a new life. Since she didn’t have the address or phone number of Ruth’s sister here in Cottonwood Springs, Jess could only hope for the best.
After a few hours of fitful sleep, Jess woke to a gray morning. Cracking open the blinds, she gazed out at a landscape thickly blanketed in fresh snow—snow that was still falling.
Using the room phone, she called the recorded message on the district line. The message confirmed that today would indeed be a snow day.
The students would be over the moon.
The Christmas parade and ball would be held the Saturday before Christmas—that would make it this weekend, just a few days off. After such a big storm, there should be enough snow to drive the sleigh on its runners. A real white Christmas. That would please Maggie and Trevor, and probably Skip, too.
A shadow of worry crossed her mind as she thought about the boy, alone in the house with his mother gone and his father in jail. But Skip was capable and independent. He would be all right. If anything went wrong, he would have both Abner and Cooper nearby to look after him. And she would check on him if he didn’t show up at school the next day.
The TV in the room was broken, but the radio worked. After tuning it to a station that played Christmas music, Jess showered, washed her hair, and dressed in jeans, boots, and a red cashmere sweater. She took her time. The snowplows, what few the city owned, were still clearing off the main streets, and the mall didn’t open until nine.
This had been a good idea, giving herself a small holiday. Maybe she could even find some good clothes on sale to amp up her meager wardrobe. And presents? That was a bigger issue. Cooper and his son had taken her in, but she and Cooper were barely on speaking terms, and Trevor had never warmed to her. Still, she wanted to get them something—maybe books, or something for the house. Or maybe she should just get a dozen boxes of gourmet chocolates and pass them out to all her friends. After all, she didn’t have a Christmas tree or even a house to put it in. Her vacation plans had vanished when the tree fell on her house, and she wasn’t even going to the ball.
Christmas. Bah! Humbug! She put on her hat, coat, boots, and gloves, turned off the radio, and went outside to scrape the snow off her car.
Faintly, from somewhere behind her, she heard what sounded like a ringing phone. But it was probably someone else’s. And even if it was for her, she’d never make it back inside in time to answer.
Someone had plowed a path out of the parking lot. With her car scraped clean of snow, Jess climbed into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and drove away.
Chapter 13
When Trevor looked out of his bedroom window, his jaw dropped. Snow, at least eight inches deep, was blanketing everything, and it was still coming down.
“Wow, awesome . . .” he murmured. Seattle got plenty of rain, and occasional light snow, but he’d never seen snowfall like this. This was real Christmas snow. If only he didn’t have to go to school.
