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Noah was quiet for a moment, hating the image of the industrial complex looming over the town that he had started to like so much. In his mind’s eye, the large warehouses looked garish and out of place. The trail of massive semi-trucks that the complex would bring with it clogged the streets in his vision, causing people to honk angrily at each other, filling the town with the sound of their annoyance.
He didn’t like it one bit. But he could tell from his father’s voice that he wouldn’t hear of anything else—at least, not right now. The land had been left to Noah, but he and his father had planned to develop it together, so he would have to find a way to get Brett on board with a different plan.
For now though, without facts and figures to back up his argument, he decided to let it go.
Glancing at the small clock on his bedside table, he realized that he needed to head out soon, or he was going to be late for his meeting with Mindy. So Noah quickly ended the call with his father, promising him that he’d do more work on winning over the people of Snowy Pine Ridge.
The moment he hung up the phone, he pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his coat. Throwing it over his shoulders, he strode through the hotel and out into the blustery cold day.
Noah did like the fact that staying at the Warm and Bright Hotel put him well within walking distance of the house that Mindy owned. Of course, in Snowy Pine Ridge, everything seemed to be within walking distance. He had hardly even moved his car since he’d first arrived in town. Once he’d driven it from the parking spot in front of the bakery to the parking lot at the Warm and Bright Hotel, it had remained there the entire time.
He recognized a few of the people that he passed while walking to Mindy’s, and even though he couldn’t immediately recall their names, each of them still gave him a friendly wave as he passed and told him to have a good day.
The blustery day got even windier and colder as he walked, and by the time he made it to Mindy’s doorstep, there was a large gray cloud hanging above the town, looking like it was about to pelt snow down on them at any moment.
“You ready?” she asked the moment she pulled open the door, already fully bundled up in a bright red puffer jacket and a black wool scarf.
Noah nodded, turning so that she could walk beside him as they made their way toward town. They’d had a plan to go see the dogsledding business again, with Mindy assuring him that it would be much better this time around. He’d told her that under no circumstances would he actually be getting on a dogsled, but that he would check out the facilities, at the very least.
She’d seemed happy enough with that response and didn’t push him any further on it as they turned a corner, spotting Winter Run Racing several blocks away. As they strode toward it, the wind suddenly began to whip up around them. The sky, which Noah had marked as ominous not long before, began pelting down snow.
“Yikes!” Mindy yelped, lifting up her mittened hands to move her scarf and shield her face, while Noah tucked his chin down into his coat to try to hide it from the force of the wind and the snow.
“Hurry!” Mindy told him, raising her voice over the sound of the wind. “I’m sure Derek and Lacy will let us warm up in the kennels for a bit while we wait for the storm to pass.”
“Okay,” Noah called back, the wind nearly stealing his breath with its cold force.
They both bowed their heads against the sudden snowstorm, all but running in the direction of the building they had seen just moments before. By the time they reached it, the snow was falling so thick and so fast that he could hardly even make out the houses across the street.
Mindy stopped in front of the door at the front of the building and wrenched it open, and then both of them darted inside. The moment the door snapped shut behind them, the howling sound of the wind outside grew quieter.
Derek was behind the front desk, and he glanced up at them, blinking in surprise. “What are you two doing out? It looks bad out there!”
“It is bad,” Mindy told him. “That storm came up out of nowhere. Do you mind if we go see the dogs and wait out the worst of it in here?”
“Oh, of course not. They won’t be going out for any sled runs during this snowstorm, so they’ll be happy for the company.”
He led them to the back, grabbing them a couple of chairs so that they could sit with the dogs. Noah had to remind himself of his pleasant interaction with Gus the other day, telling himself that these dogs were likely just as friendly as he tried to overcome his nerves—and to his delight, he was right. He held out his hand like Mindy had taught him, and the dogs sniffed at him with interest before licking his knuckles.
Once the dogs settled down from their initial excitement and Derek returned to the front office area, Mindy and Noah settled into two folding chairs that Derek had placed along one wall.
“I can tell these guys are well-loved,” he commented, gesturing to the huskies.
“Oh, they are. Derek and Lacy adore all their dogs,” Mindy answered. “They’re the most spoiled pups on the planet. They get so many treats and training and play time. They’re the happiest dogs I’ve ever seen.”
“Besides Gus, obviously,” Noah pointed out, drawing a grin from her.
“Besides Gus,” she agreed.
Silence fell between them, filled only by the whistling of the storm outside. But it didn’t feel awkward, not like it had between them when he’d first arrived at Snowy Pine Ridge. He felt like they’d worked past some of that, forging a new kind of relationship instead of just falling into the same patterns of their old one. And as he sat huddled next to the massive heater with her, he was glad for that.
“How are your parents doing?” he asked, realizing that he’d asked the same thing the very first day she’d shown him around the town. “Have they been well? Do you see them often?”
But at the time, she hadn’t seemed keen to answer. He was hoping that now, with things a bit more easy and comfortable between them, she’d give him a more honest and thorough answer.
“Yeah, they’re doing well,” she answered, which was almost the exact answer she’d given him before. But it wasn’t in the same clipped tone, and this time, she continued to elaborate just like he’d hoped she would. “They’re both still working all the time, even though I wish they’d retire. But they love their jobs, so it isn’t something I think they’ll ever give up. Not unless they’re forced. They work too hard, I think. They always taught me that that was the thing that mattered most, but I’m not sure I agree with that anymore. I think I see things more Gram’s way now. She always used to tell me life wasn’t a race, and I should stop and smell the roses.”
“Usedto?” Noah asked, not missing her use of the past tense. “Did she…”
