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“Who’s Barb?” Rhia asks, turning toward us.
“My midwife,” I tell her.
She nods, but her mind is already elsewhere. “I think Claude’s idea is fabulous. We use what we can find around here for your bouquet, El. I can already picture it in my head. It will be beautiful!”
“Okay then,” I agree. “Let’s do it. We better find these berries and pinecones before the storm hits.”
“That’s the spirit,” Claudette says, rubbing my back.
Yeah. I mean, what other choice do I have but to go with the flow?
“You girls do that,” Lex says. Looking at Tiero, he asks, “Are you ready? We better get going.”
Tiero squeezes my hands to get my attention. “Put thermals on before you go anywhere. And don’t forget your beanie this time. Stay as close to the house as possible, and if the wind picks up return home immediately.”
I look up at him, amused. He’s cute when he gets overprotective. But I would never tell him that. The Mafia Don in him doesn’t like to be called cute, sweet, or any similar word.
“Yes, sir,” I salute him, but instead of laughing, his expression is stern.
“I mean it, Ella. I need to know you’re safe.”
His eyes bore into me, and I melt a little… he really is sweet.
“I promise. I’ll put on extra clothes, wear a beanie and a scarf—“
“And gloves,” he adds, interrupting me.
“And gloves, and at the slightest sign of the blizzard, we hurry home.”
Satisfied, Tiero gives me one more lingering kiss and then pulls the balaclava over his head and puts on his helmet.
“Be careful,” Rhia and I call out as our men mount their snowmobiles and roar off, a flurry of snow swirling into the air in their wake.
I watch them as they disappear into the forest. A sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. The ominous stillness of the air amplifies our knowledge of the impending storm’s approach.
The unease inside me grows, gnawing at my mind.
Three bad things…
We’re still one short. What if something happens to Tiero?
No, I can’t think like that. Everything will be fine. It’s just a superstition.
“Come on, girls,” Claudette says, closing the shed door. “Let’s put on more clothes and collect things for your bouquet, El.”
So that’s what we do.
Though my restlessness lingers the entire time.
Chapter Thirteen
Ella
“Thetemperaturehasdroppednoticeably,” I say to the girls as I re-enter the living room, shaking off the snow clinging to my hair.
I went to the shed to get the huskies; I couldn’t let them be in there all by themselves. They run past me and settle in front of the fireplace. I can’t say I blame them; the shed was freezing.
“And the snow has started.” I point out the window where delicate snowflakes dance in the air, swirling in a mesmerizing pattern.
