Dashing Through the Snow Read Free

this far too much. “I’m not so sure I am.”
    “Listen, you two,” the clerk said. “It’s been a hectic morning and my shift is nearly over. Would you make up your minds so I can get out of here? I have a home, too, and I’d like nothing better than to get there within the next twenty-four hours instead of listening to the two of you bicker.”
    “Well?” Ashley asked, her heart in her eyes. “It would mean the world to me and my mother to be together for Christmas.”
    “You’re sure you can trust me?” Dash asked, not bothering to hide his sarcasm. “Like you said, I could be a serial killer.”
    “I…I would feel better if I talked to someone who knows you.”
    “Like who?”
    Seeing that he claimed he wasn’t married, she offered an earlier suggestion. “I’d trust your mother.”
    Dash shared a look with the rental clerk. “Unbelievable.”
    “If I was her I’d feel better if I talked to someone, too,” the other man said, siding with her.
    “Okay, fine. You can talk to my mother while I fill out the paperwork.” He reached for his cell, pressed a single button, and handed it to her.
    It rang only once. A woman answered before Ashley had a chance to speak. “Dash, this is a surprise.”
    “Hello, Mrs. Sutherland?”
    “Who is this?” the woman said, clearly surprised. “And what are you doing with my son’s phone?”
    “Dash gave it to me while he fills out paperwork for a rental car. There’s only one car left in the entire lot and we’re both headed to Seattle and, well, I thought if I talked to his mother I’d feel better about sharing a ride with a perfect stranger.”
    “Trust me, my dear, my son is far from perfect.”
    Ashley smiled. She hadn’t met this woman and already she liked her. “I sort of picked up on that earlier.”
    The woman laughed. “I take it you want reassurances?”
    “Yes, please. I asked to speak to his wife, but he claims he isn’t married.”
    “He’s telling you the truth, much to my chagrin. In my humble opinion he should have been married long before now, but he rarely listens to his mother. A good-looking man like Dash should have been married years ago. What’s the matter with young people these days? By age thirty Larry and I had had both our children. These days kids don’t feel the need to make a commitment.”
    Ashley lowered her voice. Really, this wasn’t any of her business, but she was curious. “He isn’t involved with anyone?”
    “Not that he’s mentioned to me, but then my son mostly keeps these matters to himself. It’s all part of his army training. He’s out now, thank heavens. He’s responsible for every gray hair in my head.”
    “Oh.”
    “You sound like a nice, thoughtful girl. How old are you?”
    “I just turned twenty-four.”
    “Married?”
    “No. I’m in graduate school.”
    “Studying?”
    “Social work.”
    “Excellent, excellent,” she continued. “Let me assure you that you have no worries traveling with Dash. He’s as stable as they come. He’s headed to Seattle for this job interview with one of those big army contractors. He never really talks about what he did in the military. From what he said, it sounds like he worked on the computer guidance systems in drones.”
    “Oh, he’s into software, then?”
    “Yes, smart as a whip. Unfortunately, he doesn’t appear to do as well with relationships.”
    That was interesting. “Really?”
    “Too busy. He’s always working, and being in the intelligence field didn’t help matters. This job interview is important, otherwise I’d make a fuss about him not coming home for Christmas. According to Dash, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “From what Dash said, this project with the private contractor is hush-hush. Even Dash doesn’t know all the details; all he could find out is that the company wants to interview him right away.”
    “Wow.” She was quickly becoming a woman who spoke in