would answer their phone at 12:06 on Thanksgiving morning.
There were no hotel vacancies, no motel vacancies and the local bed-and-breakfasts werenât picking up.
Definitely a problem. Kristin buttoned her coat and stared at her reflection in the black windows of the airport terminal. What was she going to do? Fat chunks of snow floated to the white ground on the other side of the glass where a single taxi waited along a vacant curb.
No passengers rushed from baggage claim or hurried to make that last-minute flight. She was practically alone and the security guards were eyeing her suspiciously. The swish of a janitorâs wide mop seemed loud in the echoing silence.
It looked as if she would miss Thanksgiving at home.
No sisters. No baby niece to hug close. No roasted turkey with Grammaâs special stuffing.
On the other hand, she wouldnât have to face Allisonâs empty place at the table.
But not seeing any of her sisters⦠Her chest achedwith sadness. How could she be sad at completely opposite things at once?
So, sheâd spend this holiday alone. She lived alone. She spent lots of weekends alone. She was used to it.
Still, loneliness grabbed hard and squeezed. For as much as she dreaded some things, she missed others very much. The way Mom always greeted her at the door, wearing her apron and opening her arms wide for a hug.
The big country kitchen would be warm with the delicious fragrances of roasting turkey and baking bread and desserts set out to cool on the counter.
Her sisters laughing and quibbling while her nieces and nephew toddled around the living room, and everyone turning to shout, âItâs Kristin. Kristinâs here!â
Exhausted from starting work at six oâclock this morning so she could leave early for the airport, she was too tired even to pray. Aching with despair, she buried her face in her hands.
Chapter Two
I f that wasnât a sign from above, Ryan didnât know what was. Heâd stood in line at one car-rental place after another. No rental cars. The passengers had dispersed; he detoured to baggage claim and was stunned to see his suitcase circling. He had the worst luck ever when it came to airport baggage.
Yup, it was a sign. This attempted trip home wasnât over yet. Okay, he was going to give the rental counters one more try. If there were no cars, then heâd done all he could. It looked as if he wouldnât be going home for Thanksgiving.
But he couldnât be that lucky. He was probably the only human being on the continent who was hoping to head away from home.
Of course, there was a last-minute cancellation and an SUV with four-wheel drive just happened to be availableâthe only car left for rent in the entire city. Providence had spoken. Ryan Sanders was going to spendThanksgiving with his family. No excuses, no exceptions. He might as well accept it and make the best of it.
It would mean a lot to Mom. Thatâs what mattered, at least telling himself that gave him enough grit to accept his fate. He loved his mom, he loved his sister, but he didnât miss Montana. He wanted to put that part of his life away and lock the door tight. Throw the key in a deep well and cover it up. For good. There were some places too painful to go, like the past.
Thatâs why he believed in going full steam ahead. Why he never looked back. Why he wasnât thrilled as he loaded up the Jeep and flipped the defroster on high. The Good Lord was making His will pretty clear in spite of the weather. The snowstorm was working up into a blizzard on the other side of the snowy windshield. The wipers couldnât keep up.
Great, how was he going to see where he was going? Ryan squinted into the dizzying downfall but it didnât help. He couldnât read the directional signs through the whiteout conditions. Should he go left or right?
Clueless, he went left. He barely touched the brake and the tires did a little skid on
There were no hotel vacancies, no motel vacancies and the local bed-and-breakfasts werenât picking up.
Definitely a problem. Kristin buttoned her coat and stared at her reflection in the black windows of the airport terminal. What was she going to do? Fat chunks of snow floated to the white ground on the other side of the glass where a single taxi waited along a vacant curb.
No passengers rushed from baggage claim or hurried to make that last-minute flight. She was practically alone and the security guards were eyeing her suspiciously. The swish of a janitorâs wide mop seemed loud in the echoing silence.
It looked as if she would miss Thanksgiving at home.
No sisters. No baby niece to hug close. No roasted turkey with Grammaâs special stuffing.
On the other hand, she wouldnât have to face Allisonâs empty place at the table.
But not seeing any of her sisters⦠Her chest achedwith sadness. How could she be sad at completely opposite things at once?
So, sheâd spend this holiday alone. She lived alone. She spent lots of weekends alone. She was used to it.
Still, loneliness grabbed hard and squeezed. For as much as she dreaded some things, she missed others very much. The way Mom always greeted her at the door, wearing her apron and opening her arms wide for a hug.
The big country kitchen would be warm with the delicious fragrances of roasting turkey and baking bread and desserts set out to cool on the counter.
Her sisters laughing and quibbling while her nieces and nephew toddled around the living room, and everyone turning to shout, âItâs Kristin. Kristinâs here!â
Exhausted from starting work at six oâclock this morning so she could leave early for the airport, she was too tired even to pray. Aching with despair, she buried her face in her hands.
Chapter Two
I f that wasnât a sign from above, Ryan didnât know what was. Heâd stood in line at one car-rental place after another. No rental cars. The passengers had dispersed; he detoured to baggage claim and was stunned to see his suitcase circling. He had the worst luck ever when it came to airport baggage.
Yup, it was a sign. This attempted trip home wasnât over yet. Okay, he was going to give the rental counters one more try. If there were no cars, then heâd done all he could. It looked as if he wouldnât be going home for Thanksgiving.
But he couldnât be that lucky. He was probably the only human being on the continent who was hoping to head away from home.
Of course, there was a last-minute cancellation and an SUV with four-wheel drive just happened to be availableâthe only car left for rent in the entire city. Providence had spoken. Ryan Sanders was going to spendThanksgiving with his family. No excuses, no exceptions. He might as well accept it and make the best of it.
It would mean a lot to Mom. Thatâs what mattered, at least telling himself that gave him enough grit to accept his fate. He loved his mom, he loved his sister, but he didnât miss Montana. He wanted to put that part of his life away and lock the door tight. Throw the key in a deep well and cover it up. For good. There were some places too painful to go, like the past.
Thatâs why he believed in going full steam ahead. Why he never looked back. Why he wasnât thrilled as he loaded up the Jeep and flipped the defroster on high. The Good Lord was making His will pretty clear in spite of the weather. The snowstorm was working up into a blizzard on the other side of the snowy windshield. The wipers couldnât keep up.
Great, how was he going to see where he was going? Ryan squinted into the dizzying downfall but it didnât help. He couldnât read the directional signs through the whiteout conditions. Should he go left or right?
Clueless, he went left. He barely touched the brake and the tires did a little skid on
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