Stranded For The Holidays. Lisa Carter

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СКАЧАТЬ she wrapped her arms around Hunter, inhaling the sweet little-boy scent of him.

      Jonas pulled at his arm. “Go with Gramma, Hunt. Please.”

      Letting go of her, Hunter followed his grandmother beyond the long pine table in the adjacent dining area toward the door AnnaBeth guessed led to the lodge kitchen.

      Jonas took the coat from her. “AnnaBeth?”

      She chewed the inside of her cheek. She really didn’t want to get into what had happened between her, Scott and MaryDru. She didn’t have the emotional energy to go into it. Her wedding debacle wasn’t any of his business.

      And then Jonas Stone surprised her.

      “The guy’s a total jerk to have jilted you at the altar,” Jonas said, his gravelly voice slightly fierce. “You know that, right?”

      Scott jilting her wasn’t exactly what took place. She opened her mouth to correct Jonas, but stopped. After declaring his love for her sister, that was exactly what Scott had been about to do. Only she’d beaten him to the punch and run away first. Jonas didn’t need to know the embarrassing details of her never-got-off-the-ground marriage.

      Despite evidence to the contrary, she still had a few tattered remnants of pride. Everyone who mattered already knew what happened. Anyone else was on a need-to-know basis. And Jonas fell into the category of “most definitely didn’t need to know.”

      Besides, give or take twenty-four hours, she’d never see him again. That thought descended upon her with unexpected gloom. But Jonas wasn’t done surprising her.

      “Small consolation—trust me, I know—but you’re better off without him.” Her coat clutched in his large hands, he wrung the garment as if he wished it was Scott’s neck. “You’re better off not hitched to a loser like him for the rest of your life.”

      A curious mixture of simmering fury—not directed at her, but on her behalf—and compassion filled his dark eyes. She gaped at him. And reminded herself to breathe.

      No one had ever defended her supposedly injured honor so vigorously before.

      “Don’t worry about your car. My cousin, Zach, owns the auto-repair shop in Truelove. I’ll get him to tow your car and find out what’s wrong.”

      She didn’t know what to say. And for once, surprising herself, she said nothing.

      But like a bottle finally uncorked, Jonas continued to speak.

      “Storm’s likely to last all night, but until the roads are plowed, no one can get on or off the mountain. Worst-case scenario, we could be snowed in here for a few days.” A muscle jumped in his jaw. “We’ll sort everything out. I promise.”

      A veritable avalanche of words. Jonas would be exhausted tomorrow, no doubt.

      She wasn’t sure what had prompted his about-face. He said he knew—as in understood firsthand?—that she was better off without her erstwhile groom. In the past, had something equally humiliating and hurtful happened to him, too?

      Jonas squared his shoulders. Broad shoulders that tapered to a narrow waist, where his shirttail was tucked into his jeans. “Stay here as long as you like, AnnaBeth. You’ve found a safe place, a refuge from the storm, here with us at the FieldStone.”

      Her heart gave a funny quiver. Her eyes locked with his. She soon became lost in his melted-chocolate eyes.

      But truth be told, she was lost in more ways than just the obvious.

       Chapter Four

      After gulping down a quick cup of coffee the next morning, Jonas headed outside to feed the horses before breakfast. On the terrace, he paused to take in the wintry panorama of the ranch.

      On the horizon, the surrounding mountain peaks undulated like cresting waves of snow. The precipitation had ended sometime during the wee hours. And sunrise dawned with a crisp, clear beauty. So beautiful it took his breath.

      Not unlike the runaway bride he and Hunter had stumbled upon yesterday.

      Frowning, he pushed off the patio. He was already regretting what he’d said to AnnaBeth last night. And what he’d inadvertently let slip about himself. But unhappy memories had resurfaced when he realized she’d been jilted at the altar.

      He could well imagine her humiliation on what was supposed to be the most wonderful day of her life. How heartbroken she must be. How forsaken she must feel.

      Something pinged inside his chest. He clenched his jaw. AnnaBeth wasn’t his responsibility.

      Inside the horse barn, he stomped his boots to dislodge the snow. After breakfast, he needed to work on clearing the winding ranch driveway. And call his cousin, Zach. Although, no time like the present...

      He blew on his hands before digging his cell phone out of his pocket. Only after several rings did he realize how early it was. Zach might not be—

      “Sorry to wake you, Zach. It’s Jonas.”

      “Dude...” His cousin grunted. “Ranchers aren’t the only ones running a business. I’ve been up since the storm moved on, towing vehicles all over town that slid off the road or got stuck in the snow.”

      “Actually, that’s why I’m calling.” Jonas remembered something else. “Oh, and since you live in town, Mom wanted me to ask you to check on Aunt IdaLee. Make sure she didn’t lose electricity. That she has enough firewood—”

      “I’m headed over there right now. She’s got pancakes and sausage waiting for me.”

      Their aunt IdaLee was over eighty and had never married. But over the course of her five-decade teaching career, she’d taught nearly everyone in the county. Between all her grown-up former pupils and extended family, Truelove made sure she was well looked after.

      A few years younger than Jonas, Zach was a skinny beanpole of a fellow. With a bottomless stomach and NASCAR aspirations.

      “Once you’ve filled your belly, cousin, there’s this broken-down vehicle on our—”

      “I heard about your stranded snow princess.” Zach snickered.

      Jonas could probably thank his mother for that. After dinner, he’d seen her on the phone.

      He grimaced. “Her name is AnnaBeth Cummings. Did Aunt IdaLee tell you what happened?”

      “Nope. When Miss GeorgeAnne opened the hardware store this morning, she told me. She’s doing a booming business selling snow shovels and sleds. Apparently, Miss GeorgeAnne, Aunt IdaLee and Miss ErmaJean had a conference call last night.”

      Flashing back to how ErmaJean the elf had overheard Hunter’s Santa wish, he bit back a groan. “Don’t tell me those old women are already conspiring.”

      “You definitely have a bull’s-eye painted on your back, cuz.”

      “She’s not my snow СКАЧАТЬ