‘Wait in the car.’
He was gone before she could speak. Left alone, she tried to stay calm. What if they couldn’t get in?
She checked her phone: still no signal.
The door opened. He was back, snowflakes glittering at the ends of his long, dark lashes.
‘It’s open. And there’s a place where we can put the car. I just need to clear away some snow. Do you think you could drive? I might have to push if it gets stuck.’
As she nodded, he reached past her and grabbed a shovel.
‘Give me five minutes.’
She clambered into the driver’s seat and then slowly began inching the car forward. Even though she was shivering with cold, she could feel perspiration
trickling down her back.
The windscreen wipers were too clogged to move now, and she drove blind until suddenly the noise of the wind faded. With relief, she stopped the car.
‘Are you okay?’ Farlan slid in beside her.
She started to nod, but he was frowning.
‘You’re shivering. Here.’
He yanked off his jacket and wrapped it around her. The lining of his jacket still held the heat of his body. How was he so warm? she thought.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘This is my fault.’
‘How?’ His forehead creased. ‘You tried to tell me and I wouldn’t listen. But it’ll be okay.’
He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen.
‘The signal’s pretty weak, but I’ll text Tom. Hopefully it’ll get through at some point.’
With an effort, she kept her voice steady. ‘It’s probably safer to stay here overnight. Unless you want someone to come and get us?’
There was a silence. Gazing into his eyes, she felt her brain jam. As he leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair away from her face she shivered again, but not from cold.
The car felt suddenly small. Every breath, every heartbeat, was separate and audible. She could feel the leather beneath her legs and his fingers warm against her cheek.
‘I don’t want that,’ he said softly.
The air rushed out of her body. She could feel his gaze but she couldn’t look at him—knew that if she did he would see everything: her regret, her need, her hope.
‘What do you want, Farlan?’ she asked finally.
He didn’t answer, and as the silence stretched she wondered if her words had got lost in her heartbeat.
Then, reaching over, he gently turned her face to his.
Everything blurred. She thought she was gripping the steering wheel to stop the car sliding sideways, only to realise that it wasn’t moving.
‘Let me show you.’
Her pulse jolted and then he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.
CHAPTER FIVE