Oh my God, am I seriously getting off as I walk down this aisle? Screw it, in the cart I add the whipped cream, the hot fudge.
I gather the meats and cheeses, the Christmas ham, some Brussels sprouts, dinner rolls, pancake mix and maple syrup for good measure. I grab all of the holiday goodies that I have curated for all our visitors in Linesworth, and I add them to the cart. Then I ring them up for Nicholas in cabin six, and I give my granddad a kiss on the cheek.
"You've got to be safe, Quinn. I know you love the mountains, but this is not the day to be reckless. You promise?"
"I promise," I say. "The last thing I want to do is get stranded in the woods. I know there's a blizzard coming."
"Okay. You don't want your granddad to worry."
"I won't worry you."
"All right. Just be safe."
"As soon as these last customers are gone you close up shop, all right? You promise?"
Granddad nods. "Will do. Just going to ring these last few people up, and then I'm going to close and I'm going to walk home, okay?"
"All right," I say. "I love you to pieces."
"I love you more."
"Christmas is in just a few days. We'll have our traditions, like always. Just us, you and me."
"You know it, Pumpkin."
The clerk that we hired for winter season, Matt, an 18-year-old senior at the local high school, helps load the groceries into my car, and he asks if I'm going to be okay up on the roads. "I'm going to be fine," I tell him, trusting my four-wheel drive. He tells me he'll make sure my grandpa gets home okay.
"Hey Matt," I tell him, "thank you for looking out for my granddad."
"Of course," he says. "You're the one who's always looking out for me, giving us a second chance, and a third."
I smile. Matt's had a hard time, but I can relate. I've had my fair share of hard times too, growing up. It's not always easy, not having a traditional family unit, and Matt and I can relate to that. But I am the kind of person who believes in second and third chances, and that family doesn't have to be perfect to be family.
I get in the car and I turn on the radio, loving the Christmas music as it blares through. With the heat cranked up and the music blasting, I drive up the mountain. I know these mountain roads well. They’re the only place I've ever called home.
When I turn on the road to cabin number six, I immediately realize that the snow is not just falling. It is falling in buckets. This is a snowstorm, and it is not going to be easing up any time soon. In fact, every inch I drive I swear there's another foot of snow. I'm not quite sure it's possible, this much snow this fast.
The windshield wipers move as fast as they can go, but my tires get stuck before I make it to the driveway of cabin six.
"Come on, girl," I say, hoping my SUV can make it just a little bit further up the road.
When I realize I'm stuck, like really, really stuck, I groan, my head dropping to my steering wheel. I see cabin number six just up ahead, but still, if I'm stuck this deep, there's no way I'm getting home tonight.
The sun is coming down. My car is stuck, and I'm in the middle of nowhere. Crap.
In the trunk, I determine to make the best of this with a smile and grab the first bottle of wine I can find. With a flashlight on, I begin to trudge toward the cabin.
But the closer I get, I begin to mentally prepare for the worst. Maybe this guy just had a super sexy voice and I was in la-la land. Maybe this guy is just some creepo who's going to... well, my worst-case scenarios end right here, right now, because the door to cabin number six swings open, and a man appears.
He's not a creepo, and he's not some weirdo or a loner in the woods.
He is the epitome of a mountain man.
A hulk of a guy.
My knight in shining armor, only better.
He's wearing a flannel shirt. He's got a beard. His hair is all ruffled up. His eyes are dark brown. His smile-- it's dazzling.
He looks like he's from the cover of a romance novel I would devour up in my attic right now if I could, only I don't need to, because I've got the real thing right here in front of me.
I lift up the bottle of wine. "You ordered a package?"
He chuckles. "I ordered a big package. And it looks like you’ve delivered."
3
NICHOLAS
The moment I see her, I feel like I've gotten my own goddamn Christmas miracle. How I got so fucking lucky is beyond me. But, after the shitshow that I encountered this fall, I'm taking any win I can get, and hell, she's a goddamn win.