“Me too. No sleep, no food, no caffeine.” He warmed her blue fingertips in his slightly warmer yellow ones. “On the bright side, we found creative ways to stay warm.”
Smile at half its normal strength, he showed the fatigue he tried to hide with humor. Claire still couldn’t believe he’d risked life and limb to come for her. Not that she couldn’t have survived on her own without some basic safety tips, theoretically, but she was so grateful she hadn’t had to go through it alone.
“I’m thinking we should sleep for the next eighteen hours.”
The incline sharply climbed, and the SUV whined at the extra effort. Grady pulled his hand away to shift gears. With a tight grimace, he held his breath. “Hold on to your butts,” he murmured through gritted teeth as he fluttered his foot on the gas pedal.
She snorted. “What?”
“Are you kidding?” He smiled tightly, as if his grip on the wheel would help overcome the mound of snow thickening as they pushed against it. “How about ‘must go faster?’”
“Nope. Nothing.”
“Jurassic Park? What kind of veterinarian are you?” He hissed as they halted, then shifted to reverse, rocking the car backward, then forward again while attempting to angle around the snow pack that had accumulated in front of them.
“You’re such a nerd. I’m the kind of vet that treats living creatures, not the extinct variety.” She felt her feet pushing against the floorboards, as if she could somehow help.
The engine hummed, swelling to a roar as they powered forward and seemed to gain traction. Steady on the gas, he built up enough momentum to keep them moving. Hands gripped tight on the wheel, he turned widely and eventually straightened out. Regardless, they were moving, the snow had stopped falling from the sky, and the air was clear.
Claire marveled at the winter wonderland around them. Fuck that, winter wonderland was a gentle term. This was a snowy fortress leading them to the evil ice witch, not the kind snow fairy. Thick branches, bowing under the weight of caked-on snow, hovered just above the road. Cracking branches added to the ominous ambience as they traversed the spooky forest.
Knuckles now white from the ridiculous drive rather than the cold, Grady kept a steady pace up the slope, occasionally having to veer to the side to unload the snowpack that accumulated on the grill. Snow crunched and groaned as it compressed under the wheels, the underbelly of the SUV scratching the top layer of snow as it attempted the labor that belonged to snowplows.
“What are we going to do when we can’t hide anymore?” He sighed and shook his head, his voice lost, eyes locked on the road.
Her mouth quirked up in question.
“As in, about us?”
“Oh. Yeah. A small complication I should have mentioned sooner. I sort of promised Ryder I’d continue the engagement ruse until after the gala.”
Grady laughed mirthlessly. “He is such a suck-up.”
With an overdramatic eye-roll, Claire shook her head. “I think he’s more about looking good than aiming to please. Patricia has extended some invitations to a few Seattle-based CEOs that may be looking to up their marketing game. Regardless, he got me the job at Parson’s, so I agreed.”
He glanced away from the road just long enough to shoot her a massively sweet grin. “You’re staying?”
Biting her lip, this time in utter delight, she grinned so wide her cheeks hurt. “I am.”
“Then I will be patient for another few days.” His grin was as eager as hers. “But he and I are swapping bedrooms. He can stay in the nauseating green room.”
As they reached the top of the hill, a thick trunk blocked most of the road. Grady eased around the tip of it and turned into what was probably, hopefully, a driveway. The engine whined at the turn, but powered on. After a sketchy drive in which they lurched over several branches, the driveway opened, and she saw a cozy blue craftsman-style home settled in front of a broad field that overlooked the snowy valley beyond.
Smoke puffed out of the brick chimney and the windows were glowing like a cozy homing beacon. To the left, Zane carted a backpack down the steps of an over-the-garage apartment. From the front porch of the house, Freya held her arms around her middle, until she caught sight of them approaching and waved madly.
Grady parked in front and pushed his door open.
From the foot of the steps, Zane nodded. “Rough night?”
Claire trudged through the snow, aimed for the house and warmth and coffee. Grady grinned like a smitten fool and said, “I’ve had worse.”
She smiled back at him, a blush flaming her cheeks that were already pink from the crisp air. Grady’s grin was irrepressible, and Zane nudged him on the shoulder, teasing as he looked him up and down. “You look ridiculous.”
His sleeves were pushed up, his dress pants soaked to the thighs, and his leather shoes were irreversibly damaged. Claire laughed and dashed up the front porch to wait with Freya. Claire found herself enveloped in Freya’s snug embrace as Freya laughed. “I can’t believe that just happened. Zane was determined to attempt the storm to go rescue you guys, but I wouldn’t let him. Well, I would have if things were getting dicey, but Grady’s got survival skills.”
Claire looked back to see Grady grinning wide and pushing back at Zane. After Grady stomped his snow-caked shoes on the porch, Freya jumped and hugged him. “My hero.”
Zane snorted, arms open as if waiting for his own hug. “Hey, I didn’t have to trudge through all that snow to bring your sketchbookandyour fuzzy socks. What about me?” Grinning, Freya looped her arms around him and nuzzled close. “You already know how I feel about you.” Freya turned to Claire. “Tell me the harrowing tale of how Grady drove through hell to rescue you.”
