Read Online Coming in from the Cold by Sarina Bowen - Free Book Online Page A

speedily got dressed, put on his coat and boots and stepped outside.
    The cold air greeted him, snow crunching under his feet. He sucked the chill into his lungs, and Vermont’s piney scent began to do its work on him. Outdoors, under an open sky stretched between two mountain ranges, his life slid back into control.
    He walked into Willow’s garage. He found her snow shovel leaning against the door.
That’s right, Dane. Time to dig your way out of this one.
    Carrying the shovel, he began to walk down her driveway. As he descended, he saw a tow truck lumbering along the road, slowing down as it approached.
    Dane picked up his pace and ran to meet it.
    * * *
    Willow woke up alone.
    Sitting up in her empty bed, she listened. The stillness of her house was so complete that she knew at once he was gone.
    Easy
, she cautioned herself.
Don’t you dare be surprised
.
    Still, there was no denying that she hoped he wasn’t really gone. She dressed quickly. In the kitchen, he was nowhere to be found. There was no evidence he’d ever been there at all, save a single juice glass on the table and the raw feeling of her bitten lips.
    Willow shrugged on her coat and began to look around for the keys to her truck, which she’d left on the table. But they were nowhere to be found. Just as she began to worry, she heard an engine. Out the kitchen window, she saw her truck pull up the drive and into the garage. A few seconds later, Dane emerged with her snow shovel, which he leaned against the side.
    She stuffed her feet into her boots and clomped outside. “It started!” she said. “Oh, my God, thank-you so much.”
    He smiled, but his eyes didn’t quite meet hers. “The tow truck pulled her out of the ditch,” he said. “When I cleaned out the tail pipe, she started right up.”
    “And your Jeep?”
    “I’m back in business.” He gave her another smile, but accompanied by the same shifty gaze.
    Oh no
, her heart said.
    “I’m so embarrassed that I slept through that,” she said.
    He shook his head. “It took no time at all,” he said. “The guy was in and out.”
    Just like you’re about to be
, Willow thought. She felt her face get hot. “Did he leave me a bill?” she asked.
    He waved off the question. “I took care of it.” Then Dane stuck a hand in his pocket, jingling his keys. “I’ve got to get on the road now,” he said. He took one step closer.
    “Right,” Willow whispered, crossing her arms on her chest, steeling herself for his rejection. He still would not look her in the eye. Instead, he took one more step, putting an arm around her shoulder. Then he kissed her.
    “Mmm,” she could not help but sigh. Even if his eyes said no, his mouth was warm and loving. He tasted her slowly. For a heart-stopping minute Willow wondered if he would come back inside.
    But then he pulled back, whispering in her ear. “Goodbye, Willow.”
    She didn’t trust herself to say anything. She could only hug herself with her arms as he finally met her eyes. They were as blue as the sky, and held hers for a long moment. Then, with what looked like reluctance, he turned his back and walked away.
    Willow watched him start down the driveway at a walk, wondering if he’d turn around and wave. Instead, he accelerated into a run, long strides carrying him toward the road.
    She went back into her kitchen, weighed down by her own disappointment.

Chapter Eight
    Dane steered the Jeep through the newly white world, across the Connecticut River and into New Hampshire. He took the curvy back roads after he left the highway. A sign on the shoulder read Moose Crossing, Next 3 Miles.
    Liars
. Dane made this fifty-mile trip once a week, and he had yet to spot a moose. He hadn’t seen one since he was a kid, growing up in the Green Mountains. Back when his mother was alive, they used to go camping every summer, pitching a tent in the state park and violating the rules against campfires. His brother, Finn, would whistle as he built the