Read Online On a Snowy Christmas Night by Debbi Rawlins - Free Book Online Page A

unmistakable even to Shea. “I’m not looking for a relationship. This place keeps me busy enough.” She replaced the lid. “But good to know Jesse is circulating. I should talk him and some of the other guys into a bachelor auction for a fundraiser. That would keep this place in grain and feed for the winter. Don’t say anything to him. We might not see him again.”
    She didn’t have to tell Shea twice. She couldn’t imagine Jesse’s reaction to being auctioned off like a prize bull in front of a room full of salivating women.
    “So where did you go on your ride?” Annie asked. “Toward Mount Edith?”
    “I don’t recall that name. We stayed in the foothills, I think, but it was beautiful. I wish I was a better rider.”
    “You can practice all you want here. It’s not a requirement, but the permanent volunteers take turns exercising the horses. You’re welcome to climb into a saddle anytime.”
    “Thanks.” She followed Annie outside. The sky had lightened up considerably. Behind them the sun was rising over the distant rolling hills and she could see a fenced-in area where horses gathered in small groups. Closer to the barn there were more goats. “How many acres belong to Safe Haven?”
    “Almost two hundred, all donated.” She indicated a small cabin Shea hadn’t noticed before. “There’s coffee inside. I’m ready for a cup. How about you?”
    “Definitely.”
    They took the short walk in silence, while Shea mentally debated if another question about Jesse would be inappropriate. It wasn’t anything personal so she didn’t see the harm. “What exactly does Jesse do for the shelters?”
    “He flies rescue flights for injured animals, especially if time is critical or they’re found in the mountains and it’s too difficult to get to them. He also transports animals to no-kill shelters and foster homes. Or say someone in Wyoming sees a picture of a potbellied pig online from a Montana shelter, Jesse would fly the pig to a Wyoming shelter that would facilitate the adoption. He’s in demand because he can fly both a Cessna and helicopters. He even has access to an old cargo plane for the big animals.”
    “Does he own them?”
    “No. That would cost a small fortune. The bigger shelters contribute to fuel and maintenance, and there’s a small airfield not too far from the Sundance that donates the hangar space. Jesse does the upkeep and the flying.” She stopped at the door and scraped the bottom of her boots on a thick bristly rug.
    Shea followed suit and immediately smelled the coffee as she crossed the threshold. The place was tiny. Basically it was one room with wooden floors and a loft. What passed for the kitchen appeared to be a short counter hosting a microwave and a coffeemaker that flanked a sink. A pair of worn tan leather recliners shared a narrow oak table that was stacked with books. Behind it was a goose-neck floor lamp, and a fire blazed in the wood-burning stove, keeping the room quite toasty.
    “In case you couldn’t tell, this is where I live,” Annie said, indicating the personal items scattered around. “I’m not usually this messy but I’ll be damned if I could find the backup can of coffee I swore I bought last week.”
    Shea accepted the chipped blue mug of coffee Annie passed her, then shook her head to the small pitcher of milk. “I can pick some up in town on the way to the Sundance.”
    Annie hesitated. “I haven’t checked under my bed yet,” she said, her gaze going to the stairs leading to the loft.
    “It’s not like it’ll go bad.”
    “No...” The reluctance was still there.
    Shea took her first sip of the sadly weak brew and instantly understood. “Consider it my donation.”
    A smile lit Annie’s face and she clinked Shea’s mug with hers. “I won’t turn it down.”
    Ridiculously pleased that she could do something that mattered to this woman, Shea drank her coffee. First Rachel, then Jamie and now Annie—it was crazy, but these