Page 5 of I Still Do

He tapped the map and another cabin that was between them and the one the man had circled. “I’m saying we’ll get to a cabin, I’m just hoping we can make it far enough to get to the right one.” He flashed her a grin she knew full well meant he was ready for a challenge.

“Is this the point where I start praying fervently for our safety?”

“That certainly never hurts.”

Fantastic.

She said a silent prayer that they’d get to their destination in one piece. Only then did she realize she’d been clenching the edge of the map hard enough to crumple the edges. “I wonder what Grandpa Jackson would say if he saw us now. He’d probably either feel bad he dragged us all out into this or find it highly amusing.”

Grey kept his eyes on the road in front of him. “As long as everyone was still safe, he’d probably consider this a grand adventure.” He paused. “I take it you don’t feel the same way.”

She shrugged, although she wasn’t sure he saw her. “I’m not sure I’d go that far.”

“Well, Grandpa would’ve appreciated your sacrifice.”

Cora’s gaze snapped to his face, reacting instantly to his words. Was he being sarcastic? She’d do anything for Grandpa Jackson, and Grey knew it. If he insinuated anything different, she’d let him know just how wrong he was.

But there was nothing in his expression to suggest he was upset or making fun of her.

She forced herself to relax a little. “I loved Grandpa Jackson. If he wanted me to be here, I couldn’t say no.” Tears pricked the back of her eyelids, and she blinked them away. Grey was the last person she wanted to cry in front of. They’d been there, done that.

She hadn’t seen Grandpa Jackson much after she and Grey got divorced. She’d spoken to him over the phone here and there, but it wasn’t the same. That was something she’d always regret. While she may talk big about how she should’ve stayed home, the truth was, nothing would’ve kept her away from Aspen this weekend.

She wondered what Grey thought about her being here. Was he glad she’d done what his grandfather asked? Or had he hoped she’d decline so he wouldn’t have to see her again?

The tires of the truck hit a pothole beneath the layer of snow, and the vehicle pulled hard to the right. Grey gripped the steering wheel with both hands as he maneuvered through a blanket of white. Cora stared out the window, trying to find something to tell her where they might be. The only thing she could really make out were trees, and they all looked alike.

“Please tell me you’re having better luck following our route than I am,” she said quietly.

At first, she didn’t think he’d heard her at all. Several minutes later, he released a loud hiss of air as the truck tires hit something and the vehicle jerked to a stop. “This is only getting worse.”

The snowfall? Or visibility? It didn’t matter, because he was right on either count.

He reached for the map again and studied it. “I think we’re probably about here.” He pointed to a spot not far from the first cabin he’d joked about earlier. But there was nothing on his face to indicate he was teasing now. “At this point, I think we should get to that cabin and reevaluate the situation there.”

Grey tried to get the truck to go forward, but the tires only spun in the snow. When he put it in reverse, the same thing happened. Cora groaned, but he maintained his cool as he pulled the hood of his coat on over his head and got out of the truck.

It felt like he was gone forever before he returned with a serious look on his face. “I’m going to cut down some pine branches and see if I can use them to get us some traction out of the hole back here.” He closed the door and opened the back door of the truck. After going through his suitcase for a moment, he retrieved gloves and a hat.

Cora released her seatbelt and reached for the door handle. “I’ll help.”

“Did you bring gloves?”

“To Aspen in the middle of winter?” Okay, that came out harsher than she’d intended. “Yes, I brought gloves.”

She leaned through the space between the two front seats and opened the zippered front of her rolling suitcase. It only took a moment to locate her gloves and hat. She pulled them on, welcoming the added warmth.

Without another word, they went to work. Grey used his knife to cut down pine branches that he handed to Cora. Once they had enough, he put them in place and then motioned for her to get back into the truck.

Cora crossed her gloved fingers as he started the engine. It took several attempts, but he managed to get the truck out of the hole and moving forward again. “Woot! That was close.”

“Yeah, too close.”

Instead of the triumphant expression she expected to see on his face, his jaw was clenched as he focused on driving. A half hour later, a cabin appeared through the white blanket of snow falling in front of them.

There were no other cars visible and the windows were dark.

Cora expected Grey to continue on. Instead, he pulled in close to the cabin and turned the engine off.

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