Page 4 of Christmas for Keeps

I was already walking, and as soon as I was back in the driver’s seat, I turned the key. The engine sputtered to life, but just as I was feeling hopeful, it made a horrible screeching noise and died. “Fuck!” Zach had followed me, and I looked up at him. “I’ll try again.”

“Please don’t. It sounded bad.”

I huffed. “Well, what am I going to do? I can’t leave it out here in the middle of nowhere.”

It quickly became obvious I would have no other choice. Despite his advice, I turned the key several times but got no more than a shrill grinding sound. I’d left the door open, and Zach put a hand on my shoulder. “Give it a rest. We’ll push your car to the side, and I’ll take you where you need to go.”

“I can’t put you out like that. I already rear-ended you.”Oh, fuck! Why did I say that?

He widened his eyes and his lips twitched. We both knew it had never been me who did the rear-ending.

Getting his lips under control, he asked, “What else will you do? Sit out here and freeze to death?”

I got out of the car and stood beside him. “I’ll call Triple-A.”

He shook his head. “In this weather, you’ll be lucky if they get here sometime tomorrow. Are you headed for Stowe?”

“Yes.”

“You won’t be putting me out then. I live there.”

That was surprising because the last time we talked, he lived in New York. “You do? For how long?”

“Three years. Come on, let’s move your car so people can get by.”

“And put it where?” I gestured to both sides of the road. “The snow is piled too high.”

“Living through Vermont winters teaches you a few things. Come with me.” We walked to his SUV, where he opened the tailgate and pulled out a shovel. “Go sit in the front while I clear a space for your car.”

“I can do it. Give me the shovel.”

He let out a long breath, but instead of the shovel, he gave me a look that meant I’d already lost the argument. “I’m bigger than you are, and your chest must hurt from that airbag. It’ll take you a lot longer to do it.”

He was certainly bigger and stronger than me, and I’d always loved his muscles. He hadn’t zipped his parka all the way, and my curious eyes noted his pecs bulging under a flannel shirt. Apparently, he still worked out regularly.

I held out my hands in surrender. “Okay, but I’m helping push the car over there.”

“You bet.” He nodded toward the front of the Land Cruiser. “The door’s unlocked, so go hang out. Turn on the heat.”

Inside the vehicle, air rushed out of the vents when I pushed the start button. It was chilly for a few seconds before turning blissfully warm. The traffic ahead had moved on, and I hoped it wouldn’t take long to get my car out of the way. The people behind us were probably going crazy waiting. I turned on the radio and listened to an orchestra play carols while I wondered what had happened to Zach and me.

A few minutes later, the tailgate opened with a thump, and cold air rushed in as Zach put the shovel back in its place. “All done. Want to help push?”

While I switched off the engine and got out, he walked back to speak to some other drivers. Five people came to help us. It was slow going because the road was so slick, but we eventually got the car into the space Zach had cleared. After moving my luggage to his SUV and taking off our coats, we climbed in and headed back into the snowstorm.

CHAPTER2

Zach

I accelerated gentlyin case the Land Cruiser slid, but it was as sturdy as ever. When we were safely underway, I asked, “Is it warm enough in here? I don’t want you to be cold.”

“It’s perfect.” Connor’s voice was mellow but had a little edge, like it used to when he was nervous. “You’ve got a great heater.”

He winced, and I struggled to keep a straight face. Once when we went camping, it got very cold outside. We were sharing a sleeping bag, keeping warm in the best way boyfriends could think of. After we came, he chuckled and said, “That’s a great heater you’ve got there. Seven inches of hot comfort.”

When I was sure I wouldn’t snicker, I said, “It definitely works well,” referring strictly to the SUV’s heater. It had been so long since I tried the other one out with more than my right hand, I didn’t know how it would work.

“Thank you for being so good to me after—”