Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
He probably would’ve been all right, except for the huge car wreck a few miles ahead of him.
It had brought all the traffic on the interstate to a halt, and with the snow falling at a rate Simon hadn’t seen since he’d moved to Fallport, no one was going anywhere anytime soon.
It was a disaster of epic proportions, because everyone currently sitting in their cars and trucks was slowly getting buried by snow, and wouldn’t be leaving until the storm stopped and tow trucks could dig them out.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Simon was trying to get back to Fallport because his friends Rocky and Bristol were getting married. They’d been through hell, what with Bristol being kidnapped by a psycho, then bound to a bed in his apartment because the guy thought they were “fated” to be together.
It was horrible, not only for Bristol, but for all those who loved the diminutive woman. But thankfully, she’d been found…and now she was getting married.
And here Simon sat.
He sighed and picked up his phone. Many people around him were probably freaking out.
Spending the night in their cars in the middle of a blizzard wouldn’t be comfortable for anyone, especially not at the end of December, right around the holidays.
Thankfully, Simon had just filled his car with gas.
He’d be warm enough, even if he might get a little hungry.
Looking down at his slightly protruding belly, he smirked wryly, figuring he could stand to lose a few pounds anyway. He was more concerned about not getting his caffeine fix in the morning.
“Hello?”
Simon jerked in surprise. He’d been so lost in his head, he’d forgotten he’d called one of his deputies. “Hey, Bo, it’s Simon. I won’t be back tonight.”
“I wondered if you were going to attempt it. Roads are crap and snow is piling up. Rory’s out plowing roads around here, but it’s impossible to keep up with this mess. It’s better that you grabbed a hotel, we’ve got things under control. Most people are staying home, thank goodness.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not in a hotel. I’m in my Taurus on the interstate.”
“What?”
“Uh-huh. There’s a huge pileup ahead and I’m trapped behind it, along with what’s probably at least a thousand people on the road. Snow’s piling up so much that even if the accident is cleared, there’s no way anyone will be able to go anywhere until we’re dug out.”
“Shit!”
“I’m good. Just called to tell you that you’re in charge until I can manage to get back to Fallport.”
“Roger. I’ll call the others, let them know. Oh! But Bristol and Rocky’s wedding tomorrow!” Bo exclaimed.
“Yeah. I’ll obviously be missing that.”
The phone started crackling, as if he was losing reception. Simon wasn’t all that surprised.
“That sucks. You want me to call them too?”
“Yes, please. I’ll go see them when I’m back. Thanks, Bo.”
“Stay safe, Chief. Let me know when you’re on your way if you can.”
“Ten-four. Later.”
“Bye.”
Simon clicked off the phone and leaned his head on the rest behind him with a sigh.
At least he was used to spending the holidays alone.
As a man in his fifties, and still single, he’d taken more than his share of shifts over the holidays so his fellow officers could spend time with their families.
But he had to admit that it got lonely sometimes.
Which was why Atlee Carrington popped into his head.
She was a divorced woman around his age who lived in Fallport.
She worked for the local food bank and was a big reason why many of the poorer citizens of his town had food on their tables throughout the year, but especially at the holidays.
She was a dynamo, always getting businesses to donate and running fundraisers.
She was tall, a few inches shorter than his six feet.
Had golden-brown hair she usually kept pulled into a messy bun at the back of her head.
He hadn’t seen her in anything but jeans, but he clearly recalled how well she filled them out.
Her eyelashes were some of the longest he’d ever seen, and her hazel eyes were always kind when she helped someone pick out what they wanted from the pantry.
In short, Simon had a crush on the woman. It was silly for someone of his age to have a crush like a schoolboy. But there it was.
Someone honked their horn behind him, and he rolled his eyes.
As if that would help. It wouldn’t. They were all stuck here.
No one was going anywhere anytime soon. Which probably meant tempers would flare and panic would ensue when it started to get dark.
Simon would likely need to act in his official capacity as a police officer to make sure everyone was safe.
He didn’t really mind, he truly loved his job, but he could admit he was currently tired and kind of cranky.
Opening his eyes, he looked in his rearview mirror but couldn’t see much through the swirling snow. Then he returned his focus to the windshield—and blinked in surprise.
Was that…?
No, it couldn’t be.
Simon leaned forward, as if that would somehow give him x-ray vision to see more clearly through the snow.
It was!
Two cars up, in the next lane. He’d recognize the Toyota RAV4 anywhere. Especially since it had a Bigfoot sticker on the back window.
It was Atlee’s SUV.
The thought of her being stuck out here made his stomach roll. Was she scared? Cold? Hungry?
Simon was moving before he thought about what he was doing. The second he opened his door, cold wind and blowing snow took his breath away, but he was determined to make sure Atlee was all right.