Chapter 4
NICO
She frowns in her sleep.
Two deep lines appear between her brows when she dozes off around four.
She clutches Amelia Bearhart like a vise, but aside from a single whimper an hour after she closes her eyes, she stays silent.
When he hears her, Earl nuzzles his nose against her head and refuses to go back to sleep until he’s sure she’s okay.
Somehow, I drift off a little after six. I wake with a start to something wet touching my hand. Cracking an eye, I confirm it’s Grey’s nose, then glance at the clock on the mantel. Ten. I don’t remember the last time I slept past seven.
As carefully as I can, I extract myself from the blanket I’ve somehow managed to tangle around my limbs and stand, trying not to wake Este. The boys follow me to the door, their claws clacking on the hardwood.
There’s a bitter burst of air when I open the door. You wouldn’t know it’s mid-April. It’s like a winter wonderland when I shove my feet into the boots I keep by the door and follow the boys out.
I pull the door closed behind me, so Este doesn’t get cold. Between the shock of the chilled air and the couple hours of uninterrupted sleep I managed, I’m surprisingly well-rested. My body isn’t used to it—the sleep. It’s well used to the snow. This year has been relentless.
The boys love it, though. They bounce around, leaving paw prints in the fresh blanket of snow that fell overnight, more interested in playing with each other than I thought they’d be, considering I usually feed them at seven.
I lean against the porch railing, watching them, and trying to remember the last time I was as excited about anything as they are about the snow every damn morning.
“Oh my fucking god. It’s freezing.”
I look over my shoulder to see Este in the doorway, wrapping her arms around herself. Yet she comes outside anyway, smiling as she notices Earl and Grey playing.
“That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” she says as Grey pounces at Earl from behind a little pile of snow, and the two roll around together, covered in white.
She leans beside me on the railing, and I make the first big mistake I’ve made since Este arrived.
I look down.
I noticed her baggy pink sweatshirt last night—it looks cozy. But I guess I was so focused on making sure she and the dogs were getting along that I neglected to notice her long legs. Her long, bare legs.
Were those under the blanket all night?
She’s wearing blue fuzzy socks and platform slippers. When she shifts, I can see she is wearing bottoms, but her sweatshirt is longer than her white sleep shorts.
Este’s not even a foot shorter than my 6’ 6”, and she’s all legs. Legs that are currently bare, outside, in freezing temperatures. Which is, of course, the only reason I’m thinking about them.
Before I can suggest she put something warmer on, Este turns to me. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on the couch. I’m sorry.”
“What did I tell you about apologizing?” There’s polite, and there’s apologizing for doing nothing wrong, and Este seems prone to the latter.
“To stop,” she says. She runs her tongue over her teeth, considering me for a moment. “You know, you’re very authoritative when you want something.”
Fuck. I’m an asshole. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to having peo—”
“I like it.” Oh. “Did you sleep?” she asks, changing the subject while my brain is still desperately trying to process “I like it.”
“A couple hours, yeah.”
“No nightmares?”
“No nightmares,” I confirm. “You?”
“Not that I can remember. It’s been so long since I slept so well.” She stretches her neck, a happy, sleepy smile spreading over her face.
“The mountain air will do that,” I say, even though it’s never done that for me. Kindly, Este doesn’t call me out on my bullshit.
When the dogs have had enough and start acting like I personally made them stay out here for ten minutes playing instead of eating, the four of us head back inside.
“Do you want me to top the fire up while you feed them?” Este asks.
I open my mouth to tell her not to worry, but considering how much she apologizes for simply being around, I suspect she doesn’t like feeling like a burden. “That’d be great. Thanks. Just toss a couple of the logs from the basket in, and it should be fine for a few hours.”
The boys wind around my legs as I fill their bowls, and Earl nudges my hand with his head to say thank you when I put them down. I fill the kettle and put it on to boil before picking up my phone and cursing.
(1) Bryan - Missed call
(6) Shay - Missed call
(3) Park Rangers Office - Missed call
It’s the last set of missed calls that makes my stomach sink.
The Park Rangers rarely call. They text me if someone has spotted bears near the cabin, or if they want me to keep an eye out for a specific kind of plant or lost backpack or something.
But they only call when there’s a problem with the road, to make sure I don’t attempt to make it down and get stuck.
I should probably call them first, but if Shay has called six times, she’s worried.
She’ll know I’m okay—even when she still lived in California, and I was here in Wyoming, we could tell when something was wrong with the other.
I knew she and her ex-husband had broken up before she called to tell me, and last year I woke up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain in my chest and the inexplicable knowledge that she was in danger.
I sped down the mountain to find Wintermore’s whole volunteer fire department putting out a blaze in Noelle’s apartment building.
They were both fine, but Shay and I just know.
She picks up on the second ring, breathless. “Why the hell didn’t you answer?”
“I was outside with the dogs. I’m fine, I promise. What’s going on?”
“There was an avalanche last night.” She sounds calmer just hearing my voice.
“I know. We heard it. But it didn’t touch the cabin.”
“Right, but—wait, we? Bryan’s already there?”
I look up, my gaze zeroing in on Este kneeling in front of the fireplace, alternating ear scratches between Earl and Grey. The fire is crackling healthily behind her. She catches me watching and smiles. I try to return it, but it’s probably more of a grimace.
“Not Bryan. He, Chris, and Sloane are flying in today, but Este drove. She arrived last night.”
Shay sighs. “Shit, Nico. They’re not flying in today.
The snow was even worse up in Jackson. There are no flights in or out—something about a bunch of power lines getting damaged overnight, and they can’t get anyone in to repair them because the roads are all fucked.
Including the road up the mountain. It’s impassable. ”
I lean on the table, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I figured. I have missed calls from the rangers.”
“And you called me first?”
“Always, Shay. You know that.”
“And don’t you forget it. Do you have enough supplies to cover you both? You know how long it can take for that road to clear up.”
“I rotated and re-stocked the cellar last month.” I always keep six months’ worth of emergency supplies just in case.
Living on a mountain doesn’t come without its risks.
I knew that when I moved here, even if I didn’t particularly care about them.
But no matter how little I cared for my own safety back then, I refuse to leave Shay an only child after everything.
“I have plenty to get us through,” I promise her.
“I don’t think Este’s going to be thrilled, but—”
“Thrilled about what?”
I jump, my elbow slipping on the table. Este’s standing right beside me. Shit, she’s good at sneaking up on me.
“Was that her?” Shay asks in my ear.
“Yeah. Listen, I’m going to go so I can explain everything, but I’ll keep you updated.”
“You better. Love you.”
“Love you, Shay.”
I hang up and meet Este’s worried expression. “Is something wrong? Did something happen to my dads? Their flight?” Genuine fear fills her eyes. “Shit, my phone’s upstairs.”
She turns toward the stairs, like she’s going to run up and get it, but I close my hand around her arm. “Breathe, Este. Everyone is okay. The weather got really bad last night, so the airport’s closed. Their flight won’t even have taken off.”
I open my phone and scroll through my messages from Bryan until I find the link to the flight information he sent me. When I click on it, there’s a big red bar across the top: FLIGHT CANCELED. I show Este, and the relief is instantaneous. Her shoulders slump, the breath rushing out of her.
“Okay. So, they’ll be a day or two late. That’s not too bad.”
“The mountain road is blocked,” I tell her, trying to sound less to-the-point than I usually do. “So, even if they make it to Wintermore, they’re not going to make it up here.”
“For how long?”
“I haven’t called the rangers back yet, and they’ll have a better idea, but…” Rip the goddamn Band-Aid off, Nico. “I’ve never known the road to clear enough to drive on in less than two weeks. It’s usually closer to a month.”
Este’s brows knot together. “They can’t get up here for probably a whole month?”
“Right.”
“And if they can’t get up… we can’t get down. We’re stuck up here.”
I nod. She sounds less upset than I thought she would, but I don’t get the chance to speak again before my phone rings. “It’s your dad,” I say, glancing at the screen and answering the call. “Hey, Bry.”
“Hey! You probably already know because of you and Shay’s triplet thing, but the airport in Jackson’s closed. We can’t get in. And she said the mountain road is blocked? Do you know how long for?”
“Yeah, I just got off a call with her.” It would be helpful if “the triplet thing” were that detailed, but sadly, we still have to rely on mortal communication methods for the most part.
As I’m telling Bryan what I know, which is very little about our current situation, and mostly based on past road blockages, Este wanders off, heading upstairs.
“God, Nico. I’m so sorry. I know you’re not used to having people in your space, and Este being there for a month…”
“Don’t worry about it. Este’s great, and the dogs love her. I’m sure she’ll be bored out of her mind stuck here, but we’ll be fine.”
Bryan chuckles. “I’m not worried about her being bored.
Give that girl her Kindle, and she could never be bored.
It’s just…” He sighs. “Este’s had a rough few months, and she just kind of shut down.
She hasn’t gone back to work yet, and she hasn’t been sleeping.
She broke up with her boyfriend after everything, and the only person she really talks to is Sloane. ”
“She mentioned the sleeping thing. And the nightmares. But she managed a solid six hours last night, and no nightmares that she can remember,” I tell him.
Bryan hums. “It might be good for her to be away from everything for a few weeks, actually. It’s just hard for us.
I know we’re already putting you out since she’s going to be staying with you, but would you keep an eye on her for us, please?
Check in with her if she seems like she’s overtired or having a rough day?
It probably sounds like overkill—she’s an adult—but she’s our baby girl, you know? ”
I don’t know. Not really. But I know how protective of Shay I am, and that has to be somewhat similar.
Bryan put a lot of trust in me in even considering bringing his family around me, let alone being okay with Este coming here alone.
He hasn’t seen me since we were in our twenties.
He knows more than anyone, except Shay, how fucked up I am. And he still trusted me.
The least I can do is look after his daughter.
Este comes back in, and my relief at the fact her legs are no longer bare is short-lived. She’s wearing tight blue leggings and a matching sports bra that shows off her stomach.
She has freckles everywhere.
I was wrong. The least I can do is stop thinking about Bryan’s daughter’s bare legs, her defined stomach, how rosy pink her lips are, how fucking gorgeous the freckles dotting her skin are. Fuck.
She gives me a wide smile from across the room.
“Of course,” I promise Bryan, swallowing down the sudden guilt rising in me. “I’ll take care of her.”