Chapter 6
Ryan stomped his boots against the frozen ground, listening to the grass crunch as he walked Angus down Sugar Creek Lane.
The road from Tara’s cottage to the main road was a good walk with plenty of places for Angus to sniff around.
Their breath puffed out in white clouds, but this time he’d remembered his gloves and hat.
His phone buzzed with a text from Charlie.
Three days had passed since he’d left that note on the girl’s car, and he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He’d scribbled his number carefully, double-checking each digit before sliding it under her windshield wiper.
If you need anything, I’m at the white cottage with the red roof on Sugar Creek Lane out at the lake. - Ryan
Angus suddenly yanked on the leash, nose twitching.
“Dude, what’s your problem?” he muttered, letting himself be pulled along.
As they rounded the bend, Ryan spotted a familiar car parked between some bushes near the water’s edge. It was the same beat-up Honda with faded blue paint. The windows were fogged up, but he could make out someone hunched in the driver’s seat.
His stomach did a weird flip. Should he just keep walking? But it was supposed to drop below freezing tonight. The weather app on his phone had been blowing up with alerts about the cold weather.
Before he could overthink it, he took a breath and tapped on the window.
For a second, nothing happened. Then the window cracked open about two inches. A pair of green eyes glared out at him.
“What do you want?” Her voice was scratchy and defensive.
“Uh, I’m Ryan,” he said, stepping back. “I left you that note the other day.”
Recognition flickered across her face, immediately replaced with suspicion. “Yeah, I got it. Thanks, but I don’t need help.”
A soft whine came from inside the car. Ryan spotted a medium-sized dog with tan, black, and brown fur curled up in the passenger seat.
“Cool dog,” he said, nodding toward the animal. “I’ve got one too.” He gestured to Angus, who was busy sniffing the car’s tires like they were the most interesting thing ever.
The girl’s expression softened slightly. “Her name’s Bella.”
“Mine’s Angus.” He held onto the leash with one hand and shoved the other in the pocket of his jeans, shoulders hunched. This was a bad idea. “Look, it’s gonna be seriously cold tonight,” he tried to keep it casual. “Weather app says there’s supposed to be an ice storm tonight.”
She looked away. “We’ll be fine.”
Ryan noticed the way she hunched against the cold even inside with her jacket on inside the car. He’d been there, trying to act like everything was cool when it definitely wasn’t, being scared on the bus, all alone, from Seattle all the way to Miami.
“There’s a laundromat behind Milt’s shop, The Soap Opera, that stays open all night,” he said instead of pushing. “It’s warm, and the owner doesn’t care if people hang out there. She’s pretty chill.”
She studied him like she was trying to figure out his angle. “Why are you telling me this?”
He shrugged, kicking at a pile of fallen icy leaves. “Because someone told me once. Before I had a place to stay.”
Something changed in her expression. “Thanks,” she muttered, rolling the window back up, but he noticed she’d never told him her name.
There was nothing left to do. He nodded and turned to leave, Angus reluctantly following. As they headed back through the trees, the sky looked gray and the air smelled like snow. He hoped they wouldn’t get much ice tonight.
---
Three days later, Ryan jogged down Main Street, dodging patches of ice.
Classes had been canceled, so today was the first day back.
With a yelp, he slid but caught himself before he went down on his butt on a patch of ice.
He’d finished his environmental science class early and was killing time before meeting Charlie for lunch.
The worry about the girl and her dog kept nagging at him.
Maybe because he’d been there, though he’d had to take the bus cross country, but he knew that feeling of being all alone.
At least she had Bella. He hadn’t found Angus until after he was already living with Christina.
Though Ally said that Angus had found him, and maybe that was true.
The weather had only gotten worse, with temperatures that would freeze your face off if you stayed outside too long.
The bell jingled as he pushed into The Iron Spade, an old-fashioned hardware store. The warm air hit him first, followed by the smell of leather and fishing tackle.
Milt looked up from the counter, his weathered face breaking into a smile. “No classes today?”
“Got out early cuz of the weather,” he tucked his gloves into the pockets of his jacket. “Charlie’s running late, so I thought I’d grab a Coke.” He peered out the window.
“You checking on that girl who was hanging around the laundromat?” Milt might be old, but he didn’t miss much, liked to tell everyone he still had perfect eyesight.
He tried to keep his face neutral. “You’ve seen her?”
“Hard not to. Comes in late, leaves early. Keeps to herself.” Milt leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Got a dog with her too. Good-looking mutt. Been slipping them both some jerky when I can, but she’s a proud one.”
Ryan clutched his phone, firing off a quick text to Charlie.
meet me at the library
“Thanks.” He tossed the empty Coke bottle in the trash, then tugged his scarf tighter around his neck and stepped out into the wind, which stung his cheeks and made his eyes water. Beside him, Angus pranced along the sidewalk, tail wagging, ready for whatever came next.
“Saw her parked behind the library,” Milt had told him earlier, jerking his thumb toward the rear of the hardware store.
Ryan spotted the car as soon as he crossed the street and turned down Magnolia Lane.
It was parked at the far corner of the parking lot by the trees, but this time it was empty.
He glanced around, wondering where she might have gone, when Angus tugged on his leash, pulling him toward the library’s side entrance.
The library was quiet inside, with only a few people scattered among the tables and reading nooks. He scanned the room until he spotted her in a corner, huddled in a chair with a book in her hands. Her dog lay at her feet, ears perking up as Angus approached.
Ryan walked over. “Hey.”
Her head snapped up, those green eyes widening. “Are you following me?”
“No,” he said quickly. “Well, sort of. I was worried. It’s really cold today.”
She closed her book, keeping one finger inside to mark her place. “I’m fine.”
But she wasn’t fine. Even in the library’s soft lighting, Ryan could see how pale she was, how tired and worn down she looked.
“When’s the last time you ate?” he asked.
She stiffened. “I don’t need your charity.”
“It’s not charity,” he rolled his eyes. “It’s lunch. I’m meeting my friend Charlie. You could join us. The drugstore has an old-fashioned lunch counter, and if you like orangeade or limeade, they make the best around.”
The dog whined softly, nudging its nose against the girl’s hand. She glanced down at the animal, her expression softening. “Bella needs to go out anyway,” she muttered, like she was trying to convince herself.
“Sweet.” He pulled his gloves out of his pockets . “They don’t mind if we bring our dogs in as long as they behave.”
The girl hesitated, then slowly stood up, returning the book to a nearby cart. “I’m Sam,” she said finally.
“Nice to meet you, Sam,” he nodded, relief washing over him. “Officially, I mean.” He fired off a quick text.
meet you at the drugstore. bringing the girl. don’t be weird.
The text came back immediately.
I’m never weird.
They walked side by side through the library and out into the freezing cold.
Bella and Angus trotted between them, sniffing each other and tails wagging.
As they made their way over to Main Street, Ryan pointed out different shops—The Lonely Pen with its twinkling lights, Hair Me Out Salon with its bright pink chairs, and Sweet Magnolia with wreaths in every window.
“How long have you been in Blueberry Hill?” Ryan asked as they approached the drugstore.
Sam shrugged, her eyes scanning the street as if she were looking for escape routes. “A little over a week.”
“Where were you before that?”
“Florida,” she said shortly. “Didn’t work out.”
Her tone told him the conversation was over. He got the need to keep certain things to yourself until you were ready to share them.
The warmth of the drugstore enveloped them as they stepped inside. The old-fashioned lunch counter spanned the far back wall with stools in front of it and several tables and chairs.
They placed their order at the counter. “I’ll bring it out in a bit. Drinks are over there,” the guy working handed Ryan a handwritten bill and went back to the grill. They’d both ordered burgers and fries with water and an extra burger each for the dogs.
“How about here?” He picked a table at the far edge of everything. A minute or so later, his phone buzzed.
Mom needs me to stop at the post office. See you in 15.
With her shoulders and posture ramrod straight, she unwound her scarf and then shrugged out of her coat. Bella settled at her feet, resting her head on Sam’s boot.
A woman came striding over from the pharmacy counter, her face flushed with excitement.
“You’ll never believe it!” she announced to the room at large. “The Secret Santa struck again!”
The few people at the counter and nearby tables looked up with interest.
“What happened this time, Doris?” called an older man from his stool.
“Everyone’s lunch is paid for today!” She waved a receipt in the air.
“I was picking up my prescription, and the pharmacist told me someone called in and covered all food orders for the next two hours. Left a note saying ‘Merry Christmas from your Secret Santa!’ and for everyone to make sure and order a milkshake.”