Winter's Embrace (16 page)

A lump formed in her throat as
she watched him. They weren’t meant to be, and Stone knew it too. There was
just too much in the way.

Noticing that she had become
the object of attention, she swallowed hard and walked through the crowd. How
she wished she could just walk out the door, but that would not be happening.
She couldn’t let Rachael down and she couldn’t make a fool out of Stone. Stone
didn’t even glance at her as she sat down next to him. He watched the crowd
instead.

“Rachael is having a good
time,” she said, softly.

Stone just nodded, still
refusing to look at her.

“Stone, you’re my best
friend.”

He whipped her head around and
stared at her. “Maybe I want more than friendship, much more. I want a wife,
someone that thinks the world begins and ends with our love.
Someone
who wants to live with me and share my life.
I thought that person was
you. I really loved you.”

“May I have this dance? Henry
had appeared without her noticing, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

Loved as in past tense? Had
she lost him, just like that? Her heart ached.

She stood up with her hand
still in Henry’s and followed him to the dance floor. He put his arms around
her and she didn’t even come up to his shoulder. She craned her neck to watch
him as they danced.

“You look beautiful,
Winter
. Thank you for dancing with me. You’ve been very
popular tonight.”

“Popular
good or bad?”

“Bad,
very bad.
I’ve had to wait for my turn with you.” He pulled her
closer to his rock hard chest.

Now more than ever, she wished
her heart sang for him, but it didn’t.

Suddenly he widened the space
between them.
“Looks like we have a problem.”

He turned her and she saw the
problem, Stone stood at the edge of the dance floor glaring at her, even though
she thought he was done with her.

“I don’t want this to become a
problem between you, Henry. I’m in love with Stone, that still hasn’t changed,
and it wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“Understandable.” Something in
him finally seemed to give in. He stopped dancing and led her over to Stone,
giving her hand to him. “Thank you for the dance.” He nodded at Stone. “Have a
good evening, Boss.”

Stone nodded back, his glare
gone.

“We might as well go and sit
at the table,”
Winter
suggested, puzzled and annoyed
at his flip-flopping behavior.

He took her hand and held it
the whole way, almost as if he was afraid to let her go.

Stone pulled her chair out for
her and seated her. He sat next to her and leaned over toward her. “How long
have you and Henry been carrying on?”

She gasped and immediately her
face heated. “How can you ask that? I told you.”

“Well, I‘ve misunderstood
everything else you’ve said. Did you tell him you needed time too? No, we’re
not okay, we’re done.”

Winter looked around and
realized that people still stared at her. She tried to act as though it didn’t
bother her but it cut deeply. “I would like to go home now.”

Stone got up and walked away.
She couldn’t help but stare at him. Maybe she wasn’t welcome at the ranch
anymore. It was all so confusing and she felt beaten and weary. She dredged up
what was left of her inner strength and strived for a serene expression.
Slowly, she stood and walked toward the exit.

It was agonizing standing
there by
herself
, unsure if she had a ride home.
Finally, Stone strode up in his coat, holding Rachael, who was also bundled up.
“You didn’t get my coat?”

Stone cocked his brow at her,
and she couldn’t take anymore. Turning, she ran out the door, and down the
steps. It was bitter cold but she didn’t feel it. She skidded on the icy ground
and fell painfully onto her knees. Every time she tried to rise, she slipped
again.

“Don’t move for Pete’s sake.
You’ll just keep falling. Let me get Rachael to the truck.”

Too tired and soul weary to
try again, she sat down on the cold ground. Her dress was ruined but she didn’t
care. Her heart shattered painfully. What did he want from her? His jealousy
and wild imagination were at fault.

“Here give me your hands.”

She lifted her hands until
they were secure in his. He helped her to her feet and swept her up into his
strong arms.

“Stone, wait!” Colt called out
as he ran toward the couple with
Winter’s
coat. He
wrapped it around her, giving her hand a sympathetic squeeze.

“Thank you, Colt.” She gave
him a sad frown back.

“Be careful driving. I just
heard another blizzard is heading our way. Caleb and I are lighting out, too.”

Stone nodded his thanks and
held her closer. He peeked at her, his expression so full of anger it made her
want to weep.

“I’m sorry, Stone. I shouldn’t
have run out like that.”

Stone opened the truck door
and sat her down on the seat. He reached and put her seatbelt on. “There’s nothing
to be sorry about anymore.” He quickly closed the door and got in the driver’s
side.

“Are you okay, Mommy?”

“Yes, precious, I am.”

“Why’d you
runned
away?”

“I don’t seem to know why I do
anything anymore. I—”

“She wanted us to get home
before the storm.
Quick thinking, except for the fall.”

Winter peered over Rachael’s
head and stared at Stone. Her knees and shoulder hurt from her fall. He never
once glanced her way. Her stomach dropped, done is done.

Chapter Thirteen

The wind wailed louder,
driving her crazy. Outside, the boughs of the trees swayed hard and everywhere
she looked, it was pure white. Putting on her blue robe and matching slippers,
Winter
walked down to the kitchen. She felt it before she
saw it, the floor was flooded and her slippers were soaked. Jumping back onto
the stairs she glanced outside again and was amazed by the amount of snow that
had fallen overnight. There had to be about three feet piled up. How was she
supposed to get to the main house, assuming she was still welcome? She’d call
Stone and let him know about the flood.

It was unbelievable how much
water was on the floor. It looked like a pipe burst or something. Sloshing
through to the kitchen, she checked under the sink. The pipes were intact, as
was everything in the bathroom. Her feet grew ice cold from the frigid water
and she realized the heat wasn’t on either. Where was the water coming from?
Next, she opened the panel that contained the hot water tank. A sparked shot
out, startling her. Quickly she slammed the door closed and ran to get her feet
off the ground and out of the water.

Standing on the stairs, she
took a deep breath. That was close. Damn, she’d better pack an overnight bag
just in case she had to spend the night at Stone’s.

She picked up the phone in her
bedroom and swore, the landlines were down and her cellphone was in her purse
in the kitchen. Hopefully Stone would come and get her. She’d better get
dressed and sit on the stairs so he didn’t set foot in the house. He could turn
off the electricity from outside. If he even came to get her at all. So much
snow had fallen and she was probably snowed in. Maybe he wouldn’t want to make
the effort to shovel a path to her door.

All dressed and ready with an
overnight bag packed, she sat on the stairs hiding her face in her hands
wishing she could just disappear. Despite the complete mess in her house, all
she could think about was last night. The Winter Wonderland ended in disaster
and she wasn’t sure where it went wrong. Before they left for the event she
thought they were good and on their way back to each other.

Her heart twisted in her
chest. Was his love for her really gone? It was not her intent to make him mad
or jealous. She peered out the window at the sun’s rays bouncing off the new
snow, making it twinkle. He’d lied to her at every turn but somehow he was mad
at her. They needed to talk, really
talk,
there was so
much she didn’t understand.

Why would he even think that
she was carrying on with Henry? When had she even had time? She hoped Henry
didn’t end up getting any backlash from Stone’s delusions. Where did she and
Stone go from here? Maybe he didn’t want her around Rachael anymore. The
thought devastated her.

* * * *

Stone ran his hand over his
tired, whiskered face. Tossing and turning all night left little time for
sleep. Winter was on his mind and he couldn’t get rid of thoughts of her. He
needed to know, if they were absolutely done or not. Didn’t she know that he
loved her? Didn’t she know how much he wanted her? She didn’t act as if she
loved him. She’d said she needed time. He was sick of that phrase. All it meant
to him was she was not willing to make a commitment. He’d been a jealous ass
last night and now she was bound to kick him to the curb and leave.

The howling of the Montana
wind did little to cheer him. Glancing outside he understood why
Winter
hadn’t come over yet this morning. Her being such a
tidbit, she wouldn’t have made it if she tried.

Stone suddenly hightailed it
to the front door, opened it and took a closer look across the yard through the
blinding white sheet of snow. She was snowed in.

He went back into the house to
get his boots and coat. Rachael appeared on the bottom step. “Wait right here,
sweetheart, I’m going to get Mommy.”

“
Me
too get Mommy.”

“Not today. I can’t carry you
both through the snow.”

Rachael ran to the front
window. Her eyes widened. “Wow, lots of snow. I want to build a snowman!”

Stone bundled up. “Be a good
girl.” He pulled a chair in front of the window. I want you to sit here and not
move until I get back. Okay?”

Rachael nodded. “I will,
Daddy.”

Stone lifted her onto the
chair, bent down and kissed her on the top of her head. “I know.”

He stepped out into the hip
deep snow and quickly turned around, grabbing a shovel. It was going to take a
bit of time to get there. Glancing back, he was relieved to see Rachael still
sitting on the chair.

The snow was wet and heavy,
making shoveling that much harder. The sound of the tractor plow floated on the
wind. Stone glanced up and sighed in relief spotting Crabby plowing a path
toward him.

Crabby stopped in front of him
and quickly he jumped onto the big machine.

“Figured you’d need
Winter
to stay with Rachael while we go and make sure the
watering holes aren’t frozen. It will take most of the day to check on the
cattle.”

Stone nodded at Crabby. He
just wished the plow would go a bit faster.

“Drive faster.”

Crabby kicked the tractor into
high gear and when they got close, Stone jumped into the snow, grabbed the snow
shovel and shoveled his way the door. Winded, he turned the knob and found it
locked. Taking off his heavy gloves, his hands shook with cold, but he shoved
them in his jeans pocket, finally fishing out his keys.

“Don’t come in the house,
you’ll get hurt!”

He opened the door wider and
stared at her. “What’s wrong?”

“The water heater went and it
sparked at me. We need to cut off the electricity before you step in the water.”

“Are you okay?” He gave her an
once-over, looking for any injuries.

“Yes,
but I can’t get out and you can’t come in.”

“Stay put I’ll be right back.”
He grabbed the shovel and started to make a path through the snow.

“Hey, Boss, what are you
doing?” Crabby called out above the wind.

“Need to get to the electric
box and shut it off.”

Crabby didn’t ask why he just
grabbed a shovel and, between the two of them, they soon had the path clear.

“You know what you’re doing?”
Crabby
asked,
his voice full of doubt.

“Don’t worry. Will you run
back to the house? Rachael is there alone.”

“I’m on my way.”

Stone turned the electricity
off and started back to get
Winter
. She was lucky she
wasn’t hurt. But that was that, she was moving back in with him. He stopped and
scowled. She’d probably fight his decision. Sighing, he decided not to tell her
until nightfall when she’d be more apt to see the logic in it.

He returned to get
Winter
and she quickly put on her boots and she grabbed her
coat, gloves and bag. “I’m going to see to Rachael.”

He watched her rush out of the
house and then closing the door behind him, he headed straight toward the barn.

* * * *

Winter finally got Rachael
down for a nap. She didn’t know how she got through the morning. She jumped
every time Crabby or Henry walked through the door. It was still hard facing
Henry, so she needed to keep busy.

While she dusted off the
mantel, she viewed each picture. Most of them were of Rachael and you could
tell that she was not camera shy. The pictures of Stone with Rachael tore at
her heart. There wasn’t going to be any babies for her with Stone, ever.

Facing him after last night
was going to be hard. It hurt. He regretted bringing her to his home and all
she wanted was to belong. He never even asked if she was all right from last
night’s fall. Winter’s heart twisted at her conclusion. Stone didn’t love her.
He might have feelings for her, but he didn’t love her.

She didn’t want him anyway,
him or his lies. Tears sparked. She couldn’t go back to her house until the
pipes were fixed and Stone didn’t want her here.

The wind gusted powerfully,
causing the windows to rattle, and a chill went through her body. When was
winter going to be over? A sob escaped as she felt a cold draft on her neck.

She knew without turning that
Stone was home. She tried frantically to stop the tears but they just kept
spilling. Stiffening, she waited for Stone to approach her but he didn’t. By
the sound of it, he was making himself a sandwich. How could she turn around
now? No, he’d have to come to her and apologize.

Her whole body tensed, as she
waited, not saying a word. She waited until she heard the front door close. Too
bad, he hadn’t slammed it. At least she would have known he cared.

Rachael came down the stairs
full of laughter and
Winter
muddled through the rest
of the day.

Dinner was a trial, but at
least Stone had come home. He sat across from her, gazing everywhere but at
her. The burden of his indifference weighed heavily after all his speeches
about how much he wanted her, and her hands were shaking as she began to wash
the dishes. By the time she finished, the kitchen sparkled.

Winter walked toward Stone and
Rachael. They made a nice picture reading a book together. Half of her wanted
to slap his face and the other half needed his strong arms around her,
protecting her, comforting her.

“Mommy, Daddy is reading about
a
choo-choo
that
choo-choos
.”

“I used to love that book,
good choice.” Rachael looked so much like Stone.

“It’s probably bedtime,” Stone
said.

She held out her hand to her
daughter and her spirits lifted a bit when Rachael eagerly took it and started
skipping beside her.

Stopping in front of the
stairs, she turned. “Is everything fixed at my house?” She already knew the
answer, the weather was too bad for anyone to come out but she could make sure
her floors were dried, build a fire and sleep on the couch.

“We’ll talk about it when you
come back downstairs.” His scowl startled her, but she knew he’d never hurt her
physically. He grabbed a magazine and sat back down.

It didn’t take long to get
Rachael tucked in and dread filled her as she hesitated to go back down the
stairs. Standing at the top, she took a deep breath and went down.

Stone didn’t even look up from
his magazine making her feel worthless. Clearing her throat didn’t get any
reaction. Why couldn’t he just give an inch?

“I’m going home.”

“As soon as spring comes I can
get you back to Texas. Right now I have too much work to do keeping my cattle
alive.” His eyes were hard and unyielding.

“I…I didn’t mean Texas. I
meant my, well, I guess your house.”

“Oh, well you’re not going
there either. It’s not safe.” His voice had finality to it that rubbed her the
wrong way.

“I can make my own decisions
you know. I’ll be fine and I know you don’t want me here with you.” She put her
hands on her hips and took a shaky breath.

Stone shook his head. “I don’t
want to fight with you. You can’t go back to the house until it has electricity
and hot water.”

Closing her eyes, she let out
the breath she’d been holding. “Can I stay here?”

There was a brief silence as
his brows furrowed.
“Of course.”

“Stone there is no ‘of course’
between us anymore.” Her voice sounded defeated to her.

“Winter—”

Turning she shook her head.
“No, you were right, you can take me home in the spring.” She flew by him and
ran up the stairs and into the room she used when she first arrived. The room
looked stark and as she sat on the bed, she felt a heavy weight on her chest.

There was a knock on her door
and before she could get up, Stone entered the bedroom. His eyes appeared
intense, bordering on concern.

“What?” she asked standing
straight and
tall.

“I’m sorry about last night. I
wanted you all to myself.”

“No you're not. You're not
sorry.” Turning away, she went to the window. She could feel him behind her as
she stared into the night. “You always think the worst of me. Friends don't
even think that. I guess we aren’t even friends.”

“Here, let’s sit down.”

It was on the tip of her
tongue to say something caustic but she bit back her rude remark and followed
him to the bed. She shifted so that she wasn’t sitting next to him. “Your
concern is touching. You’ve avoided me all day and when you were here you
ignored me.”

Stone ran his hand over his
face. He took a deep breath, watching her. “I'm sorry,
Winter
.
I never seem to get it right. I didn’t know how to deal with my feelings. I
don’t know why I said you were carrying on with Henry. I know it’s not true. I
love you, damn it!”