Chapter 10

By evening, the Christmas baking was over, and pies were stored away. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. Marley was curled up on the sofa next to Trey, with her head on his shoulder. The television was on, and the local evening news was up next. They had just seen the lead-in to their story during a commercial break, showing a clip of them sitting together on the sofa.

“Just look at how innocent and adorable you look sitting there beside me,” Trey said. “No one would have a clue as to how deadly you can be.”

She poked him. “I am not deadly. Just determined.”

He hugged her. “I’m just teasing you, darlin’. You’re perfect in my eyes. I wouldn’t want you any other way. You are nobody’s fool, and that is something I truly admire. Your beauty is just icing on the woman within. I will always see you first as the woman who cared enough to save a stranger. Allow me the privilege of making sure you are safe and treasured for the rest of your life, okay?”

Marley’s eyes welled with sudden tears, and Trey groaned. “Don’t cry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I just keep feeling this need to reaffirm how much you mean to me. And maybe that’s my insecurity, not yours, okay?”

“Happy tears, that’s all. Blame it on your pretty words,” she said.

“Okay,” he said, and handed her a tissue and upped the volume. Apparently, the lead from the commentator was to reference their scoop as being the only station in the nation with the first interview of Trey Austin’s search for Cinderella. They went on with how proud they were here in Colorado Springs to learn that the woman he’d been searching for was none other than Marley Corbett, a native to the area, and the owner of Corbett Lodge, a favorite B and B and local lunch spot in the area.

“Good promo for the lodge,” Trey said.

“She thinks you’re hot,” Marley muttered.

“I only worry if you think I’m hot,” he said.

She blew him a kiss. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, here it goes,” Trey said. “Let’s see if they got my best side.”

“You would have had to strip for that,” she said.

He laughed out loud. “God, I love every sassy bone in your body. Behave. I don’t trust the media, and we need to see what she did to us.”

They sat through it in silence, and when it was over, Marley reached for his hand. “It was good. They didn’t turn it into some fluff piece, which was about what I expected. They dwelled on the wreck, and the rescue, the shoe left behind, and your quest to find me. It will, for sure, impact the people who rooted for you during your search. The search I didn’t know was even happening. I just kept having dreams about it the first week I was home. In the dream, I kept trying to keep your head out of the water, but you just got heavier and heavier. And then I’d wake up just as the water washed over both of us.”

“Lord, honey…What a nightmare!”

“I knew the moment I woke up that it was just a reflection of all the fears I’d had trying to get you out of the car before it was too late. And I finally came to terms with the fact that you were still breathing when they took you away. I told myself the angels would never have sent me if you hadn’t meant to live through it, so I just imagined you alive in the world and let it go.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. Already the feel and the scent of her was so ingrained within his psyche that he could have found her in the dark.

“It was all I could do not to react when you told Farrah Welty that you—what was the phrase?—came undone after you stopped for the night. That you finally allowed yourself to feel the fear and panic you went through when you began crying after you got into your motel room. That was a testament to your emotional strength…that you held it all together until the danger was over. It’s how people become heroes. They focus on what has to be done, instead of themselves. You are one of those people.”

Marley sighed. “I know I am one tired woman tonight. I feel a soak in the bathtub is on my agenda.”

“We’ve already locked up and banked the fire out in the lodge. You go get your bath ready. Would you like a glass of wine to keep you company?”

“Sounds like heaven,” Marley said. “I’ll even share the tub if you don’t mind smelling like lavender bath salts.”

“I’d be a fool to turn down an invitation like that,” Trey said, and pulled her to her feet. “I just have to respond to an email from my mother. What’s odd is that they think I’ve suddenly gone to war against them, when the truth is they’re just shocked by the picture I painted of my life and the part they didn’t play in any of it.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Just know that you have me now, and I will feed you, and worry about you, and check on you, and make every day of your life special for the rest of your life and hope it makes up for some of the sadness you carry with you,” Marley said.

“I don’t think I feel sad,” Trey said.

“And yet you are. I hear it in your voice when you talk about your childhood, and it breaks my heart. Now, go get the wine. I’ll be soaking in the bubbles, waiting for you to come shatter my sanity.”

His eyes darkened. “I do that to you?”

“In ways for which I have no words,” she said, and left him standing.

“Damn,” he whispered, then looked around, trying to remember what he’d been going to do, then remembered the wine.

***

They drank the wine and soaked in the Jacuzzi until the bubbles were gone and the water was no longer hot before they got out. Trey dried Marley off in slow, sensuous strokes, then wrapped her in a bath towel and sent her off to bed.

“I’m going to shave before I join you,” he said.

Marley dropped the towel as she was walking away, leaving him with a perfect view of her bare self.

If she’d turned around at that moment, the look on his face would have taken her breath. He’d never wanted to be with a woman as much as he did with her, so he dropped his towel and followed.

“I thought you were going to shave,” Marley said when he walked up behind her and slid his hands beneath her breasts.

“You changed my mind,” he whispered, and pulled her off her feet and into his arms.

But the moment they both hit the bed, Marley pushed him flat on his back and then eased herself down on his erection.

“Tonight’s for you, love. All for you.”

Trey groaned as she began to move and gave himself up to the sensual pleasure of her body. His last conscious sight of her before she blew his mind was of her body arched, her eyes closed, riding the climax between them.

***

Jared Bedford was in his apartment, eating cold pizza and drinking his last beer when the evening news aired. He heard the promo for the upcoming interview and downed his last two bites of the slice he was eating and upped the volume. Marley Corbett and her Cinderella man were going to be on TV. This he had to see.

When it began, he barely heard what they were asking Trey Austin. He was waiting for the random shots they showed of Marley’s face while he was talking, and he could tell by the way she was looking at him that they were together.

It pissed him off in a way he couldn’t explain. He had no words for how it made him feel to see her and know she despised him. He didn’t get that he’d caused it. That his every action from the time she grew boobs to his recent grope in the supermarket was the reason for her feelings. The guys he hung out with now and then called him crazy and then laughed, and he’d laugh with them, but in the back of his mind, he knew they considered him a source of amusement.

He didn’t have the guts to make them mad. But Marley was an easy target for his rage. After the interview was over, he just sat there with the near-empty can of beer in his hands and the cold pizza sitting heavy in his belly until he snapped.

He threw the beer can across the room, showering a chair and his dinette table before the remaining contents splattered against the wall. Within minutes he had his winter gear on and was headed out the door. The streets were fairly clear but icy in spots, and he knew they’d already plowed the blacktop leading up the mountain. It wasn’t the worst idea he’d ever had, but it ranked a possible disaster, regardless.

It was nearing 11:00 p.m. when he drove past the Corbett Lodge sign out on the road, but he kept driving, and then pulled off into the lay-by about a hundred yards past the sign and parked.

Jared pulled his sock cap down over his ears, zipped his coat all the way up beneath his chin, grabbed his flashlight and gloves, and got out. He locked the truck, dropped the keys in his pocket, and then zipped it shut, making sure not to lose the keys anywhere in the snowy dark, then turned on the flashlight and started walking through the trees and angling down toward the lodge as he went.

Security lights were blazing outside the lodge like spotlights on a stage, giving him an easy target to follow. He came out of the trees at the back of the lodge and paused, looking for lights inside the family quarters.

Even though shades and curtains were drawn, he guessed everyone was asleep. He wanted to see her asleep in her bed with Trey Austin, but there was nothing to see. Frustrated, he peed in the snow right beneath her window and then made his way back to his truck and drove home.

***

Marley woke up the next morning with her nose buried against Trey’s back and her arm slung across his waist. The steady rise and fall of his chest was like a metronome setting the rhythm for the rest of her life. He had been in her life such a short time, but he didn’t feel like a stranger.

She didn’t want to move, but there was so much to be done today. It was Christmas Eve. Everything that hadn’t been prepped for tomorrow had to be done today. She was excited to introduce Trey to the people who knew her best and longest. The people who remembered her grandparents and her parents and had watched her grow up—like kinfolk at a family reunion that you don’t see every day, but who know and love you anyway.

She gently kissed his back, and then slipped out of his arms and out of bed, and hurried to the bathroom to wash up and get dressed.

***

Trey was dreaming.

Marley was walking away in the rain, and he had no voice to call her back. He thought he was shouting, but nothing was coming out of his mouth, and the terror of never seeing her again was overwhelming.

In the dream, someone threw a blanket over his body, then pulled it over his face as if he’d died, and he was shouting, “I’m alive, I’m alive!” but they couldn’t hear him. Just as they shoved him into a hearse and closed the door, he woke up with a jerk, gasping for air and reaching for Marley.

Then he heard water running in the bathroom and bolted from the bed.

The door was ajar, and when he pushed it open, she was putting up her toothbrush. She turned to him with a smile on her face, and seconds later she was in his arms.

“Good morning to you, too,” she said, but he kept hugging her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

He shuddered. “Bad dream. Just needed to feel the real you.”

“My sweet man… I’m so sorry,” Marley said. “Get dressed and come to the kitchen with me. It’s Christmas Eve, and I don’t allow bad dreams to have a place here. I’m going to stir the fire and then make breakfast. You don’t want to eat behind Jack. He doesn’t leave leftovers.”

Trey shook off the last remnants of the dream with a last hug. “I won’t be long, but now this morning I really have to shave, or I’ll look like Blackbeard before nightfall.”

Marley narrowed her eyes, as if trying to see him in a different light. “I don’t know about that. I think those coal-black whiskers are a little sexy, even if they do turn your pretty self into a rather intimidating man.”

He grinned. “Now who’s talking pretty? I’ll hurry. I don’t want to eat Jack’s leftovers, either.”

Marley was laughing as she left.

Trey heard the door to the family quarters open, then close, and reached for his electric razor. As soon as he was dressed, he headed to the kitchen.

She had scrambled eggs and bacon on the plate and cinnamon muffins coming out of the oven. He poured their coffee, grabbed the cutlery, and they sat down to breakfast.

“What’s the usual protocol for conversation over breakfast after great sex the night before?” Trey asked.

She shrugged. “Well, we can’t talk about the chickens slacking on the egg laying, because we don’t have chickens. And we can’t talk about the kids because we don’t have any of those, either. I don’t know any local gossip. And I don’t really want to talk about that interview or Farrah Welty again.”

“She called you an ‘interesting little thing,’” Trey said.

Marley looked up. “I hope you called her down for that.”

“Yes, that I did. She also wanted to talk about my father. I shut that down as well.”

“It never goes away, does it?” she said.

“Not really, but it’s to be expected. I’m sure people still talk about your parents in reference to the lodge, but they were good people and you loved them, so it gives you pleasure to belong to them, right?”

She nodded.

“So, it’s the same principle for me. I am my father’s son, and he’s a big deal. But I’m the unknown in our equation, and people are curious. I can’t fault them, but I also am not required to satisfy their curiosity.”

She was quiet for a few moments, absorbing the wisdom in that comment. “You have learned to be a very remarkable man without anyone’s help. I promise I will never let you down.”

“Thank you, love. I love you more, and the trust between us is not in question. Okay?”

She nodded.

They finished eating, and then Trey carried their plates to the sink. “I noticed you put the last two logs on the fire this morning. I’m going to replenish the stack.”

“There are several pairs of gloves on the dryer. Find a pair that fits.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, then winked before he left.

Once he was in the utility room, he put on an old coat hanging on a hook, grabbed a pair of gloves, and put them on as he went out the back door.

The fresh air was wonderful, full of pine scents and the smoke from the fireplace, but it was so cold it burned the inside of his nostrils. He wasted no time getting his first armful and went back inside and stacked it near the hearth.

“I’m going to get tablecloths,” Marley said, and took off down a back hallway as Trey went outside for a second round.

He had his arms full when Jack and Wanda rode up on the snowmobile and followed him inside.

“Hey, Trey, I was going to do that,” Jack said.

“Just helping you out,” Trey said. “Marley left cinnamon muffins on the counter. She’s gone to get tablecloths, wherever that is.”

“Oh, I’ll go help,” Wanda said, and took off down the back hall.

Jack went into the great room with a bag of Christmas presents to put under the tree and then went straight to the kitchen for muffins.

He ate two and had a third one in his hands as Trey came back into the kitchen with the last load of wood.

“That’s plenty for now,” Jack said. “I need to run into town to get some feed for the critters. I’ll be back in an hour or so. Tell Bug for me, will you?”

“Sure,” Trey said. “Hey, Jack, since you and Wanda are Marley’s only family, I feel like I should give you a heads-up about us. I’m leaving within a couple of days after Christmas is over, but I’m coming back as soon as I can get my house listed with a leasing agent and pack up my office equipment.”

“Coming back for how long this time?” Jack asked.

“For good. And whenever she can squeeze me and a wedding into her schedule, we’ll make it legal. But there isn’t a ring or a piece of paper that will make her more mine than she already is right now. The wreck that nearly killed me was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me. I cannot imagine my life without her.”

Jack wrapped Trey up in a bear hug and thumped him on the back. “Welcome to the family, son! I couldn’t be happier for the both of you.”

“Thanks,” Trey said.

“Have you told your parents yet?” Jack asked.

Trey’s eyes narrowed. “They know where I am. They don’t like it. We don’t have much to do with each other, so it’s no big deal to me what they think. Anyway, just didn’t want you and Wanda thinking I was not going to treat Marley right.”

“Oh, we have all the faith in the world in Bug’s choices. She’s as true blue as a woman can be, but she’s also nobody’s fool. If she says you’re okay, then that’s high marks. And if she loves you, then I know you’re the real deal. However, I appreciate the thought you gave to telling us.”

Trey grinned. “I’m one lucky son of a gun, aren’t I?”

Jack laughed. “Yes, you are, and my name is gonna be mud if I don’t get myself into town and back.”

***

Trey watched Jack leave the lodge, then followed the sounds of voices until he found Marley and Wanda sitting on the floor in a hallway with a stack of old photo albums in their laps. The tablecloths they’d gone to look for had already been set aside to take into the great room, and they were head-to-head, wiping tears or laughing as they turned the pages.

They looked up when they saw him coming.

“Trey, look what Wanda found. They were behind a stack of tablecloths in the linen closet. Four albums of family photos. Some of the photos are from before I was even born, and then another album is of me growing up. They should be in the family quarters. Will you take them there for me?”

“What a find,” he said. “Sure thing, and we can look at them together tonight, okay? I’ll get to see pictures of your parents and you when you were little.”

Marley handed him the albums, then she and Wanda picked up the tablecloths and matching cloth napkins, with Trey and the albums following along behind. When they went left into the great room, he turned right and went down the hall to the family quarters.

The urge to peek was strong, but he wanted her commentary on all of them, so he left them on the coffee table and went back to help.

The simple chatter between the two women as they covered the tables was a novelty to Trey. He’d never been a part of prepping tables or making food. His parents hired people for all that.

To his knowledge, his mother had never washed a dish in her life after she’d married his dad, and he didn’t even know if she could cook. It stood to reason that she once had when she was just a girl from Arkansas. But whatever the little mountain girl had been was long since lost in glitz and glamour.

Watching Marley and Wanda talking about every piece they pulled out of a cabinet was a story in itself.

Wanda pulled out two gravy boats and set them on the table.

“Hey Bug, remember the first time Craig came to Christmas dinner and Jack passed him the gravy boat?”

“Yes. He asked what he was supposed to do with it. Jack told him it was gravy, and to pour it on whatever he wanted to have gravy, and he poured it all over everything,” Marley said.

“Even the peas. They were floating in his plate,” Wanda said.

“Didn’t faze Craig a bit, though. As I remember, he used a spoon on most of the food.”

Wanda nodded. “But what could you expect, right? That boy pretty much raised himself, and he’s the most reliable woodcutter on the mountain. He has a client list a foot long. He was so young then and still lacking a few social graces. He’s all about using the right fork now.”

“We love Craig. He’s one of us,” Marley said as she began laying plates around the table. “Remember the year Alvin brought his sweet potato casserole? We didn’t know until he removed the foil that he’d forgotten to bake it first.”

Wanda nodded. “Yes, and you went running with it to the convection oven and dinner was delayed thirty minutes.”

“And there was the year when Doolittle fell coming up the steps. We thought he’d killed himself, and he just got up cussing, brushed off the snow and said, ‘It’s a good thing Alvin’s carrying my casserole.’”

Trey was sitting and watching them, listening to their old stories and realizing he had none. At least nothing to remember fondly.

Marley paused. “I’m not assigning seating, but if you can, get Jack seated beside Mr. Doolittle. I saw him in the store a while back, and his fingers were so crippled with arthritis that he couldn’t sort the change in his pocket when he was trying to pay. So, I know cutting meat is hard for him now.”

“Marley, honey, what a thoughtful thing to think of,” Trey said.

She shrugged. “Every year we still have with him is a gift. He is nearly ninety.”

“Does he still drive?” Trey asked.

“No. His neighbor, Alvin Smith, is his taxi service, but they don’t tolerate each other for long, so they always sit as far away from each other as they can get,” Marley said.

Trey was curious. “They don’t get along, but Alvin is willing to drive him where he needs to go, and Mr. Doolittle is willing to spend time with him to get his business taken care of. How did all that come about?”

“I don’t know. I never thought about it,” Marley said. “It’s just how they’ve always been.”

“Jack said when they were young, they both fell for the same girl. She played them along, and then dumped both of them for another guy. Alvin is a widower, and Doolittle never married. Now they kind of depend on each other,” Wanda said.

Trey nodded. “I get that. Life isn’t easy. Who else is coming that I should know about?”

“Gert and Mabel Jukes. They’re sisters who still live in their home place and never married. Arnie Fitzsimmons, who’s retired from the army. Patsy and Charlie Barrett are retirees who moved here from Michigan some years ago. Keith Murphy is the youngest. He’s about thirty-five or so. He works from home and writes code for some tech company. Shirley Lowrey is a retired waitress, and Lawrence Atwood is a widower. They always come together. And that’s the list, except for the four of us.”

“What an eclectic group. I can’t wait to meet them,” Trey said. “How are they with strangers?”

Wanda smiled. “You have nothing to worry about. Once they find out you’re Marley’s sweetheart, you’re in.”

Trey winked at her. “So, you’re my pass to this amazing feast.”

“I guess I am,” she said. “And speaking of feast, everyone who comes brings a covered dish to the table. They’re all good cooks, except Craig. He doesn’t cook much, so we have a deal. He always brings me a big bag of kindling to keep the fire going during dinner. Don’t expect dinner from the Ritz-Carlton, but do expect to have the best time of your life,” Marley said.

“Oh, I’ve had dinner at the Ritz-Carlton. I ate alone. I would choose your way every time,” Trey said, and then the conversation ended when the doorbell rang.

Marley glanced toward the front entrance and recognized Benny from the Santa photo shoot. “It’s a delivery for me. I’ll be right back,” she said, and bolted. She barely got the door open before Benny handed her a package and began apologizing.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get this done sooner. One of my kids got sick and I clean forgot. I hope it’s not too late?”

“It’s perfect timing, Benny, and I appreciate it. I hope it was nothing serious with your little one. Christmas is a horrible time for anyone to be sick, but especially for children.”

“Ear infection. She’s getting better, and thanks for asking. I’d better go. Merry Christmas, Marley.”

“Merry Christmas, Benny. My best to your family, too,” and then she closed the door and slipped the package beneath the tree on her way back.

“Now, where were we?” she said, and then remembered what she’d been going to say. “Oh…Trey, Jack will be back later to help, but why don’t you go back to the family area and choose whichever extra bedroom you want to use as your office. Then you and Jack can take the bed down and move it to the attic and any other furniture that’s in there that will be in your way, like dressers or tables, okay?”

“Really?” Trey said.

She smiled. “Yes, really. You have to have your own place to work, and I’d advise choosing either of the two that are at the far end of the hall because they will also be the farthest away from the noise of guests at the lodge.”

“Good point,” he said, and hurried away.

Wanda glanced at Marley. “You’re one smart lady,” she said.

“Why do you say that?” Marley asked.

“You changed the concept of choosing for him to giving him power to make his own choices. Every man likes to feel needed, and they need to feel wanted. You don’t need him for you to be able to do your job, but he needed that freedom to choose the place to do his job.”

“Oh. Well, I didn’t think about anything except wanting him to know he belongs.”

Wanda nodded. “I’m not much on reading, but what, exactly, does he write?”

“I think it could fall under contemporary fiction,” Marley said. “I’m going to get the flatware,” she added and made a quick trip to the butler’s pantry to get it so they could finish setting the table.

***

Per Marley’s advice, Trey looked at both of the bedrooms she’d suggested and then chose the one with a window overlooking the forest. At first, all he saw was snow and snow-covered trees, but as he stood, he realized he was also seeing a line of tracks within the trees coming toward the house and then out of his line of sight.

He frowned, wondering who might have made them, then shrugged it off. He was a newcomer to mountain life. It could have been a hunter taking a shortcut to somewhere else, or even Jack, doing whatever it was he did for Marley. It was, after all, a place where people came and went, even though it was momentarily closed, and he turned back to the room in question.

The full-size bed looked small and would be easy to take down. The dresser was more like an armoire, and when he opened it and saw the shelves and the inner drawers below, he decided to leave it. It would be a great storage cabinet for supplies.

The walls were a rich burgundy color, while the floor-length curtains over the single window were a soft, pearl gray with burgundy cords as tiebacks, and the floors were made of ancient, wide-plank pine. It felt good just being in this room. It was elegant and manly and welcoming.

Every day spent at the lodge was beginning to feel like less of a visit and more like home, and every night he spent with Marley solidified everything he’d ever wanted in his life.

When Jack returned, they moved the bed and mattress to the attic, along with the braided rug that had been beside the bed. The armoire was empty. The closet was empty. And the overstuffed chair by the window was too inviting to take away. Even better, the room was wired for TV and Wi-Fi, which meant he was fixed for the technology he used as well.

“What do you think?” Jack asked as they gave the room one last look.

“I think it’s perfect,” Trey said. “Thank you for helping.”

Jack patted Trey’s shoulder. “It’s what I do. Let’s go see what else is on the agenda.”

They left the family area and went back into the guest section of the lodge. The dinner table was all set up for tomorrow, right down to candles waiting to be lit. All they needed now were the people and the food to make Christmas Day complete.

***

“Are we going down for dinner?” Gloria asked.

Anders shook his head. “No, I ordered room service. I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with you, not a room full of people. And I have a gift for you.”

“I have a gift for you, too,” Gloria said. “Should we wait until after we eat, or open them now?”

“Now,” Anders said.

Gloria jumped up, clapping her hands. “You first,” she said, and handed him her gift.

He could tell by the light in her eyes that she was waiting for his reaction, and when he opened it and saw the ski jacket, and then the color and the style, he knew she’d picked out something special.

“Oh wow! Darling! It’s beautiful. Thank you so much. You know how much I love this style. It’s perfect, just like you,” he said, and leaned over and kissed her. “Now you,” he said as he set his box aside and retrieved her gift from behind the tree and put it in her lap. “Don’t shake it,” he cautioned, knowing she always shook a gift before she opened it.

She nodded, then carefully removed the bow, and then as she tore off the wrapping paper and saw the box itself, she gasped.

“Is this what’s inside?”

He nodded.

She started to cry. “Oh my God, Anders. Oh my God. Help me get it out, okay?”

He knelt down on the floor in front of her and began carefully removing all the packing, because he was going to have to repack it for the flight when they left.

And when he finally had it free and put it back in her lap, she was stunned. “All the animals, and all the flowers, and the two-story chalet. It reminds me of home!”

“The clock is a Loetscher. They’re the finest makers of cuckoo clocks in all of Switzerland. The clock is called Heidi’s Farmhouse. I bought it because it reminded me of you and where you first took me home to meet your parents.”

Now she was sobbing.

Anders sighed. “Don’t cry, honey. There are so many sins I will never be able to forgive myself for, but the worst one of all was what I said to you in anger. We may be lousy parents, but I always strived to be the best husband I knew how to be. When we get home, I’ll hang it wherever you want it, okay?”

She nodded, but she couldn’t quit looking at it—at all the tiny details in nearly hidden places.

“It’s perfect. It’s the best gift I’ve ever been given. Thank you.”

Later, when their food came, they turned it into a picnic and ate with a view to the snowy alps.

As they were finishing up, the light snow that had been falling started coming down harder, and by the time they’d gone to bed, it had turned into a little blizzard, and Anders couldn’t sleep.

Bringing more snow would certainly close the ski slopes and raise the imminent danger of the possibility of avalanches from the surrounding peaks.

He was secretly wishing they’d left the lodge yesterday. If they stayed another day, it could be too late to get out. The roads might be closed.

It was too late for a lot of things, but maybe not too late to escape.

Finally, he sat up in bed and turned on the light.

Gloria rolled over. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

Anders scrubbed his hands across his face.

“I’m fine. I’m just worried about the weather. We might not be able to leave tomorrow, and I don’t want to get trapped here.”

“There could be worse things,” she said.

“Yes, I know. But I’m still thinking about Trey. What are we going to do with our son?”

She frowned. “Absolutely nothing, and don’t pretend this is you worrying about him. We both know that’s a lie.”

“Trey sent back all the money I’d sent him over the years, plus the accrued interest. He didn’t lie. He hadn’t spent a penny,” Anders muttered.

She sighed. “So?”

“What’s he doing? How is he supporting himself? What if it’s something illegal?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot for even thinking that. In all his years growing up, he never so much as got a speeding ticket. He wasn’t a confrontational kid. He wasn’t a troublemaker.”

“Then how do you see him?” Anders asked.

“A man who figured everything out without us, and we’ve lost the right to care or judge,” Gloria said.

“That woman wants his money,” Anders muttered.

“Then it will be his money, not yours. He gave yours back. You have no horse in this race. And how dare you belittle his feelings? Your father wasn’t impressed with me. Did he tell you I was after your money?”

Anders frowned. “That’s different. I knew my own mind.”

Gloria snorted. “You were younger than Trey is now when we married, and Trey has managed to stay single all the way past his thirtieth birthday, so I hardly think he’s some novice at the mercy of the female sex. He’s drop-dead gorgeous and single. And now he’s in love.”

Anders frowned. “He’s just grateful to her, that’s all.”

“I’m not talking about this with you again. You’re wrong. I’m right. Leave them alone.”

“When we get back to the States, I’m going to talk to Trey.”

“And you’ll just make things worse because that’s what you do. I’m not going with you. I don’t want to be any part of this. We didn’t care about his welfare before. I’m not going to show up like the cavalry and watch you make an ass of yourself.”

She pushed out of his arms and got up.

“Where are you going?” Anders asked.

“To the bathroom to contemplate my toes while I pee,” she muttered, and slammed the door shut behind her.

He hadn’t heard anything like that come out of her mouth since they first married. That was his little Ozark girl talking, not the high-society woman she’d turned into.

But now that she was up, he got up as well and headed for the minibar in their living area. As he passed the windows, he saw snow drifting down onto the terrace, then picked up his laptop from the coffee table, pulled up info for international flights out of Lucerne, and checked flight status and weather. So far, so good. Then he pulled up their flight plan to see if he could switch it to an earlier flight.

To his relief, there was a plane leaving Lucerne just before 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. He switched their reservations for that flight, and as soon as he got confirmation, he breathed a sigh of relief and went back to tell Gloria.