A Kiss in the Snow (Kindle Single) (Fool's Gold) by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online Page A

would reheat really well. She could deliver it, and he would have plenty of leftovers.
    The ingredients purchased, she headed back to her aunt’s house and started on the casserole. By five it was done and ready to be delivered. She texted Shep to make sure he was heading home, then got directions from Gladys.
    “He’s quite a ways out of town,” her great-aunt warned her. “If it starts snowing later, you might get stuck.” Gladys winked. “It’d be a real shame if you had to spend the night.”
    “That’s not going to happen,” Nancee said firmly. “I’m still figuring things out.”
    “What is there to think about? From what I can tell, the man’s crazy about you. He’s better than that criminal back east. The one who won’t give you back your cat.”
    “I know. Sean is awful.” He’d finally responded to her emails, telling her he was keeping Calvin and that she would never see the cat again.
    “So?”
    “Shep and I have a lot of history to work through. He’s a great guy and I really care about him, but what if he leaves again?”
    “He’s been here over a year. He came because of you. If you’re looking for proof of his intentions, I would say they don’t get more concrete than that.”
    Gladys had a point. Nancee hugged her, then loaded the casserole into her car and drove through town.
    Shep’s property was just as far as she’d been warned. Several miles out of town and up a winding road. There hadn’t been much snow in the past few days, but there were plenty of slick spots, and she was grateful for her four-wheel drive. She took the turnoff and followed a narrower road.
    The scenery was beautiful. Tall trees crowded along the road. Snow was piled up on both sides, although, again, the path was clear for her. She would bet the area was amazing in all four seasons.
    She rounded a bend, then jammed her foot on the brakes and stared at where Shep lived. There was a big open clearing, his truck, a stack of wood and a midsize trailer. On wheels.
    Shep might have come back to Fool’s Gold for her, but he obviously wasn’t planning on staying for very long. Although he had a house—it was one he could take with him. Nothing about his stay in Fool’s Gold was permanent.
    For a second, she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. There was raw pain and a flood of disappointment, then a knowing. Why would this time be different, she wondered sadly. She should have expected this.
    The door to the trailer opened, and Shep stepped outside. He waved and started toward her car.
    He was tall and strong, and the ache in her heart told her that she loved him. She always had and probably always would. But the trailer...
    She got out and faced him. He looked into her eyes, and his smile faded.
    “What’s wrong?”
    She pointed to his home. “It’s a trailer.”
    “That’s right.”
    “It’s on wheels.”
    “Most trailers are.”
    “You can take off at any second. You can just be gone, and I won’t know why you left or if I’m going to see you again.” Tears burned, and she blinked them away.
    “Is that what you think?” he asked quietly.
    “It’s what I know. You leave me over and over again. You said you came back for me, but what happens when you leave me again?”
    “I was never leaving you,” he began.
    She shook her head. “You said that before. And while I want to believe you, in the end, I’m the one who was left alone.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. She looked from the trailer to him and back again.
    “I can’t,” she whispered. “I’m not strong enough. I don’t want to move from place to place all the time. I don’t want to never have somewhere to call home. I love you, Shep, but I can’t do this.”
    He grabbed her hands in his. “Don’t. Don’t go. Stay with me. Give me a chance.”
    “I gave you three.”
    “I’ve changed. I’m always going to be here, Nancee. I’m always going to be with you. Watching out for you, taking care of you. I want us to be