The walk up to the small porch and front door was more harrowing than Rose cared to admit, especially since the dog kept trying to jump in the snow and bite at it. Rose couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Rose struggled to hold the lead Jake had put on the dog and slipped on a patch of ice. The ground went out from underneath her, and the sky filled her vision as she tumbled backwards.
Jake’s strong arms caught her before she hit the ground. “Easy there.” Jake’s breath tickled her ear as he steadied her, his chest against her back. It took every ounce of her willpower not to sink into his warmth.
She forced herself to take a step away.
“Thanks,” she turned as she spoke. Her gaze met his, and for a split second the world narrowed to the two of them - standing on the walkway with snow falling in furious swirls around them, their breath mingling in the cold. She couldn’t remember what started the fight that led to their break up after high school, and regret filled her again.
Jake broke their connection first when he looked behind her and called the dog back to them. “Daisy! Hey pretty girl, come here!” Rose pretended not to notice the way her heart kicked up a notch at Jake’s use of ‘pretty girl.’
The dog bounded for him and followed him up the porch steps and inside the house. So much for nervous and scared. It was as if Daisy thought she was already home.
Rose followed carefully and tried not to melt at the adorableness of Jake loving on the dog, rubbing her ears and wiggly butt. He’d always had a soft spot for animals, dogs especially.
She had no idea how the next few hours were going to go. They hadn’t spent any amount of time together since that awful summer before college. The occasional awkward run in at a store or on the street were the only times they’d seen each other.
Nerves bubbled in her stomach. She’d chickened out every time she’d lifted the phone to reach out to him over the last few months.
Rose had wanted to spend time with him, and now she had an unknown amount of it, thanks to the blizzard and a power outage. When the Universe listened, it over-delivered.
“Welcome to Casa Jake.”
Warmth enveloped her as she crossed the threshold, and Jake closed the door behind her.
He helped peel the jacket down her arms, and stepped away so she could undo the laces of her boots and step out of them.
“I’m going to get this girl settled in the spare crate in my room. Make yourself at home.”
Rose bent down and let Daisy come to her for some scratches under her neck. “Who’s a good girl? You are, yes you are, sweetie.”
Jake’s leg brushed against hers as he bent down and waited for Daisy to approach him. The dog eagerly went from standing in front of Rose to wiggling between them both and getting as much love as she could.
Jake stood slowly. “Okay, let’s go Daisy. I have a nice cozy bed in a safe crate with some yummy treats and water. How does that sound?”
Daisy’s tongue lolled out of her mouth and her tail whipped the air behind her.
“I think that’s a yes,” Rose laughed. She watched the two of them as they disappeared down the hall and into a doorway. Jake had grown out of his gangly teenage self and filled out his frame. It was hard not to stare.
Alone for a few minutes, Rose gingerly stepped into the home Jake had made for himself. It was quintessential Jake: earthy colors on the walls, comfort and utility blended into one.
The entry opened into a cozy living space with a mounted flatscreen, large couch, and photos on the walls and the mantle. There was a kitchen off to the right, a hall that led further into the back of the house, and a small staircase that disappeared around a corner to a second level.
“Your house is lovely,” she called out. Unsure what to do with herself, she stood awkwardly in the space between the entry and the house.
Jake reappeared a few seconds later. “Thanks,” he said. “Come on in. Let’s get you out of those wet clothes.”
She sputtered. “What?”
He winked and her entire body warmed. “I mean we can put your wet clothes in the wash and dryer if you’d like. And you can borrow something of mine.”
Wear Jake’s clothes? Why not just offer to knock her out while he’s at it?
“Oh, um, sure. Dry clothes would be nice.”
“One sec.” He disappeared back into the doorway as before. Rose could hear something bang, and a curse.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, fine.” His voice was muffled, but he reappeared a minute later with a bundle of clothes in his hands. “The duffel bag on the shelf decided it didn’t like me, that’s all. I grabbed a few different options for you.”
She took the offered items, grateful to be able to get out of the wet leggings and shirt she still wore. “Thanks. Bathroom?”
“Door on the left,” he said as he pointed down the same hall.
“I’ll just be a minute.”
“No rush. I’ll make us some hot chocolate. Make yourself at home.” Jake disappeared into the kitchen. Rose followed his directions to the small bathroom in the hall.
She caved to the temptation to pull his flannel shirt to her nose and breathe in his scent. Cedarwood and cologne.
Rose peeled off the cold, wet clothes and pulled on the too-big sweats and shirt from Jake. She took a moment and held the flannel tight around herself and imagined it was his arms.
What was she even doing here? In his house, and wearing his clothes? It was barely hours ago that she’d still been too afraid to call him and ask him for coffee or something to catch up.
The washer and dryer were stacked in a small alcove of the bathroom. Rose put them in for a quick dry cycle and hit the “start” button.
The lights went out.
“Shit.” She scrambled to find her phone in the dark. She heard it hit the floor, but it didn’t illuminate on impact.
“You okay, Rose?” Jake’s footsteps were clear in the complete absence of sound.
“Yeah, sorry. I didn’t mean to – ouch.” She’d gotten herself turned around and walked into the door. Or a wall.
“I don’t think the power going out during a blizzard is something you can really take credit for.”
Rose heard the door open, and then there was a bit of light shining into the room. Rose had walked into the wall next to the door. “It went off after I turned on the dryer.” She saw her phone on the floor, grabbed it, and stepped into the hall with Jake.
“Ah, okay. Should be a simple fix. Come on, I’ll show you to the couch – or kitchen if you want.”
“Couch is good.” She followed him to the front of the house and tried not to humiliate herself even more by tripping on a rug or table or something.
“Here you go.” Jake shone the flashlight from his phone to light up the living room and couch. “I’ll be right back.”
Rose sat on the couch and waited as he disappeared. The darkness and silence in an unfamiliar house was eerie enough to make Rose keep checking her phone. There wasn’t much battery left, so she only used it to track the time since Jake had left. She sent a quick message to her cousin Megan about where she was for the night.
Rose wanted to tell her sister, Rebecca, but didn’t want to deal with answering a million questions. Megan would keep the information to herself and would compile a list of questions to interrogate Rose with later.
After what felt like ages but was less than ten minutes, the lights came on again. Rose heard the heat click on and let out a sigh of relief.
Jake reappeared. “Not sure why it happened but a fuse blew.” Jake smiled as he braced his arms against the back of the couch. “Do you still want hot chocolate?”
“Oh, only if you want some. I don’t want you to go to even more trouble. Especially since I blew a fuse and maybe broke your dryer.”
Jake shrugged. “It’s under warranty. I’ll make the drinks.” He disappeared into the kitchen. Though Rose couldn’t see him from her corner spot, the echoes of cabinet doors closing and a drawer or two sliding reached her.
Rose tried not to stare as Jake carried in a tray that held two steaming mugs, a bag of large marshmallows, and an assortment of sugar cookies in multiple winter-themed shapes.
“Are those your mom’s famous cookies?” Rose accepted the mug he offered and let the heat seep into her still-chilled fingers.
“Her recipe, but I made them.” Jake sat near her on the couch, but not too close.
Rose took a snowman cookie that had red, green, and gold sprinkles baked into it. “This is adorable.” The initial crunch followed by softness as she bit into it was perfect. “Mm, and so good! You made them?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. Mom taught me a few years ago. Said it was so I’d stop bothering her every week.”
Rose finished off the cookie in another two bites and reached for another. She decided to test the water, to see if there was even a reason for her to be nervous – or for her to gather her courage and confess her feelings for Jake.
“Your girlfriend must love them. She’s lucky.” She took a sip of her drink and failed at not being obvious.
Jake only grinned at her, a curious expression on his face.
“What?” Rose asked.
“Nothing. No girlfriend.”
“Oh. Your wife, then?”
Jake shook his head. “Not married. Just me, and whatever dog I’m fostering.”
Rose nodded. It was unfathomable to her that he could still be single. She’d hoped, of course, but to find out he was indeed available made her heart skip a few beats.
How could this man – ruggedly handsome, clearly successful, thoughtful, kind, funny man be unattached?
“Now you’re wondering why I’m single.” He grabbed a cookie from the tray and sat against the back of the couch.
“No, I’m not. I’m – okay, maybe. But it’s none of my business.”
“There’s a simple answer, if you want to ask the question.”
A challenge. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because you’ve had a recent heartbreak and aren’t ready to try again. Am I close?”
A light in his eyes dimmed a bit. “Not a recent one, no.” He looked away for a moment. “Is that why you’re single?”
“How do you know that I am?”
Jake raised an eyebrow at her, as if he couldn’t believe she asked that question. “You’re not wearing your engagement ring. Plus, it’s hard to miss the talk about how Rose Keating left her debonair fiancé at the altar. Runaway bride, jilted groom – not gossip that happens a lot in Starfire Lake.”
Rose looked down at her mug. The steam had faded, and the marshmallows were more like white puddles in the chocolate. “Yeah, well. It’d be nice if the gossip would end.”
“He wasn’t a good guy?” Jake’s voice was soft.
“Henry? No, he was. That’s what makes the rest of it so hard. People understand when you end a relationship with an asshole. It’s obvious and easy for them to swallow and move on. But when it looks like your relationship is perfect, people have difficulty with it ending – especially when you leave Prince Charming standing in a church.” She put the mug on the end table next to her, careful to set it on the coaster.
“You were never really a fan of Prince Charming, if I remember.”
Rose met Jake’s gaze. “No, I wasn’t,” she whispered.
“Too boring,” he said. His gaze dropped to her mouth and then back up to meet her eyes.
Her heart pounded against her ribs. “Yes. Too boring.”
“You need adventure. More of a Robin Hood fan.” Jake’s voice had gotten quieter.
“Who wouldn’t love a guy who helps those who need it?”
His eyes widened at her use of the word ‘love.’ “Rose,” Jake breathed. He stood, put his mug on the tray, and sat next to her, his thigh against hers. He turned to face her, and Rose could barely breathe for the closeness of him.
“Hmm?” She wasn’t sure the sound was intentional.
Jake brushed a stray hair from her forehead. “Why haven’t you called me?”
“I did,” she confessed.
He shook his head. “Not today. I mean after you left him. It’s been months – is there someone else?”
“No, I did call you. Well, I tried. I kept hanging up before I could hit the ‘call’ button.”
“There’s nobody else?” That was hope in his eyes.
Rose shook her head. “No.”
“Why didn’t you marry him?”
Rose stared at Jake, the reason himself. But she couldn’t admit to the whole truth. Not yet. “Henry was a good boyfriend and would have been a good husband. But I didn’t love him enough, and I didn’t realize it until it was almost too late.”
“Almost.”
She nodded. “I just…couldn’t do it.” Rose watched a battle she didn’t understand happen on Jake’s face. “You never answered my question.”
“Why I’m single.”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“I haven’t found anyone who compares.”
“To what?”
Jake brushed his knuckles along her cheek. “You.”