My mother clucked. “That's why your father mentioned him to you. I don't know what to do. I know if we forbid her from seeing him, it’s not going to go well.”
“Of course not. Just keep an eye on her.”
“Please keep calling her.”
“Of course, Mom. I call her anyway.”
“I know. She listens to you in a way she doesn’t with your father and me.”
“I get it.” I paused and took a breath. “So, what's up with the big C?”
“I'm fine,” my mother replied, almost too quickly. She preferred to gloss over her medical concerns. She hated anyone worrying about her.
“Are you really?” I pressed.
My mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She had an initial round of treatment years ago, and they’d declared her cancer-free only to have it return six years later.
“I am fine.”
“Would you tell me if you weren't, Mom?”
“I would. You know I would,” she insisted.
“If you need me to come home—” I began.
“No,” my mother said sharply. “We are thrilled you're out in Alaska. Keep sending pictures, and we're going to come visit when I get through this.”
“All right, Mom. Just know I’ll come home in a second if you need me.”
“I know you will. I love you,” she said firmly.
“Love you too. Also, I'm going to talk to my boss and figure out if I'll be there for Thanksgiving or Christmas.”
“Either one works for us. We just want to see your face and give you a big hug.”
We said our goodbyes, and I tapped to end the call. After setting my phone on the coffee table, I crossed my small apartment and leaned my hands on the windowsill to look out.
Delilah Taylor hailed from my hometown, Stolen Hearts Valley, North Carolina, just as Remy did. Delilah and her fiancé had offered me the garage apartment until I found a better place. It was a nice place with a large open living room, an efficiency kitchen, a full bath, and an actual bedroom. Like most of Alaska, it also had a sweet view of the mountains.
Snow had begun to fall this afternoon and was picking up its pace. We were working on over a foot. Alex had already plowed the driveway once by the time I got home.
My mind spun to Mae. She was always waiting along the edges of my thoughts. I couldn't seem to go more than a day without seeing her somewhere in town, and she always looked flustered and cute. I wanted the chance to have more of a conversation with her. Hell, I wanted a chance with her. She had an edge to her that hadn’t been there before. She felt like a wild animal about to bolt whenever I encountered her.
Glancing at my watch, I strode to the kitchen to check my food options. Our crew had four days off, so I might as well stock up. I snagged my wallet and my down jacket and headed out again. I should’ve thought to check this morning, but it wasn’t too late yet. I had only discovered a few days ago that Mae lived just down the street from me. When I commented on it to Alex, he’d mentioned she’d inherited her grandmother's house. I had wanted to ask Alex so many more questions about Mae, but I didn't feel right about it. He knew her since childhood whereas I'd known her for only a few years. We’d been close our first three years of college together, and that was it. That span of time loomed large in my memory and packed a punch.
After I began driving, I slowed when I saw a figure shoveling Mae’s driveway. I slowed and pulled over. “Mae!” I called through the snow.
She turned, trudging through the snow to stop beside my open window. “Yeah?”
“You're gonna shovel that whole driveway?”
My eyes bounced to her car where it sat parked at the end, roughly a quarter mile from the road. She shrugged. “Yeah.”
“You're joking, right?”
“No,” she countered, her tone prickly.
“I'm plowing your driveway, Mae.” I looked toward the end of the driveway to see an old truck with a big plow mounted on the front. “Is your plow truck broken?”
She let out a put-upon sigh. “It won't start.”
“Get in,” I said. “Just put your shovel on the back seat.”
I was surprised when she didn’t argue and climbed in. When I turned into her driveway, she asked, “Are you just driving through this?”
“It's not that bad. I have plenty of clearance with four-wheel drive. Why don't you just call someone to plow? Or I can borrow Alex’s plow if you need help.”
“I can shovel,” she muttered.
I decided against pointing out how quickly she’d hopped in my SUV. “Do you mind if I try to start your truck? Is that your truck anyway?”
“Well, it's my grandmother's old truck. I haven't switched over the registration, but all I’m planning to do with it is plow.”
“You probably don't need to change the registration if you’re not driving it off your property. Let me see if I can start it for you. Have you ever plowed a driveway?”
Mae’s silence gave me the answer. “I'll take that as a no. Will you let me plow it for you if I can start the truck? If not, I can borrow Alex’s.”
She crossed her arms. “Fine.” I tried not to chuckle, but I couldn't help it. “What's so funny?”
“Nothing, really.”
“Well then, why did you laugh?” she pressed.
“Because you're kind of stubborn sometimes,” I replied honestly.
Her response was something between a snort and a growl. I came to a stop at the end of the driveway. The plow truck was parked in a small parking area off to the side.
“You can wait here, or go in the house while I check it out.”
“Well, I need to get my car.”
I glanced at her car where the snow was piled up behind it. “Give me your keys, and I'll get your car.”
Mae started to protest, “Rowan, I can—”
I cut in, “Do you really want to sit here and argue with me about this? I can take care of it, probably in a few minutes, if I can start the truck.”
“All right, all right,” she muttered.
Chapter Seven
Rowan
Mae handed me her keys, and I waited while she went inside. I was pretty handy with mechanics. While my dad wasn’t a mechanic by trade, he took care of most of his own car maintenance and enjoyed refurbishing old vehicles. I'd learned all the basics from him. It only took a minute to deduce all this ancient truck needed was a jumpstart. After getting it running, I plowed the drive inside of a few minutes and moved my vehicle to park beside the plow truck before I made sure to clear the area right behind Mae’s car.
When I walked to her door, it swung open just as I lifted my hand to knock. I didn't realize I was cold until she commented, “Get in here. You're shivering.”
I wasn't going to argue because I would take any chance to spend time with Mae. I looked around once I got inside. “Nice place,” I said when my eyes made their way back to hers.
Mae’s lips twitched at the corners. “It's okay, you can say it.”
“Say what?”