Finding Me in the Storm (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

Chapter One

Elaina

“I can’t die out here,” I cry out, trying to fight against the heavy snowdrifts.

I now understand why the taxi driver wouldn’t drive all the way to the resort. The falling white curtains of precipitation add depth to the growing drifts on the ground. The pathway is out of sight, hidden beneath the snow. I don’t know which direction to go in—I’ve never been here before. I check my phone, but it doesn’t appear to be picking up a signal. For someone who prides themselves on always having a plan, this is a complete disaster. I’ve gone through too many years of schooling, simply to perish right after finally finishing my residency. That seems like a tragic tale if I’ve ever heard one.

“Okay, don’t panic,” I demand out loud as I put my phone in my pocket.

I squint through the falling snow to see a small spiral of smoke heading heavenward in the distance. I trudge forward but am immediately brought to a halt as the wheels on my luggage sink helplessly into the thick blanket of snow. I attempt to pick up the luggage to carry it, but it is too heavy to budge. Luna, my best friend, told me this place would have more snow than I’ve witnessed in my lifetime. I’m now regretting my impeccable overpacking skills. I attempt to keep the massive bag moving behind me, dragging it through the drifts is tiring my muscles. I steady my shoulders and give one more major tug on the luggage. If this doesn’t dislodge the bag, I’m giving up and leaving it behind.

Plop! Onto my backside, I go, right in the cold, damp snow.

“Come on,” I shout into the air, hitting the ground next to me with my hands.

After years of study and hard work, I was looking forward to this gift from my best friend. A fully-paid ski vacation seemed like the perfect solution to rest and regroup for whatever comes next. Yes, she told me about the snow situation, but I didn’t expect a blizzard to welcome me to the-middle-of-nowhere New York State. I thought ski resorts had more people, employees to help and a clear driveway to arrive on for their guests. Where are the valets to greet you and the toasty fireplace with a warm cup of cocoa? I worry Luna might have exaggerated the poshness of this particular destination.

I will not lose it, now get up, I order myself as I rise from the ground.

A tough wind swirls around me as I decide to abandon my luggage. Through the blizzard, I see the smoke which has grown thicker now. That is my goal, and I will make it. The snow might have other ideas, but I will not let that stop me.

As I stand on my feet, a gust of wind hits my soaked clothes causing me to shiver.

“What do you think you’re doing?” a man’s voice booms as I startle at the intrusion.

Before I can respond in any manner, I’m lifted off the ground and into his arms.

“You should have told me—” he pauses.

I look up into the stunned face of Nate, Luna’s brother. The man is wearing a beanie and a heavy jacket, and disbelief is written on every feature of his extremely handsome face. I haven’t seen him the past three times Luna and I visited her parents’ house. Still, I’ll never forget those hooded eyes, chiseled jaw, and scowl every time he turns in my direction.

“What are you doing here?” I call out and attempt to push myself from his embrace.

“You are supposed to be Luna,” he growls, marching us toward some destination I still can’t see.

“Surprise, I’m not. Luna gave me a vacation as a surprise gift,” I begin to explain. “You know I can walk, right? I don’t need to be manhandled.”

“In those boots, you won’t make it far, Doctor.” He glares.

He always uses my profession against me, and I’m not sure why.

“I didn’t ask for you to rescue me. You can be assured if I had known you were here, I would have turned down Luna’s gift.”

“Oh, I know it,” he says. “This has my sister written all over it.”

The stubborn man doesn’t even hesitate as he continues to carry me. A cabin now comes into view where the smoke was coming from. Where is the resort? Surely, this can’t be it. I’m pretty certain Luna tricked me into taking her place—but why?

The second we are inside, I can escape his grasp. I’ve had a few dreams over the years about a man sweeping me off my feet. Those images never included this man or anything remotely similar to this odd scene unfolding around me.

I should make tracks anywhere but where Nate is sure to be headed. I can’t spend another moment with this man. Sure, he might help ensure I don’t freeze to death at the moment, but he will be back to his ways soon enough. Nate has mastered the art of making me feel insignificant and an overachiever. Women revere the man all over the world and, for years, he made a solid living as a model. The blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and ridiculously perfect face only seem to irritate me every time he’s around.

Fortunately, most of the time, Luna and I don’t cross paths with him. She goes home for holidays as we both live in Chicago, close to where we went to college. I have been fortunate to work at the hospital since graduation, and she works in interior design. Her parents reside in Ridgefield, so I’ve only interacted with him on the trips I went home with her for breaks.

It’s not the looks but that razor-sharp wit of his that makes the two of us bicker like school kids. He thinks I’m too serious and spending all my time at the bedside of sick and ailing patients. He once called me the most uptight saint he had ever had the misfortune to meet. I, of course, called him a pretty face with no substance, only seeking his next fun adventure. It was not a good evening for either of us.

“We’re here,” he mutters and dumps me on the porch. “Before you ask, I’m getting your bag now.”

He turns back into the blizzard without another word.

I stare at the tiny cabin nervously as I try the door handle. This is definitely not the high-end resort Luna spoke of. At this point, I couldn’t care less, resort or not, as long as it’s warm and gets me out of these wet clothes.

The inside is actually quite nice, with raw wood beams, and a cozy décor. With the modern appliances, in the small kitchen to the left, it all was much more than I expected. There is a massive fireplace straight ahead that is crackling with warmth as I move toward it with my hands outstretched.

The door whips open, causing me to jump and turn in fright. Nate places my extra-large luggage right inside the door and turns to lock us in together. My blood pressure skyrockets and sparks my survival instincts to life.

“Please let there be two bedrooms,” I mumble softly to the night.

“We can’t stay here together,” I tell him in no uncertain terms.

“Well, Dr. Know It All, if you have any idea how to master the storm and make the snow stop, be my guest,” he responds, flinging his hand wide.

“You don’t have a vehicle out here?” I demand.

“Yes, but it’s already buried in the snow we’ve been receiving all day. I’m not sure if you didn’t check the weather before trekking out here, but this is the worst storm of the year so far. If it continues like this overnight, we’ll probably be stuck for a few days.”

“I didn’t check the weather,” I admit with a slight wrinkling of my nose. “Luna assured me that all the amenities I might need to weather snow were at the resort. She talked about hot chocolate by the fireplace, saunas, and then learning to ski,” I tell him with a roll of my eyes as I look left and then right. “I don’t understand if she lied or was just wildly mistaken as to where I would be headed.”

“The resort is two miles in that direction.” He points to his left. “We can visit there for all of those things when we get unburied after the storm. This is my family cabin. I purchased it and fully remodeled the inside a few years ago, and we all rotate in for downtime as we like.”

“Your house?” I question. “You mean I have to listen to your rules.”

“I am not senile enough to believe the almighty doctor would listen to anyone’s rules, but yes, my house on paper,” he says. “How in the world did Luna not tell you that I would be here?”

“You said the whole family rotates in and out. Maybe she didn’t know,” I query him, praying that is the case.

“Nope. We arranged a sibling weekend, and she even called this morning to ensure I would be here.”

“So, she set us up, for some reason,” I whisper. “I guess we can call and find out,” I tell him as I pull out my phone.

“You really live a charmed life if you believe that phone will do its job in this weather,” Nate taunts me.

“You know Luna says you are Mr. Nice Guy, and everyone loves you. Why, then, are you so prickly around me?” I question, leveling him with a glare. “We need to resolve whatever animosity you hold so we might at least survive the next day or so,” I say with a firm tone.

He laughs. Nothing more, just a rude chuckle that becomes a belly laugh.

“You know that you can’t control everything, right? I mean, if I don’t want to like you, I don’t have to,” he says with a slight shrug. “Oh, and there is nothing you can do to change my mind.”

I squint at him in frustration. “Acting like a child is not a good look on you.”

“I’m okay with that analysis,” he says as he turns toward the bedroom. “I’m exhausted after all that manual work of carrying you up this trail. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“What? Where should I sleep? What am I supposed—”

The door closes as I stand fuming. Turning in a circle, the long day settles in on me now that the adrenaline has subsided. Finding a bed of my own is a good idea. Tomorrow morning, I am going to need all my strength to manage time with this…man. The second I can crawl out of this prison, I am getting Luna on the line. My best friend has some explaining to do, and maybe a little groveling as well, for putting me in this ridiculous predicament.