The Pucking Girl Next Door (Power Play Off The Ice: Snowed in for the Hoildays)

6. Annabelle

Chapter 6

Annabelle

R ing! Ring! The sound of my phone ringing next to me has me rolling over to grab it from my nightstand. Without even checking the caller ID, I answer, "Hello?"

"Oh Annabelle. Thank God. Are you okay?" my mother says in a high pitch voice through the phone. I can feel her relief, which has me furrowing my brows with confusion.

"Ugh yeah why?" I ask groggily.

"Have you looked outside? The news here is saying the snowstorm hit you last night earlier than expected, and it's the biggest one they've seen in years."

"No," I answer sitting straight up in bed when I whisper gasp into the phone. "Do you know if my flight has been canceled?"

My mom continues, "Sorry Annabelle. Your flight has been canceled and I've been looking all morning but it doesn't look like they have any more flights leaving Ember Bend any time soon."

My chest tightens at the thought of not being with my family for Christmas. I need to get up and see what is happening. I throw the covers off of me as climb out of the bed, still holding the phone next to my ear. As soon as the covers come off, the cold air hits me, causing me to shiver. "Shit. I think the power is out. It's freezing in here," I say to myself as much as to my mother.

Not wanting to freeze any more than I have to, I grab the blanket off the bed and wrap it around myself to get warm as my mom tells me, "If the power is out, you need to go to the main house. Even if the generator isn't working because of the storm, it will be better because you can use the fireplace for heat."

"That's not a bad idea," I breathe out. My mind races about all the things I need to do in order to get through this storm, while simultaneously worrying about whether I'll be able to see my family. Tears threaten to fall when my brain wanders toward the idea of not seeing them and being all by myself on Christmas day. Shaking my head as soon as the thought enter, because nope, I'm not going there.

Taking a deep breath, I blow it out through my nose, because I need to get on with the day. "I'll let you go, I don't want to wear my battery down. I'll head up to check the house and call the airport to see if I'll be able to get out of here in the next few days."

"Okay, honey. Stay safe and make sure to check in."

"I will Mom."

I hang up the phone and run over to my closet to get dressed, making sure to layer up because I need to stay warm, while walking outside. I put a tank top on over my bra, I’ll definitely need the layers if the heat is on in the main house.

Pulling the thickest sweater I have off the hanger in my closet, I put it on over my t-shirt and can't help but snuggle into it. Not only is it the thickest sweater I have but also the softest one too. I trade out my pajama pants for some leggings and thick wool socks.

Moving to the bathroom to brush my teeth, the scenery outside grabs my attention and I'm drawn to the picture window in the living room. When I see that, the yard is blanketed in white powder, it causes my whole jaw to drop. You can't see any green anywhere except for the very tops of the trees and even that is few and far between. It's beautiful though, like a winter wonderland.

This right here is the reason my parents moved here, and why I don't want to move anywhere else. You can't beat how beautiful the snow is and the way it looks when it covers everything in sight.

"I guess I need to put my snow pants and boots on, because I won't be driving up there today, but it shouldn't be too bad," I muse to myself after admiring the snow for a few minutes.

Once I'm done brushing my teeth, I pull on my snow pants and boots. From the small hall closet next to the front door, I grab my big winter coat, zipping it up as far as it would go.

Ready to head out into the snow and get up to the big house, I take a tentative step out onto my porch. The wind blows through my body, forcing a huge shiver to wrack my body.

Needing to get warmer, I grab the hat and gloves out of the pockets of my jacket. I put them on, hoping to keep the cold air away from my skin as much as possible.

Taking that first step into the snow, my foot instantly sinks down. "Shit. I guess we got more snow than I thought. It's now or never," I mumble to myself as I continue to step through the snow toward the house, thoughts of the heater on my mind.

What should've taken me five minutes ended up being about fifteen the huge hill in the backyard being the worst part as I kept slipping trying to climb it. I'm not saying I fell on my butt a few times, but there's a chance I fell on my butt a few times. When I reach the back deck, I can't help but do a tiny victory dance. Pulling my keys out, I unlock the door and bask in the heat of the house as soon as I enter.

Yes. The power is on so I won't have to do anything special.

Needing to get my layers off because it's warm in here, I pull my gloves and hat off, pocketing them in my jacket. I unzip my jacket, hanging it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. I begin walking through the house to make sure that everything is still in working order. As soon as my foot hits the floor in the living room, I hear a deep voice from my side. "Can I help you?"

"Ahh!" I scream, throwing my hands in the air, trying to balance myself as I spin toward the voice.

My heart races as black spots blur my vision. Leaning over, I place my hands on my knees as I try to gasp for air. Closing my eyes, I just hope to dear god that I'm able to regain my composure in a timely manner before the stranger in the house murders me.

A rough hand rubs against my back. The contact brings a shiver to me, forcing me back into the present. I try to shake him off, not really wanting to be comforted by a man who could possibly murder me, but he doesn't allow me to.

When I'm finally able to settle my heart and breathe at a normal rate, I look up into the deepest brown eyes. Not being able to tear myself away, my heart skips a beat once again, but for a different reason. While I drown in the beauty of his chocolate colored eyes, my panties dampen.

Oh shit. This can't be happening right now. I cannot be attracted to the man who might murder me.

"You're not going to murder me, are you?" I blurt out.

"What?" he asks me and I can't help but notice the sexy smirk his lips make.

Shaking my head, I mumble, "Never mind."

Standing up to my full height, I take a step back, trying to put space between us. It's like magic. The more space I'm able to put between us, the better I'm able to think. I really should ask this stranger a few more questions, but I can't seem to get the words out of my mouth. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to have the same issue. "What are you doing here? Do you work for the Roger's?"

I can't help it as a huge laugh bursts from me. Who is this guy?

"Work for them?" I blurt out, trying to compose myself, but I can't seem to stop laughing. And by the way he's glaring at me, I can tell that he doesn't seem to think it's as funny as I do.

After a few minutes, I clear my throat and try to keep my laughter down enough to answer his question. "Ugh no. I don't work for them. I'm their daughter, Annabelle Rogers. And you are?"

This time, his jaw drops in disbelief. "Yo-you’re Annabelle? Little belly?"

I bristle at the childhood nickname, and it takes me a minute to realize that he shouldn't know that's what my brother called me when I was younger. "Uh, and who are you?" I ask again.

He places a hand over his chest dramatically. "I'm offended that you don't recognize me, even after all these years. I'm Steven's friend, Smith Cabot."

As soon as he says his name I tilt my head as my eyes gaze down his body getting a better look. And boy, am I not disappointed. Straight, dark brown hair that is short on the sides but long on top, making it hang down in front of his eyes, and a muscular build that's not too bulky. When my gaze goes back up to his face, he has a cocky smile that tells me he saw me checking him out.

I can't believe it. It's Smith Cabot, the boy from next door, my childhood crush and my brother's best friend.

Then the next thought hits me.

Holy crap, he is FREAKING HOT!!