Page 18 of The Mountain Man's Mail-Order Wife
I should be happy for her. She has the means to support herself. Leave here. Except the ache in my chest and churning in my belly says I’m not.
RILEY
By the time I find clothes to wear and get outside it’s snowing.
The wind is flinging the light flurries in all directions and it’s like standing in a snow globe.
Stepping off the porch, I spread my arms wide and spin around, my face tipped up to catch the falling snow on my tongue.
I love the first snowfall of the year. And without Aunt Bethany, I can actually enjoy it the way I want instead of being trapped on the porch, watching, not touching. I was never allowed to do anything that might make me sick. Playing in the snow or rain were banned.
Not anymore.
Grinning like a fool, I bend down and try to scoop up a handful of flakes to make a snowball. Except there isn’t enough on the ground yet. And what is there is melting too quickly to hold on to.
It doesn’t matter. I’ll have more opportunities to play in the snow. Dance in the rain.
“What the hell?”
Felix’s voice has me spinning around. Except I’m not quite upright yet and lose my balance. Falling on my butt with a squeak, I land hard, my pants instantly soaked through.
The horrified look on Felix’s face as he races across the yard toward me has me laughing. “I’m fine.”
My reassurance doesn’t stop him from dropping to his knees beside me. “Are you hurt? Did you twist an ankle?”
Choking back a laugh, I grab his wrists and stop his hands from searching my body for injury. “No, I told you I’m fine.”
His gaze meets mine, the fear in his dark blue orbs sobering me instantly. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” I slide my hands to his and curl my fingers around his larger ones as best I can. “I’m fine. Didn’t even get the air knocked out of me,” I say with a smile.
Eyes searching mine, his fingers grip mine tighter. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m not. Promise.”
“What were you doing?”
“Playing in the snow.”
With a frown, he looks around us. “Not much to play with yet.”
“I know. But I never got to do it before and I really want to.”
Gaze back on mine, the right side of his mouth kicks up. “You want to play in the snow?”
“Yes. I want to throw snowballs and build snowmen and dance and spin as it falls from the sky.”
“Okay.” Standing, he pulls me up with him but doesn’t let go when we’re both upright. “Then you’ll build snowmen, throw snowballs and dance as much as you want. But you’ll have to wait about an hour for there to be enough for the first two.”
“But I can dance in it now?”
“You can.” He nods. “But maybe over there where it’s grass not gravel underneath you in case you fall again.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I see there’s a patch of green lawn at the side of the house. “Oh, I didn’t know you had a yard.”
“It wraps around the back where the woodshed and greenhouse are.”
“You have a greenhouse?” Excitement bubbles inside me. “What do you grow? Vegetables? Fruit? Flowers?”
