Home for Love (An Adult Contemporary Romance) by Aneesa Price Page B

joining in and various
skiing and sledding activities were engaged in. Her grandparents had been
showing a huge burst of renewed energy and when she teased them about it, they
attributed it to her return. Bree’s lips curved at the lie - she was glad for
the truth of the matter, which was that Amber had given them the gift of her
unconditional love.
    When Amber had skidded into the kitchen,
dripping with snow and asking for hot coffee, Bree caved and joined them. The
moment she saw Amber’s awestruck face as they threw the hot coffee into the air
and had watched it freeze, would be one that would stay with her for eternity.
    Tires crunching on the snow alerted her
to a visitor; it was too soon for Amber and her grandparents to be back from
town. The wind had picked up, impacting visibility and she shielded her eyes,
staring, until the blurry figure morphed into Todd. Despite her resolve to
attempt a platonic co-parental relationship with him, she felt a clench in her
gut. Despite the many layers of clothing, there was something about him that
pulled at her - always had.
    “Hi Todd,” she called out from the porch
and let him into the arctic entry. “What brings you around?”
    Handing layers of clothing to Bree,
Todd, shook himself as if that would chase some of the cold away. Darn, he knew
a better remedy for cold and she was standing right there. Not that that would
help much after the way she’d been acting as though he’d been invisible since
the dance. If she weren't so skittish around him, he would’ve thought she was
indifferent.
    Soaking in the warmth of the house, he
looked around searchingly, “There’s a snowstorm coming, and I thought I’d pop
by while I could to see Amber.”
    “Oh,” Bree let slip. Darn it! Of course,
he was here to see Amber. She’d known that. But then why on earth had she thought
that he was there for her? “Of course,” she quickly remedied. “Amber and my
grandparents went to town for supplies. They should be back soon. Would you
like to wait?”
    The banging door of the artic entry made
Bree jump and prevented Todd from responding as he went to close it. “Looks
like the storm is here,” he observed. “Are the men still working on the farm?”
    “Nope,” Bree responded. “They closed the
hothouses with granddad yesterday and the chicken coop was seen to this morning
so they’re all gone.”
    Bree gnawed her lip, “Amber’s never been
in a snowstorm before. Let’s call her.”
    “Bree, I’m glad you called,” her
grandmother’s voice came through the static sounds of storm-whipped phone
lines. “We’ve been trying to get through to you for ages.”
    “Sorry, Gran,” Bree responded, “I got in
a few moments ago and then Todd arrived. The storm's picked up here, so I
must’ve missed your call, and the storm’s interrupting calls coming through I
suppose.”
    “Well,” Moira stated, “the storms in
full force here. I’m afraid, honey, that we won’t be able to come back to the
farm. The three of us will bunk with Mary. I’m glad Todd’s there - means that
he’s stuck too and that you won’t be alone.”
    Yep, thought Bree. Just great. “Can I
speak to Amber please, Gran? If the lines get cut off, I won’t hear from her
for a while.”
    “Sure,” Moira answered before putting
Amber on the line.
    “Mom,” Amber began, “there’s a snowstorm
and the wind’s howling.”
    “The wind’s howling, honey,” Bree
smiled. Trust Amber to get excited about a scary snowstorm.
    “Uh-huh," responded Amber. “And
there’s even more snow than before, but we can’t go out because it’s dangerous
and Gran says that we have to stay warm and we can’t come back because it’s
dangerous and we’re staying in town and…”
    Bree cut the verbal barrage off, a wider
grin on her face, “And you need to be safe. So you know I won’t see you until
after the storm and the roads are cleared?”
    “Yes, mom,” Amber replied all-knowingly,
“Gran told