The Rancher's Second Chance by Victoria James

going home. No way will you be able to.”
    She stopped hopping. “Me? I can assure you—”
    “No, you can’t.”
    “This is about me being short again, isn’t it?”
    He opened his mouth, about to say something, and then shut it. “Follow me.”
    “Where are we going?”
    “I have a small cabin not that far from here. But listen, this storm is picking up fast. You need to cut all the chitchat if we’re going to make it there. No needless rambling, no questions, no wandering off.”
    “Where would I wander? I’m not a child.”
    “Because if you get lost, it will be next to impossible for me to find you.”
    She nodded. He noted that she was already shivering and they’d only been outside for a minute. “Come on,” he called out, going down the steps. He looked over his shoulder to make sure she was following before he took the trail that was already covered with snow. He glanced over his shoulder every minute or so to make sure she was behind him. He could barely concentrate on the fact that his little sister had just put him in the awkward position of being a babysitter to her friend. He couldn’t deliberate on that because the wind kept slapping snow onto his face. He glanced over at Melanie, who was visibly shaking, but not complaining. He paused for a moment and then stopped. She looked up. Somehow, even though it was dark and gray, her green eyes were vivid.
    “Why are we stopping?”
    “I’ll take your bag,” he said, already pulling the strap over her shoulder. He eyed the shiny purse warily.
    “Thanks. I can handle the purse.”
    He gave her a nod and then kept walking. On a normal day the cabin would be a fifteen-minute walk from the chapel. Right now, it would probably take them another thirty minutes if they were lucky. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
    “You do know where we’re going, right?”
    He stopped abruptly, and then she walked into his back. He sighed and turned around and frowned when he saw how badly she was shaking. That stupid jacket she was wearing wasn’t for winter. They needed to hurry up.
    “Of course. Remember I said no chitchat? It slows us down.” He grabbed her hand , not bothering to question why a sudden jolt of something other than cold washed through him at the feel of her small hand in his. Or that she didn’t attempt to pull it out. “If we move quickly, we should get to the cabin in less than twenty minutes,” he said. The damn wind roared in his ears and he was preoccupied by the thought that she’d get frostbite with her fashionable, stupid attire.
    “Cole!”
    Now what? She was tugging on his arm. He didn’t want to stop, so he just slowed down and nodded, indicating he’d heard.
    “A thought just occurred to me.”
    He kept walking, ignoring the tugging.
    “Are there any wild animals out here?”
    God. “What are you talking about?”
    “Wild animals! You know, the kind that might attack us? Your sister told me about a coyote…”
    “Honey, we’re the only ones stupid enough to be out here right now.” His sister and her crazy stories. He tugged on Melanie’s hand, hopefully indicating how important it was to keep moving and stop thinking about nonsense. Wind tore at them, sending a mix of snow and ice that made it impossible to walk straight. He knew the cabin would enter his sight line soon, but he also knew that if he didn’t focus, they could easily miss it. Blizzards could send even the finest outdoorsman in the wrong direction. He wasn’t about to let Melanie in on the fact that he was getting a little worried. He knew this area like the back of his hand, but now that it was almost pitch-black, and the snow had reduced visibility screwing up was a very real possibility.
    “You do know where we’re going, don’t you?” she called out. He didn’t stop walking to answer her.
    “Of course.” He hoped to God he was right.
    After a few more minutes of walking he glanced over at Melanie. Her head was bent, the chatter