Gage,” Ashley said, “did you know a T-rex could bite through somebody and kill them with just one chomp? He’d mash them, squirting out their blood all over the place—just like a Fruit Gusher.”
“Ashley Grace Cummings,” Georgia scolded. “Must you speak of such things at the dinner table?”
“It’s true,” the girl said, slathering enough butter atop a corn muffin that it looked more like a frosted cupcake. “I figured Mister Gage should know to be careful. Just in case he ever sees one.”
“Thanks,” he said with a nod. “You’re right, you can never be too careful around those T-rex’s. Especially where I’m from in Texas.”
“Where’s that?” Jess asked, pushing her chair back and standing. She hadn’t even finished her first bowl of chili. Whereas he’d lost a few pounds, upon closer inspection, without her heavy coat, she looked scary thin.
“Dallas. T-rexes on every corner. Good thing Miss Ashley, here, told me to watch out, or I’d be someone’s dinner.”
“I hope a T-rex does get you.” Peeking around the corner from the living room into the kitchen was Lexie, wearing a satisfied smile. “At least then, you wouldn’t be here.”
“Lexie!” Georgia and Jess apologized on the girl’s behalf, but Gage shrugged off their concern. It was all right. He and Lexie had more in common than she could ever possibly know. As such, he’d cut the kid some slack. More than a few times lately, he’d caught himself just short of railing on some poor waitress who’d botched his order. Or his manager for booking too many public appearances when Gage had specifically asked for none.
Jess’s ranch would have been a wonderful place to hide.
Spend downtime nursing emotional wounds with hard work and—
“Heavens,” Georgia said, glancing toward the porch at the sound of an unholy crash. “What was that?”
The back door burst open.
A red-faced, burly man dressed in a flannel shirt and denim overalls looked right at Gage, introduced himself as Jess’s father, Harold, and said, “It’s a darned good thing you’re sticking around for a while because, judging by the mess I just made of my truck, you’re gonna want to stay put.”
SURVEYING THE DAMAGE her father had done to her porch rail, Jess didn’t even try suppressing a groan.
This was a bad joke, right?
Like her home wasn’t already ramshackle enough.
“Sorry, doodlebug,” her father said beneath the porch’s tin roof, kissing her cheek. He practically had to shout to be heard above the clattering ice. “Just as soon as this weather clears, I’ll be over to fix the damage. With Gage’s help, shouldn’t take much longer than an afternoon.”
“Th-that’s all right, Dad.” Arms crossed, teeth chattering, Jess glanced Gage’s way. He wasn’t going to go back on his word, was he? And tell her dad he wouldn’t be staying? “You couldn’t have helped it.” The driveway was completely ice-slicked and her dad had simply lost control.
“Are you hurt?” Georgia asked, worry creasing her brow.
“Whoa!” nine-year-old Lexie said, off the porch and sliding on the icy drive in her pink snow boots. “Grandpa, you did a movie stunt!”
“I love you,” Ashley said, pouring on the sweetness by hugging her grandfather’s legs. “I’m glad you didn’t get hurt from your movie stunt.”
“I’m fine,” he said, kissing Georgia.
“Think we need to stay here tonight?” his wife asked.
“Probably,” he said with a sigh, “but if we do, who’s going to look after the dogs?”
“Yeah,” Jess prodded, yet not without a pang of guilt. “You can’t forget about the dogs.” Just like I can’t forget that if only you two would leave, so would Gage. What kind of daughter was she? Wishing her parents out into this storm?
“We’ll be fine,” Jess’s dad reassured. “In case we can’t make it over, I brought the girls’ presents. But we’re going to have to hustle to unload, then get back on the road.”
“Okay,” Georgia said, already heading inside. “Let me get my coat, and I’ll be right out to help.”
“Wanna bet it takes her a good ten minutes to get back out here?” Jess’s dad asked Gage with a good-natured grin.
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Gage replied.
Georgia was back outside in five minutes. After a flurry of rushing back and forth with packages—little Ashley excited about each one, Lexie more reserved, almost as if she were trying to hide her excitement—Jess waved her parents on their way, saying a quick prayer for their safety.
The second her father’s truck’s brake lights cleared the drive, Ashley suggested, “Let’s open all of Gramma and Grandpa’s presents!”
“N-nope,” Jess said, teeth chattering while she ushered the girls inside. “N-not until Christmas morning. But thanks for the idea. I think since I’m a grown-up, I’ll go ahead and open mine now.”
“That’s not fair!” Ashley bellowed.
Laughing, Jess ruffled her youngest daughter’s hair.
“Mom,” Lexie asked, “can we watch a movie?”
“D-do the dishes first,” Jess said.
“But—”
“Lexie…” Jess warned.
“She’s a handful,” Gage said after the girls had traipsed inside.
“T-tell me about it.”
He chuckled, then stuck his hand out from under the porch’s shelter, letting ice coat his palm. “This is bad. Probably the worst I’ve seen. Got any tire chains?”
“I d-don’t th-think so,” she said through teeth chattering so bad it was hard to speak. “I-if w-we do, they’re in th-the b-barn.”
“I’ll look, you get back in the house.”
“B-but…”
“Go,” he said, pointing to the front door. “The longer you stand out here arguing, the longer it’s going to take me to get on the road.”
Famous last words.
Fifteen minutes later, through the living room curtains, Jess watched Gage slide rusty steel chains around his tires. But about five seconds after having put his truck in gear and backing up to test the traction, even through the window, she heard a metallic snap.
After turning off his truck, Gage hopped out to inspect, only to promptly fall on his behind.
Jess snatched a quilt from the back of a rocker, wrapped it around her
