A Winter of Promises

Chapter 2

Daniel Pierce had always taken pride in being able to read people. It came with owning Snow Haven Ski Lodge, knowing needs, and understanding what really brings them to his little part of the world. Evie Harper, though, was different. A number of years just wasn't going to make the difference.

It was the guardedness with which she held herself shielded, her eyes telling a story of pain, weariness, and something else. There was this hard, fierce love that lay in the way she stared at that little girl who clung to her side—something Daniel could at least understand.

He had spent most of his day at the lodge, deeply concentrating on work as a block between him and this roller coaster of emotions this time with Evie brought again. He ought to know it by now: the hum of tourists checking in, the woody freshness of pine from newly spruced trees, above all, the families pretty raring to go and wanting a piece of Christmas cheer in each activity. Normally, this anchored him. Today they were static.

She found him standing at the reception desk, staring into space. Samantha leaned against the counter, her face an expression of skepticism.

"Okay, out with it." she said in a voice low enough so as not to raise any eyebrows.

"Out with what?"

She gave him a pointed look. "You're a terrible liar, Danny. You've been distracted since last night. Let me guess: it has something to do with a certain someone who just came back to town?"

Daniel didn't even bother to deny it. "Evie's been through a lot. She's back, but I don't know if she's really... here, you know?"

"She's been away ten years," Samantha said quietly. "A lot has happened within those years, not only for her but also for you. Never expect her to jump into your arms as if everything is just the same again."

He laughed. "I am not expecting that."

"Aren't you?" Samantha pressed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Come on, Danny—you had a torch carried for her back when we were kids, and here she is now. But now it's different, and the girl you knew is long gone. You can't protect her from everything, no matter how much you want to."

Daniel opened his mouth to argue but snapped it shut as the front doors to the lodge burst open. Jack Harper strode in, his boots tracking slush onto the polished floor. His keen gaze locked onto Daniel in an instant.

"Got a minute?" Jack asked, his voice clipped.

Daniel nodded, gesturing for him to follow him into his office. Samantha gave him a curious look, but he waved her off.

In the cramped, wood-paneled room, Jack got directly to the point, eschewing small talk entirely.

"Greg phoned her." he announced dispassionately.

Daniel stiffened. "Saying what?"

"Not a lot. Enough, at any rate, to take care of his still-reigning king impression." Then a flexing of his jaw betokened Jack's emotion at the situation. "Told her we'd get in touch with him ourselves—but you know how that flies when it comes to Evie's battles."

"Can you blame her?" Daniel asked. "After everything she's been through?"

"No." Jack admitted, dropping into one of the chairs across from Daniel's desk. "But that doesn't mean she has to do this alone."

Daniel nodded slowly. "I'll keep an eye on her. If Greg tries anything."

"He won't get the chance." Jack interrupted. His voice was hard, but the worry in his eyes was impossible to miss.

"She's got you. And me." Daniel replied matter-of-factly. "We won't let him near her or Lily."

Jack blew hard, and some of the tension in his shoulders seemed to lift off. "Thanks, man. I know you've got her back."

Much later that night, Daniel was out at the cabin at Harpers'. The snow came down in big flakes, falling without any noise or murmur and deadening everything. A spill of light brightening the yard from the window had its lights spilled into the yard when, for one moment, he fumed.

He didn't want to overstep, but Evie was independent—a fact she'd made crystal clear last night when she'd refused even the simplest of offers. Yet, he couldn't get the image of her face from his mind—the fear that had seethed below her mask of bravado.

Not giving himself time for second guesses, he raised his hand and knocked.

The door opened to Jack, his expression impassive. "Pierce."

"Is Evie home?"

Jack stepped aside and let Daniel in. The cabin was warm against the chill of outside. Evie sat curled on the couch in the living room. A book was across her lap. Lily was on the floor beside her, crayons and papers everywhere.

"Daniel." Evie said, cautious.

"What brings you here?" he asked lightly.

Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing, finally turning to Lily. "Time to start getting ready for bed, sweetheart."

"Do I have to?" whined Lily, not tearing her eyes from her drawing.

Daniel ducked down to her level, tugging the small smile further up on his lips. "How about this? You go off to bed now, and tomorrow, I show you the best sledding hill in Snow Haven."

Bright circles shone in the little girl's eyes now. "Really?"

"Really." he promised.

With another beam, the little girl raced to her room, and Daniel was left with the lady. She crossed her arms, leaning against the back of the couch.

"You didn't have to do that," she said.

"I didn't mind." he said. "Lily's a great kid."

For an instant, her expression had loosened. But with one heartbeat, the tension seeped right on back in. "Why are you really here, Daniel?"

Suddenly he didn't have anything to say.

"Because I know Greg called you."

Her eyes widened by a fraction, and she averted them, veiling a flicker of surprise. "Jack told you."

"He's concerned about you. We are."

"I don't need you or Jack fighting my battles," she said, some snap to her voice now.

"I know you don't," he said softly. "But that doesn't mean we're not going to try."

She stepped back, her jaw clenching. "I can take care of Greg."

"I'm not arguing that you can't, but you don't have to face it all by yourself, Evie. Let us protect you for once."

She said nothing at first, then her tenuous breath came out in a sudden soft whisper, as if as an afterthought, "I'm not sure that I will make this." "You can." he said, steady. "And you will. We've got your back, Evie. All of us."

The quiet was suddenly rent, before she could get a word in edgewise, by the sound of a loud crash. Jack pounded in. His face was grim. "Someone's outside."

Daniel was already heading toward the window. The snow-covered yard was wide open, but a series of footprints ran off it, away from the house and toward the woods.

"Stay here." Daniel ordered, tugging on his coat.

Jack grabbed his own jacket. “Like hell, I’m staying behind.”

Evie opened her mouth to protest, but Daniel talked over her. "Lock the door. Don't open it for anyone but us."

Her face was white, but she nodded.

The cold bit at Daniel's skin as he and Jack followed the footprints. The woods were silent but for the crunch of snow beneath their boots. The tracks were fresh, but whoever had been there was long gone.

"They wanted us to know they were here," Jack growled.

Daniel nodded grimly. "This isn't over."

Inside, Evie sat by the fire, her eyes darting every few seconds toward the door, bolted and locked. Outside the ice-glass window, though, a form was watching, its hot breath misting cold glass with an almost whisper-soft hiss. “Soon.”