Let It Snow by Beth Moran

Author:Beth Moran [Moran, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books

‘That’s the last of it,’ Henry said, stepping in the front door.

I looked at the pitiful number of logs in his arms with dismay. ‘That won’t last us the night.’

He carefully placed them on the floor a safe distance away from the fireplace. ‘The snow’s so deep that we won’t find anything else dry enough to burn.’

‘So we’re now on heating rations, as well as water.’ I added it to the list of complaints that I’d be reporting to the letting agents as soon as we had Internet or they were answering the phone again.

‘If we keep the doors shut then hopefully we can retain some heat in here.’

‘What about upstairs, though? There was ice on the inside of the bedroom window when we arrived. That roof keeps in about as much heat as a tent.’

‘I’ll sleep upstairs. I can borrow Beyoncé’s trick and layer up. Unless you’d rather I had the sofa?’

I handed him his hot chocolate. ‘I won’t be able to sleep knowing you’re upstairs potentially slipping into a hypothermic coma. Could we both sleep in here? If we bring down the pillows and bedding, use the extra cushions, one of us could sleep on the floor.’

‘If you’re sure?’

‘We’ve already spent two nights as roomies, might as well make it a third if it avoids freezing to death.’

It didn’t take long to create a makeshift bed in front of the fire. We agreed that I’d take the sofa, with a duvet for warmth, and Henry would take the floor, with two blankets and assorted clothing.

We added a carefully rationed-out log to the fire, turned off the lights, and settled in, trying to ignore the temperature already dropping.

It no longer felt strange to have Henry’s solid presence nearby as I slept, and after another eventful day I found myself dozing off almost instantly. However, when I woke up with a start, every bone in my body shivering, I was disheartened to see it was only two in the morning.

Teeth chattering, muscles clenched as they braced against the cold, I pulled my hat back down over my ears and debated whether I dared brave exiting the duvet to find another jumper.

‘You know how you didn’t want me freezing to death?’ Henry’s soft rumble interrupted my fretting.

‘That would be my preferred option, yes.’

‘I don’t suppose you’d be open to sharing the duvet?’

Without saying anything, I slipped off the sofa, bringing the duvet with me. Henry deftly arranged the blankets so that the bedding was evenly distributed and then settled back down on the far edge of the cushions.

The additional layers helped, but not enough. It felt as though my blood had turned to icy slush and I’d never get warm again. After a long minute, Henry rolled onto his back, shifting close enough that I could feel his heat radiating like a giant hot-water bottle. There was no risk of this man freezing to death. I couldn’t resist inching a tiny bit closer.

‘Come here, then.’

In a smooth motion that brought back

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