The Daddy Wish. Brenda Harlen

      “You don’t want to know who did it?”

      “I will know,” he said confidently. “But I don’t need to know today.”

      “In that case—” she glanced at her watch as they made their way toward the exit “—we should be able to get to the airport in time to catch an earlier flight back to Raleigh.”

      “That would be good.” He stopped to pull his phone out of his pocket and frowned at the message he read. “But I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

      “Why not?”

      “Apparently a storm has moved into this area. I just got a notification from the airline that our flight has been delayed.”

      She pulled out her phone and found that she’d received the same message. “There has to be a mistake—the forecast was clear.”

      “Then the forecast was wrong.”

      She halted beside him at the glass doors and blinked, as if she didn’t quite believe what she was seeing. Or rather not seeing, since the blowing snow made it impossible to see anything past it.

      Nate was focused on his phone, checking for updates from the airline. “All flights are canceled for the next twelve hours.”

      “So what are we supposed to do?” She couldn’t help but think of the promise she’d made to Dylan that morning.

      “Find a hotel,” he said easily. “Hopefully one that isn’t too far away from where we are right now.”

      “A hotel?” she echoed.

      “Unless you want to bunk down here?”

      “Of course not.” What she wanted was to be back in Charisma, in her own apartment with her son—not stranded in St. Louis, and especially not with a man who made her feel nothing but heat despite the obviously frigid temperatures outside.

      “There’s a Courtland not too far from here,” he said. “Let me just give them a call and see if we can get a room.”

      “Two rooms.”

      But the room situation wasn’t really her biggest concern—nor was the fact that she hadn’t packed an overnight bag. She was more worried about the fact that she hadn’t packed anything for Dylan. Of course, her ex-husband knew that Mrs. Hanson, the widow who lived across the hall from Allison and Dylan, had a spare key and could let him in to get whatever he needed. She just wasn’t sure that Jeff would know what their son needed.

      Did he know that Dylan had specific pajamas that he liked to wear when he stayed at his dad’s house? Would he remember to pack Bear, the little boy’s ancient and much-loved teddy bear? Would he make sure that Dylan did his homework? Would he remember to pack his lunch for the next day? She worried about all of those details while Nathan made a phone call to secure their hotel rooms.

      Less than five minutes later, they battled the blowing snow and howling wind toward their rental car in the parking lot. Despite the wild weather, Nate went around to the passenger side to open the door for her, an unexpectedly chivalrous gesture that reminded her there was more to the man than his reputation implied.

      She slid into her seat and buckled up, aware that the roads were going to be icy and slick—and still not nearly as dangerous as spending the night in a hotel with Nathan Garrett.