“And maybe she’s frozen and vulnerable, hiding somewhere.”

“Shit, Rosey.” He pulls out his phone and starts to type. “There. I messaged a couple of people to keep an eye out. Bring her food in case she comes back. We gotta go.”

I hand him my bag of belongings and grab the cat food. We both brace ourselves for the storm as we head to Byron’s cabin.

FIFTEEN

Rosey

Byron’s cabin is an exact replica of mine, but it still feels weird being here. With him. He’s my boss, but it doesn’t feel like he has all the power. It feels more like we’re at the end of a date—minus the tornado threat. That can’t be a good sign. I need to focus on the impending disaster rather than the guy who came down the mountain just in time to… rescue me?

“Help yourself to whatever you need,” Byron says, as if an incoming tornado is a regular occurrence. “There’s hot chocolate on the counter. Should I make us some?”

“You think we’re going to be safe?” I ask, glancing out the window. The rain sounds less like it’s falling and more like it’s attacking the cabin with pickaxes.

He catches my eye, holds my gaze and says, “You’re safe now. It’s going to be okay.”

My stomach lurches. Does he mean tonight or forever?

But of course, I know the answer.

I break eye contact. “I’ll make the drinks,” I say. The least I can do is make myself useful. “Thank you so much for helping me,” I call out as Byron heads into the bedroom. “And letting me stay here.”

He reappears in dry clothes with a towel in his hand. “It’s not a big deal. This is the pre-storm. It’s going to get worse.” He rubs a towel against his wet hair, leaving him looking adorably mussed.

“Of course it’s a big deal. I’d be completely on my own if you hadn’t shown up.”

“I didn’t expect the rain this early,” he says.

“I didn’t think I’d need to worry about tornadoes in Colorado.” I pour hot milk into mugs and try not to think about Byron’s worn gray joggers, or the way their low-slung position on his hips should carry an R rating.

“Was that part of your criteria when you were deciding where to come to after the wed— You know?”

I smile at him trying to say the right thing, which is impossible when talking about how I ran out of my wedding. My situation is so ridiculous. He’s not the one who should feel awkward.