And being with Will.

She indulged the thought, trying it on for size.

It wasn’t just that he was handsome—very handsome—he was clever and accomplished, and he was unbelievably easy to talk to. She’d never known a man like that; she had even told him about her problems with Angela, her manager.

And in the quiet moments over the past few hours—none of them awkward, she realised—her fantasy of the fireside lovemaking had really taken shape. Had she been asked, she could have described it in as much detail as a love scene from a romance novel. In fact, she could probably pen a romance novel now. The Awakening of Lucy Browning.

The car felt very warm all of a sudden and she tugged at the prickly neck of her jumper as they started to move again.

“Not long now,” Will said. Lucy hoped that in the dim light of the car, he couldn’t see how flushed she was. “The cabin’s just a couple of miles out of town. Once we get to the outskirts, the traffic should free up. We may actually be able to do more than twenty!”

She expelled a breathy laugh at the irony of being so close to their destination but wanting to stay in the car longer.

*

“You’re here!” Jules’s mum burst out of the cabin and jogged down to the car just as Lucy climbed out. Even in the dim light coming from the cabin windows, Lucy could see right away that she and Jules could have easily passed for sisters, rather than mother and daughter.

Steph—she’d always been “Steph” to Lucy, right from when Lucy met her aged eleven—hugged her tightly and Lucy felt wrapped up in the welcome. Steph stepped back and looked at her. “It’s so good to have you here. Jules loves you just like a sister and that means you’re family to us too.”

The tears from earlier made another appearance. Lucy knew her parents loved her—of course they did—but she had never received such an effusive welcome from her mum. She beamed back at Steph and finally found her voice. “Thank you. I’m very happy to be here. And Breckenridge is just …” She had no adequate words.

“I know. I feel the same way, even after all these years.” Steph squeezed her shoulders.

“Hi, Mom.” They turned at Will’s voice and Lucy saw that he was laden with her case and his, with the strap of her carry-on over one shoulder.

“Oh, I can—” she started, reaching for the handle of her case.

“It’s all good. I got it.”

“Hi, honey.” Steph reached up to kiss her son on the cheek. “I’m glad you got here safely,” she added, then turned towards the cabin. “Come on! It’s freezing out here and your dad’s made hot chocolate,” she called as she jogged up the steps.

“After you,” said Lucy, “as you’re the one carrying everything.” He lifted the cases easily up the front steps and Lucy followed him inside, taking in the enormity of the home as she went. To call it a “cabin” was a gross understatement; it was a mansion by any measure of the word.