Free Winter Eve by Lia Davis

life either at work or tinkering around the house. Fuck, he sounded like a whiny bastard. At least he enjoyed his job and had a roof over his head.
    He worked for another hour or so on the school budget for the upcoming year and called it a day. He closed down his computer, locked up his desk, and walked out to his car, the tension never quite leaving his shoulders as he looked forward to the long weekend.
    The snow had just started to fall again, leaving a light dusting on the sidewalks and cars. Everything looked like the beginning of a white wonderland, complete with Thanksgiving and harvest decorations in store windows. The one-road town appeared to be a scene sliced from an old western movie. The storefronts had been updated over the years, the road had been paved, but the town still looked old-timey. The road branched off in other directions as people built out, but Main Street remained the center of town. The snow was light, but he knew it wouldn’t take long for the sidewalks and roads to become slick. He stopped beside his car and called town maintenance, which consisted of George, his plow truck, and a few other key tools.
    “Hey, I know the school’s closed, but I'd still like you to salt the sidewalks, just in case. You never know what kids will want to do once they get a break.” The last thing he needed was a kid to break an arm or worse. Not to mention the irate parents that would blame him. As much as he loved the kids, sometimes dealing with parents made him feel as if his job was sucking the life out of him.
    George grunted, but agreed to prep the sidewalks.
    Justin hung up, shivered in his coat, and got in his SUV. It dawned on him that it would have been smarter to get in the car and then make the phone call. Why he hadn't done that was beyond him. Maybe it was old age. Okay, he wasn’t that old, but damn, he sure felt it. He slammed the door shut, shivered again, and started his car. He let it idle for a few moments while it warmed and cupped his hands over his mouth. Dear God, when did it get this cold? It hadn’t been this cold that morning.
    When the car was finally heated up enough that he wasn’t afraid he’d kill the engine, he shifted into drive and headed home. It wasn’t even that late; he just wanted to go to bed. His body felt heavy, heated, and edgy. Maybe he just needed a beer. All the more reason to head home. 
    Justin carefully navigated the roads, not surprised at the lack of cars. People who lived in Montana were accustomed to snow, but that didn’t mean people necessarily loved to drive in it, nor did they drive anywhere, if they didn’t have to. The ice was already starting to build up, and Justin knew, in a few more minutes, it would get dangerous. Luckily, he lived close enough to the school that on a warm day he could jog to work; not that he wanted to do that anymore. The leering looks from some of the single and not-so-single moms when he had done so had quickly squashed that idea.
    He pulled into his driveway, parked, and then shuffled as quickly as he could into his home. Thankfully, he’d turned the heater on with a timer before he’d left, so stepping into the house wasn’t like stepping into an icebox. He shook off the snow and stepped out of his shoes. He hated cleaning, so he did his best not to be a slob. He wasn’t a neat freak like his brother Jackson, but he kept a clean house.
    He knew his home wasn’t perfect, far from it. It would always be a work in progress, at least until he had someone to share it with; another heartbeat in the house. He’d filled the rooms with heavy furniture suitable for him and his brothers. There was no feminine energy whatsoever in the home. He hadn’t painted the walls yet, beyond a quick white coat, because he didn’t know what he wanted. He also hadn’t yet put anything up on the walls. It was as if he were waiting for something—or someone—to help him fill it. What, or who, he didn’t know.
    With a sigh, he strode