Free Stay: Changing Tides, Book 1 by Candi Wall

Brack when his eyebrows arched over puppy-dog pleading eyes? As if that wasn’t enough, Jonathon’s expression mirrored his father’s as he signed “please” over and over again. She shifted slightly, trying to create a tiny bit of space between her leg and the muscular wall of Brack’s thigh.
    “I promise you’ll enjoy it.” Brack’s tone matched his pathetic expression. “You can say no to me, but you can’t disappoint Jonathon. Ice fishing is loads of fun. You have to try it.”
    “I’m still freezing.” It was a weak excuse and she knew it. “And you want me to stand out in the cold—for fish?”
    Jonathon waved a hand to gain his father’s attention and sent off another rapid fire of signs.
    “Good thinking.” Brack laughed. “So you’ll come with us, right?”
    With a capitulating sigh, she nodded. “Fine. But you have to tell me what he just said.”
    That tiny dimple fell securely in place as Brack drove. “He said you can use some of his warm clothes and that we can’t stop by your place or you’ll find a way to escape.”
    She tried to send Jonathon a harsh glance but couldn’t hold the expression. “I’m being held against my will by a couple of coastal pirates.”
    Brack winked. “Argh.”
    They sat in uncomfortable silence as Jonathon sent off text messages, and a few minutes later, Brack turned the truck down a small road. They followed a long, narrow path through the woods before he pulled into a gravel driveway next to a cottage. The cold air tugged at her hair when she stepped out behind Jonathon. “Where are we?”
    “This is our summer camp, my workshop and occasional ice-fishing spot.” Brack waved a hand at the little house. “Generations of Elliots have spent numerous summers and winters here.”
    Jonathon ran toward a small shed next to the house, and she took a moment to take in the beauty of the wilderness around her. She’d been many places, but something surreal encompassed the silence of the woods, something that always brought her comfort. Maybe it was the way nothing moved. No sound, other than the occasional movements of creatures she didn’t dare to hazard a guess at identifying.
    Each breath she took streaked out before her in gray puffs, and she pulled her jacket tighter. “It’s really beautiful out here.”
    “Nothing like it.” Brack moved close and the heavy weight of his coat curled over her shoulders, enveloping her in its warmth. The scent of his skin filled her, clinging to the soft flannel lining.
    She inhaled the warm, woodsy scent that was so—him. “Thanks, but you’ll freeze.”
    Her attempts to hand the coat back went unnoticed, or ignored, and she pulled the welcoming barrier tighter.
    “The cold doesn’t bother me. There were many nights my family and I spent out here. Aunts, uncles, grandparents. We’d bring the snowmobiles up the trails and meet here for hotdogs and cocoa.”
    Wistful longing laced his words, and a deep ache settled in her chest. At least he had those memories. She’d always craved what he’d just described. A place to call her own. Roots that ran deeper than a child’s beach shovel could dig, winding into something more substantial than the numerous new starts her mother had offered. “That sounds wonderful.”
    “It was. A long time ago.” He stared out over the lake. “Ellen and I had good memories here.”
    For the first time, she felt as though Brack had opened a door she couldn’t ignore. “I know it’s not my place to ask, but what happened to Jonathon’s mother?” The shaky breath he drew was a slap in the face. She’d overstepped their fragile truce. “Never mind. I shouldn’t—”
    “She drowned,” Brack rasped. “Along with Jonathon’s twin brother, Jeremy. It happened when Jonathon was twelve.”
    There was no inflection in his voice, just dead, sad fact. Tears burned at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I never imagined.”
    “No. It’s fine. I’m glad you asked.” He scrubbed a hand