Snowbound Read Online Free Page B

beneath the collar of his shirt. It lookednot brand-new, but not as if hed lived with it for years, either. Several times shed seen a spasm of pain on his face, too, so the injury to his leg obviously still troubled him.
    Well, she could hardly ask, and hoped the kids would be tactful enough not to. Or, more realistically, she should hope that they were too self-centered to care about John Fallons history.
    Fiona brushed her hair with her own brush from her purse, then gazed at herself in the mirror. What had he seen when he looked at her? A couple of times shed imaginedBut that was silly. He probably thought she was an idiot who hadnt showed any more sense than the teenagers would have.
    She sighed. Sad as it was to admit, he was right. It terrified her still to think what might have happened if Dieter hadnt spotted those tire tracks. The fact that they were safe and warm tonight was a miracle.
    In the bedroom, she hesitated over what to wearor not wear, finally leaving on the pants hed lent her and her turtleneck. Just in case she had to get up for some reason during the night.
    The bed felt wonderful, the fluffy duvet heavenly atop her. Tension drained out of her, and Fiona closed her eyes.
    The moment she did, white swirled beneath her lids, as if the sight had been imprinted on them. She squeezed her eyes tighter shut and fought to picture something or someone else.
    What she came up with was John Fallons face as theyd stood at the foot of the stairs. Lean, tanned, with strong cheekbones, dark bristles on jaw and cheeks, afan of lines beside watchful brown eyes, and a mouth he kept compressed. The scar, puckered and angry. Maybe, she thought, his mouth was tight against pain and not from impatience or irritation.
    But there had been that moment when shed have sworn his gaze had lowered briefly to her mouth. The muscles in his jaw had knotted, and something had flickered in his eyes.
    Had he kissed a woman since hed been hurt?
    How silly. He probably had a girlfriend, or even a wife who happened to be away right now. She doubted he had looked at her with desireeven momentarily.
    He was being as polite as he was able, and she would have to do her very best to be sure they werent any more trouble than they had to be. It was absurd for her to wish that the unsmiling lodgekeeper would look at her with just a little more warmth.
    Still, she held on to the image of his face until exhaustion overcame her.

    F IONA AWAKENED to the sound of a squeal, then hushed giggles. Huh? She opened her eyes and stared at a strange, pitched ceiling. For a moment she felt completely blank. Then it came back to her.
    Snowstorm, hellish drive, the lurch as the van dropped off the road, the tramp through knee-deep snow in the dark.
    She had sleptShe turned her head and found an old-fashioned clock on the nightstand. Twelve hours? Was it possible?
    Galvanized, she jackknifed to a sitting position. Herstudents! And here shed gone to sleep vowing to keep them out of their hosts hair.
    No slippers, but shed left her borrowed wool socks on. Fiona paused to peer in the mirror and shuddered. Shed scare the kids.
    No choice. She needed the bathroom, and now.
    Raucous laughter came from one of the girls rooms followed by someone shushing.
    Hey, she said, flapping a hand as she went by.
    The bathtub is so-o amazing, Tabitha called after her. Mr. Fallon said it was okay to use as much hot water as we wanted.
    The idea of sinking into a deep tub of hot water was irresistible. On the other hand, putting on dirty clothes when she got out was less appealing.
    Water splashed the floor in the bathroom and toothbrushes, hairbrushes and makeup were scattered over the counter. Dirty clothes were heaped in a corner. Fiona gazed at the pile wide-eyed. Had John Fallon come up with more clothes?
    Then she spotted the neat pile of folded laundry on the slatted shelving unit beside the towels. As if in a dream, she investigated. There were her jeans and yesterdays socks,