Stone usually came to the cabin and worked, fixing something, chopping wood, cleaning, whatever, but today, he’d gotten here a little after nine in the morning, started a fire, and just shut down. He sat in a La-Z-Boy staring at the flames, wondering how his life had gone so wrong and knowing there was no fix for it. Nikola loved to tease him that he had ice in his veins. He wished he was as unfeeling as his buddies assumed he was. If it were true, all the guilt, anger, and regret wouldn’t affect him. If he had ice in his veins, he’d tell Abi Virginia’s secret and finally hold the woman he’d always wanted in his arms.

His stomach grumbled. He hadn’t eaten since last night, but it didn’t really bother him. He let himself think about the baby. What she would’ve looked like if she had lived. Stone always imagined her exactly like Virginia—blonde, blue eyes, perfect facial features. Stone wanted that baby like he’d never wanted anything in his life. Yet he should never have stepped up like he was some hero and tried to solve all of Virginia’s problems. A rushed marriage at eighteen to help a friend was probably the stupidest decision of his life, but he’d thought he was saving Virginia and the baby. He’d quickly fallen in love with the idea of being a father, but being a husband had been much more difficult.

He and Virginia had decided to name the baby girl Abigail, in honor of their best friend. Stone used to worry that it would be hard for him to separate his love for the baby and Abi. But he’d made the choice to step up to take his friend Jace’s place as baby Abi’s father and Virginia’s husband. Once he’d committed, he’d been fully devoted to them, their future, and that little girl’s future. Not that any of his commitments or good intentions mattered now. He passed a hand over his face, grabbed the poker and stirred the ashes.

The door to his cabin burst open, and a rush of cold air came in with a rush of beautiful woman. Stone stood, but didn’t move toward her. “Abi.”

It didn’t matter that he didn’t move. She could move plenty for the two of them. She slammed the door shut and stormed up to him, grabbing both his arms in her slim fingers and trying to shake him. Of course, it didn’t budge him, but it almost made him smile.

“You don’t have the right to stand me up, do you hear me?”

“Oh, Abi.” She was fire and ice, this girl. If only he could take some of that in and feel—her warmth, her passion for life. But a stone wasn’t affected by fire or ice unless it cracked, and Stone wasn’t about to crack because he was terrified of what would leak out then.

He let her try to shake him for a little longer. Then he easily broke from her grip and went back to his chair. “I wasn’t trying to ditch you. I’m sorry I made you mad. It’s just …” Staring into the flames, he wondered if he could do this. Was it possible to admit to her, though not even the guys at the station really knew it, how messed up that call had been and the havoc it had wreaked on him. He kept his eyes on the fire as he forced out the words. “We had a bad call.” Please let her leave it at that. He looked at her beautiful face, splotchy with anger. Her dark eyes shot sparks at him. Wishful thinking.

She came and knelt in front of him, not touching him, but he could smell her appealing, cinnamon-vanilla scent. He could swear he felt the heat from her body. Oh man, this woman had power over him. How had he stayed strong for the past seven years? He didn’t know that he could keep it up, but it was his fault Virginia and the baby were gone. The one thing he could do was keep the secret Virginia had begged him to never share.

“Are we friends, Stone?”

He straightened. “Yeah.” He couldn’t let himself feel those feelings, but Abi was still his best friend. They’d been a foursome of best friends since grade school—Abi, Virginia, Jace, and Stone. Jace had ditched them all, going into the military weeks after graduation and leaving Virginia pregnant and mourning him. She’d asked Stone to marry her, and they’d run to Vegas within a couple of weeks so everyone would believe the baby was Stone’s. Then Virginia had died six months later, and now, it was just him and Abi. He couldn’t survive without her friendship.

“Then you talk to me when something bad happens.” Abi implored him. “You don’t ditch me.”

He actually smiled then, pushing all the other crap away so he could tease her a little bit and hopefully bring back that beautiful smile. “Abi, you and I both know … I don’t talk.” Sadly, it was the truth. There was so much he should talk to Abi about, but he’d promised Virginia to hold on to their secrets. He’d been tempted many a time to break Virginia’s trust, but he couldn’t do it, not when she’d died because she’d been so angry with his coldness.

The truth would only make Abi livid anyway. If he knew his best friend at all, she’d hear the sordid details, be peeved at him for not sharing, then go hunt Jace down and try to beat him up or at least cuss him good. If Stone ever saw Jace again, he wouldn’t waste time with words. Yet he was much more concerned about what Abi would think of Stone if she knew the truth. Would she think he was honorable to try to take care of Virginia and her baby or stupid to rush into a situation like some hero who didn’t know how to be a husband, how to love and care for anyone when he was so young and full of himself?

She waited, and Stone debated telling her more, at least about the call, but it was too close to the truth, to his own pain. What if he talked and other things started rolling off his tongue, things that could hurt Abi? Stone clenched his jaw.

It must have become apparent that he wasn’t going to talk because she finally stood, brushing off her legs. His eyes swept over her form-fitting snow pants and long-sleeved neoprene shirt. Her dark hair with the golden highlights was secured back in a ponytail. Her smooth skin seemed to glisten, and her dark eyes were full of passion and light. She looked amazing.

“You’re right.” She admitted. “Fine. We’re shallow shells of a friendship who never ‘talk,’ but I’m not letting you wallow in front of your cozy little fire all day. Get your gear on and grab your snowshoes.”

“Abi.” It came out close to begging, and he didn’t like that, but how else to dissuade her? “I’m exhausted. We were up all night.”

“Then you should’ve taken a nap. It’s almost lunchtime. Get your butt up now and get your gear on.”

“If you have any compassion …” Stone was truly begging now. Couldn’t she just let him wallow?

“Well, I don’t. I planned on going snowshoeing, and we are going snowshoeing. Buck up, little buttercup.”

Stone just stared at her. Abi wasn’t heartless. That was his role. He knew she was forcing him to get out because she thought it would help him. She was probably right, but that didn’t make it easier.

She whirled on her heel and harrumphed. “I’ll get your backpack ready with snacks and drinks.” She strode into the kitchen and started banging open cupboards.

Stone almost laughed out loud. Who but Abi could boss him around? His parents were great, but they were retired and lived in Arizona during the wintertime. His sister and her husband were in Kentucky attending dental school and studying physical therapy. He guessed Blue bossed him around, but he followed him out of respect. He followed Abi out of respect and something completely different and much dearer to his heart. If only she knew. He shook his head. She would run the other direction if she had any clue how long and how desperately he’d loved her. She was his friend, and that had to be enough. He didn’t dare take it to the next level. If only he wasn’t so crappy at loving someone.

Standing, he slowly walked toward his bedroom. Abi whirled to give him an imperious glare until he was out of view.

“Thinks he can stand me up.” He heard her mutter. “His best friend for twenty stinking years.”

Stone let himself laugh, and it felt amazing. Almost as amazing as Abi grabbing onto his forearms earlier, but he wasn’t going to go there. She was his best friend, and she didn’t need to be tied to someone with issues like his.

* * *

Abi’s anger died as she filled up reusable water bottles then packed Stone’s emergency kit. Why did he have to be so morose all the time? It wore on her. Even though she acted tough to try to pull him out of the pain, she wanted to cry for him. She knew he had loved Virginia and had been excited about their baby girl, but they’d been straight out of high school and married less than six months when she’d been killed, and it had been almost seven years ago. Would he ever be able to move on? It was like he blamed himself when he had nothing to do with Virginia sliding off a mountainside in a snowstorm. What? Had he forgotten to put on the snow tires? Dang him, this too serious of a man who thought he could protect the whole world from tragedy. His sadness that most people just saw as coldness shredded her inside and made her want to just sit and hold him. Sadly, he would never let that happen.

She exhaled and carried the backpack to the table. Stone walked out of his bedroom dressed in a long-sleeved fitted gray shirt and black snow pants, carrying his coat, gloves, and hat. He never wore goggles. The shirt molded to his sculpted upper body reminded her how much she loved his shape. She loved most things about him, except for his coldness. Someday, somehow, she would break through. Heaviness weighed on her heart. Would she? How long was she going to wait? She went on dates every weekend, but how could anyone compare to someone she’d loved, trusted, and been friends with her entire life? You didn’t develop a friendship like theirs quickly.

Stone smiled at her. It didn’t reach his eyes, but she knew it was an effort for him, and she appreciated it. His bluish-gray eyes gleamed like steel. “Thanks for never giving up on me, Abi.”

She arched her eyebrows, praying he couldn’t read her thoughts. “Someday, I’m going to just leave you wallowing and go chase after Nikola.”

The smile was replaced by a frown that furrowed his brow. “Not Nikola.”

“Who then?” She stared him down. “Jeremy?”

“Stop it. You’re not funny.”

She flipped her ponytail and started for the door. “I think I’m hilarious.”

Stone grunted behind her. “I’m sure you do.”

Abi walked out into the brightness of the winter sun sparkling off piles of snow, brushing off Stone’s comments. Would he ever step up and claim her for his own? Probably not in this lifetime. But she could still tease him. She grabbed her coat, gloves, hat, goggles, and backpack out of her Cherokee and got geared up before retrieving her snowshoes and poles from the back.

Stone walked up in his snowshoes, all ready to go. He never used poles. He swept his arm out in front of him. “Lead the way.”

“I always do.” She flipped her ponytail, closed the back of the Cherokee, tugged her goggles and gloves into place, and started off up the road.

Stone was laughing behind her. She was still mad at him, but it did her heart good to hear him laugh.