Aiden rolled over in the bed. His arm reached out and touched, expecting to feel something warm and soothing. He slid over, thinking that he must have been too far away. He reached again, only to feel a cold sheet. Aiden's eyes fluttered open.

"Jas?"

There was no answer. He glanced over at the clock—it was three a.m. Maybe she's in the bathroom. He lay there drifting in and out of sleep, waiting for her to return. The next time his eyes opened it was four a.m. and still no Jas. Aiden panicked. Had she passed out somewhere while trying to get out of bed?

He pulled himself from the bed. The room swirled around him as he stood. It had been a while since he'd been on his feet. His body ached less now that the flu was entering its passing phase, but his head still throbbed.

Aiden shoved his feet in his slippers and then walked into the bathroom. "Jas?"

He grabbed his robe and put it on. Aiden leaned against the wall, still feeling lightheaded. When things settled, he made his way downstairs. He made a full search of the house and Jas was nowhere to be found.

"Where is she?"

Aiden's heart was beating wildly. He walked over to the kitchen and picked up the house phone to call Anna.

"I hate to disturb you and Ted, but have you seen Jas? She's not in the house."
Ty
Anna sat up, alarmed. "No, Aiden. I haven't seen her. I'll be right over."

"Please don't. It's no need in everybody being awake."

Anna was already out of the bed and slipping into some warm clothes. "I won't hear that. I'll be right over."

Aiden immediately called Jas' phone after he called Anna, but she didn't answer. He called several times before Anna arrived but there was no answer. He felt sick.

***

Aiden opened the door. "She's not answering her phone."

"Don't panic, the phone is probably dead." Anna's heart sank when she saw his distress. "Aiden, I want you to lie down on the sofa, you're still sick."

"I can't, Anna."

"Did you check for a note?"

"Yes, she didn't leave anything. Anna, how could she vanish in the middle of the night? No window or doors are open and the security system hasn't been breached."

Anna walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, there is an explanation. We've got to calm down so that we can think this through." She took his hand and led him to a chair. "I want you to sit down and I'm going to make us a cup of coffee. Wherever she is, I am sure that she's safe."

***

Jas slammed her hand against the steering wheel of the bright red, four-wheel-drive truck that she was driving. "I should have listened. Why am I always so stubborn?" She could hear Aiden's voice in the back of her head: You're the most stubborn woman that I know.

The snow and ice on the road had made it impossible to drive. She landed in Atlanta after midnight and had gone to the rent-a-car facility and rented a truck. At least she'd listened to the advice to rent a truck, otherwise she'd probably would have gotten a smaller car and plunged off the side of the slippery mountain heading to Ellijay. She gave a hacking cough and turned the heater up higher. Jas' mind drifted to the scene.

"Ma'am, I beg you to wait. You can go in the morning. They say this is the biggest snow they've seen in thirty years in those mountains."

"I've lived my entire life in Ellijay. I know those mountain roads. I can handle the drive."

"This is not an ordinary snow. The ground iced over before the snow fell. It's going to be treacherous going up to North Georgia. Especially in a Honda. If you insist, let me at least upgrade you to a truck. The all-wheel drive may help and certainly will be better than a car."

Jas whipped out her credit card, agitated. She wanted to get to the inn—now. "Alright."

Now she regretted her pig-headedness. She'd give anything to be in a warm hotel bed. The truck had lost all traction. She'd driven forty of the eighty-eight miles between Atlanta and Ellijay. "Come on, come on," she yelled, as if he truck was a living thing. She pressed the accelerator hard, only to smell burning rubber and hear the tires spinning like a turbine. The snow was coming down harder. The drifts fell like down feathers bursting open in a pillow fight. The strong winds rocked the truck.

Jas had called every public sector that she knew of. They all gave the same answer. Roads had been closed and road crews had been dispatched in that area and would arrive soon.

Now, her phone was dead, and she'd rushed out of the house so fast that she'd left the charger. Jas prayed that she wouldn't run out of gas and freeze to death before the crew came. That was not a rare occurrence with people stranded on snowy mountain roads.

Jas' body was still under the ravishes of the flu. How could I have been so reckless? She rubbed her hands together and placed them next to the vent. Then she balled up in her wool coat. As she stuffed her hands in the pockets, she realized that she had gloves. Thank God. She slipped the gloves on, bundled up and stayed warm as the heat increased in the cabin.

***

"Anna, what if she's in the cold?"

"Aiden, there is no way she is out in the cold on a night like this. Don't focus on the worst, dear. Where would she be going anyway?"

Aiden sighed and rubbed his hands through his hair. "Jas missing—this has got to be a nightmare. Tell me I'm dreaming, Anna."

"I wish that I could. A missing person has got to be the worst pain anyone can experience."

Anna's words slammed into Aiden's mind as if an elephant had sat on his head. The pain he felt was so intense he could barely breathe. "Oh, God," he breathed remorsefully as a thought sharper than a sword sliced into his memory.

He recalled the day that he'd walked out on his mother. The day that he decided she'd never see him ever again. Thinking that her heart must have broken the way he was feeling now put him in severe grief. Nobody deserved to feel that hopeless and helpless.

He remembered how he'd watched the agony on his parents' faces when he saw them on the news after the police had called the search off. He felt nothing for their pain at that time.

Aiden had convinced himself that he was right—he didn't owe them any more of his life. It was better for them to think that he was dead. Now, Aiden was breaking apart on the inside. Now, he felt his parents' grief.

"What have I done?"

"What is it, Aiden?"

He glanced over at Anna. "Nothing, it's nothing." No sooner had the thought of conviction collided into his fortified emotions, it iced over again in anger. His jaw clinched and brows sank downwards. They abandoned me. They didn't love me. No, I had to get away from them. I survived because I walked away. I had to survive.

"Aiden, do you want to talk about it?"

"No, it's nothing." He picked up the coffee and sipped it. "If anything has happened to Jas I will die."

Anna walked across the room and sat on the edge of his chair. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Nothing is going to happen to Jas."

They sat in silence for a long while. The only noise and movement was Anna going back and forth in the kitchen to refresh their coffee. It was four-thirty when she arrived; now it was six-thirty. Anna finally had a thought.

"Aiden, we've been looking for a written note. Did you check your cell phone? Maybe she left you a message before her phone went dead."

"Oh God, Anna, why didn't we think of that?"

"We woke up in the middle of the night with a missing person. Shock kept us from thinking straight."

He kissed Anna on the cheek. "Thank you, Anna." He was still too weak to run but he made his way up the stairs as quickly as possible.

***

Nanna woke straight up. A chill came over her. The feeling she had was a strong, foreboding one. She shook Major. His heavy eyelids dragged open.

"What's the matter, sunshine?"

"I don't know. Something is not right. I don't know what it is."

"Are you feeling ill?"

"No. I've just got a really bad feeling about Jas."

Major tucked her under his arm. "You probably had a bad dream, sunshine."

"No, it's something more."

Major had never seen her look so worried. "I know it may be late, but I think you should try to call her."

Nanna dialed the phone. She shook her head. "No answer."

"Try Aiden," Major said.

Nanna shook her head.

"Then we need to pray for Jas and Aiden." Major took Nanna's hand, they got out of the bed, knelt down and began to pray.

***

Jas didn't know when the gas had run out. She woke up staring at a white world. Snow had covered her windshield. Her teeth were chattering. When she looked in the mirror, black circles were under her eyes and her lips were blue. "Oh, God, please help me."

***

When Aiden didn't come back downstairs, Anna went up to his room. He had put on warm clothes and she saw him scrambling to pack his bags. "Aiden, what's going on?"

"I've got to go." He pressed a button on his cell phone and handed Anna the cell phone. "Listen."

Jas had sent him a voicemail to listen to an audio file that she'd sent: Don't be angry with me for not waking you. We're still not feeling well and I wanted you to rest. I must handle this. I will be fine.

Anna clicked the link to the audio file.

Hi Jas,

I got the wedding invitation. What Bruce and I dreamed would happen has finally come true. I am so happy that you are getting married. Now that you are secure, I can tell you something that has been tearing me a part. Jas, life is going to be so different for you when you return. I overheard Bruce asking Nanna how could she sell the inn.

I confronted them both and they said that the inn is not to be sold. But I was standing at the door. I heard the whole conversation. He also said Nanna was about to have a big change in her life. I am so grieved. You and Aiden need to come home and fix this. I did the best I could not to call you so that you and Aiden could make things right. Now that they are right I had to let you know. Come home.

"Oh, my God," Anna said, shaking her head. "This is incredible."

She handed Aiden the phone and he took off down the stairs.

"Aiden, wait. You're too weak. You've been in bed for days. You need something to eat before you go."

"I can't, Anna."

***

Nanna and Major had been praying for over an hour. The only time they got up was to stretch their legs and redial the numbers. They eventually got tired of dialing the phone and just decided to pray. Nanna lifted her voice once more.

"Dear God,

Wherever Jas and Aiden are, please keep them safe. Lord, send your angels to watch over them. Keep them from all hurt, harm or danger."

***

Aiden's flight path was more turbulent than normal. The A5 sliced through thick bands of clouds. He knew enough about weather patterns to know that it must have been snowing somewhere. Visibility was below what he felt comfortable with, so he heavily relied on the control panel to make his way back to Ellijay.

"Why didn't she just wake me up? Be okay, babe. It looks rough down there."

He drifted to the mind-shattering pain he'd experienced when he had first awoke and found Jas missing. Fear, panic, grief and shock poured over him like hot wax. The pain weaved between thoughts of Jas and of his mother. He couldn't help feeling how desperate Deanna's life must have been when he left. Deanna must have felt the wax pour over her and burn. Was I too calloused?

All those years he'd kept himself from feeling the pain that he knew he'd caused Deanna. Aiden had always felt justified. Perhaps his justification was completely true. Deanna did abandon him. But could two wrongs possibly make anything right? Now he was confused. Jas had only been away from him for a few hours, and he felt like his entire existence had been sucked into the black hole.

Aiden could barely breathe. He couldn't think straight. Deanna and Troy had lived without him for seven long years. What must they have gone through? For the first time in years, Aiden allowed himself to have feelings for them and it hurt—badly.

***

Jas comforted herself with thoughts of Aiden. It made the bitter cold less chilling. She found an old rain coat that someone must have left in the truck stuffed under the seat. It was large enough so that she could ball up in it. Jas had only had the hood of the raincoat on for a few minutes and could already feel her ears again.

"The road crew is coming," she chattered. "I'm going to be okay."

She guided her mind to think about what it felt like to be with Aiden. Soon, she was lost in the comfort of his arms, the feel of his lips against hers and the touch of his hot hands on her naked flesh. Jas's body was lost in the heat of ecstasy. Fire coursed through her veins. She soon drifted off to sleep with Aiden laying satiated on top.

***

The blanket of white was nearly blinding as Aiden made his way towards Carter Lake. He couldn't believe his eyes. It snowed in North Georgia, but not like this. Aiden knew that he was witnessing the snow of the century. Ice incrusted trees shimmered like diamonds in the sun's reflection. "Beautiful but so deadly," he breathed. The world around him was a white-out.

Smoke streamed from chimneys throughout the mountain tops. This clearly was a blustery day and wise people would stay indoors. He could see cars stranded on the side of the roads. In other places, he could see cars buried up to the roof in snow. "Dear God, Jas, I hope you're not in that mess." Aiden couldn't wait to land the plane.

He looked down at Carter Lake and braced himself. He'd never landed in a pile of slush before and hoped the plane would know what to do. The plane descended and flopped about momentarily, then heated friction took over and the plane glided to the dock. Aiden had called Bruce earlier, so he was waiting for him.

Bruce tied the plane. Aiden stepped out. The wind off the lake was bone chilling. Aiden pulled the hood from his coat over his head and quickly shoved his hands into his pocket.

"Arctic blast?"

"Yeah man, they said it came from Canada. Haven't had one of these in decades. I'm so sorry, Aiden. I got on Michelle about this. She's feeling pretty awful."

Aiden and Bruce quickly made their way down the dock to Bruce's truck. The wind whipped mercilessly around them. When they got in the truck, Bruce glanced at Aiden and was shocked.

"What happened to you?"

"We're both getting over the flu."

Bruce slammed his hand on the steering wheel. "That Michelle."

"Don't be so hard on her, Bruce. We all know how she is. The fact that she managed to keep all of this until she felt we were safely engaged is a miracle."

"With all this that is going on, I forgot—congratulations." Aiden nodded. "But I told her that Nanna wasn't going to sell the inn."

"I know, Bruce. But remember, she heard you say otherwise. I can understand the confusion."

"I guess you're right." He clicked the key, the doors unlocked. Bruce and Aiden got into the truck. Bruce pulled onto the main road. "Have you heard from Jas yet?"

"No, and I'm worried sick. Nanna has called several times, so that means she's not there. I haven't got the strength to call Nanna back," Aiden sighed. "By the time we get to the inn, I'll have some story to tell her."

Bruce patted Aiden on the back. "The roads are bad. Lots of people are stranded, but the road crews are out. They cleared most of Ellijay. She's okay, Aiden."

***

Jas leaped up when she heard someone knocking on the side of the truck.

"Is anybody in there?"

"Yes, yes, I'm in here." Tears flooded her face.

"I'm with the road service crew. Is the car working?"

"Yes, it's just out of gas," she said excitedly. Jas watched as her words crystalized in the frosty cabin air.

"We're going to shovel you out, then we'll put some gas in your car. How far are you going?"

"To Ellijay."

"Good, the roads are now passible there. When we get the door open, I'll bring you some hot coffee. You've got about three feet of snow around the door. It will take us a little while to remove it."

"Alright."

"Ma'am, if you've been in this truck more than a few hours, you need to get checked out by a doctor. We've been pulling people out all morning and some didn't make it. You're one of the lucky ones. Somebody must have been praying for you."

Thinking that people all around her had died or were dying waiting to be rescued sobered Jas. She knew how foolish she'd been. I've risked my life on these roads. What right do I have to be mad at Nanna? What if she does want to retire?

"I thank God for you, sir. I will never drive in bad weather again."

"That's what we always tell people—stay indoors. We'll work as fast as we can."

"Sir, can you make a call for me, please? My phone is dead."

***

"Alright, sir, just keep her there. She doesn't know that I'm in Georgia. I'm on my way." Aiden hung up the phone, threw his hands in the air and praised God.

"Where is she?"

"She's about forty minutes away. Near the Canton exit."

Bruce made a U-turn and headed to Highway 515. Relief washed over Aiden. He glanced out the window. A smile etched up his face. The snowy wonderland around him suddenly became beautiful again.