Massachusetts State Trooper Ross Huber is giving one last sweep of the roads before heading in for the night. The nor’easter hitting the Boston area is worse than expected by an order of magnitude, and the governor has just issued a travel ban. Ross finds a wrecked car half-buried in a snowbank and rescues its human and canine occupants from carbon monoxide poisoning, but is forced to take shelter with them in a vacant or abandoned house when the roads are blocked. When he gets the victims indoors, he thinks the human looks uncomfortably familiar ... Ash Machado has been through a lot in his career as a war correspondent. Sidelined by an injury, he’s returned to Boston to take up a job as a news anchor. After he loses control of his car on an icy road, he wakes up in an unfamiliar home, looking into the face of the guy who broke his heart in college. Neither Ross nor Ash are the same men they used to be, but now they’re trapped in the abandoned house with no place to go. Can they get past old hurts long enough to get through the storm, or will the same misunderstandings that drove them apart years ago make this confinement unbearable?

Snowed In: Ross and Ashton

“Huber, this is dispatch. Thanks for the update. Can you define ‘multiple structural failures’? Over.” The woman’s voice made her sound young, but she kept her voice calm and professional


Ross cleared his throat. “I counted five or six holes in the roof. They weren’t small. I think the roof is in imminent danger of collapse.”


Dispatch stayed silent for a moment. “Again, thank you for the update. I’ve advised rescue crews. All I can say, Huber, is sit tight and have faith. They’re moving as fast as they can.”


“I know. I just wanted to be sure everyone was appraised of the situation.” Ross licked his lips and glanced over at Ash. “Huber out. I’m guessing we should probably take a look at shutting down the electric to the house, huh?”


“Not a bad idea.” Ash swallowed hard. “I can go do it.” He scrambled for the electrical box, which was at the back of the house, and flipped the switch. “What about gas?”


Chapter 26