Hopelessly Broken by Tawny Taylor

light, rocketing up the stairs. No more than two minutes later he was back at the front door, his mouth full of something. He grabbed a boot.
    “Snow pants,” Jenn said as she returned to the couch.
    Logan grimaced. “Snow pants are for babies.”
    “ Snow pants,” she repeated.
    Logan grumbled som ething as he stepped into his snow pants and yanked them up. A few seconds later a big gust of winter-scented wind blasted through the house as he opened the front door and launched himself outside, shouting, “Aeron, I wanna help!”
    He’d never been so eager to shovel the walk before.
    Jenn settled back down with her computer and tried to concentrate on her story. But the instant she started to focus, Logan’s laughter distracted her. She went to the front window and peered out. He was lying on his back, arms and legs stretched out. Aeron was next to him, doing the same thing. Aeron stood and helped Logan up, leaving two perfect snow angels in the front yard.
    Logan hopped up and down several times then shouted, “A snowman! Help me make a snowman!”
    Aeron grinned at him then looked right at her. Somehow he’d known she was watching.
    Feeling as if she’d been caught spying, she ducked away and returned to her seat.
    They were having fun. Logan deserved to have some fun. It was good to see him smiling, to hear him laughing.
    That magical sound cut through the quiet again. Yes, it was a wonderful thing to hear him laughing. But what would happen when Aeron left? Would Logan be even worse off than he was before?
    She set her computer aside.
    He might be worse if she didn’t do something about it.
    She couldn’t keep Aeron away from Logan. He wasn’t staying away. It appeared that Aeron wasn’t as worried about Logan’s hurt feelings when he moved as he was hers. So she would have to do what she could to lessen the blow. She ran upstairs, dabbed on a little bit of makeup, tidied her hair and dressed in warm clothes. They were still rolling snowballs across the front yard when she had bundled herself into her coat, gloves, hat and scarf. She stepped into her boots and headed out to join them.
    “Jenny! Look! We made snow angels. And now Aeron is helping me make a snowman. He’s going to be a giant.”
    “It looked like you might need some help,” she said as she stomped through the knee-deep snow. “How about I help you with that snowball and Aeron can start a new one?” she suggested, stepping up to them.
    Aeron straightened up. “Sounds like a plan. ” Moving aside, he let her take his place. She bent over, placed her hands on the large snowball, and gave it a shove.
    It didn’t budge.
    She squatted a little and tried again.
    “Why aren’t you pushing it?” Logan asked , next to her, pushing too.
    “I’m trying. It won’t move.”
    A deep chuckle behind her stabbed at her pride. She squatted lower still, to use her leg muscles, and pushed again. Her feet slid on the slick snow, and in a heartbeat she was lying flat on her stomach, her face planted in a fresh patch of snow.
    Strong hands grabbed her arms and yanked her up. Slightly disorientated—since her eyes were closed—and extremely embarrassed, she clawed at the snow on her face. She blinked open her eyes to find Logan grinning at her.
    “Jenny, that was funny!” he said, laughing.
    Her pride stung a little. So did her skin, thanks to the cold. But seeing her brother’s eyes sparkling with joy warmed her heart. “You little snot.” She scooped up a handful of snow, packed it into a loose snowball and flung it at him. It smacked him in the chest, and he let out a whoop of glee, gathered some snow in his gloves and flung it at her. The guy behind her started laughing, and so she made a nice, big snowball and threw it at him. It struck him in the belly. Within seconds, a serious snow fight was in full swing. Snow was flying everywhere. Jenn’s eyes were blinking as she tried—and often failed—to duck out of the trajectory of sailing