Winter Wishes (The Play #1.5) by Karina Halle Page A

flashing the light over. The beam keeps catching in the white of the falling flakes, throwing everything off, until finally we’re just a few feet from a man.
    Kayla stiffens beside me and I try to squint through the snowstorm for a better look. If it’s some crazy person I can more than take care of the both of us, but most likely in this storm it’s someone looking for help.
    “Lachlan?”
    I hear Brigs’ voice and suddenly he’s in front of us, his coat bundled around him and held up to his chin. He’s not dressed for the weather with only his coat, a scarf and leather gloves.
    “Brigs!” I exclaim, happy to see him but wondering what the hell happened. “Are you okay?”
    He closes his eyes against the beam and nods. “Yes. Bloody cold but yes.” He squints at me and Kayla. “Hi Kayla. I’m not far from the house am I?”
    I shake my head, grabbing his arm and pulling him in the right direction. “No, we’ll get you inside quick.” As we trudge through the snow though, Brigs keeps his hands at his chest and collar. At first I thought he was trying to keep warm but it looks more like he’s actually got something inside his coat. A present, maybe.
    “What happened?” Kayla shouts at him. “Everyone was so worried.”
    “Bloody storm caught me by surprise. I was all right though, until just back there, at the bend near the farm. I hit a bad patch. Ended up in a snowbank. Couldn’t get the car out and the MacAuleys aren’t home.”
    “Is the car damaged?”
    “She’ll be fine,” he says, brow furrowed against the cold. He offers me a wry smile. “Moneypenny has been through worse.”
    Ah, yes. I forgot he named his car. Fitting, isn’t it.
    We reach the start of the driveway, the journey back feeling quicker.
    “I’m not alone, though,” Brigs says, coming to a slow.
    Kayla and I stop and look at him. He’s staring at us earnestly and I scan the dark, snow-strewn world behind him. As far as I can tell, he is alone.
    “What are you talking about?” I ask him, turning around. “Come on, let’s talk inside.”
    “We can’t,” he says. “Because he won’t be allowed inside.”
    I stare at him, bewildered, as Brigs undoes the top of his coat.
    The small white head of a puppy pokes his head out, blinking big black eyes at the snow.
    “Brigs?” I say, stepping closer, peering at the cold and frightened thing. “Where did he come from?”
    He quickly closes up his coat and jerks his head toward the farm. “I was in the barn, looking for people. I heard this mewling sound, moved some hay around and found a damn puppy. Thought it was a trick of my eyes. I looked around everywhere, there wasn’t another dog or any animal around. If I didn’t take him, he’d freeze tonight.”
    “Awwww,” Kayla says, practically melting at his feet. “Well hopefully he belongs to someone and they come looking for him.”
    “Yes, well until then it looks like he’s spending the night here. And you know how our grandfather feels about dogs. Or anything cute that brings joy into people’s lives.”
    “Oh, I know,” Kayla says.
    “So you’ve properly been introduced to old George McGregor?” Brigs asks with a raise of his brows. “Then you know. But Lachlan, you have to help me hide this thing.”
    “Anything for my brother, anything for a dog,” I tell him.
    “And your girlfriend,” Kayla adds.
    “Especially that,” I tell her. “Come. They’ll be hugging you, Mr. Popular, and the pup will get squished.” I unzip my coat and put my hands out for the dog as Brigs hesitantly removes him from his coat. “While they’re all praising the lord that you’re alive, I’ll put him up in your room.
    Brigs hands over the puppy, white and fluffy. It’s probably a few months old, a mix of Husky or Eskimo dog and maybe a smaller breed like a terrier. It’s terribly cute but frightened to death.
    I make cooing sounds to the puppy before hiding it in my coat, keeping it warm. “Okay,” I say to