Chapter 1I trudged into the house, careful on the slick walk because I’d been stupid that morning, hadn’t worn my boots, and my dress shoes weren’t the best to handle the sudden snowfall. I hadn’t checked the weather, and that had been dumb. It might be only the second of December, but it wasn’t unheard of for us to get inches of snow even earlier than this.
It had been unseasonably warm for Thanksgiving the week before—thanks, global warming—that had lulled us central New Yorker’s into a false sense of security. There was a reason Mark Twain’s famous quote about the weather fit so well for the area. It could go from sixty degrees and sunny in the morning, to twenty-five and snowing by the evening. Especially this time of year.
Fortunately, I did have my thick wool peacoat and handknitte
