Chapter I

After days and days of waiting, it was finally here. Even though she was 25 years old, every year Anna Smith felt like a little girl while waiting impatiently for the first snow to fall. She had slept restlessly the last few nights, waking up in the pitch black each night and leaving her warm bed just to go see whether the streets had gotten their first blanket of white snow while she had been asleep. But each time ground had been bare.

Until this morning, that is. She had run out of her flat, wrapped in her old robe and wearing her fluffy slippers, not giving a damn what her neighbours might think if they saw her so excited about frozen water failing from the sky. With the first snow, her favourite season could officially begin, and she could not be happier.

Jamming a whole granola bar into her mouth, she managed to throw on some clothes and feed her guinea pig before locking the front door behind her. She grabbed a coffee to go at the nearby cafe and continued on her way to the park. It was a lazy Saturday morning and as the snow was still falling, she knew the only visitors there would be children running around, enjoying the day the way she would if she were a little younger.

As she strolled slowly down the path, she could not wipe the grin off of her face. A frigid breeze nipped at her cheeks and nose, but despite the chilly weather she couldn't be happier. Christmas was just around the corner, her family and friends were all well, her career was finally starting to bloom. Everything was just the way it was supposed to be.

Stopping to rest against a tree and look out over the frozen lake, she giggled when she saw two ducks attempting to break the ice with their beaks. She just loved winter and didn't understand how could anyone hate it...anyone but ducks, of course, she smiled to herself.

She was pulled from her musing when she felt the mobile in her left pocket vibrate. The number was unfamiliar, but as soon as she picked up, a cheerful voice greeted her.

''Anna, where are you!?''

''Gwen!?'' Anna practically squealed, hearing her best friend's voice at the other end of the line. ''What...but how…'' Anna tried unsuccessfully to form an appropriate question. It had been three months since she last heard from her. Gwen was a photographer for National Geographic magazine, and was currently working somewhere in the middle of the African jungle, photographing just about anything that moved. The only thing Anna had gotten from her since she'd left England was a single postcard.

''Where are you?!'' Gwen repeated, ignoring the surprise in Anna's voice.

''I...I'm in the park…but how…?''

''Yeah, I know you're in the park - you're always in the park right after the first snow. But where in the park? I've been looking for you for the past 15 minutes and you're not in any of your favourite spots.''

''You mean…you're here!?'' Anna moved away from the tree and looked around quickly.

''Annaa…'' Gwen sang out. ''…where are youuu?'

''I'm by the lake. Where are you?'' She could barely contain her excitement.

''Stay where you are. I'll be there in 5 minutes!'' Gwen said, ending the call before Anna could question her further.

Could this day get any better?! First the snowfall, and now Gwen was back! This was the best day ever! Pacing back and forth, Anna was trying to spot her redheaded friend when all of a sudden a child ran past her and hid behind the tree where she had just been standing.

Anna turned and saw a little boy, maybe 5 or 6 years old, crouching by the tree, a huge smile on his face.

''Can I help you?'' she asked, kneeling down to look him in the eye.

''Shhh...'' The boy put a finger over his mouth and giggled.

''Oh, are you hiding from someo-…'' Anna began, when she felt something hit her lower right leg. ''What the…?'' She turned around and saw a large snowball flying in her direction. She ducked just in time and heard the snowball hit the tree behind her, and then another one flew toward her...and then another.

''Hey!'' She spotted some bushes, where the snowballs seemed to be originating. But the snowballs continued to fly rapidly in her direction, one after the other.

''Here.'' The boy stood up and pushed a freshly-made snowball into her hand, before disappearing behind the tree again.

''What on earth…?'' Anna muttered under her breath. She was about to throw the snowball she was holding, when another one hit her, this time directly in the face.

''OW!'' She dropped the snowball she had been holding, and touched her mittened hand gingerly to her cheek, which burnt like hell. ''Oh my god, that hurts!'' she exclaimed, completely forgetting that she had an audience.

''Lady, are you all right?'' the boy asked, emerging from behind the tree, as she hissed in pain. She had been in many snowball fights over the years, and had been hit countless times, but for some reason this hurt a whole lot more than usual.

''Lady…'' The boy pulled on her coat sleeve. ''…you're bleeding...!''

''What?'' Anna looked down and saw fresh blood stains on her mitten. ''Oh god!''

''Hey, Josh!?'' A man's voice called out from behind the bushes. ''Is everything all right over there?''

''No, you hurt the lady!'' the boy answered, still standing by Anna, who was searching her bag for a handkerchief.

''What are you talking about? What lady…oh god! Are you all right?!'' The man was by her side immediately, kneeling down to try to help. ''Oh god, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there. Here, let me take a look,'' she heard him say, and before she could respond, he had already taken her face gently in his hands.

''Just stay still,'' he said softly, when she flinched. Brushing her hair away from her face, he took a better look at the injury he had caused. He was devastated to see that her left cheek was bruised and badly scraped.

''I'm so sorry. There must have been ice in the snowball…''

''Just leave it…'' Anna said, until she finally looked at him properly and promptly froze in place. Good god, he was gorgeous, she thought to herself. He was a little older than she, had beautiful hazel eyes, and several days' worth of stubble. His handsome features were etched with concern. Suddenly she wasn't feeling the pain of her injury as much as she had a few moments earlier. She had no idea what was happening to her, but whatever it was, it felt wonderful.

''Come…'' He stood up, pulling her up with him. ''…I'll take you to hosp-…''

''What's going on here?'' a voice behind them asked.

''Gwen…'' Anna said, turning toward her friend, but she didn't get the chance to finish her sentence.

''My god, what happened to you?!'' Gwen exclaimed, seeing Anna's bloody face. ''Are you all right? What on earth...?'' She turned to the unfamiliar man standing next to them. ''Who are you? Did you do this to her?!''

''I…'' he began, but Gwen cut him off.

''Just stay away from us!''

''But…''

''Get off! You've done enough damage already!'' Gwen hissed. ''Come on, Anna, we need to go and get this checked.'' She took Anna by the hand and pulled her away.

''Could I at least give you a lift? My car is…''

''I think you've caused enough trouble for today, mister!'' Gwen glared over her shoulder angrily.

''Gwen…'' Anna tried to calm her friend down, but it didn't seem to help. It had just been an accident, and to be honest, for some reason she really wanted him to accompany them. He had been so gentle with her, and she could sense that he was truly sorry for the mishap.

''But…'' The man started to follow them, hoping to help in some way, with young Josh right next to him, hurrying to keep up.

''Just stay away, you jerk!'' Gwen shouted and increased her pace, pulling Anna along with her, gradually leaving both the man and little boy further and further behind them.

''Uncle John?'' The boy looked up, when the two women were already quite a distance away.

''Mhm?'' John mumbled, only half paying any attention to what Josh was saying. The main thought running through his mind was how beautiful the young woman had been - sky blue eyes, flushed cheeks, golden hair framing her lovely face, cute little nose. He had no idea how he had even managed to notice all of this in the midst of all the chaos around them, but for some reason he had.

''Uncle John?'' Josh repeated, his voice finally pulling John out of his daydream.

''What?'' he asked, without looking at him.

''Is the lady going to be all right?''

''I hope so…I really do,'' he replied, and kept his gaze on the young blonde woman in the distance. She was already approaching the gate, about to walk out of the park and - with his usual poor luck - out of his life, before he'd had a chance to even try to make amends for what he'd done to her.

my wonderful beta annambates :)*

yourenotevenirish I hope you liked it :D :O...