Chapter 176

As they stepped out of the Rose Gardens, the snow was falling in thick, feathery flakes, blanketing the earth and sky in white. From the looks of it, the heavy snowfall showed no sign of letting up anytime soon.

Aubree stood outside the church gates, her face clouded with worry as the ceaseless snow fell. “Bowen,” she asked anxiously, “is there no other way?”

She’d prefer to avoid being in the same room as Bowen, if possible.

Bowen stood under his umbrella, snowflakes dusting his shoulders. “I’ll try to figure something out,” he said. “Let’s head back to the church for now. It’s freezing out here.”

Bowen made a call. Meeting Aubree’s hopeful gaze, he could only shake his head. “The snow’s coming down too hard. All the mountain roads are blocked. It’s just too dangerous to try heading down now.”

Aubree’s face immediately fell, but she wasn’t the type to make a fuss. Once it was clear they couldn’t go down the mountain, she accepted it with a wry sense of humor. “At least it’s winter, and I don’t have to worry about changing clothes at night. If it were summer, that’d be much more awkward,” she remarked, trying to look on the bright side.

A priest approached and said respectfully, “Mr. Turner, the pastor asked me to let you know that the roads are dangerously slippery because of the snow, so it’s not safe to go down the mountain. The guest quarters we previously prepared for your father are still available and have been kept clean. Please stay overnight tonight.”

“Okay, thank you for your trouble,” Bowen replied respectfully.

The priest said, “You two may rest in the church for now. I’ll come to invite you for the evening meal later.”

The church only served vegetarian meals. Aubree remembered Bowen mentioning how famous their dishes were. She hadn’t expected to try them so soon.

Bowen wasn’t lying. The food had a unique flavor.

The priests went to their evening prayers after eating, leaving Bowen and Aubree alone.

Bowen fetched some warm water for the two of them to wash up.

With poor cell reception up in the mountains and heavy snowfall, they could barely make phone calls, let alone play online games. With no real entertainment options, sleep was pretty much the only activity left.

Being a guest, Aubree avoided wandering off and instead followed Bowen back to the courtyard.

To call it a “courtyard” was generous. The truth was, it was just a single room with a patch of open ground and a stone table.

“Come in,” Bowen said, pushing open the door. The mountain air was biting cold, and the priests lived a simple life, without heating or air conditioning, except in this guest room. The priests here had kindly turned on the air conditioning ahead of time for their guests.

As Aubree stepped inside, warm air enveloped her. The chill from the snowstorm soon melted away.

However, the room was small. Apart from a single table, there was just a bed pushed flush against the wall.

Aubree had considered sleeping on the floor, but now she had to abandon that idea. After all, sleeping outside in the snow wasn’t an option.

Aubree stared at the room for a long moment, her gaze conflicted. Standing beside her, a subtle, knowing smile played on Bowen’s lips.

Bowen said, “I’ll go ask them for another quilt.”

Chapter 176

As soon as Bowen stepped out, Aubree started fidgeting nervously in the room. The bed looks only a bit bigger than Bowen, a tall grown man, to sleep on. With me added in, crowding isn’t even the main concern. But physical contact...

The priest handing the quilt to Bowen was fairly young and seemed familiar with him.

“I thought one quilt would suffice for you, Mr. Turner,” the priest remarked with a teasing smile.

Bowen chuckled and said, “Still working on winning her over.”

The young priest smiled and said, “Miss Miller has bright, intelligent eyes and a genuinely kind heart. She’s truly blessed. Mr. Turner, if you and Miss Miller should form an attachment, you must treat her with the utmost care.”

“Of course I will,” Bowen replied.

Bowen walked back into the room, carrying a quilt. Aubree was still frowning, agonizing over how they would sleep that night. Seeing him return, she quickly stepped forward to take the quilt from him. “Bowen, let me handle it,” she said.