Nash needed to focus. He was here on the mountain to do work. As soon as the storm ended, he was going to bring her back down the mountain and deliver her to her grandmother.
He finished securing the last bag to the snowmobile and climbed on. It was going to be a long night.
* * *
The wind whistled through the rafters above, wind that always seemed to find its way through the tiny cracks between the boards, even though the roof had been repaired several years ago.
She had to busy herself. She couldn't just sit there and wait for the door to open. She grabbed a log Nash had spread out to dry, opened the wood stove door, and placed the log on the embers. They probably had just enough wood to get them through the night. There was a stack of wood next to the cabin, which was probably where Nash had gotten this wood. But it would be soaked by morning. As long as they managed to keep embers in the wood stove, they’d be able to keep the stove pumping some heat.
She walked back into the kitchen and opened the cabinets again. They were empty of food but had dishes and glasses that her grandmother provided to all people who rented the cabin. Not many did, and especially for the length of time that Nash would be here. So all of the dinnerware was virtually brand-new.
She’d seen a bucket on the counter earlier, so she focused her attention on that. Grabbing the bucket, she turned it to read the label. MRE or Meal, Ready-to-Eat. The bucket was full of dehydrated meals much like the military used out in the field.
“Did he expect to eat this all summer?” Harper asked out loud, making a disgusting face. She never actually tried a meal like this before. But the idea of pouring hot water and eating freeze-dried food seemed revolting. But at this point, anything would do. She was starving.
She needed something to do besides looking at the clock and stare out the window. She'd been there before and it was a dangerous place to be.
When Nash did show up, he’d be cold and hungry. MREs may not be the most appetizing things, but at least she could make him a hot meal and something to drink to warm him up when he returned.
The canister of MREs were still sealed. Nash hadn't even had a chance to break into his rations yet. So Harper fought with the plastic around the lid until it broke free and she was able to open the canister. She quickly rummaged through a few of the packets.
“At least there's a variety to choose from.” She read the little packages of freeze-dried food and settled on beef stew. She wouldn’t melt snow for their meal. Instead, she grabbed a few bottles of water from the package he’d brought with him and poured them into a pan using the recommended measurements. There was plenty of water at the cabin given the fact her grandmother had installed a well years ago. But without electricity from the solar system, it wouldn’t run.
She got herself busy boiling the water and stirring the ingredients until they thickened. To her surprise, she hadn't looked at the clock in over fifteen minutes and after tasting the food, it was actually good.
She was just setting two bowls on the counter when she heard the snowmobile cut into the quiet. Relief filled her as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel, made her way to the window, and then saw Nash out front. She moved to the door as quickly as she could and reached for the doorknob, opening the door wide and letting in a rush of snow and cold air. Nash glanced up from his position on the snowmobile. He pointed to the front door.
“You’re letting all the heat out! Dry wood is at a premium right now and we don't know how long this storm is going to last.”
Stepping onto the porch, she closed the door behind her. She didn't have her jacket on, but she stayed on the porch so she could help Nash with the things he had strapped to the snowmobile. She was still in her stocking feet, so she didn't leave the confines of the front porch which was now starting to fill with snow.
“Just hand me some things and I'll bring them in,” she said. “That's a lot of stuff you managed to get from my car.”
“I wasn't sure exactly what you needed so I tried to take as much as I could. I found your bag and your cell phone. It’s smashed. I hope you don’t mind I went through your bag. I thought maybe I’d be able to get a signal down there.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I wouldn’t have minded. I guess we go with plan B and wait to get a signal with the radio.”
He stopped unbuckling one of the harnesses that was holding everything in place on the back of the snowmobile. He stood up straight and turned to her, giving her a half glance. “It's not often I hear woman say something like that.”
“About not caring?”
“Not caring about rifling through her things.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “I assure you, there is nothing scandalous in my bag.”
“It depends on what your definition of scandalous is.”
Heat crept up her cheeks and she knew she was blushing. Had she left tampons or something else personal in her bag? She couldn’t remember. Well, it was survival. And she highly doubted Nash had never seen a tampon before. Nash handed her a couple of bags.
“Get inside. You’re going to freeze out here,” he
