“Okay. I have some food ready on the stove that I need to stir before it burns.”
He smiled wide. He was covered with snow, and it was clinging to his head and face, but his smile made her knees weak. “I thought I smelled something when you opened the door.”
Pleased with herself, she went into the kitchen and dropped the two bags he'd handed her to the floor. She would deal with those in a minute, once she knew the food wasn't burning. She stirred the stew and then went to the counter to grab the two deep bowls she’d left there when Nash had arrived. Then she went back to the wood stove where the stew was cooking and filled each bowl.
Just as she was about to put the plates on the table, the door swung open and Nash walked in carrying a big canvas bag. She dropped the bowls back on the counter and rushed over to him to help.
“What is this?” she asked.
“The bag of linens. I put it in a canvas bag that is waterproof. That's going to be our last run with the snowmobile for a while,” Nash said.
“Is it really that bad out there?”
“I kept getting bogged down in snow drifts. I have to be careful. Staying on the road is safer. But springtime can be very dangerous.”
“How so?”
“Avalanches are more common in the spring because when snow starts melting and then fresh snow falls on top of it. This storm is fixing to be something intense. I turned on the radio in your car and overheard that they're expecting this storm to linger for a few days. Something about a stalled system.”
“Were you able to radio anyone in town?”
“No. I was getting a signal in. But just barely. I called out just in case someone was able to hear me, but got no reply.”
“It was good thinking to try the radio in my car.”
“First rule of survival. Look at any and all things as something you can use to keep you alive. As soon as I reached your car, I remembered seeing the radio console when I pulled you out earlier. It was smashed in the front, but I did manage to get it working.”
“Smashed?”
“I have a feeling if you look at your right knee you probably have some pretty good bruising on it. Maybe even on your thigh.”
And then it dawned on her. “Yes, I saw those bruises when I took a bath. I guess that was the source of my pain.”
“I'm guessing. You’ll see a lot of bruises come to the surface over the next couple of hours and they’re going to hurt a lot more. You have some pain meds in your bag. You should use them now before you get stiff.”
She looked at him and nodded.
Then he frowned. “You said you didn’t mind my looking through your things.”
“I don’t.
He nodded. “You’re going to be okay.”
“I know.”
“No I don't think you do. But that's common after an accident.” He peeled off his jacket and then hung it on the pegged coat rack by the door where she’d hung her jacket. He hung his scarf and hat on another peg. “That food smells awesome. Let’s eat.”
* * *
They’d managed to get through the night without freezing to death, which was a blessing. Nash had insisted she sleep on the sofa next to the fire using his sleeping bag, which was rated for cold weather camping. He took the floor and used the blankets he’d retrieved from her car.
The snow had continued well into the next day and evening, stopping some time during the night on the second day. During that time, Nash had managed to get the solar system turned on, something that would have been simple in warm weather, but since the snow was covering the solar panels, it made it cumbersome. It was going to take time for the batteries to power up after a winter of just sitting. But at least the power was on and Nash would eventually have lights.
They spent the snowy day talking about odd things and nothing at all. Her childhood. His work. Funny stories from when he was training in the field. Crazy stories that had come over the dispatch line. Her bruises would remind her when she overdid it and she tired easily.
And he worried over her. Every so often, she’d pause with a pain and the concerned expression on his face made her heart melt. She’d been taking care of her grandmother for so long that it was nice to have a man fuss over her a little bit.
By the morning of day three, the sun was shining in the sky and the air was considerably warmer than it had been. Spring was coming even though a thick blanket of snow said otherwise. It was time to try to make a trek down the mountain.
“We can’t take the truck even though it’s four-wheel drive. We’ll get better traction with the snowmobile, even with the thick snow.”
“I’ll take your word for it. As long as I get down the mountain, I don’t’ care how we do it.”
He chuckled. “You’re going to regret saying that. Need I remind you of where your car is sitting?”
She groaned and then laughed. “I don’t think it’s actually sitting at all. I think it’s leaning and in danger of being pitched over the cliff.” She stood at the front door and looked in the direction of where she thought her car was on the cliff. “That’s a relief. The car is still there. I think.”
He glanced over her shoulder. He smelled so good. He’d taken a bath this morning and she could still smell the soap he’d used. The fragrance tickled her nose.
“Yep, that’s your car. I’m glad you can laugh about this. I’d half expected you to be freaking out.”
“Did you listen to my dispatch stories last night? Nothing surprises me.”
* * *
Since the night he’d seen
