Carly kept telling her to not worry and be herself, but Laura had never found that appealing. Well, she did, she liked herself just fine, but men didn’t seem to like her as she was.
And this was the other problem with Nash. He made her question everything about herself. Before him she’d been happy with who she was, both her physical appearance and her personality. After him she’d questioned the way she dressed and acted.
Except when she wore her uniform. When she slipped on her badge and belt she felt confident, invincible—necessary.
“Laura?”
Nash’s voice snapped her eyes open and head up. Expecting to see him in front of her she was surprised to find the bathroom empty.
“Laura? Are you okay? You’ve been in there a while,” his voice came through the gap in the door.
“Yeah.”
“Do you need help?”
She could hear the concern in his voice and the sting of tears blurred her vision more than the steam rising around her. She wasn’t a crier. Never had been. Then again, Nash did crazy things to her emotions. One more reason to steer clear of him.
“No, I’m okay. I’m getting out.” She wasn’t, although she probably should. The chill hadn’t left her in spite of the hot water and her fingertips felt wrinkly when she pressed her hands to the floor to push herself up.
“I’ve got a bowl of stew ready and a cup of hot sweet tea. Come out to the kitchen when you’re dressed.”
“Okay.” Using the wall to keep her steady on her feet, she switched off the water.
It took far longer than it should to get out of the shower and dry off. Her arms and legs shook, her hands and fingers trembled, and she almost dropped the towel twice before she finished.
The numbness had gone and the burning tingle that replaced it didn’t hurt as much as it had when the first spray of hot water had hit her, but she still felt cold. It was bone deep and she didn’t think it was going away any time soon.
The pants Nash had left were too big, both length and width, and the sleeves of the shirt hung passed her hands a good ten inches. With the legs and arms on both garments rolled up she looked like a little girl playing dress-up in her daddy’s clothes. It didn’t matter how ridiculous she looked, they were warm and soft and comfortable, and when she lowered her head and breathed deep she could smell fresh air and forest—Nash.
She didn’t want to search through his cupboards but she needed to dry her hair, the squeeze she’d managed with the towel left it too wet to leave. Biting her lip, she opened the drawers and cupboard beneath the basin. Coming up empty, she grabbed her towel, twisted it around her head, and went to find Nash.
As soon as she left the steamy bathroom the smell of something delicious made her stomach rumble and cramp. God, she hoped that was the stew he’d mentioned. The last time she’d eaten was hours ago and the small piece of carrot cake she’d picked up with a coffee at the little cafe in Broken Bay hadn’t kept her satisfied for long.
The cold and the situation with her cruiser had distracted her from her hunger. Now, with that yummy aroma filling her nose, she felt ravenous.
“Hey, take a seat on the couch. I’ll grab you a pair of socks when you’re settled.” Nash stood in front of the bedroom door as though he’d been waiting for her. “There’s a bowl of stew and a mug of tea on the coffee table. The sat phone is next to them. Call whoever you need to.”
He curled his hand around her elbow and urged her across the room. With no energy to argue she didn’t need help, never mind the fact she actually did need his assistance, she murmured a quiet, “Thanks,”and let him lead her to the couch.
“I called Alex. He said he’d call your dad but I’m sure you’ll want to speak to him yourself.”
He’d called Alex? “Oh, okay, yeah.” She let him settle her on the couch and once seated, let him drape a thick hand-stitched quilt over her lap. She hated feeling incapable but knew without Nash’s help she’d likely still be outside in the snow.
“I’ll get those socks.” He frowned at her feet before muttering, “Maybe two pairs.”
Before she could agree or disagree he was gone. Spying the phone she leaned forward and scooped it up. Brain still a little muddled, she hit 911 and waited for the call to connect.
“Winter Lake emergency services, how can I help you?”
“Sarah? It’s Laura. I’m just checking in. I’m stuck over in Broken Bay.”
“Laura! We’ve been worried. No one could get you on the radio or your cell.”
“Yeah, either the weather or the fact I put the cruiser in a ditch knocked the radio out and I’ve got no service on my cell.” She glanced around for her backpack. She didn’t even know where her cell was.
“You’re not the only one. I think we might have a tower down or the power is out on it or something. Not that this weather will allow a crew to check any time soon. Everyone’s battening down and staying indoors. Wait. The cruiser is in a ditch? Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m fine. I’m at Lakeside Inn with Nash Yates. I’m using his sat phone. I’ll wait out the storm here but if you can put in a call to Larry at Lake Auto to send out a tow truck after the storm clears that would be great.”
