Shaking his head, he moved toward the coat hook, removing his boots and heavy coveralls. Snow powdered down on the tiny woven rug beneath him, piling up. “This old house is such a piece of junk; I woke up to water drops in my face. I figured I didn’t have long, or I would have a huge mess.”
Wrapping my arms across my body, I protected my warmth from the chill the open door had let in. “That’s not good.”
“I clearly have issues with water.” Dropping his hat on the hook next to his coat, he moved to the corner where a little broom was stored and quickly began sweeping the snow back outside, then rushed to close the door. “The pipes, the roof. It’s like they are forcing me to move away.”
“Let’s hope not.” It was just a response. It didn’t really mean anything, but as soon as the words were out, his head tilted away as if he was trying to hide the tiny smile on his lips.
“I bet you’re hungry.” Reeves sauntered into the kitchen, removed a pot from the cupboard and looked at me as if wantingan answer. “The power is still out, but I can throw a can of soup in a pot and cook it over the fire.”
“Yeah, whatever you have is great.” I was self-conscious as I stood back and tried not to feel bad that I couldn’t help cook. I didn’t want to confess that I had never even made hot water for myself. Maybe I should have thought about that before I ran away? My life was going to change drastically, not having servants to do everything for me. I moved further into the kitchen, studying what he was doing. If I was going to learn to do things for myself, I might as well start now.
The tips of his fingers were still reddened from the weather as he held up two cans, flashing them at me. “Chicken Noodle or Vegetable?”
“Chicken is great.” I pulled both of my brows up, gesturing toward the cupboard, trying to figure out how to be useful in the kitchen. “I can set out dishes—” I nervously rubbed my neck as my eyes drifted over to the tiny kitchen with no table. “Where do you eat?”
“Right.” His T was extra sharp as he dumped the can into the pot and carried it to the fire. In my search for the table, I had missed him opening the can. I hadn’t heard any power tools. Did it just pop open?
“Secret’s out,” he said in his teasing voice. “I’m a bachelor, and I eat right on the sofa.”
“Perfect.” I gave him a dismissive wave, careful not to show how out-of-place I felt being part of the cooking process. I shuffled my feet back toward the couch since I didn’t find anything to do in the kitchen.
He was quiet as he lifted the cast iron pot with the handle, and carried it to the fireplace, adding another two logs to the already roaring blaze. He clearly wasn’t one for small talk, but it was comfortable.
I arched my neck, peering down the hall. “Did you say you have a bathroom?” I filled in a beat with a deliberate blink.
“I dooo.” He stretched the word to have three syllables while his eyes seeded with humor. “But remember the no-plumbing?” His gaze drifted through the window to the snow-covered deck.
“Oh.” I stiffened. I obviously loved nature, so that didn’t bother me, but it was a complete blanket of snow. “So, just head out outside?”
“There are some trees you can squat behind.” He chuckled as if he was enjoying my fish-out-of-water predicament, but I couldn’t see his expression because he was still turned toward the fire, adjusting his pot.
“Right.” I inched toward the door, clamping down on my bottom lip as this conversation strengthened my urge. “It’s like camping.” I forced a positive tone, as I slipped on my shoes. When I stood up straight, Reeves had managed to move in right next to me, and offered his heavy coat. I took it, smiled at his conscientiousness, and placed a hand on the doorknob. “So…just trek on out and find a spot?”
“The world is your oyster.” He playfully winked at me as if he was enjoying this too much, but the spark that seeded in the corner of his eye made my breath rush in unexpectedly. I didn’t ever remember being affected like this just being near someone. Or maybe it was just my need to pee?
“You mean bathroom,” I managed to joke back.
“That too.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the kitchen. “And I’ll start the water for coffee on the fire, too.”
“That would be lovely.” Turning the knob, I didn’t even have to pull the door back, because the wind was so strong, it flung the door at me. Gritting my teeth into the gusts, I plowed forward, pulling the door shut behind me. “This will be fun.”
I surveyed the yard, deciding that proximity would be my friend. My eyes landed on a pine tree a few strides away. The treewas near, but the snow was almost waist high, and I struggled to move forward. My legs sank deep into each footstep of snow. My teeth chattered together as the snow filled my shoes, burning my feet.This was awful.I don’t even know what the point of squatting is because the snow was so high, when I pulled my skirt up, my bare bum touched the snow. Still, I tried to stay positive, as I closed my eyes and squeezed.It was only a minute and it’d be all over. There wasn’t an angle that was graceful, and no matter how I leaned, I couldn’t stop the pee from getting on my shoe. If only Father knew what I was doing now. He’d immediately rush me back to etiquette school. This was disgusting, but it was done.
I gave myself a mental pat on the back. As I stood to fix my dress, a gust of wind rustled up the tree branches. It was almost like time had been put into slow motion as I saw the spiral ripple through the tree. I didn’t react fast enough before an enormous mound of snow rolled off the top branch. Throwing my hands up in protection, it was obviously a feeble attempt at coverage that failed, and the mass plummeted directly on my head. I squealed as the pile dissected and snow trickled over my whole body, freezing me still.
Shaking from the cold, I strained to brush it away, while running toward the house, desperate to get warm. I rounded the tree, my eyes met Reeves, who was standing on the deck. He had a rascal smile on his face, as if he was dying to make fun of me.
“Not funny.” I stomped the snow off my shoes as I trekked across the deck.
“I heard you scream. I thought a coyote had got you.” He stood back, allowing me to go indoors first, still chuckling through his words. “I think you’re going to need to change. I don’t have anything your size, but I can get you a sweatshirt and some shorts.”
My eyes regarded the coat, layered in wet snow. I could easily remove that but the whole bottom of my skirt had been layered in snow from traipsing through it. There was no way I could brush it clean. It would only take a minute in the warmth of this cabin, and it would be soaked. Clearly, I hadn’t thought out this running-away-on-foot thing, as I could have used at least one change of clothes. Without another option, I relented. “That would be great.”
“Come back here.” He led the way to his bedroom. I maintained a straightforward stare, trying not to snoop, but I was curious. You can tell a lot from a person’s room. Even though he had recently moved in, it was apparent he’d tried to make it his own. The single window had blackout curtains and a blue blanket on the wood-framed bed. The bed was neatly made—military corners—and I gave him huge props for that. On the side table, he had a set of earbuds, a wireless phone charger, and a Bible. A large dark wood dresser sat across the room, the top space bare except for a small fan. “Here.” He laid his items on the corner of the bed and went straight to the door, calling back, “Let me know if they don’t work.”
With shivers still trembling through me, I slipped off my dress as quickly as I could and picked up his sweatshirt. The inside was a soft fleece that was cozy against my skin. As I grabbed his shorts, a blush hit my cheeks. I stepped into them and then padded back to the living room, the aroma of strong coffee leading the way.
Reeves already had two bowls of soup waiting on the counter.
