“I’m gonna have to move the furniture to fit this guy in here.”
“You brought your entire bed?”
“Yeah. The air mattress won’t fill up without power, and I’m too old to sleep on the floor.” He pushed the chairs from the main area toward a den-like room.
“Here, I can help.” Moving to stand, I moaned in pain.
He spun toward me, pointed his finger at me, and shook his head. “No. Sit.”
For one second, I imagined what he was like as a coach and how intimidating he could be. Would he tell me to do push-ups? Jumping jacks? Punch the air? Wow, I knew nothing about sports. But I was a grown woman, not a college football player, and I could argue with his bossy gestures.
I huffed out a breath. “What? I think I can move some pillows at least. I’m weak, but not that small.”
“Hmm. Fine.” He frowned and continued arranging the mattress until it sat two feet away from the fireplace.
He’d restocked the woodpile earlier, and thirty logs sat in the corner of the room. Seeing how prepared he was sent another wave of gratitude through me. There was no way I would’ve stayed warm enough in the huge house without firewood, and if I didn’t stop my thoughts, I would derail into a handful of what-if scenarios that all ended with me freezing to death.
I shivered while helping him move a lamp and a couple of pillows. Finished, I stared at the new living room. The couch I’d vacated, the firewood, and the bed took up the whole room. “You have a huge bed.”
“I’m a large guy.”
I’ll say.My gaze darted to his frame, taking in his massive hands and long legs.
He slid me a coy smile.
“Did I say that out loud?” I gasped.
“No, but the look on your face is amusing, and I wish you did share your thoughts.” He moved to a small closet door and returned with more blankets for the bed. “We’ll sleep on this tonight. I think I have enough to keep us warm when the temperature drops at night.”
“We?” I squeaked.
“Yes, Becca.” He gave me the same intimidating look that had weakened my knees. “As you said, this bed is big enough for the two of us, and I want both of us close to the fire. I have no plans to lose any fingers or toes.”
He was serious. Another wave of fear went through me. “Thank you, Harrison.”
“What for?”
“For letting me stay here.” A shiver ofwhat if I didn’t come herewent through me, making my teeth chatter together.
He stepped toward me and rubbed his hands up and down my arms and shoulders. “Are you cold now? Come on. I’ll put more wood on the fire.” He moved his large hands over my arms six or seven more times, his touch relaxing me, before gently nudging me to sit on the edge of the bed nearest the fire. He threw a deep blue blanket over my shoulders and added three more logs to the fire. “Feel any better?”
“Y-yes.” I pulled the material tighter against me. “I’m glad I’m here with you.”
He stilled, the hardness of his stance obvious, but it didn’t last long. Relaxing, he said in a soft tone, “Yeah, I’m glad you are as well. It’s safer for both of us.”
Picking up the poker, he arranged the logs into a position I assumed was meant for more flames. The quiet gave me time to think about what would happen when the dark took over. We had a couple flashlights and my candles, but would those last more than a day or two? Would the cold get so bad we’d die in our sleep? Would we have to spoon for warmth, just for survival?
Or just for fun?
I shook my head.
“I can practically hear your thoughts from two feet away,” Harrison said. “You fidget. What’s on your mind?”
“Uh, well.” I stammered and avoided his attentive stare. If he could hear my thoughts, it wouldn’t be good for me. I pressed my nails into my palm to gain my bearings. “I think the thought of it going dark and getting colder is freaking me out a bit. This morning, waking up to the cold, was terrifying. I’ve never felt anything like that before, and my mind has the ability to snowball one bad idea into an even worse one.”
He sighed and sat next to me on the mattress, leaving a couple of inches between us. Even still, his strong body radiated heat, and I fought the urge to scoot closer to him. He was just so big.
“I’m not looking forward to it, either,” he admitted. “We can’t waste batteries in the flashlights unless we need to. We’ll have the fire going, which will provide some light and hopefully a lot of heat.”
