“Then I’ll expect a lot of one-on-one time.” She tossed him a sassy look.
“One-on-one time?” His blood heated just thinking about all the one-on-one time he planned to have with her. “Of course. I would not have it any other way.”
From the other room, Braun tsked loudly enough for Max to know he was awake and once again listening to his conversation with Emberly.
Max had heard Winzig stirring in the bedroom a short while ago and guessed his bodyguard would be anxious to get him to safety at first light. The question that had been nagging Max all night was whether they would be able to go anywhere with the way the wind was still blowing. He suspected the snow had finally stopped, but now the problem would be the drifting and the cold.
If the conditions were impassable or dangerous, would they have no choice but to stay? If they were trapped, the situation could grow precarious. Would they have enough fuel and food for four people? Max’s stomach was already gnawing after their sparse supper the previous evening, involving leftovers from their lunch coupled with canned food from the cabin’s pantry.
Winzig stepped out of the bedroom, rubbing his hands together and blowing into them for warmth. The bedroom likely hadn’t stayed as warm as the main room, which was not entirely warm anymore either, likely because of the dropping temperature outside.
While Winzig lit the lantern, Emberly began making the coffee. They were joined shortly by Braun, who was also in need of warming up. As they sipped coffee, they discussed the situation and decided that when they had full daylight, they would go out and investigate the landscape and weather and assess whether leaving was possible.
Their phone batteries were all growing low, and they had no way to charge them. So they decided to turn them off to conserve the little battery they did have left.
When dawn turned into full daylight, they donned their outer gear and ventured outside. Although Max wanted to shelter Emberly and protect her and make her stay inside where she would be warm and dry, he also loved her feistiness and desire to be a part of the solution. Besides, she was the most experienced of them in the mountains and knew the area the best.
The conditions were worse than they’d anticipated. The wind was still gusting, but the snow seemed to have stopped falling for the most part. The drifts in some places were more than a meter high, but it was difficult to estimate exactly how much had accumulated. They were fortunate the cabin had a front porch that had prevented the drifts from trapping them in the cabin.
As it was, the sharp drop in the temperature seemed to be their greatest threat. They worked together to bring in more wood from a pile at the back of the cabin that was still mostly dry. They also brought in a large pan of snow to melt and use for cooking and drinking. Then they settled back into the cabin and waited for the conditions to improve.
Emberly suggested conserving the oil in the lantern as well as rationing their food. Although she did not expound, Max could easily assess that she was taking the precautions because she, too, expected they may not be able to leave anytime soon.
When he suggested that her family would surely send out a search party, she shook her head gravely and explained that no one would be able to travel up to the cabin by foot, not without great peril. And until the wind abated, not even her brother Kade in his helicopter would be able to fly out.
Whatever might happen, all that really mattered to Max was that he was with Emberly and would hopefully never have to leave her again.
17
“We’ll find a way down the mountain.” Emberly tried to keep a reassuring tone as she took a sip of her coffee. The afternoon was passing and so were their chances of leaving that day.
She was tucked against Max’s side as they sat beside each other on a bench at the table. With Braun and Winzig having overheard her and Max’s conversation last night when they’d declared their love to each other, they were doing nothing now to hide their affection. What was the point?
Max rubbed her arm over the blanket he’d draped on top of her. “Perhaps tomorrow the wind will be gone, and sunshine will take its place.”
“It’s possible.” Even if the sunshine came out and began to melt the snow, would they be able to make it back on snowmobiles? The snow might be too deep and the risk of avalanches too great.
At this point, they just had to wait. And even though they were all trying to have positive attitudes, she could sense the men’s constant worry about the situation.
“Look at the bright side,” she added as she laid her head on Max’s arm and snuggled into him. “We get to be together a few extra days.”
“Remember, darling.” Max paused in his shuffling of the deck of cards for another game of solitaire. “We decided we would get married and that you would return with me to Karltenberg.”
Yes, that’s what they had talked about. But could she really do it? Last night in the dark, beside him on the couch after sharing kisses, the choices had all seemed so much easier than now by the light of day, when her mind was clearer.
As if sensing her hesitancy, Max set aside the deck of cards.
Across the table, Braun paused in his writing of numbers in a sudoku book he’d found on the game shelf. At the front window, Winzig shifted in their direction. Neither man seemed surprised by Max’s news. Yet they were clearly waiting for him to say more.
Max, on the other hand, seemed to be waiting for her to agree with him.
Could she?
She wanted to be with Max, but the doubts came rushing back—this was too soon, they’d only just met, they were so different, and family might not approve. Also, what about her job? She couldn’t just leave without helping find a replacement.
What about being so far away from her dad when he was still recovering? While his cancer was in remission, there was always the chance it could come back. And everyone knew his life expectancy was still uncertain.
Would she really be able to fit into Max’s world? He had assured her she would learn everything quickly and that he would be by her side to help her, but what if she embarrassed him enough that his people rejected her?
