Page 9 of Girl in the Snow
“What have we here?Quite the kerfuffle.”Cal stated, deadpan.He sighed as he stepped over her suitcase that had fallen over amid what he rightly calledthe kerfuffle.
He was standing over her when his expression changed from wry amusement to creases of concern.“Are you alright?I thought you were just scared by the blackout.”
“Oh, that was nothing,” she lied, smoothly, “but I tripped over my suitcase and hurt my foot, and then that happened.”She pointed up to the ceiling while holding his gaze.“The huge gaping hole.With all the snow falling through.”
He blinked then craned his neck up to stare at the hole.“Ah, bollocks.Sorry about that.”When he met her gaze again he held it for a long moment before he spoke.“Let’s get you up to the main lodge.At least we have the fire in there to keep us warm.”
Cal extended his hand to her.She took it, of course she did, with only a split-second of hesitation.Maybe the same reason he hesitated.Because now, she’d be stuck with him in the main lodge with no privacy whatsoever.But, as he said, they needed to keep warm.His hand was warm, incredibly so, like a pocket-sized furnace.His palms were a little rough, probably from the wood-chopping or wolf-wrangling or whatever.
Deanna couldn’t help it when a barrage of inappropriate images flooded her brain of all the ways they could keep warm.If they really wanted to do things properly, they should strip off their clothes and zip themselves into one sleeping bag.Skin to skin.To share body heat.
Her face burned as Cal grasped her hand tightly.She let him help her up.Then she gasped as he hauled her right up and flopped her over his shoulder.
“Hey, I can walk, you know.”
“Can you, indeed?I thought this may be safer for us both.”The sarcasm was strong with Cal.
She grumbled about bossy men while clinging on, enjoying the strength of him, and weirdly, the chance to sniff his neck.He was wrapped in the essence of pine trees and woodsmoke, a delicious, outdoorsy scent.
He stomped out of the cabin, shutting the door behind them before continuing in a brisk march to the lodge.
The air was freezing, and Deanna’s nose felt like a little icicle.Snow continued falling in great white drifts that made it hard to see far ahead.
They made it to the front door of the lodge and Cal pushed it open, while balancing her in his arms.Deanna fought the urge to swoon.
Once inside, he shoved the door shut behind them and gently placed her down on the floor like he didn’t want to break her.
“Sorry about the manhandling.”Cal tore off his hat and shoved his fingers through his hair.
“It’s alright.Thanks for coming to my rescue.Again.”Deanna dusted herself off and unwrapped the now-damp blanket from the cabin.She hung it on a hook near the door while Cal took off his boots.
She glanced around the lodge, which was lit by loads of tea-light candles and the roaring fire.The orange glow in the otherwise dim room was gorgeous and inviting.She’d wanted cosy, and this scene fit the bill.
Deanna walked straight across to the fireside.Standing right in front of the leaping flames, she warmed her butt through her flannelette pyjama pants and watched Cal come closer.Watched him hesitate to stand nearby.
She shot him a smile.“It’s lucky you heard me scream.I was worried about axe murderers coming to get me.You can stand by me.Here,” When he simply stood there, still as a statue, she reached out for his hand and tugged him closer.
Deanna grinned at him.When she realised she still had a firm grip on Cal’s large hand, she let go.Reluctantly.His large hand felt right wrapped around her smaller one.
Cal’s lips tipped up at one corner.“There are no axe murderers around here that I’m aware of.But I was worried about you freezing out there in the cabin.I expected power outages.The new back-up generators are bloody expensive.It’ll be a couple more weeks before they’re installed.The timing sucks.”
Deanna wrapped her arms around herself, stuffing her hands under her armpits.Her soft cardigan usually kept her warm, but tonight the temperature had really dropped.She was stuck here in the main lodge for the night, that much was obvious.“Well, we’re okay in the lodge I guess.Do we have enough firewood, food and water, and stuff?”
“Yes.I stocked up on essentials since I’m living here full-time now.”
She nodded.“Good.Did you always work as the manager here?I mean, did you used to work for your father?”
Cal cleared his throat.“No.I worked in IT.Still do, on contract.Network architecture consulting.I usually work remotely, but I visit clients in the city sometimes.”
That sounded like a good balance.To live somewhere so pretty, so quiet, but to visit the metropolis every now and then for work or fun.“So, you’re hella smart, hey?Impressive.”
Cal chuckled, glancing at her from under his long, luxurious eyelashes.“Didn’t think a nerd like me would impress a glamorous girl like you.”
“Well.I guess you don’t know me.What are we going to do now anyway?”
Cal fixed his gaze on her face, leaning one arm on the carved mantelpiece above the fireplace.“Oh, I don’t know.We could play a game?Scrabble, maybe?”
A laugh escaped Deanna’s lips.“Really?You’d take on the champion for another round?”
