Page 21 of Snowed in with My Pucking Ex
Sean grabs the flashlight that ended up down the hallway somehow, and then I watch as his foot hits the bottom rung. I know one thing’s for sure; no crazy critters are about to get my feet if something comes back down with the cocky athlete. He can handle that one all on his own. He begins to climb up, thankfully not asking me to spot him, because clearly, I’ve proven I’m not the best when it comes to balance.
A moment later, he’s disappearing into the attic. “Aww,” I swear I hear him say, and it has my curiosity piqued. “Aren’t you a cute little lady. I’m grabbing a few boxes and that’s it, okay? You won’t be bothered, just keep warm.”
“Who are you talking to?”
He doesn’t reply. After a few minutes, he begins descending the ladder, somehow balancing two boxes as he does. He hops off the fourth rung, keeping the boxes secure, then he sets them down and lifts the ladder, closing the attic. He hasn’t said a word yet, and I won’t lie, my mind is spinning with possibilities over what he found up there.
Chapter Thirteen
Winter
“Uh, what was all that?” I point to the ceiling and gesture a bit wildly. “I swear I heard you talking to someone, and I’m just wondering how you made it out unscathed?”
“There’s a momma raccoon up there with her babies. You scared her, so she was protecting little Timmy, Tot, and Tabitha.”
“You named her babies?” My mouth is hanging open; I can feel it. Who is this man?
He shrugs, “May as well. Once she saw I was headed to the other side of the attic, she didn’t pay me much attention.”
“Um…that raccoon was hostile and ready to take a bite out of me moments ago. Now you’re telling me she didn’t even bat an eye when you went to grab the boxes?”
He shrugs again like it’s no big deal. “Probably brought her kids up there to stay warm with the random snowfall. They won’t bother you.” He’s talking about them as if she’s a little old lady and her babies are my long-lost cousins or something, just as ridiculous. Here I am fearing for my life, while the animal whisperer in front of me is ready to invite her over for Sunday brunch.
With a huff, I ask, “Have you seen the videos of pet raccoons? There a menace, getting into everything. They know how to open refrigerators.Refrigerators!And I’m pretty sure it takes a tiny mastermind to figure that out.”
“You watch raccoon videos?”
I wave him off, not ready to admit anything about all the animal videos I watch when I’m bored. “That’s beside the point. Were those the only two boxes marked Christmas candy supplies and holiday market on them?”
He nods, and relief fills me knowing I won’t have to venture back up into the attic anytime soon. I’ll have to let Dad know,though, so he can try to get the new tenants out once he’s healed and back to working the farm, or else they may tear the place up.
“Okay, let’s get back home. My feet need defrosting by the fire before my toes decide to fall off.” I move for the boxes, but he beats me to them, easily carrying both.
I hurry to open the door for him and follow him out, closing the sturdy wood door behind us. I watch his bubble butt as he walks, checking him out. Noting that even after he’s helped me nearly all day with random stuff, he still manages to look the same as he did when he’d surprised me in the barn. There’s not even a hair out of place, while he smells like a snack, and looks like one, too.Gah.
I’m thinking of that taut stomach of his when I nearly crash into his back while stepping down the stairs. I manage to quickly dodge to the side. “What’s the matter?” My gaze shoots around the cleared area, wondering if we’re having another run-in with a different animal. Hopefully not an actual bear this time.
“Please tell me you have a spare that I somehow missed when I was loading the tree in the back?”
“A spare?” I glance at the truck, not seeing what he’s obviously noticed. “For what?”
“The tire is flat.”
I jog over to Dad’s truck, staring at the tire in question. As soon as I’m close enough, I kick the snow away from it. He’s right. It’s not only a little flat,1.2.. either; the rim is basically sitting on the frozen, hard ground. There’s no way I can drive it back like this, even just to the farm, without seriously messing something up. The road home is snowy, icy, full of potholes, and who knows what else, because it’s not an actual road. It’s the same path we always use to get to the cabin, so the ground has been worn down, but there’s no gravel or pavement.
He opens the tailgate and sets the boxes of supplies down on it, shifting the tree from side to side, peering underneath it. Iguess he’s checking for a spare he thinks has magically been tucked away under the branches. Next, he ducks his head below, looking underneath the bed, but it’s useless. I already know there’s no tire anywhere. Dad is notorious for taking the spare tire out when he’s moving something, and then forgetting to put it back in. “No tire.”
“No tire,” I echo, confirming. “Dad pulls it out all the time and forgets to put it back in.” I tug my cell free from my jacket pocket only to discover I have zero bars. No surprise there with the snow-covered mountains surrounding us and the flurries making it hard to see more than ten feet in front of us. “I’ve got no cell signal either,” I call out as I shiver through a gust of icy air.
I hurry to the closest tree, standing under it to help block the snow from landing on me. I wish I’d grabbed my heavier coat before we left, but in my defense, I was expecting this to be a quick trip here and back. I had no idea I was going to get caught up in the moment and end up spending extra time out here with Sean.
He tries his phone, but he actually has service. Weird how that works, and it may be time I switch providers. He calls someone, walking around the truck to check each tire. “Hey Doug. Winter’s dad’s truck has a flat, and we’re not at the farm. Are you free to swing by and grab it since David is still on crutches back at the house? You can add it to my bill.”
He glances at me for a beat as he comes to stand under the tree, his brow furrowing as he listens to whatever Doug is saying. “You’re joking, it’s been a few hours, tops, since we got out here. Town was fine this morning when I left my mom’s place. No way.Jesus.Okay, yeah, thanks. We’ll figure something out. Stay safe out there.”
My body starts to shiver more, making me realize it’s from a drop in the temperature, and not just from walking outside intoa random gust of freezing wind. I take in our surroundings the best I can, noticing how the snow has been piling up quickly compared to when we first arrived. It seems to keep getting worse as time passes.
“No luck?” My teeth chatter, and I burrow deeper into my thin, knitted scarf Gram made for me years ago. I’ve worn it so many times, it’s practically threadbare at this point.
