She couldn’t convince Nash to abandon the idea of going back for the blankets. It had been over an hour since he’d left. Now Harper frantically paced the floor and kept looking out of the window to see if she could see the lights of the snowmobile.
To keep her mind busy, she continued to melt snow, boil water, and pour each bucket full into the tub until a few inches of hot water covered the bottom. When Nash first mentioned a bath to her, she balked at the thought. Nothing was turned on at the cabin so she knew the they didn’t have running water. But as the ache in her shoulder and her thigh began to throb, she came around to the idea. Even a quick bath might ease what she knew were going to be epic bruises on her body by morning.
She climbed into the bath with a cup from the kitchen and poured the hot water over her body. It would cool quickly so she didn’t have much time. To her surprise, just the running of the water over her bruises pulled out some of the kinks. She carefully scrubbed her head where she’d felt the blood and then drained the tub.
Nash had left a clean towel out for her just in case he wasn’t back when she was done bathing, so she used that dry off and she put the clothes she’d worn that day back on. When she emerged from the bathroom, Nash was still not back.
Although she’d kept herself busy, looking through cabinets for provisions he’d brought with him, the worry never stopped, and now Harper was fighting a full-blown panic attack along with hunger pangs. It had taken them about a half hour to get up the mountain in the snowmobile, and then another fifteen minutes to get back to the cabin.
“The snow is deeper,” she said to herself as she walked around the kitchen, looking for something to nibble on and tamp down the growls her stomach was making. She hadn’t eaten anything since she’d had that banana at lunch and now she was starving. When she didn’t find anything edible, she leaned against the counter. “In the darkness, he’s going to have had a hard time finding my car.”
But none of her reasons for his delay rang true. She was probably overreacting, but Harper’s overreacting was winning over logic. It had only been two hours, but even she knew the storm was building strength.
Maybe something had gone wrong. She hated the helpless feeling. If only she hadn’t made a big deal about sharing the sleeping bag. It wasn’t such a bad idea for survival, even though she’d be sharing it with a handsome stranger. If Nash got hurt, she’d never forgive herself.
She rubbed her thigh to ease the throbbing. It was swollen and she’d seen the nasty bruise while in the bath. At first, she thought that perhaps she'd bumped it trying to get onto the snowmobile. She now realized she was probably in shock at the time and she’d gotten more banged up than she’d initially thought.
The few hours that had passed continued to roll through her mind just as if she were still rolling down the embankment in the car. She could've died. She wasn't entirely sure that she understood that until just now. And then what would've happened? Just like her parents, Gail and her grandmother would have to wait for word.
She turned and pulled the curtain away from the window to see if she could see headlights down the road or near the spot where her car had tumbled. From the front porch, Harper knew you could see that cliff on a sunny day. Right now, she couldn’t see anything but snow.
She chuckled and shook her head. But there was no humor. “He's a survivalist, Harper,” she said quietly to herself. “He not the Abominable Snowman. And even the snowmobile has its limits.”
* * *
Even for Nash, repelling down to Harper’s car and then climbing back up with the few items he’d managed to grab from the trunk and find in her car proved daunting. But he’d finally made it back to the road and secured everything to the snowmobile.
He was going to have to be careful navigating back to the cabin. He had a headlight on the snowmobile, but the snow was much deeper than it had been earlier and he’d have to drive quicker in order to keep it from sinking in the deep snow. He’d have to stay in the path he’d made earlier when he’d rescued Harper.
What the hell was he doing? He’d come here because he wanted to be alone. He liked being alone. And now a beautiful woman was probably naked in the tub he’d be bathing in all summer. He’d had to get out of there. Getting the linens had been an easy excuse for him to escape all the images he’d had of Harper.
The woman was beautiful. No, stunning. And he’d bet she didn’t even know it by the way she carried herself. She worked in a world surrounded by crisis, and yet, Nash had seen how vulnerable she was. Something about her drew him to her.
He didn’t want to think about it, or about her flowing dark hair that had been straight when he’d seen her at the police station but that had sprung up into waves and curls after getting wet and being windblown. He’d found himself longing to touch her hair. The thought of sleeping next to her in the same sleeping bag was maddening. It couldn’t happen. There had been only one time in his life when he’d ever reacted to a woman with such fierceness before and he’d ended up marrying her.
Nash needed to focus. He was here on the mountain to do work. As soon as the storm ended, he was going to bring her back down the mountain and deliver her to her grandmother.
He finished securing the last bag to the snowmobile and climbed on. It was going to be a long night.
* * *
The wind whistled through the rafters above, wind that always seemed to find its way through the tiny cracks between the boards, even though the roof had been repaired several years ago.
She had to busy herself. She couldn't just sit there and wait for the door to open. She grabbed a log Nash had spread out to dry, opened the wood stove door, and placed the log on the embers. They probably had just enough wood to get them through the night. There was a stack of wood next to the cabin, which was probably where Nash had gotten this wood. But it would be soaked by morning. As long as they managed to keep embers in the wood stove, they’d be able to keep the stove pumping some heat.
She walked back into the kitchen and opened the cabinets again. They were empty of food but had dishes and glasses that her grandmother provided to all people who rented the cabin. Not many did, and especially for the length of time that Nash would be here. So all of the dinnerware was virtually brand-new.
She’d seen a bucket on the counter earlier, so she focused her attention on that. Grabbing the bucket, she turned it to read the label. MRE or Meal, Ready-to-Eat. The bucket was full of dehydrated meals much like the military used out in the field.
“Did he expect to eat this all summer?” Harper asked out loud, making a disgusting face. She never actually tried a meal like this before. But the idea of pouring hot water and eating freeze-dried food seemed revolting. But at this point, anything would do. She was starving.
She needed something to do besides looking at the clock and stare out the window. She'd been there before and it was a dangerous place to be.
When Nash did show up, he’d be cold and hungry. MREs may not be the most appetizing things, but at least she could make him a hot meal and something to drink to warm him up when he returned.
The canister of MREs were still sealed. Nash hadn't even had a chance to break into his rations yet. So Harper fought with the plastic around the lid until it broke free and she was able to open the canister. She quickly rummaged through a few of the packets.
“At least there's a variety to choose from.” She read the little packages of freeze-dried food and settled on beef stew. She wouldn’t melt snow for their meal. Instead, she grabbed a few bottles of water from the package he’d brought with him and poured them into a pan using the recommended measurements. There was plenty of water at the cabin given the fact her grandmother had installed a well years ago. But without electricity from the solar system, it wouldn’t run.
She got herself busy boiling the water and stirring the ingredients until they thickened. To her surprise, she hadn't looked at the clock in over fifteen minutes and after tasting the food, it was actually good.
She was just setting two bowls on the counter when she heard the snowmobile cut into the quiet. Relief filled her as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel, made her way to the window, and then saw Nash out front. She moved to the door as quickly as she could and reached for the doorknob, opening the door wide and letting in a rush of snow and cold air. Nash glanced up from his position on the snowmobile. He pointed to the front door.
“You’re letting all the heat out! Dry wood is at a premium right now and we don't know how long this storm is going to last.”
Stepping onto the porch, she closed the door behind her. She didn't have her jacket on, but she stayed on the porch so she could help Nash with the things he had strapped to the snowmobile. She was still in her stocking feet, so she didn't leave the confines of the front porch which was now starting to fill with snow.
“Just hand me some things and I'll bring them in,” she said. “That's a lot of stuff you managed to get from my car.”
“I wasn't sure exactly what you needed so I tried to take as much as I could. I found your bag and your cell phone. It’s smashed. I hope you don’t mind I went through your bag. I thought maybe I’d be able to get a signal down there.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I wouldn’t have minded. I guess we go with plan B and wait to get a signal with the radio.”
He stopped unbuckling one of the harnesses that was holding everything in place on the back of the snowmobile. He stood up straight and turned to her, giving her a half glance. “It's not often I hear woman say something like that.”
“About not caring?”
“Not caring about rifling through her things.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “I assure you, there is nothing scandalous in my bag.”
“It depends on what your definition of scandalous is.”
Heat crept up her cheeks and she knew she was blushing. Had she left tampons or something else personal in her bag? She couldn’t remember. Well, it was survival. And she highly doubted Nash had never seen a tampon before. Nash handed her a couple of bags.
“Get inside. You’re going to freeze out here,” he said. “I can get the rest.”
“Okay. I have some food ready on the stove that I need to stir before it burns.”
He smiled wide. He was covered with snow, and it was clinging to his head and face, but his smile made her knees weak. “I thought I smelled something when you opened the door.”
Pleased with herself, she went into the kitchen and dropped the two bags he'd handed her to the floor. She would deal with those in a minute, once she knew the food wasn't burning. She stirred the stew and then went to the counter to grab the two deep bowls she’d left there when Nash had arrived. Then she went back to the wood stove where the stew was cooking and filled each bowl.
Just as she was about to put the plates on the table, the door swung open and Nash walked in carrying a big canvas bag. She dropped the bowls back on the counter and rushed over to him to help.
“What is this?” she asked.
“The bag of linens. I put it in a canvas bag that is waterproof. That's going to be our last run with the snowmobile for a while,” Nash said.
“Is it really that bad out there?”
“I kept getting bogged down in snow drifts. I have to be careful. Staying on the road is safer. But springtime can be very dangerous.”
“How so?”
“Avalanches are more common in the spring because when snow starts melting and then fresh snow falls on top of it. This storm is fixing to be something intense. I turned on the radio in your car and overheard that they're expecting this storm to linger for a few days. Something about a stalled system.”
“Were you able to radio anyone in town?”
“No. I was getting a signal in. But just barely. I called out just in case someone was able to hear me, but got no reply.”
“It was good thinking to try the radio in my car.”
“First rule of survival. Look at any and all things as something you can use to keep you alive. As soon as I reached your car, I remembered seeing the radio console when I pulled you out earlier. It was smashed in the front, but I did manage to get it working.”
“Smashed?”
“I have a feeling if you look at your right knee you probably have some pretty good bruising on it. Maybe even on your thigh.”
And then it dawned on her. “Yes, I saw those bruises when I took a bath. I guess that was the source of my pain.”
“I'm guessing. You’ll see a lot of bruises come to the surface over the next couple of hours and they’re going to hurt a lot more. You have some pain meds in your bag. You should use them now before you get stiff.”
She looked at him and nodded.
Then he frowned. “You said you didn’t mind my looking through your things.”
“I don’t.
He nodded. “You’re going to be okay.”
“I know.”
“No I don't think you do. But that's common after an accident.” He peeled off his jacket and then hung it on the pegged coat rack by the door where she’d hung her jacket. He hung his scarf and hat on another peg. “That food smells awesome. Let’s eat.”
* * *
They’d managed to get through the night without freezing to death, which was a blessing. Nash had insisted she sleep on the sofa next to the fire using his sleeping bag, which was rated for cold weather camping. He took the floor and used the blankets he’d retrieved from her car.
The snow had continued well into the next day and evening, stopping some time during the night on the second day. During that time, Nash had managed to get the solar system turned on, something that would have been simple in warm weather, but since the snow was covering the solar panels, it made it cumbersome. It was going to take time for the batteries to power up after a winter of just sitting. But at least the power was on and Nash would eventually have lights.
They spent the snowy day talking about odd things and nothing at all. Her childhood. His work. Funny stories from when he was training in the field. Crazy stories that had come over the dispatch line. Her bruises would remind her when she overdid it and she tired easily.
And he worried over her. Every so often, she’d pause with a pain and the concerned expression on his face made her heart melt. She’d been taking care of her grandmother for so long that it was nice to have a man fuss over her a little bit.
By the morning of day three, the sun was shining in the sky and the air was considerably warmer than it had been. Spring was coming even though a thick blanket of snow said otherwise. It was time to try to make a trek down the mountain.
“We can’t take the truck even though it’s four-wheel drive. We’ll get better traction with the snowmobile, even with the thick snow.”
“I’ll take your word for it. As long as I get down the mountain, I don’t’ care how we do it.”
He chuckled. “You’re going to regret saying that. Need I remind you of where your car is sitting?”
She groaned and then laughed. “I don’t think it’s actually sitting at all. I think it’s leaning and in danger of being pitched over the cliff.” She stood at the front door and looked in the direction of where she thought her car was on the cliff. “That’s a relief. The car is still there. I think.”
He glanced over her shoulder. He smelled so good. He’d taken a bath this morning and she could still smell the soap he’d used. The fragrance tickled her nose.
“Yep, that’s your car. I’m glad you can laugh about this. I’d half expected you to be freaking out.”
“Did you listen to my dispatch stories last night? Nothing surprises me.”
* * *
Since the night he’d seen Harper’s car go down that embankment by the cliff, Nash had been waiting for the time when she would leave the cabin and he’d be alone again. He’d come here to be alone. Although he’d enjoyed her company while they’d been stranded here, he longed for that alone time. Now they were packing the back of the snowmobile so he could bring her down the mountain in the hopes they’d be able to get a signal on the radio and have someone meet her at the bottom of the road.
It filled Nash with mixed feelings he couldn’t sort out.
“It'll be safer for us to get down the mountain on the snowmobile than trying to bring the truck,” Nash said, busying himself with details instead of dealing with the obvious.
She was leaving. That was a good thing for both of them. She’d be able to check on her grandmother so neither one of them would worry anymore, and Nash could finally get started on his work.
But that nagging feeling in his gut told him it wasn’t that simple.
“The truck is good in the snow, but it’s deep. Are you sure you're up for this kind of trip?”
“I’m glad you were able to get the solar system running and there was hot water. The shower helped a lot,” she said. “I'm sore, but I’ll live. To be honest, if I stay back here, it will drive me crazy sitting alone in this cabin and waiting for you to come back. It was hard enough the first time.”
He frowned. “Okay. If you insist on coming with me, you have to get more clothes on.”
She looked down at her pants and her shirt. “This is all I have. And since I was able to hand wash them and dry them by the wood stove overnight, they shouldn’t smell because I’ve been wearing them for two days,” she said, laughing. He’d given her a big baggy sweatshirt and a pair of his sweats for her to sleep in. It drove him crazy how sexy she looked in his clothes.
“They’re fine. I have my jacket, boots, and my gloves. I should be okay. I was the other night.”
“The other day you were in shock. You weren't feeling the cold. It's warmer today. But it’ll still be cold moving fast on the snowmobile. You need more layers. You can always take the sweatshirt and sweats off if you get too hot. Why don’t you put the clothes I gave you last night on over these clothes?”
“Okay.” She proceeded to grab the clothes she’d folded neatly and placed on the kitchen table. “I wish my cell phone still worked. It would be nice to be able to give my grandmother a call as soon as I get close enough to the bottom where there is some reception.”
“I pulled the radio from my truck out and hooked it up to the snowmobile. It doesn’t look pretty but it’s functional. This way we will be able to radio somebody down at the bottom of the mountain when we get a signal. It shouldn't be long before someone comes to rescue you.”
“You already did that?”
He turned while she slipped the sweatshirt over her head making her blouse stretch tighter over her chest with her movement. He couldn’t stand it. She seemed so unaffected by his reaction that he hoped it wasn’t obvious. She was driving him crazy. Each time she laughed it sounded like music to his ears and he waited for it happen again.
She needed to go home. He needed her to.
“The plan is that we radio someone and wait at the bottom of the mountain road for someone to pick you up and bring you home. You’ll be all warm and cozy in your bed tonight. You might even have a decent meal.”
He glanced at her and smiled. She’d made such a big deal the last two days over the fact that he liked eating rations for a whole host of reasons. She went on about her famous lasagna and about he hadn’t really lived until he’d had a chance to try it. But they were both thankful they’d had the rations while they were stranded there.
Ten minutes later they climbed on the back of the snowmobile. Nash set the channel on the radio so he could test reception at various points on the way down the mountain. Pretty soon, Harper Madison would be leaving him and his life alone would go on as normal.