Page 9 of The Northern Lights in His Eyes

“That’s really something,” William said as he went over to watch the snow. “I haven’t seen anything like that since I was a kid. We used to get storms that would come through, and I’d look out the front window and everything would be white.” Garvin stood next to him.

“I’m going to get your car running before the weather gets too bad.” Bob looked huge all bundled up. He went outside, and Garvin shivered just thinking about it.

“How long do you think it will be?” William asked.

“Bob told me he got the block heater running on the car a while ago, so with any luck it won’t be too long.” Garvin figured he’d go on out and see if he could give Bob a hand just as he came back inside.

“You’re good to go. She started right back up. Only problem seems to be that the battery got jolted and it wouldn’t hold a charge. It just needed a chance to warm up a little and go back to normal. Plug in the block heater once you get to Garvin’s and you should be fine. I brought the suitcases inside to protect them from the cold just in case.”

“Thank you so much for everything.” William began pulling on the gear he’d worn over. Devon came out with a pair of bags, and once Garvin had his gear on, he placed them in the trunk.

“Would you mind taking Sasha with you?” Garvin asked as William put his purchases on the seat.

“Sure. Come on, Sasha, get inside,” he called, and the dog jumped right in back. “I’ll follow you to the cabin.” William got into the sedan.

Probably the worst kind of vehicle for weather like this—it was so light. No wonder William went off the road. Still, Garvin got on the snowmobile and led the way back to the cabin, taking his time and making sure William was okay.

By the time they arrived, the wind was howling, blowing snow everywhere. Garvin had William cut the engine and then got his car plugged in. Garvin let Sasha inside, and then he and William carried everything into the cabin and closed the door. “I need to bring in some more wood. We’re going to need it against this kind of weather.”

“I’ll get the fire started,” William told him, and Garvin went back out into the storm to grab an armful of logs from under the carport. He set it by the door and went for a second load, then a third, before finally going inside, where he stripped off his outer layer.

The fire was already going, and William picked the wood up off the floor and put it in the box before closing the lid. William stripped off his outer gear, and Garvin hung it all up. “Where do you want me to put my stuff?”

“In my bedroom. There’s a chest along the far wall. You can use it to put your bags on, and your gear you bought can be hung by the door.” While William got situated, Garvin got a pot of coffee going before settling in to grade the last of his papers so he could return them to the kids. He needed to make the most of it in case the power went out.

“So, what do you do out here for fun?” William asked when he came out in heavy sweats and a bulky sweater. “Let me guess, there’s another trading post of sorts twenty miles up the road, and you all pile in trucks and go up there for kicks.”

“Smartass… and the next place is fifty miles north, or you can go into Palmer or Wasilla. As for fun… well, most of the people out here expend much of their effort ensuring they can survive.” He poured William some coffee and carried it over to him. “This is a very different life from the one you lead in LA. Out here we’re closer to nature. We don’t fight her or try to bend her to our will. Instead we live with her… more or less.”

“Really?”

Garvin nodded. “I hunt quite a bit, but my skill tends more toward fishing. I got a bear last year, and my friend Joe helped me butcher it and then prepare the meat properly. It can be very tough, so he showed me how to marinate it and the way to cook it so it both tastes good and gets tender. I told you about my moose. I also hunted caribou and deer, as well as small game. But like I said, mostly I fish in season. The wood we’re burning I cut myself. The property goes back quite a ways, and I cut down only selected trees. The rest I let grow.”

William slowly sipped his coffee. “And this is the kind of life that you want? You like it here?”

Garvin hesitated and wished he hadn’t. “I like it. My life is much simpler than it was… before. There aren’t complex motivations, and I understand all the people around me. Bob is a great guy, and he can fix anything with an engine. He keeps all the equipment running for everyone for miles around. Enrique is a born host. He makes sure that we have what we need, and he can get almost anything we want. All we have to do is tell him. Devon… well, he paints, and he makes Enrique happy. He will also lend a hand to anyone who needs it. Last summer he heard I was cutting wood and stopped over just to help out. And me… well, I keep all the computers and electronics running and up to date. If someone has a problem, they let Enrique know, and he tells me. I meet them at the trading post so I can fix it.” He shrugged. There was nothing complex or hidden out here. That was part of why Garvin liked it. He’d had enough of complex situations and hidden agendas to last a lifetime.

“I get that everyone works together. I suppose it’s a small community up here, especially during the winter.” William slid closer on the sofa, his earthy scent driving him a little crazy.

After John died, Garvin had been a complete mess. He hadn’t wanted to leave the house for weeks after the funeral. Groceries had been delivered, and he’d stayed at home. He’d withdrawn from everyone and everything. After all, life hadn’t been fair in the least. John had been an amazing man—gifted, generous, caring, strong…. He’d also been impatient, and that had driven him all his life. Anyway… after those months of reclusiveness, it had been William who had forced his way in and practically dragged Garvin out for dinner with a group of friends. Garvin hadn’t been ready, but then he probably never would have been.

“But is that the reason you stay?” William’s question cut through his thoughts.

“What?”

William sat back, his blue eyes watching intensely. “I’ve known you for a long time. John died almost seven years ago. It took a long time before you rejoined the living, and when you did, it was like you would rather cut everyone off.”

Garvin sighed. “As I remember, you wouldn’t let me.” He wanted to be snarky about it but couldn’t. He knew his friends cared, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to be concerned with anything back then. Did that make him as asshole? Probably.

“Is that why you moved out here? You could be alone and withdrawn and no one was going to care?” He sipped the coffee, and for someone who could be so clueless at times, especially about the consequences of his own actions, William sure hit the nail on the head with that one. “Rather than be a part of your own life again—and those of the people who care about you—you just gave up, moved up here, and could spend the rest of your life alone, wallowing in your sea of self-pity.”

“Hey,” Garvin snapped. “It’s my life, and if I want to be alone, then that’s my decision.”

William leaned closer, his eyes flecked with purple, his gaze growing harder as the wind whipped around the cabin, sending a chill through Garvin. “But what you really want is to have John back, and you can’t. He isn’t coming back, no matter how long you stay by yourself trying to tell the gods that you’re miserable, or something. They don’t care, and you can’t have John back. It doesn’t work that way.”

“I know that,” he said firmly. “God knows I have wished to have more time with him ever since the day he died right in front of me.” Sometimes that day seemed like yesterday, and he was right back there in the pain and confusion, losing the one person he thought he would be able to rely on for the rest of his life.

“Do you? Or are you just stuck?” William asked.

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