Page 81 of Out of the Cold

Chapter Fourteen

For the fifth morningin a row, Gabe kissed Lucy goodbye and left the house, crossing the bridge to his cabin. Five days, and already he felt like he belonged there with her.

They’d moved to her bedroom after the power came back on two nights ago because there were a few things he wanted to do with her that were easier done in bed. Otherwise, nothing had changed since the storm. She seemed as eager as he was to spend time together. Still, it was best they have some space during the day, even if he spent most of that time thinking about her.

Not surprisingly, his cabin was freezing. He’d come back last night to stoke the woodstove, but this morning they’d made love in the sleepy dark before dawn, then fallen asleep again for hours, limbs tangled. Starting the fire up again was a small price to pay for that.

Burst pipes would have been a small price to pay.

He got the fire going, then headed outside to work on the fallen branches that needed to be cut down into smaller pieces to move. He’d been at it since the blizzard had ended, and he was nearly done. It was more fun when Lucy helped, but she was on deadline and had needed to get back to her writing schedule.

Sometime around noon, Lucy, accompanied by Hilde, came out of her cabin with snowshoes and poles. The snow was so high, once Lucy descended the steps, all he saw was her pom pom hat until she emerged on the driveway. He turned off the chainsaw and headed over, his smile big enough to make his teeth ache in the cold.

“You two heading out?”

“Heck, yeah. We’re raring to go.”

Hilde gave him a few sniffs before darting down the driveway as far as her leash would let her. A few seconds later she came partway back, ears perked up and tongue lolling, clearly wondering what the holdup was.

“You should come out with us sometime,” Lucy said.

“I’d love that if you’re sure you want company. I know you like going alone.”

“I’ll like it even more with you,” she said, smiling.

“How about tomorrow?”

“It’s a plan.”

He watched her until she was out of sight, amazed all over again at the difference in her since she’d arrived. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined how intrepid she’d become. In only two months, she’d gone from being too terrified to walk on the trails to a die-hard explorer. The scared woman he met that first day was nowhere to be found.

He spent another hour clearing, then went inside to eat lunch and work some more. Lucy came back soon after, her pace slower but her smile wide.

She’d probably get in the hot tub once she got out of all those clothes. The thought of it made him hard, even in the cold, and it was all he could do not to head over there and join her. But he didn’t want to crowd her.

He finished dealing with the last of the branches and headed inside to shower.

The man looking back at him in the mirror was less wild than when Lucy arrived, but nothing to write home about. His last haircut was growing out, and his beard had turned scraggly. He was lucky Lucy let him within ten feet of her.

Pulling out his electric trimmer, he worked on his beard until he had uneven patches of scruff left. Then he pulled out his razor and shaving cream and shaved himself clean, unearthing his former self.

He looked younger, more...visible. He’d grown the beard when things like personal grooming had stopped mattering, but maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe he’d been hiding behind it. His confidence wavered, but it was a little late for that. At any rate, he had to stop staring at himself. He’d either get used to it, or he’d grow it back.

He was at work on his laptop an hour later when Lucy knocked at the door. She stared at him, her mouth falling open.

“Gabriel.” She took off her mitten and raised a cold hand to his cheek. Her eyes filled with tears. “What are you doing to me?”

“I thought you’d like it.”

“It’s just...you were already so beautiful.”

“Lucy...” he trailed off, embarrassed.

She gave a shaky laugh. “I’m being silly. Don’t listen to me.”

He pulled her inside and took her coat, oddly nervous. “The coffee’s hot, if you want some.”

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