Page 64 of Out of the Cold

Because even her fruit was pointing out how alone she was by going bad before she could eat it all.

A little later, eating her pancakes and watchingGroundhog Day, she couldn’t help thinking that she, too, was living the same day over and over. The question was, was she Bill Murray at the beginning of the movie, when he was still clueless, or at the end, when he’d gained a little wisdom?

She’d gone around and around in her head about inviting Gabriel over for Christmas, but she still didn’t know if it was a good idea. Thanksgiving had gotten too intense. If she did invite him over, she’d need to keep it light.

They hadn’t done more than wave hello to each other since walking the property together the morning after she saw someone outside the cabin.

“This was the jackpot they were hoping for,” Gabriel had said as they stood in front of the shed. The tracks of two people led from the road, around the cabin, and stopped here. “Good thing I locked it.”

“It wouldn’t be that hard to break in, though, would it?” she had asked. “Are the contents worth enough to make them come back again?”

He’d scowled at that, clearly not wanting to answer.

Thank goodness she had Hilde. If anyone or anything came around, Hilde would let her know. She’d call the police if they came back, but the real comfort was knowing Gabriel was close by.

The two weeks since had been incident-free, and she was sleeping fine again.

She was switchingGroundhog DayforIt’s a Wonderful Lifewhen the lights flickered. Oh, dear God. She couldnotlose power before she’d watched all her movies. They were the only thing keeping her sane.

In the back room, she opened the utility closet and pulled out a hefty flashlight, a couple of lanterns, and some candles and matches. She carried everything to the kitchen table and spread the items out at the far end in a comforting display of preparedness.

She plugged every device she owned into its charger, turned on a few lights, and sat back down in front of the TV. She fell asleep before the movie ended and woke when it was dark outside. Her stomach growling, she got up and headed to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator just as the lights went out.

She’d once gone swimming in the ocean at night and been knocked over by a wave, then tossed about. Her disorientation had been so complete, she couldn’t have said her own name.

For a few moments, she was there again. The cabin was plunged into such complete and utter darkness, she couldn’t make out a single thing.

The dog’s clicking nails brought her back.

“Hilde,” she called, her voice panicked. “Hilde.”

Her dog’s cold wet nose nuzzled her hand, grounding her.

She let out a shaky breath.

Feeling her way over to the table, she turned on both lanterns and lit several candles, spreading them out on the table and counter. When she was done, it was almost cozy.

Except that strange men were creeping around the house only two weeks ago. Maybe the blizzard wasn’t enough to keep them away. Maybe a blackout would tempt them back. Would Hilde even hear them in all this wind?

There were nearly thirteen hours of darkness until the sun rose.

Grabbing a flashlight, she checked that the front door was locked. She’d walked through the house many times before with only a little light to guide her, but somehow this was different. She found herself holding her breath as she went through the mudroom to check the side door.

She nearly screamed at the sight of someone on the other side.

Gabriel came up the stairs, big and dark against the snow, wearing a blazing headlamp. She opened the door, and wind and snow gusted in with him.

He turned his headlamp off. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Come, Hilde,” she said, grabbing the dog’s collar and pulling her out of the way.

He stepped inside the mudroom far enough for her to close the door. Snow covered his hat and drifted off his clothes. “I turned the generator on, but it can’t power the whole house. It’s set up to power the well, water heater, stove, and fridge. You won’t have lights.”

“What about you? Do you have a generator?”

“For the well and fridge.”

“Maybe you should stay here,” she said, after some hesitation. “There’s plenty of room, and at least you’d have hot water and a stove.”

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