Page 19 of Tony

What had taken her almost ten minutes to shovel only took him a few minutes to cover twice the area. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared.

“What?” he asked.

“You’re still controlling.”

“Yeah, well now I’m enjoying controlling you,” he said, gently pushing her back inside as he stomped off his boots.“I did find a generator that we can use if the electricity goes out.”

At this, she turned her gaze to him, confusion in her expression. “I…I don’t know what a generator is,” she admitted.

“It runs on gasoline and you can plug in your most important appliances or heaters while your electricity is out.”

“Oh,” she said, turning away as she walked slowly toward the fire.

Coming up behind her, he hesitated for a moment then pulled her in for a hug, grateful when she did not pull away. She felt…right. This felt right.

“What’re you thinking?”

Twisting in his arms, she leaned way back to look into his eyes. “Tony, if you hadn’t come after me, I’d be here all alone and wouldn’t know any of this survival stuff.”

“Darlin’, you’ve got a fireplace, a roof over your head, and food. You would have been fine.” Looking down at the doubtful expression of her face, he added, “But I would have come for you.” Placing another gentle kiss on her lips, he said again, “I’ll always come for you.”

She allowed him to pull her body tightly into his, the warmth from him seeping into her. His massive arms held her close as she pressed her head into his chest, his heartbeat a comfort beneath her cheek. She wanted to ask him more. What he meant. What he would do. How he felt. But not now. Now, she just wanted to feel him wrapped around her.

By that afternoon, the snow had stopped and they stepped out onto the front porch to take a look around. The air was cold but the sun came out, turning the view into a blinding white wonderland. Snow clung to each branch and the Cardinals sat proudly in the cedar trees, the green and white a perfect background to their brilliant red.

“I found some birdseed in the cupboard. Do you think they’d like some?” she asked.

“I think they’d love it.”

Sherrie ran inside and grabbed the two bags. By the time she came out, Tony had removed the tops of the feeders that hung near the porch. After pouring some in each of the feeders, they sat in the rockers bundled under blankets as the cardinals, blue jays, and others became brave enough to eat from the feeders.

Tony looked over, seeing her eyes riveted on the feeders, watching the birds. Her eyes were sparkling, cheeks rosy, and her lips were curved in a gentle smile. Rubbing his chest once again, he knew that she was worth it. Worth the pain, because she was worth the living.

“You cold, Sherrie?” he asked.

Turning her head, she saw his eyes staring at her, a soft expression in them. Smiling, she nodded. “A little. But it’s so pretty, isn’t it. Like a fairyland.” She turned back to the shimmering landscape in front of them. “It seems clean and fresh. Not tainted by anything ugly yet.” Turning her head back to him, she added, “You know how snow is so perfect when it first comes down and then by the time the snowplows come through the snow gets all dirty? I always hate that.”

He saw the little frown that marred her face and wanted to keep that frown from appearing. “Then maybe we’ll just stay out here and let the snow melt naturally and we won’t go back into the city until all the dirty snow is gone.”

A giggle erupted as she said, “I’d like that.”

He looked back over the diamond-like brilliance of the yard and said, “Me too.”

They sat in companionable silence for a little while longer before he rose and stretched out his hand to her. “Come on in, babe. The sun is moving behind the trees and it’s getting colder.”

She reached out her delicate hand and placed it in his as he pulled her gently from her rocker. His hand felt warm. Strong. Capable. Like him.

* * *

That evening she insisted on fixing dinner, digging around in their food to see what she could manage. Dicing the leftover chicken, she quickly stir-fried it with some egg, vegetables, and rice that she had boiled. Luckily the Marks’ had soy sauce in their pantry. She had brought some frozen eggrolls that she loved to munch on, so with her chicken fried rice she served up a hot meal.

Scooping a huge serving onto his plate, he grinned appreciatively at her. “Smells good, looks good and,” after taking a bite, says, “tastes good.”

Beaming with his praise, she sat down to eat as well. This time, their meal was not eaten in silence. The conversation flowed as two people getting to know each other. As they finished cleaning up after dinner, he grabbed two wine glasses and another bottle. Jerking his head toward the fire, he led the way over. This time he sat on the sofa and she piled up on the floor near the heat.

“So, tell me about working for Mr. Marks. How did you decide to become a paralegal?”

Taking a sip, she watched the flames quietly until he thought she might not answer.

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