Page 19 of Breaking Bristol

“Hey. Get inside, it’s cold.”

“I’m fine.” I held the door open while he carried in a stack of wood and set it next to the fireplace. “Is it really going to be as bad as they say?”

He sighed. “Looks like it.”

He brought two more loads of wood in and with one last trip, set the batteries, a flashlight, candles, and matches on the counter. “I’m leaving some salt on the porch, too. You need anything else?”

“No, I’m good,” I assured him. “I just went to the grocery store after work today.”

“All right. I’ll swing by when I can to make sure you’re still good in a day or two.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine. Be careful out there.”

I stood just inside the door and waved as he drove away. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe how nice and caring everyone in this town was. My mom would love it here. She’d want to go to the shops downtown and would love sitting on a porch watching the storms pass through. My dad wouldn’t be able to get enough of the down-home cuisine, and he’d happily talk about old cars and wars with the other men his age.

A tear rolled down the side of my nose, and I quickly wiped it away and shook the thoughts of my parents aside. I wish I could talk to them, even once, just to hear their voices, to let them know I was okay, but that wasn’t possible… And I didn’t know when it would be.

I took a shower and lay on the couch to watch TV, but all the local channels still covered the weather, so it was easy to doze off.

The nightmares of my ex were almost nonexistent now. Ever since I met Dr. B, my dreams were of him. And tonight was no exception.

CHAPTER 6

Bristol

A whistling outside my windows woke me up, and I jumped to my feet as a harsh inhale burned my lungs. My vision adjusted to the pitch black, and panic tightened my throat. I squinted, and my eyes scanned the room, frantically looking for him, waiting for Shane to pop out of nowhere and drag me out of here by my hair.

When I finally snapped back to reality and reassured myself I was alone—and safe—I realized my teeth were chattering. The power had gone out, and it was freezing.

I fumbled around for my phone and saw that it was four in the morning, and my battery was at about 20 percent since I forgot to charge it. “Holy crap.” I turned the flashlight on, wrapped a blanket around me, and rushed to my room to put on two pairs of socks and sweatpants over my leggings. Then dropping the blanket just long enough to pull a sweatshirt over my head, I cinched the string so the hood was tight around my face.

Because this place was so small, there wasn’t central air or heat. In the summer, I had a window A/C unit that worked just fine, and when it was cold, the fireplace and small space heater usually kept it really warm on the few nights I needed it. I now knew why Lou had Beau bring more wood over.

I grabbed the actual flashlight and turned my phone off to preserve the battery, then let the beam guide me to the fireplace. Logs were already in there, so I used the long matchsticks and waited for the flames to get bigger.

I put my hands out and rubbed them together, and once I didn’t feel half frozen, I got up and walked to the partially frosted window, shining the flashlight so I could see outside.

Damn.

It was what the weathermen feared. Tons of sleet, and ice was everywhere. It was weighing down the trees and covering every surface I could see.

I guess I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Sighing, I lit the candle on my coffee table, grabbed my coloring book and colored pencils from the end table, then tossed a pillow on the floor and sat down. The succulent that Dr. B got me was next to the candle, and his thoughtfulness still made me smile.

I didn’t want to leave the fire unattended, so I stayed awake long enough for the cabin to warm up. The early morning light had started to illuminate outside, but I kept the curtains closed to retain the heat. The flames had turned to orange embers, so I blew the candle out and moved to the couch, where I wrapped myself up tight and closed my eyes.

It felt like I’d just dozed off when a pounding at my door caused me to jerk awake. I pulled the drawer on the end table open and wrapped my fingers around the hunting knife left in there, shocked they were already trembling. “Bristol, open up!”

It didn’t sound like Shane…

Or Beau.

“Bristol!” The knob shook, so I crept to the window and peeked out to see Dr. B standing on the porch.

What the hell?

I quickly put the knife back and opened the door. He looked rough… bags under his eyes, more than a five o’clock shadow covering his jaw, and the tip of his nose was pink. His eyes bounced all over me, and when he threw his head back and burst out laughing, his breath fogged in the bitter cold.

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