Page 98 of Lochlan

“Kenzie.”

I reach for her, and she comes to me, circling her arms around my waist.

“What happened?” she says against my chest. Fear vibrates through her body as a response to this unfamiliar place. In the city, there might be some light even during a storm, but in the woods there's nothing but blackness.

The rain pelts the windows while the wind rages outside in an unholy symphony.

“A power line must have come down in the storm. I wouldn't worry; most homes here have generators. It should kick on in a moment.”

A tiny sliver of light is visible to my left, followed by a low, intermittent hum. Kenzie stirs, lifting her head away from me towards the light.

“That's my phone.” She pulls away, but holds my hand as she moves toward the sound. “Hello?” she breathes into the cell. “It happened a few minutes ago... We're in the kitchen... We're fine... Yes, he's here. It's Logan. He wants to speak with you.”

My sight has adjusted enough to see outlines. I take the offered phone from Kenzie and I pull her to me while I talk.

“Sorry about this,” Logan says. “The lights were off briefly in the main house, but we didn't connect the studio to the generator. I've been told the outage is widespread. Crews are working on restoring the power, but I don't know how long that will be.”

“My Rover is in the garage; we can drive to the main house.”

“Yeah, about that. This property is heavily wooded. There might be downed trees on the road leading up here or down to the main road. You could get stuck traveling in either direction and have to spend the night in your vehicle. Better to stay where you are until morning.”

I remember the road to the house is dotted with reflectors. There are two turns before you reach the top that, if missed, the vehicle could careen off the edge into deep ditches.

“You're probably right; we shouldn't chance driving in the dark. Do you have any other light source in the cottage?”

“In the laundry room, the cabinet has a flashlight, maybe a couple of camping lanterns. Hey, wait a minute, there are boxes of flameless candles in there I used for my Halloween party. There should be enough to put in every room. Is it getting cold?”

The temperature is already dropping in these mountains. My fear is that we'll have a frigid night, even if we huddle together. “There's a chill in the air already.”

“You should be fine for tonight. The fireplace kicks out enough heat to keep the living room warm. Use the stored wood next to the grate to keep it going. Check out the linen closet for blankets, and raid the bedrooms for stuff to sleep in, if you need it.”

The low chuckle through the phone underlines his meaning. I ignore it and glance down at Kenzie to see if she caught any of my conversation with Logan. I touch her hair and she tightens her arms about me.

“Thank you. That should help us get through the worst of it. I'll call you in the morning.”

“Lochlan, one more thing. Remember, there are two cases of wine in the kitchen and if that gets old, my liquor cabinet is stocked. You'll find that MacTavish whiskey you're fond of to take the edge off. Have a good night.”

The camping lanterns help us find the rest of the items we need throughout the cottage. In a short time, we place the flameless candles in the living room until the space resembles the inside of a church at midnight. We push sectional pieces together to form a long, deep lounging area and cover them with pillows and blankets.

Kenzie grabs a lantern to find clothes, saying she’d rather not sleep in her dress tonight. I take this time to stoke the fire, remembering the times I spent in our hunting lodge in Scotland. The amenities here are far better than that rustic cabin and I never had a warm, soft body to keep me company.

When Kenzie returns, she's drowning in a long flannel shirt with something tucked under her arm.

“I found these,” she says, holding out a bundle. “I thought you could use them.”

I take what's offered, which is sweats and a T-shirt. “Thank you. I'll change after I've finished with the fire.”

Kenzie takes a seat on the couch. “Did you really not know that I would be here tonight?”

I place two large pieces of wood on the fire and use the poker to set them in position. I slap my hands together to get the dirt off of my palms.

“Are you thinking I asked Geordie to lure you up here in a rainstorm and arrange for the electricity to be out?”

“When you say it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. Think about it. We haven't spoken for months and suddenly Geordie appears in my life; it seems like a lot of coincidences.”

“I got the hint that you didn't want to see me after I tried several times to contact you.”

“If we'd spoken the last night I saw you, what would you have said?”

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