Page 23 of Love in the Storm

8

LYRIC

The wind was stronger than before, and the blast of cold threatened to knock Lyric off her feet. She hunched her shoulders and tucked her arms around her as she trudged through the snow to the stairs leading down.

The wetness had soaked through her pants by the time she made it to the ground level. The covered area was sheltered from the bulk of the snow, but the layer of white still coated everything. In the farthest corner, she spotted the red-and-black top of what must be the generator.

Standing over it, she brushed the snow away until the metal handles were visible. Okay, she knew how she’d be moving it, but where to? When she turned around, Asa was trudging through the snow toward her.

“What are you doing?” he shouted above the wind.

“Getting the generator.” She pointed to it. She’d seen one before, but she’d never had to use one herself. Someone else had always been around to make the magic happen.

“You can’t just run out into a blizzard,” he said.

Ignoring his sharp tone, she looked around. “Where do we need to move it?”

He pointed to the door and stepped up to the generator. “Can you clear a path?”

Jumping into action, she spotted a shovel propped against the house and began pushing snow out of the way. When Asa lifted one side of the generator to roll it on the back wheels, he leaned as he pulled it. Maybe she’d been a little hasty running out here. From the looks of it, that thing was heavier than she’d expected.

Lyric ran to the door of the cabin and turned the knob. It was locked.

“I have to unlock the door!” she shouted. The icy air seared her lungs as she jogged up the stairs, careful to keep her footing on the built-up snow.

The heat inside the cabin did little to knock off the cold as she stepped inside. Keeping her momentum, she ran down the stairs and quickly unlocked the basement door. The storm pushed its way into the peaceful warmth of the cabin, but she held the entryway open, making room for Asa to enter. Heleft the generator outside and headed for the refrigerator.

“That one doesn’t have anything in it.” Her teeth chattered as she spoke.

“I know, but it’s the only one we’ll be able to hook the generator to. We can move the food down here.”

When he started pulling the refrigerator out of its custom cut nook, Lyric stood behind him. He pulled the heavy appliance slowly toward him. What could she do to help?

Looking back at the door, an idea crossed her mind. She jogged back outside and ignored the freezing wind as she gripped the generator handle with both hands. It was much heavier than she’d expected. Maybe if she used all of her body weight, she could get it inside.

“What are you doing?” Asa asked behind her.

“Bringing the generator in,” she said with a grunt as she pulled on the heavy appliance, failing to move it even an inch.

Asa put his hands on top of hers. “You can’t bring it inside. It emits carbon monoxide. We have to run extension cords.”

“Really?”

“Really. Get back inside, please.”

This time, Lyric was glad to do as she was ordered. Once they were both inside, Asa closed the door behind them.

“What are you doing?” he asked again.

“Trying to help!” The words came out louder than she’d intended, but her frustration was pressing on the walls of her chest. Couldn’t he see she was trying?

Asa took a calming breath and leveled his gaze on her. “I’m glad you want to help, but can you please stop doing stuff?”

If his words hadn’t been laced with a gentle plea, she might have smarted off to him. Instead, she was compelled to obey. All her good intentions had been useless and messy so far.

“Okay. Will you at least tell me what I should be doing to help?” She tried to hide the defeat in her voice, but even she could hear it.

“Can you bring the food down here to the basement kitchen?”

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