Page 7 of Stranded with the Mountain Man
She clutches the blankets tighter. "So what does that mean exactly?"
"Means I need to check the generator. For now, it means no heat except the fireplace, no electricity, no running water since the pump's electric."
"No running water?" Her eyes widen. "But—"
"I keep emergency water in the pantry. And there's always snow to melt." I stand, brushing wood chips from my hands."I'm going to check the generator. Fire should warm things up in here soon."
Her eyes drop to my bare chest then quickly back to my face. A flush spreads across her cheeks that has nothing to do with the cold. "Do you need help?"
The question catches me off guard. "With the generator?"
"Or anything. I feel useless just standing here."
"Coffee would be good. Percolator and grounds are in the pantry. You can make it on the woodstove."
She nods, looking relieved to have a task. I grab a shirt from the back of a chair and pull it on, too aware of her eyes following the movement.
Outside, the world has transformed into a white void. Snow reaches halfway up my front door, and it's still coming down hard. I wade through the drift to the generator shed, hoping it's just a minor issue. We're going to need power if this keeps up.
Twenty frozen minutes later, I've identified the problem—an iced-over vent—but fixing it properly will take parts I don't have on hand. I manage a temporary patch that gets it running, though I'm not sure for how long.
When I stamp back into the cabin, the smell of coffee hits me immediately, along with the surprising sight of Elisa managing the stove-top percolator.
"You got it working," I say, shaking snow from my hair.
"Necessity." She pours the coffee into two mugs. "Your generator?"
"Running for now. Might not last." I accept the offered mug, our fingers brushing in the exchange. Even that brief contact makes my breath catch. "We should prepare for it to fail again."
Her face falls slightly, but she nods. "Tell me what we need to do."
We spend the morning preparing—bringing in extra firewood, melting snow for water reserves, moving perishables fromthe fridge to the coldest corner of the pantry. Elisa follows instructions without complaint, her efficient movements reminding me of SAR team exercises. She's surprisingly strong for her size, carrying in logs I wouldn't have expected her to manage.
By midday, we've done what we can. The cabin is warm from our efforts and the steady fire. I check my emergency radio, catching snippets of road reports. None of it good.
"Davidson Pass is completely blocked," I tell her as she arranges kindling by the fireplace. "Avalanche danger is too high for crews to attempt clearing. They're saying at least three more days."
Instead of the meltdown I half-expected, she simply sits back on her heels. "Then I guess I should learn how to keep this fire going properly."
"You're taking this well."
She gives me a wry smile. "Would panicking help?"
"No."
"Then what would be the point?" She turns back to the fireplace. "Though I would appreciate it if you'd show me how to do this correctly. I'm improvising based on what I've seen in movies."
I move to kneel beside her, close enough that I can smell her—a light floral perfume mingled with wood smoke. "You're not doing badly, but the structure needs work. Here."
I reach around her to rearrange the wood, my chest nearly touching her back. She goes very still, and I become acutely aware of our proximity. My hands suddenly feel too large, too clumsy as I demonstrate the proper arrangement.
"The key is airflow," I explain, my voice rougher than intended. "You want oxygen to feed the flames, but not so much that it burns too quickly."
She nods, and the movement causes her hair to brush against my jaw. "Like this?"
She adjusts a piece of kindling, and her fingers graze mine. Neither of us moves for a moment, the contact lingering longer than necessary. The firelight casts golden shadows across her skin, highlighting the curve of her cheek, the fullness of her lower lip as she catches it between her teeth.
"Yeah," I manage. "Like that."
