“This seems to be the storm of all storms.” Liana sighed. Maybe she should have tried to turn her car around and gone back to the airport to get a hotel room.
But if she had, she wouldn’t have met Eddie.
“Hopefully, it should blow over by tomorrow.” Eddie walked over to the window and peered out of it. A second later, the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then everything went dark.
Liana gasped at the shock of being thrown into the darkness. The cabin grew eerily quiet while the wind continued to howl. A heartbeat later, a dull rumble sounded from somewhere outside. The emergency electricity hummed to life. A dim, golden glow appeared from the kitchen and hall.
Just enough to see shapes, but not enough for Liana to feel completely safe.
“The backup generator,” Eddie explained. Apparently, she’d been through this before. She walked back to Liana casually. “It will only power the necessary items. Heat, fridge, and some of the lights. Nothing extra.”
Liana swallowed hard. The reality of what was happening settled in. She was thankful she had been found. Winters in Montana could be extremely dangerous.
“So mainly candles and the fire?”
“Yeah. The heat the generator provides will basically keep the pipes from freezing, but it won’t warm the entire cabin.” She walked over to the cedar chest that was behind the couch. “We will need plenty of blankets. The storm’s probably going to get worse, and the temperatures will drop even more. We should keep warm near the hearth.”
Liana eyed the thick rug and sighed. She had imagined when she’d arrived to Lurton that she would have a nice comfortable mattress to sleep on, but it looked like the floor in a cabin in the middle of nowhere was where she’d be laying her head for now.
Liana glanced at Eddie as she spread the thick quilts on the floor, layering them like she’d done this a hundred times.
She probably has.
Liana got up from the couch. She needed to help and do something. She couldn’t just sit here while Eddie did everything. The moment she stood, her ankle throbbed. She winced. Eddie immediately arrived at her side, her hand hovering near Liana’s waist.
Liana blinked and stared up into her amber eyes. The firelight played with the hints of gold that were reflecting in her gaze.
“I’m okay,” Liana murmured. She inhaled deeply as the pain slightly lessened. The tight wrappings did help.
“You should sit,” Eddie said firmly.
“I can help.” Liana motioned to the other blankets that were abandoned in Eddie’s rush to get to her side.
“Sit.” Her voice dropped slightly.
Something inside Liana wanted to obey. Liana’s cheeks warmed slightly; she felt herself complying with the command. She lowered herself back down on the couch. Eddie draped a blanket around Liana’s shoulders. Her touch wasjust a whisper, but it sent an electric jolt through Liana.
The storm continued to shriek. Liana’s imagination grew wild. She imaged wolves out there howling with the wind. She stared out the window, and a tremor rippled through her. Had that been what she’d almost hit? Would they try to attack them once the storm was over?
“You’re safe here. It’s okay.” Somehow, Eddie must have picked up on her nervousness. Her hands settled on Liana’s shoulders.
Even through the blanket, Liana felt the warmth of her hands radiating through its thickness.
“Are you hungry?” Eddie asked.
Liana blinked. She hadn’t thought of food since she had arrived at the cabin. She thought of her half-eaten sandwich that had been left in her car. She shook her head. There was no way she could eat right now.
“I’m not really hungry,” she said.
“Well, if you change your mind, there’s plenty in the kitchen,” Eddie said. She returned to her task of creating them a little nest on the floor before the fireplace.
Liana bit her lip and watched Eddie work.She tried to slow down her racing heart rate. She didn’t want to think of sleeping next to Eddie, but she knew for survival they needed to share heat in order to stay warm.