A Snowy Night

A Snowy Night

Anna watched the snowflakes drifting lazily on the breeze. It had been snowing lightly with sun breaks in between for some time, after the dense snow showers earlier in the day. The world
was white, the banked snow
sparkly when the sun hit it. Strange season for such a storm
–
it was only a week past Thanksgiving. Maybe eight inches had fallen earlier in the day. Enough that her car was essentially stuck. No one would dig out her
private
road unless she did it herself.
And that
wasn’t how she saw spending the afternoon.

She was stocked with enough food, water, and other essentials to last a week, easy. This was just a nice excuse to call in for a couple of extra days of vacation. Of course, she didn
’
t get a cell signal here, and there hadn
’
t been a
landline
in ages, so she wasn
’
t sure how that would work out. But she wasn
’
t expected back until Monday, and it was only Saturday. Tomorrow she
’
d worry about the implicatio
ns of being snowed in, if that’s the condition she found herself in
.

For now, she was going to enjoy a solo afternoon in her favorite spot in the world, the family cabin.

Her parents had inherited this cabin when her grandmother passed, a few years back. Anna could remember times here throughout her childhood. It had been a family refuge for her entire life. It wasn
’
t extravagant, but it had once been a permanent home, and that showed in the care given the details.

Her grandparents had lived here for about ten years after they
’
d retired. It was their dream. A cabin in the mountains, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Now it was a vacation home again, but the whole family appreciated the unique history of the place. Being here felt like a hug
straight
from childhood. Anna always felt restored when sh
e came back from the cabin,
just
from
being here where she remembered so many times with her family, with friends she
’
d brought along, with David when they
’
d been engaged...Anna decided abruptly not to go there.

They said all wounds heal with time, but she still wasn’t over losing David when he decided to move across the country for work, and she couldn’t bring herself to leave
the Northwest
. Some things just weren’t meant to be.
It had been almost a year, though, and maybe soon she’d finally be ready to move on. She had dated, but no one compared with the man she’d lost, and it had taken her a long time to stop making those comparisons.

A sudden glimmer of low afternoon sunlight burst through the clouds and turned the snowflakes into sparkles of light. Anna smiled at the beautiful sight, which seemed to be just for her, and made a promise to herself.
The next time I meet a good man, I’ll let go and see where it takes me.

She
went to the kitchen to get another cup of tea. It was one of those afternoons where you should just curl up with a good book and a throw over your lap. She intended to do just that once she had her refill. There was a perfect spot in an overstuffed chair right by the large front window. She could watch the snow while she caught up on her reading.

Anna ran to her bedroom while the water for her tea reheated. She threw on her red heart pajamas and a pair of fuzzy socks, whistling a happy tune.

There was something about the feeling of being snowed in. She knew no one could possibly bother her, and that meant she could do absolutely whatever pleased her. She could stay up until two reading this cheesy romance novel. No one need ever know that was her deepest desire
at the moment
.

A knock on the door startled Anna out of her thoughts.

Who was knocking on the door of her vacation place, where no one but her parents knew she was for the weekend, during a snowstorm?

With trepidation, Anna went to the front of the house. She peered out the front window first. In the last of the afternoon sun, she could see a tall man at he
r door. He stared right at her, eyes gray as the sky during today’s snowstorm caught her gaze and held it as he smiled, dimples and all, and raised one hand in a casual and friendly wave.

Anna
frowned at him. But he
’
d seen her, so what could she do? She could answer the door in her freaking pajamas at four in the afternoon. That
’
s what she could do.

“
Yes?
”
Anna said casually as she opened the door a notch.

“
I’m sorry to
bother you.
D
o you have a telephone I could use? I can
’
t get cell service here.
”

“
No. I
’
m sorry. We let the
landline
drop a long time ago. It
’
s a vacation house. My cell doesn
’
t get signal either,
”
Anna paused, uncertain what was socially required of her in this
situation. A woman alone should never invite a stranger into her home, to use the phone or for any other reason. But it was snowing outside.

“
What brings you out tonight?
”

“
That
’
s a nice way to put it.
”
He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, tugging at it anxiously.
“
My car got stuck.
”
He looked at her.
“
Let me amend that. I got my car stuck. I had to pee and I pulled off the highway. I went a little too far, and now my car is stuck on the road there.
”
He gestured to the north.

“
There?
”
I pointed the way I hoped he didn
’
t mean. He nodded.

“
The closest road that direction is half a mile through the woods.
”

He nodded.
“
I guess so.
I thought I saw
porch
lights, but they just kept seeming farther off.
”

“
So you
’
re telling me you
’
ve already walked half a mile through the woods, in eight inches of snow, in a t-shirt?
”
Anna
’
s maternal instincts took over. She pulled him inside.
“
What
’
s your name?
”

“
I
’
m Joshua.
”
He shoved an
ice-cold
hand into her grip.

She shook her head at him.
“
Jesus. What were you thinking leaving home without a coat? Or chains for your car?
”

“
Okay, now I blame the mud on that road for the car. If it hadn
’
t been snowy, I would have known to avoid the hazard, wouldn
’
t I?
”
He smiled to take the sting out of his hot-tempered words.

“
I don
’
t know. You might be one of those idiots who
’
s only recently moved here, and knows nothing about how to drive in the snow.
”

“
It wasn
’
t that recent.
”

Anna rolled her eyes.
“
I guessed it? Seriously?
”

“
But I know how to drive in the snow, I swear.
”
Again with the smile. Anna had to admit he was a
good-looking
guy. A little rough around the edges, but sometimes that
’
s just how she liked them.

“
Did you have chains?
”

“
I tried them. They
’
re not getting me out of this.
”

Anna looked toward her Hundai.
“
My car
’
s stuck, too.
”

Joshua
’
s expression was bleak.

“
Okay, let
’
s have a cup of tea while we think this through,
”
Anna suggested. The cabin had a great room layout, so all she had to do was step into the kitchen and pour the water over teabags.
“
Earl grey or peppermint?
”
she asked, smiling to set him at ease.

“
Earl grey, please. I have a feeling I may need the caffeine.
”

“
Don
’
t get out of sorts. There
’
s no imminent danger here,
”
Anna laughed.

“
Easy for you to say. I think I saw a pile of firewood out there that would last you a month of heavy use.
”

“
Good estimate. That
’
s my dad and my brother
’
s work. They let us womenfolk out of the wood chopping.
”

“
Nice guys,
”
he commented.
“
So it
’
s a family place?
”

“
My grandparent
’
s place while I was growing up.
”
Anna had no idea why she told him that. It was a rather intimate part of her past to share with a stranger. She set his tea in front of him.
“
Any cream or sugar?
”

“
No, thanks.
”
He looked out the window for a minute, before turning back to her, his expression serious.
“
Thanks.
”

“
No problem.
”
Anna took a sip of her tea.
“
Mind if I ask where you were going?
”

“
Over the pass.
I was supposed to
meet up with some friends at Stevens Pass
for a ski trip.
I heard it was snowing, but I didn’t think it would take this long to get there.
Guess I
’
m
going to
be a day or so late.
”
He shoved his fingers through his hair again, in a motion that was becoming familiar despite the fact Anna had only known the guy ten minutes.

“
Do you think it
’
s going to keep snowing?
”
Joshua asked.