Page 63 of When the Snowman Whispered
But carrying the wood into the living room,
Faith had already woken up.
And her gaze fell on my chest, the bag next, and then my face.
Confusion swam in those beautiful eyes.
I had nothing to say.
Should I mention that I’d discovered her naked and gyrating against snow in the middle of the night?
Maybe it was some strange type of sleepwalking. Then she’d probably be confused on how I was even in her house in the first place. Or more important, why I didn’t have a shirt on.
Saying nothing, she looked around the lit room and then stared down at herself, drinking in the blankets, my jacket, and shirt cocooned around her body.
She directed her gaze back at me and said nothing.
What else could I do, but take the logs over to the fireplace and start a fire. We needed warmth in this freezing place. A house that was so beautiful, but so hauntingly cold.
I could feel her watching me. The sensation covered my back like a blanket. She remained silent as I stacked the wood on about two inches of a nice ash bed in the hearth.
She’s been using the fireplace.
A small ash bed of old burnt things created good insulation for a new fire.
I guess she can take care of herself just fine. Too bad. I’m still going to take care of her.
I made an upside-down fire to keep the heat burning for hours. Most placed tinder and smaller kindling at the bottom while the larger fuel logs sat on top. I reversed the sequence and stacked smaller logs on top.
Faith had kept a small pile of ash covered newspaper on the side. I took a few, bunched it up, and put it on the top too, right before lighting it all.
Why hasn’t she said anything yet? Should I talk first?
The space warmed.
I kept my back to her and focused on the flames.
Her voice came from behind. “Thank you.”
For what? How much does she remember?
I stiffened. “You’re welcome.”
Movement sounded next. “I should give you back your shirt.”
I turned around. “No, you should stay warm.”
She lifted the shirt from her legs and tried to sit up.
“No.” I shook my head. “Please lay down.”
“I feel fine.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re fine.”
“I am, I just need too. . .” And then she stared at my chest.
Lust rushed through my body. Now was not the time to focus on how much I wanted Faith. We needed to talk about what was going on with her. I wouldn’t feel right, if I left her here alone to race out into the snow again another night and make love to it.
