I Dream of Christmas by Anne Chase

Author:Anne Chase [Chase, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Publishing
Published: 2018-12-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

She was asking a good question, she realized. A very good question.

When a storm strikes and one gets stuck in an empty house with a stranger, what does one do?

“Well,” James said, apparently taking her question seriously. “We should do an inventory. Figure out what we have.”

“Great idea,” she said, immediately warming to the idea.

“Especially while we still have power,” he continued.

Yes, power. Clara had mentioned that as well. Clearly, these locals operated on the same wavelength when it came to storms.

“I bought candles at the hardware store,” she said, suddenly remembering. “And a lighter!”

“Good,” he said, then pointed to her wet boots. “How are your socks?”

“Damp,” she said, noticing for the first time that his boots were off and his feet were bare.

“We should pop them in the dryer.”

“Of course.” She bent down and slid out of her winter boots, then took off her socks, opened the dryer door, and tossed them in. “I’ve never had my own washer-dryer,” she said as she admired her brand-new stacked washer-dryer and its gleaming chrome curves. “Even when I was growing up. And my apartment in New York is too small.”

“You have a good one now,” he said. “Okay, let’s see what else we have.”

Together, they made their way downstairs. The wood floor felt cool on her bare feet — she’d welcome having her socks back as soon as they were dry — but she was pleased to discover that the floor didn’t feel cold.

“The heating system seems to be working,” she said as she stepped past damp spots in the entry hall.

James picked up the bag of snacks she’d impulsively purchased at the gas station. “You put in radiant heating under the floors, right?”

“Yes, on every level.”

“Between that and the forced-air heating and the fireplace, you’re pretty well set up.”

“I remember Luke telling me about the heating plan,” Melody said, recalling how enthusiastic he’d been about the various details and technical specs and what-not — way more enthusiastic than she’d been listening to him, if she was being honest with herself. Now, months later, with her bare feet relying on the new system he’d been so excited to install, she realized she owed him a silent apology. “It’s some kind of new-fangled smart heating system — energy-efficient and self-adjusting and precise and I don’t know what else.”

“It’s a good night to put it to the test.”

As they made their way down the entry hall, Melody considered how she felt about the turn of events that led to this moment. Getting trapped in an isolated house in a storm with a man she barely knew was not something she’d ever expected would happen to her. The inconvenience was indisputable, her anxiety was understandable, and — the thought came unbidden — she had every right to feel nervous and even alarmed.

And yet … with James, she wasn’t feeling alarmed, and her instincts were generally accurate on this score. This fellow, she sensed, was one of the good ones.

Ahead of her, the subject of her thoughts pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen.

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