The Survivors by Dinah McCall

Author:Dinah McCall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 2007-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

10

As exhausted as Deborah had been when she finally went to sleep, her internal body clock had gone off, even if the electric alarm had not. She sat up and then scooted to the side of the bed, feeling for her house shoes with her eyes still closed.

She staggered into the bathroom and came out a short time later, wide awake, teeth brushed and hair piled up on her head. She rummaged through her closet, choosing a pair of black pants and a pink cable-knit sweater. She dressed quickly, adding thick wool socks, then headed for the kitchen. She made coffee, then, while it was brewing, retrieved her hiking boots from the hearth where she’d left them last night to dry out. They were a bit stiff, but warm, as she slipped them on. An unintentional shiver ran up her spine as she thought about going back out into the cold.

She looked around for Mike as she went into the living room and glanced toward the sofa. Last night he’d threatened to sleep in here. Quietly she tiptoed closer, then peered over. He was still there—flat on his back and sound asleep, with his arms thrown over his head. In repose, his features were almost beautiful. The coals in the fireplace were still glowing a bright, fiery red, casting shadows of light and dark upon his face. She thought long and hard about leaning over and kissing his softly parted lips, then told herself she’d been alone too long.

Reluctantly, she turned away and moved toward the fireplace, walking softly so as not to wake him. Puppy, who had made her bed by the fireplace, lifted her head and looked sleepily at Deborah, who bent down and patted the dog’s head, then quietly lifted the fire screen and set it aside to lay a fresh log on the grate. The embers flared and soon caught. Satisfied that she’d set the house in motion for the day, she replaced the fire screen, gave Mike a last wistful glance and turned her attention toward the chores. Puppy followed her out of the room, her little toenails clicking on the hardwood floors as they entered the kitchen.

Mildred, the milk cow, would be waiting at the barn, as would the barn cats. So many chores. So many houseguests. At least she would be able to tell Farley she was back when he showed up.

Ah, well…I always have plenty of solitude. A little change is good for the soul.

Even though the house was quiet, it felt different—more alive. What was strange was that the energy from her unexpected guests was imbuing her with the same feelings. She couldn’t remember when she’d felt this excited about a day, which didn’t say much for her social life. It was pitiful to admit that five strangers in her home had taken on monumental proportions of importance. Despite her proclivity for solitude, she was looking forward to what might unfold as she stepped outside.

The cold hit her like a slap to the face, sharp, biting and deceptively deadly.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.