Chapter Twenty-Nine
Leigh took in the scene before her. Snow blew all around her as the wind whipped ice crystals against her face. She wouldn’t last long out here, and she prayed the rangers had the wood stacked nearby.
The front porch was small, leaving little room to stack the wood there, but she poked around anyway, just in case. No luck. Leigh moved onto the right side of the house, where the snow had piled up all the way to the roof. It was going to be fun digging through all of that.
Poke after poke, she moved along the house, praying for a solid thump that would indicate something hidden below. When she reached the end of the cabin, she decided to circle back to the left side and try her luck there. Stacking it at the back of the house seemed odd to her, and she hoped her hunch was right as the cold had already gotten to her fingers, and holding the broom was getting harder .
She was blessed with a solid thump on the very first thrust of the broom handle into the pile of snow along the left side of the cabin, and tears of joy sprang to her eyes. Blinking rapidly to dispel the moisture before her eyelids froze, she went back to the front of the house and grabbed the pail she had brought out to help dig with.
Within minutes, she had removed sufficient snow to reach the wood and was pounding on the door with an armful of firewood. Enrique opened the door and took the wood from her before she pulled it closed and went back for more. They repeated this process until the pile inside was easily five times the size of the one they had started with the day before. Leigh wanted to make sure they had enough to get through the storm, then they could go get more while they waited for help to arrive.
Leigh was shocked upon reentering the cabin that Enrique already had a roaring fire going.
“When did you have time to do that?” she asked, pleasantly surprised.
“In between your trips for more. Here, come stand by the fire and take your outer layers off so the heat can get to your skin faster.”
He helped her remove her coat, scarf, gloves, and other items, hanging them over the chairs in the kitchen.
Soon, there was a steaming kettle of water as well. “Chocolate, tea, or coffee?” he asked.
“Um, chocolate sounds good. There is a full family pack in the second box of supplies. ”
In no time at all, Enrique was handing her a metal cup wrapped in a sock and reclaiming his seat at the other end of the couch with his own.
“Now that the most immediate needs are seen to, do you think we should pass the time playing a game or keep telling all our family secrets?”
“How about a little lighter entertainment this time? I vote Blackjack,” he answered with his usual charming grin.
“I don’t think I have the mental capacity to strategize for that. War or Rummy?”
“You really like the children’s games, don’t you?” he asked teasingly.
“I like easy and fun, not all serious and high stakes,” she replied, removing the cards from the mantle where they had placed them the night before and dealing the hand, using the couch cushions between them as a table.
For several hours, they kept things light, enjoying the game’s ease and sharing small tidbits about themselves.
Enrique had always wanted a dog while she had longed for a friendly feline. She enjoyed a refreshing strawberry pecan salad with poppy seed dressing, while he loved a juicy medium-rare filet mignon with al dente veggies. He loved any shade of blue, and she preferred greens.
Enrique liked the modern industrial designs, while Leigh preferred the simplistic, rustic chic look. She argued that his style felt cold and unwelcoming. He said her style often looked secondhand and cluttered. This led to a heated discussion on the meaning of the word cluttered, as simple minimalist didn’t mean a clutter bug. He finally agreed that what he meant was unorganized with a mixture of textures, colors, and styles, to which she agreed. If not done well, it did look like Goodwill had dropped off random furniture. She asserted that it gave a warm, welcoming feel to a home and invited guests to come in and relax without the fear of smudging a surface. Enrique agreed he could see the appeal if the person living there actually wanted guests to visit. It took Leigh a moment to catch his drift, and then she laughed.
“Don’t tell me the playboy on all the rag covers is antisocial? I don’t believe it! According to the Internet, you attend at least one party a week. How is it that you specifically decorate your house to make people uncomfortable?” she asked, genuinely interested.
“First of all, don’t believe everything you read on the Internet. Half of it is straight-up lies, and at least a quarter is half-truths planted and spun for someone’s gain. The remaining quarter may be true, but it is never the whole truth.” He played his next cards, “I’m out. Six for me, four for you. Ready for a different game yet? And I didn’t decorate my house. My interior designer did.”
“No, I like this game; it’s easy. So, did you select anything in your home? Any personal touches?” she asked as she dealt the next hand.
“I handed her an interior design magazine and said, I want this. She gave me some color swatches, and I picked out my favorites. I also provided her with some family pictures that Hannah insisted we have on display in our homes, and Mika, my designer, saw that it all came together. So yes, I provided the general theme and the photos, and she made sure it all looked good in the end. It is very clean and polished-looking, but I think you would like it if you ever saw it. It sounds cold, I guess it is, but otherwise, it is a pleasant space to occupy.”
“That is what is important in a home: feeling comfortable. Like the space reflects you, and when you arrive, your whole being sighs in relief, and you can just be you.” Leigh played her turn before continuing, “Mika, huh? So, a female interior designer. You just trusted her to make the home of your dreams happen after picking out the basics. So… you don’t hate all women. Should I feel special that I earned your ire so quickly?” She kept her tone light, but her question had been needing an answer for days.
Enrique played his next turn, gathering his thoughts. He knew this would eventually come up. He wasn’t sure now was the time he wanted to face the fire. How much should he say? He liked this woman more than any other woman he had ever met before... besides his sister. At the same time, this was a part of him that very few knew. He trusted Leigh, but did he want her to know this secret? Then again, this whole thing had been about overcoming his fears. Maybe if he didn’t hold his secrets quite so close, they wouldn’t terrorize him in the night… or any time he faced heights.