15. Juniper
15
JUNIPER
I tried pulling a weather app up on my phone, but my signal wasn’t strong enough for it to load. There had to be a TV in the cottage, somewhere. When I found one in the bedroom, I turned it on, found the local weather, and sat in a chair near the window.
“Folks, if you aren’t somewhere safe and warm, get there as quickly as you can. According to radar reports, what we’re experiencing is a bomb cyclone,” said the newscaster. He went on to explain the weather phenomenon could generate winds reaching eighty miles per hour and sometimes higher. That kind of wind could uproot fences, utility poles, and trees. Flying debris, blizzard conditions, poor visibility, and structural damage were also possible. I moved the curtain and looked out the window. Snow was already up to the bottom pane.
“Hey, Mom,” I said when she picked up.
“Gray said you’re at the Lilacs.”
“I’m actually at the cottage where Cord lives. ”
“Do you have power, sweetheart?”
“So far, we do. Before he went out to take care of the cattle, Cord lit the fireplace, so it’s warm too and should stay that way if the power does go out.”
She gasped. “Did you say Cord is out in this?”
“He had to, Mom. The livestock.”
I could hear her talking to someone, but the mic was covered, so I couldn’t make out her words.
“I’d send Dad to get you, but he said the roads are already impassable.”
“Tell him to stay put. I’m safe. I wouldn’t leave anyway until Cord got back. Is Gray home?”
“Yes, he’s right here. Do you want to talk to him?”
“No. I just wanted to make sure he was.”
“Okay, honey. Keep in touch.”
“I will, and please, no heroics from Dad or Gray.”
“I’ll pass your instructions on.”
I ended the call just as the lights flickered and the TV shut off. Seconds later, everything came back on. I checked the time on my phone. Cord had been gone for close to thirty minutes. I knew it could be hours more before he might be back. I tried to keep my eyes open, but after I’d jarred myself awake three or four times, my neck started to ache, so I straightened the blankets and lay on the bed.
“Hey, sleeping beauty.”
I opened my eyes and looked up at Cord, who sat beside me on the bed. Snow coated his hair and the scruff of his beard, and when he removed his gloves, his hands looked as blue as his lips did.
“You need to get out of those wet clothes and into warm water. Do you have a tub or just a shower?”
His teeth were chattering. “Both.”
“I’ll fill the tub. You strip.”
“I have to admit; this isn’t the way I imagined us getting naked for the first time, Juni.”
I smiled. “This isn’t us, Cord. It’s just you.” I pointed to his snow-encrusted jeans. “Get out of those right now.” I went into the bathroom across the hall, turned the water on, and checked the temperature. “Okay, it’s filling up,” I shouted.
I heard his footfalls in the hallway and turned my back before the door opened. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
“You could stay, although I might not be at my, err, best right now.”
I rolled my eyes, not that he could see them. “Get in the water, Cord.”
“Damn, you’re bossy. I kinda like it.”
I heard the water splash, and keeping my back to him, I left the room and shut the door behind me. As I’d anticipated, his clothes were in a heap on the floor. They were heavier than I expected when I picked them up and went in search of a washer and dryer. Before I found either, the lights flickered and we lost power again. This time, it didn’t come right back on. I rummaged around in the kitchen, but didn’t see any candles.
“Juni?”
“Coming.”
“There are candles in the pantry. Is there enough light from the fireplace for you to see in there?” With every word, his voice sounded closer.
“Yeah, looking now.”
“In there,” he said from right behind me, scaring the daylights out of me. “You can turn around, darlin’. I’m wearing a robe.”
I faced him. “I’m not a prude. I just…it’s what you said. This isn’t how I imagined the first time we were together. ”
He grabbed the candles from the shelf, set them on the counter, and stepped close enough that our bodies were almost flush. “You imagined it?”
“Of course I did. Didn’t you?”
“At least a hundred times.”
I shook my head and laughed. “You should get in bed.”
“Only if you come with me. I don’t want you to get lost in the dark.”
“I’ll light a candle.”
He took a step back, grabbed one from the counter, along with a lighter, lit it, and handed it to me before doing the same with the second. “It’ll be warmer if we stay out here, by the fire.”
He was right. The bedroom was probably already cold.
He put the candle in a holder I hadn’t noticed, took the one from my hand, and placed it in a second, then led me to the sofa.
“Lie down, and I’ll go get some blankets.”
“I like bossy Juni,” I heard him mutter as I hurried down the hall.
When I returned, his eyes were closed. I draped the first blanket over him as gently as I could and was about to add another when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me down on top of him.
“Cord!”
“Juni!”
“You need to stay warm in case of frostbite.”
“Get under these blankets with me right now, Juniper Chance.” His voice was gruff, but he winked. “See, I can be bossy too. By the way, what’s your middle name?”
“It’s boring.”
“Lemme guess. Ann?”
I shook my head, then shifted so I was beside him rather than on him.
“Elizabeth?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm. Mary?”
“No, it’s?—”
He put his hand over my mouth. “No, I want to guess.” His eyes bored into mine. “It’s Rose, isn’t it?”
My eyes scrunched. “How did you know?”
“Juniper Rose Chance. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more beautiful name.”
He snuggled me close, and within seconds, his breathing evened out.
“Cord Wheaton is a beautiful name too,” I whispered.
“Cord Rooker Wheaton.”
“Really? That’s your middle name?”
“Yes, ma’am.” His eyes drifted shut again, and this time, he snored.