Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
B elle was grateful her children willingly went to bed. Once she heard their slow, heavy breathing, she slipped into the hallway, then hurried to her room and checked her phone for a signal. Her head dropped back when she saw the power bars on the screen.
Thank you, Lord.
Glancing at the digital time, she scraped her teeth over her lower lip. Was it too early to call her parents? Maybe not. They’d always been early risers. They would’ve heard about the landslide and be worried for her and her children’s safety.
She dialed her mother’s cell phone.
“Belle!” Her mother’s relieved tone made Belle tear up. Never had her mother’s voice sounded so wonderful.
“Hi, Mom.” Keeping her voice low, she moved down the hall to the seating area in the loft.
“What’s going on?” Her mother grew more excited. “News of the landslide is all over the internet. We tried to call. Are you safe? Are the kids safe?”
A muffled voice sounded as if her mother covered her phone’s mouthpiece while she called to her husband.
“We’re all fine.” Belle held back the rush of emotion. “We’re staying at a friend’s cabin.”
“Honey, I’m going to put you on speakerphone. Daddy’s here.”
“Hi, honey,” came her father’s reassuring voice. “So you and the kids are all right?”
“Hi, Daddy.” She could no longer hold back the tears. “Yes, by the grace of God, we’re fine.”
“Which friend are you staying with?” her mother asked.
“Aaron McSweeney.” Belle took a breath and calmed slightly.
“How are Aaron and his family doing?” her mother asked. “Please tell them all I said hello.” Her mother’s tone segued into a chatty mode.
“Aaron just talked to them. They’re all fine, though they are concerned.” Belle wanted to laugh at her mother’s eagerness to know about people she hadn’t seen in years. At the same time, Belle wondered if she’d have a chance to visit the McSweeney ranch. “Aaron has a cabin along Gold Dust Road. I’m so sorry about the cabin.”
“Don’t worry that.” her father said firmly. “You and the children are safe. A cabin can be rebuilt.”
She and her parents spoke a few more minutes. After promising to call when the children were up, she reluctantly disconnected the line. There were friends she wanted to call, but she needed to conserve power. Aaron had a generator, but anything could happen, and they could lose power completely.
Once power was restored, and they could leave the cabin, she’d call everyone she knew—including Chad.
The heaviness in her chest dropped lower still.
She checked her phone messages. No call from Chad. She’d called him after the fire. He responded with a text.
The quiet closed around her. She knew she should go to bed, but her mind whirled. Briefly, she wondered where Aaron was. He hadn’t come upstairs while she spoke to her parents. Maybe he had enough power to search the internet to learn more about the surrounding area’s conditions.
Her hand on the banister, she moved down the stairs. She reached the landing and took a breath.
Aaron sat on the sofa, the light from his laptop cast shadows over the angles and planes of his face, accentuating his features. This man before her was beautifully and wonderfully made. Somehow she found the strength to force her breathing to slow.
He looked up, then set his laptop on the coffee table. His strides long and even, he moved toward her. Everything about him was commanding and virile.
How much of a struggle was it for him to remain single? It wouldn’t be just the local women who would be interested in him. He’d graduated from a large university. Every coed on campus had to have had an eye on him.
“You’re on your laptop,” she said, then winced at stating the obvious.
“I wanted to catch up on the status of the surrounding areas.” His smile pressed dimples into his sculpted cheeks. “The crews are working around the clock. The power company is optimistic that all power will soon be restored to homes that haven’t been damaged. Thankfully, we’re one of those.”
She swallowed and nodded.
“I heard you talking on the phone.” He stood at the bottom of the stairs.
“I called my parents.” She hesitated, then moved down the stairs.
He stepped to the side to give her room to pass.
“I knew they’d be worried.” She walked into the living room, then stood still. She wasn’t sure where to go, and she was too tired to think. “I reassured them the kids and I were all right.”
“I’m sure they appreciated that.” His voice was tender.
“Yes.” She laughed softly. “I told them we were staying at your cabin. They say hello.”
“Tell them hello for me,” he said amused. “Come here.” He trailed a hand down her arm. He took a step back, then turned to walk by her side. “Let’s go to the kitchen. How about some warm milk? Maybe that will help you sleep.”
“It will be morning soon.” She wanted to be up when her children rose.
“Not if you stay up all night.” The lightness in his voice made her heart rise. “That changes morning to whenever you’re rested.”
“Is that an Aaronism?” She laughed and for the first time in months, it felt good.
“Aaronism, hmm. I hadn’t heard that before, but call it what you like.” Light shone in his eyes. Did he like that she laughed, too? “It’s still the truth.”
“I’m not sure that works when you have children who rise early.” She tilted her chin at him.
“You leave the kids to me.” He eyed her. “I work at a fire station, remember? ”
How could she forget? She’d always remember his striding out of a cloud of smoke, his muscular body draped in firefighter equipment as if he were a heaven-sent angel. He was her angel. If it weren’t for him, she’d be on her way to her parents’ place in Florida.
Despite the fire and the landslide, she and her children were safe. She’d always be grateful for Aaron’s solid presence.
She grew uncomfortable. As glad as she was to have Aaron in her life, she knew not to place her hope in the strength he provided. That came from God.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned since joining the department, it’s how to cook.” Aaron’s voice cut into her thoughts. “I’ll take care of breakfast. You sleep until you’re ready to get up. You have enough to think about without weakening your resistance to a cold or another virus.”
“I can’t expect you to make breakfast for my kids.” Mortified with embarrassment, Belle’s lips parted. “I wouldn’t dream of pawning my children off on you.”
“How’s that pawning?” he asked, confused. “Do you consider my cooking meals for the fire crew as pawning?”
“Well, no,” she said slowly.
“Then you shouldn’t consider my cooking breakfast for your kids as that,” he said, bemused. “We all have to eat. I wouldn’t cook breakfast just for myself, then expect you and your children to fend for yourselves. Cooking is cooking whether it’s for me or for twenty of my crewmembers, or for you and your family. I enjoy cooking. You wouldn’t deprive me of that, would you?” He lifted one brow.
“No,” she said softly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He looked into her eyes. His hand lifted, then dropped to his side.
She quelled the hope rising inside her. She couldn’t wish for a touch from him.
No matter her feelings for Aaron, she would trust God and His plan for her and her children. Her faith belonged to the One Whose love knew no bounds.