Chapter 20
Gracie woke first with a small cry, and Ava rolled away from Chay to pick her up. They were all sleeping on the living room floor. The fire, which Chay had banked before they went to bed, was still smoldering. Chay sat up, his hair sticking out on one side.
The storm seemed to have passed, but the world was covered in a white blanket. “I’ll get the generator on so we can cook some breakfast and wash up. Then go and check the yard for damage.”
“How are you going to get out?” she asked.
“Dig if I have to. The side door on the garage usually isn’t too hard to shift the snow.”
“I’ll feed her and make us some coffee,” she said.
He kissed her before getting up, and she watched him leave. Gracie was mumbling in her arms, and she looked down at her.
“What do you think, Bug?”
“Mamama.”
Ava’s heart was so full. She wanted to be Gracie’s mom more than anything, but she wasn’t sure that was going to happen.
So instead she changed the baby’s diaper and then dressed in warm clothes.
She had heard the generator kick on and took Gracie with her into the bathroom to have a sink wash.
She’d love a shower, but it was probably better to wait until the electricity was back on.
She braided her hair, meeting her own gaze in the mirror. She was buzzing with tiredness and a bit of excitement. Last night with Chay…it had been perfect. Who’d have thought that sheltering in a blizzard would be her dream date, but there it was.
Gracie continued her babbling as Ava took her back into the kitchen and got her high chair set up and fed her.
She noticed that Chay had the makings of a breakfast casserole, and that would be something they could eat for lunch if they needed to, so she quickly pulled it together and put it in the oven.
She went to the garage once she had Gracie playing on her blanket and noticed that there was a slight path cleared form the side door. There was so much snow she wasn’t sure if Chay was going to make much progress. He came back in on a gust of cold air, snow in his hair.
“Might have to try again later,” he said.
“I think so. I’ve got a egg dish in the oven. Come in and warm up. What’s your hurry to get out?” she asked as they went into the mudroom.
Chay got his outerwear off and then padded in his socks down to the kitchen, where he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Not every household has generators, and some of the domiciles are older. I need to be able to check on everyone. The radio isn’t going to work in this weather.”
“Okay. After breakfast if you want I’ll try to help you clear more snow.”
“Thanks. How’s the bug this morning?”
“Good. She ate well and now she’s playing. How are you today?” she asked. “Last night…”
“I’m good. What about last night?” he asked.
“Just really enjoyed it,” she said after a few moments. “I wouldn’t mind being snowed in with you longer.”
“If it was just us, I’d agree,” he said.
But they both had people who needed them. And Chay was going to be itching to get out and check out the neighborhoods and make sure everyone was okay. He really cared about his people, which had led him to her to begin with. He didn’t want anyone on the Navajo Nation to be harmed.
“If you can’t get out today, what will you do?”
“There’s nothing we can do. Now that the storm has passed, the snow will start to melt, which could be another problem.
I’d like to get some of it shifted away from the foundation of the house.
I do have some drainage built into the exterior, but not enough to handle this. I hope your place is okay,” Chay said.
She hadn’t thought of her little home since she’d been here. “Dad will probably go by and check on it. As soon as we get some kind of signal or electricity, I want to check in with them. I know they’ll be fine, but still.”
Chay nodded at her. “I need to check on my grandmother. I’m sure she’s fine, but I’ll worry until I hear her voice.”
“Same. So we need to hear from our people and get ourselves out of this snow world. Did you ever read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe?”
“I didn’t, but I did see the movie. Are you thinking the Ice Queen did this?”
“No, I’m thinking of Turkish delight,” she said.
He groaned. “Of course you are. What did you make for breakfast? It smells delicious and not like junk.”
“It’s a casserole with bacon, sausage, eggs and cheese. Figured we needed something hearty, and it will reheat easily for lunch.”
She served them both breakfast, and they talked quietly while they ate. “You’re a good partner in a disaster.”
She flushed a little at his compliment. “Thank you. Even though I almost got cranky last night.”
“Anyone would get cranky after sitting in the dark for hours with only the sounds of wind and snow hitting the house. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” he said kindly.
“You weren’t.”
“I was, I’m just able to hide it,” he said.
“Because of your childhood.”
“Yes. It’s easier to act like nothing bothers me than to show how I’m really feeling,” he admitted.
“All the time?” she asked, wondering if that was how he was with her. Was he pretending to feel something that wasn’t there? Was she seeing something that she wanted to see?
“Mostly.”
“Even with me?” she asked.
“In what way?”
“Were you pretending last night?” she asked.
He took her hand in his. “I’m never pretending, Ava. I just don’t wear my emotions for the world to see. But I’m experiencing it all, and I’m never faking it around you.”
The radio came through just as the electricity was crackling back on. “Officer Benally? Chay, you there?”
“I’m here, Wes. We’re good. Going to take me a while to get out of here. You?”
“The station and town are in the same shape. I’m getting a few officers ready to start going door to door to check on everyone. Lou has a plow fitted to the front of his truck, and he’s gone to get the snowplow drivers and plow them out.”
“Sounds like you’re on top of things. I’ll keep shoveling here, try to make it in as soon as I can.”
“Great. Your grandmother’s with mine at Aponi’s house, and I just heard from them. They are fine.”
“Thanks, Wes. I’ll be in touch as soon as I’m on my way,” Chay said, ending the radio call.
Knowing that his grandmother was fine was a relief. Now he needed to get out of the house to check on the rest of the town. Wes and the others would do what they could, but they’d been snowed in at the station and could use some rest.
When he came out to update Ava, she’d changed her clothes and had Gracie in her snow gear. “I thought we’d go outside and I’ll help while Gracie plays in the snow.”
“I won’t say no to that. If we can get a path to my truck, I put the snowplow attachment on it yesterday,” he said. “I can plow the drive in case you want to get out. I don’t recommend driving back to Dark Canyon today. I think the roads are still going to be rough.”
She nodded over at him. “I’ll stay another night at least.”
“Good. I like having you here.” He turned to get his cold-weather gear on before she could respond. He wasn’t looking for her to tell him she liked it, too. He just wanted her to know.
There were things he wished he’d said to his mom, so he tended to blurt things out when they entered his head. He did it with his grandmother all the time, and she was used to it. Ava probably wasn’t. But he didn’t want to have to explain it to her.
She sat on the bench next to him as he put his boots on and then handed Gracie to him while she got her boots on. Bug was snug in her snowsuit and kept smiling and drooling the slightest bit.
Chay put on his heavy winter coat and then the baby carrier and put Gracie in it facing outward. She kicked her little legs as soon as he got her in it. Ava put a winter hat on Gracie’s head and made sure the baby was completely covered up.
“She can’t stay out long,” Ava reminded him.
“I’ll keep a close eye on her. I’m not sure you should stay out that long, either.”
“Agreed. Same for you, but you have that stubborn look in your eye like you’re going to get the job done come hell or high water.”
“Or high snow, as this case may be,” he said, then kissed her, because he wanted nothing more than to stay in this house with these two. To cuddle under the blankets until Gracie fell asleep and then make love to Ava again. But there was work that needed to be done.
Chay wouldn’t allow himself not to step up. The path he’d dug earlier was still there, but more snow had fallen. The six-foot-high bank wasn’t easy to maneuver through. He caught himself cursing but stopped, not wanting Gracie to hear him.
“Why don’t I take her for a little bit?” Ava suggested. He helped her put the carrier on and then went back to shoveling. He heard Ava behind him, working steadily to make the path he’d roughly carved easier to traverse.
Moving along the side of the house, he finally got to the front of it.
His truck was parked behind Ava’s in the driveway.
He had a pretty good idea of the location in his mind.
But he was also sort of winging it. There was so much snow it was impossible to tell if he was truly going in the right direction.
Then he remembered he had a compass on his phone. He’d just pulled it out to access it when Ava ducked under his arm, wrapping her arm around his waist. Gracie was looking up at him, and his heart stopped for a moment. He realized that this was all he needed. These two women at his side.
Blinking against the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, he finally got the compass up.
“I think our vehicles are east of the house. Wanted to make sure we were going the right way.” Explaining because he didn’t want to talk about anything, afraid he’d just blurt out that he loved her and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
“Okay. I’m going to take her back inside for about fifteen minutes or so to warm up and then I’ll come right back. I can put her in the crib and bring you some coffee, if you’d like.”
“Nah, I’m good.”