Chapter 4
Four
Chase
We're quiet as we sit in the front of the fire an hour later, our food digesting.
"When will we know if we're stuck here?" She asks softly. "You said something about the bridge probably washing out? Will we find out for sure, or will we need to go check it out?"
I've got a toothpick in my mouth, and I roll it around thoughtfully. "Should know tomorrow morning. Emergency management will be out at first light, and since I live out this way, they usually check it first."
"And to make sure I understand, if the bridge is out, we're stuck here until spring?" She raises her eyebrows.
"I know it sounds crazy, but the first snow'll be coming probably in the next couple of hours.
The water will have to recede, and by then, the snow will continue to fall.
It'll be too dangerous. If you want me to get you out of here, I can.
It's not going to be easy, and your car will have to stay.
.." I watch her, trying to gauge where she is with all of this.
"So you tell me what you want, Paisley. I'm okay either way. "
Her voice is rough and ragged as she speaks. "Do you have someone who needs to be here with you? Like a girlfriend, wife, maybe a boyfriend who's going to show up and accusing me of causing issues?"
A chuckle works its way out of my chest. "No, there's no one that'll be coming out here to check on me.
Maybe my best friend, but that's about it.
I'm single as fuck. Have been for longer than I care to admit.
Having said that, you won't have to be concerned with me making a move.
I've never been the type of man to force myself on someone who wasn't interested.
You're safe here, Paisley." I take a drink of my coffee.
"If you want to stay here, you're safe. In fact, I might like the damn company. Gets awful lonely."
She tilts her head to the side, looking at me as if she really sees me. Her green eyes turn hazel in the light of the fire, and I can't help but wonder what she's thinking when she looks at me this way. "Okay, I think I need this...need a break. It's not like I'm running from my problems..."
"Who gives a fuck if you are?" I growl, taking another drink of my coffee.
Normally it'd be a bourbon, but I need to keep my wits about me tonight, and I'm not sure if alcohol will be the best thing to bring out after her day.
"Are you living your life for fuckers who didn't even know what you were doing this afternoon?
I can't believe nobody was lookin' for you. "
Her eyes are wet in the dim light, and she clears her throat loudly. "It's complicated, Chase."
"Life is fuckin' complicated, but if I knew someone I care about was on the edge like that, I'd be there." Those words are the truest ones I've ever spoken. "So either they didn't know, or they didn't care."
Reaching up with her knuckle, she swipes the moisture away. "They knew."
"Then they didn't give a shit, and you don't owe them anything. What do you want to do, Paisley?"
She stretches her legs out in front of her.
I'm not sure she's going to say anything, after I've waited for a few minutes, but then her voice breaks through the dim noise of the cracking logs and the buzzing of the fridge.
"I want to live, to learn to love myself, and to do it without the pressure of what others think I should be doing, or who I should be. "
My feet are propped up on an ottoman, I jerk them down to the ground, the noise reverberating in the room. "So you're saying you want to stay?"
The nod she gives me isn't as full of confidence as I would like, but she's had a hard day. "Yes, I'd like to stay."
"Okay, so first things first. You should know what that means.
We're pretty isolated out here, as you can tell since you drove.
If you need something from town, we can get it, but it will take up to two weeks.
If at any time you want to go home, I can make that happen, but it will take time, depending on what's happening with the weather.
If you're hurt out here? I know first aid, but I'm not a doctor.
This isn't going to be some sort of vacation.
" I stop for a second, letting the words sink in.
"You'll need to help me work. It's not like a full working ranch, but I have animals to take care of, and there are situations where I'll be called out as a law enforcement officer. "
She nods, a faraway look in her eyes as she stares at the flames licking the logs.
"If you don't want to do this, that's fine, too. I just need to know what you want to do." I might be asking too much of her right now, and I realize that too late. "Shit Paisley, you don't have to make the decision now either. If you wanna sleep on it, you can."
"Where will I sleep?" She asks quickly.
"There are two bedrooms. The second one is small, and if you'd prefer mine, you can have it. To me, it's a place to lay my head at night."
"What about clothes? I only have what I'm wearing." She lifts a shoulder. "Not like I planned on coming back after what I was planning on doing."
This is the part I hate, people asking questions about the life I live.
The one I choose to lead out here. There are eventually questions, and I'm never prepared to answer them.
"I have a wardrobe that looks like it'll fit you.
It's in the second bedroom. Feel free to grab what you want.
All the clothes are clean. If we need something, I can get it. It'll just take time."
She nods. "Then I'd love to stay here."
Rolling my lips together, I give her a small smile. "Maybe this place can save you the way it saved me."
"Maybe it can," she whispers.
And in this moment, I realize we're more alike than either of us think.