Christmas on 4th Street (Fool's Gold #12.5)(49)

She scooped up some chicken. “We have kittens, we have a radio, we have a supply of delicious casseroles. Could it be any better?”

He knew she was teasing, but that part of her believed what she was saying. She wasn’t the type to look on the dark side. And she was right—they were safe and would hold out for a week, no problem.

She glanced at the kittens and smiled. He studied her profile. She was so beautiful, he thought. Giving. Unexpectedly competitive. She was nothing he’d expected for his vacation and yet now he couldn’t imagine what he would have done with himself if he hadn’t met her.

* * *

Noelle studied the cards in front of her. All she needed was another two and either an eight or a king of spades and she would be out, she thought, careful to not let her expression show her glee. She’d never had much of a poker face.

It was midafternoon. She and Gabriel had already had four sessions of digging out. Snow was heavier than it looked, especially when measured in feet. They’d dug what was more trench than path to the truck, then gone to work clearing the vehicle.

Gabriel’s second call to his brother had told them that the town had been slammed, as well. That while the plows were out and working, they wouldn’t get up Mother Bear Road until the following morning. The good news was Mayor Marsha had promised the private road would be plowed up to the truck, so all they had to do was get it dug out and then wait to be rescued.

One more night, Noelle thought as Gabriel took another card and slipped it into his hand. He studied the cards. One more night sharing a bed. Last night she’d been too exhausted to enjoy the closeness, but tonight she planned to savor the snuggling. And maybe come up with a plan to take things to the next level.

Whoever had stocked the cabin had been really thorough. There was a fresh box of condoms in the small medicine cabinet, along with aspirin and a first-aid kit. As no one was injured, she found the condoms most interesting.

She was pretty sure that making love with Gabriel was a stupid idea, but she no longer cared. She liked him. He was sweet and sexy and it had been way too long since she’d been held by a man. She accepted that he was leaving and not interested in anything long-term. While remembering her goals was important, so was living in the moment. And he was a real in-the-moment temptation.

“Gin,” he said, spreading out his cards on the table.

She stared at them. “No way.”

He shrugged. “Look for yourself.”

“You got gin last time.”

“The cards love me.”

She checked his runs and sets and saw that he really had won. She put hers on the table and was able to get rid of a couple of her extra cards by adding them to his, then she calculated the points.

“You’re annoying,” she told him.

He chuckled, then got up and stretched before crossing to the counter and picking up a bottle of wine.

“A saucy red,” he told her.

“I love it when wine gets saucy.”

He dug around in the drawers and found an opener. She went to get glasses. The lights flickered and then came on. The refrigerator began to hum. She stared at Gabriel.

“No way,” she said. “That’s more incredible than you winning two games in a row. We have power?”

“Gotta love the town,” he said, crossing to one of the vents and holding out his hand. “And we have heat.”

They also had access to the hot plate, she thought, carrying the lanterns over to the wall and plugging them in so they could charge. Even heating food on a woodstove was complicated.

He carried the wine over to the sofa, and she joined him. The cats were sleeping.

“I’m not sure how we’re going to transport all nine cats tomorrow,” she said, after taking a sip.

He pointed to the metal box that currently held kindling. “I figured we’d line that with a blanket and put the kittens inside. The mother cats will be loose, I guess. It’s not like we’ll be going fast, so they should be okay.”

“We’ll have to make it work. I’m worried that once we get out, we won’t be able to get back for a while and I don’t want to leave one of the families behind.”

“We won’t.”

Then she would have two new families in her small place, she thought, making a mental list of what she would need. When the kittens were old enough to be adopted, she would rally her friends to help her find them homes. The mother cats would need to be spayed, as well. It was a lot to take on, but she was confident she could manage.

The room was silent, with only the crackling of the fire as background noise. “Not exactly the fast-paced hospital life you’ve been used to,” she said.

“That’s okay. I needed a break.”

“And shoveling snow for hours at a time is what you were hoping for?”

“It’s good exercise.”

She turned to look at him. “Would you have become a doctor if you hadn’t joined the army?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to be a soldier, which didn’t leave a lot of options. I’m good at what I do. I know I make a difference.”

“At a price,” she said, thinking about all he’d told her about his work.

“It’s nothing compared to what those fighting have to pay.” He leaned back against the sofa. “Sometimes I think about what I could do instead. Live somewhere permanently. Have friends outside the medical profession.”