by Vivian Arend
A sudden rush of deep emotion hit as he realized she’d said yes to him without knowing for sure where they might end up in the future. “I would never take you away from your dad or your job. If you vanished, half the vehicles in Heart Falls would stop running.”
She grinned. “Maybe a third.”
Her hand lay over his heart, and he caught her wrist and lifted it so he could examine the ring. It was a little big, so she’d slipped it on her middle finger, but the pale pink stones glittered beautifully as she twisted her hand to admire it.
“Do you like it? I know some women like to pick their own rings, and we still can, but this one wanted to come home to you.”
Her eyes widened. “You said there was a story. Tell me.”
So he shared about the day that every time he turned around there’d been another jewelry store mocking him. Displays in windows that showed stunning brunettes staring with love into dark-haired men’s eyes, and made him realize that needed to be him and Brooke, stat.
She lifted her hand and examined the ring a little closer. “But this isn’t a new ring. I thought you were going to tell me it was from your parents or your grandparents.”
“Well, it’s from somebody’s grandparents,” he admitted. “I resisted the urge to purchase anything at those fancy stores. I figured once I asked you, I could take you to one and see what you liked. But fate had other ideas.”
She was leaning forward now, eager for the rest of the story like a kid waiting for Santa to arrive.
“Yup, once the idea of getting you a ring had been raised, there was no way I was going home without one, fancy stores be damned. I had to make one final stop, safely away from any jewelry shops, and discovered a thrift store next door. I only grabbed some T-shirts, but as I was chatting with the fellow behind the cash register, he suddenly got all shifty-eyed and nervous, as if he was about to do something illegal. When he reached under the counter, I thought for sure he would pull out a stash of drugs. I couldn’t figure out what I’d said to make him think I was interested in anything like that.”
Brooke was laughing now, her body warm against his, their fingers tangled. “Did you look extra disreputable that day or something? Because hello, clean-cut soldier boy.”
“I swear I was perfectly normal. I was also very relieved when he brought out a mostly empty TV tray with a couple of pieces of jewelry on it and said, ‘We don’t put this stuff on display, but I feel as if the universe is telling me to show them to you.’” Mack imitated the laid-back drawl the man had, grinning at Brooke’s expression. “I guess sometimes jewelry shows up in the pockets of clothing that gets donated or in luggage. This time they knew who it belonged to because they’d just unpacked a load that had come from an estate sale. When they contacted the family to give back the more valuable items, they were told to keep them as a donation.”
Her eyes were bright, and her lips twisted upward. “You bought my ring at a thrift store. Not that I’m knocking it, I think that’s kind of cool, but just to make sure I’ve got the facts straight.”
“I definitely bought your ring at a thrift store, although I did give them a good amount.”
“More than ten bucks?”
He grinned. “At least twenty. You’re worth it.”
She snickered. “So, can you tell me anything else about my ring? Because I do like it, and it’s pretty. But I don’t think you would’ve just bought it because somebody suggested you should.”
And this was part of the reason why he loved her. She understood there was a deeper meaning.
He lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them slowly. “A ring is a sign of commitment, but this one is also a symbol of us. I wanted something unique and not like all the rest that will be purchased this year. This has been around for a while, and it’s proven it can stand the test of time.”
“You know that?”
Everything in him went soft with memory. “The couple had over sixty years together. I think that’s a pretty good goal to start with.”
She held her hand up and wiggled her fingers, considering. “But I’m not going to be haunted by some woman named Ethel who wants her ring back?”
“Definitely not,” he answered instantly. “Her name was Dorothea.”
Laughter burst free from Brooke and she adjusted position to kneel on either side of his thighs, hands resting on his shoulders. “Well, that’s good.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. “I love my ring, and I love that story, and I love you. You chose well.”
As the evening rolled into night, and they held each other and once again made love, Mack could not find a single thing wrong with her proclamation.
Being together with her there in the bunker was only the start.
He woke early the next morning, reluctantly slipping out of bed and away from Brooke’s warmth to check their status. He was barely to the top of the stairs when the shrieking sound of the wind was enough to warn him the storm was still raging.
He checked both their phones for reception before giving up and returning to the safety of the bunker.
When he crawled back into bed, Brooke gasped slightly before pressing her warm body against all his chilled parts.
“We still trapped?” she asked sleepily.
“Very.”
She twisted toward him, nuzzling against his chest. “Important question to ask.”
“I thought I already did that.”
She smirked, lashes at half-mast. “How many days can we survive?”
“Depends,” he admitted. “How many condoms did you stick in your emergency pack? Because at the rate we’re going, we’ll need to hike for safety in the next twenty-four hours or be in trouble.”
An amused hmmm escaped her lips as she placed a hand on his chest, manoeuvering his back to the mattress so she could slide over him. “Then we’re good for at least another day and a half.” She reached into their stash and held one in the air. “Are we rationing ourselves?”
Easy answer. “Hell no.”
He waited until she’d tortured him by gloving him up, then rolled, guiding her onto her side so he could caress her breasts while keeping pressed tight against her back. A slow, languid loving followed. His cock snuck between her legs from behind and teased against her sex until she was rocking her hips back as if begging for more.
When he slipped inside her, moving with an easy rhythm, it was flawless. Pleasure building, urgency rising until they both came apart. He cradled her against him, intimate and joined, as she trailed her fingers over his hands, his forearms. Back over his hip to tease the naked skin of his buttock as if she couldn’t stop and didn’t want to break the connection between them.
He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. “I love you.”
It sounded as perfect as it had all the other times.
It was a little like having a honeymoon without having to deal with the wedding formalities. Although Brooke had never seen a destination resort quite like their prepper shelter.
They kept going upstairs every few hours to check the weather situation, but if anything, Mother Nature had chosen Christmas Eve to be worse than what had been thrown at them on the twenty-third.
Brooke had teased until Mack pulled on his full winter gear, and the two of them went outside, tucking around the corner to get out of the raw fury of the wind.
“The only reason we’re doing this is because I’m heavy enough not to get blown away,” Mack informed her, keeping a firm grip around her waist as they stood in the leeward side of the shed and stared across the field through the brief gaps in the whiteout.
“It’s not what I want to deal with every day, but it’s weirdly invigorating to be out here,” she shared before they retreated into the cold but windless interior of the barn.
She poked at the tractor for a few minutes, admiring its classic John Deere lines, but she went willingly when Mack tugged her toward the star and the warmth hidden below it.
The entire day vanished in the
most wonderful of ways. Mack insisted they take advantage of all the amenities, which meant hot showers and breaking out the games. Although he did suggest they conserve water and shower together.
Their stack of condoms rapidly diminished, and she’d never seen Mack so relaxed and happy.
They did talk about the people who would be missing them, but even there Brooke couldn’t feel too concerned. “My dad knows you’ll take care of me.”
“Your dad knows you’ll take care of me,” Mack pointed out. He made a face. “I tried to generate some guilt about not being in Heart Falls for emergency services, but this is why we trained the extra volunteers. Plus, I just heard somebody very wise suggest no one should be irreplaceable.”
She slid up to him then, hands cupping his cheeks as she stared into his beautiful eyes. “At work? I agree. But when it comes to being in my heart, I don’t want anyone but you.”
For some reason her words triggered another tumble into bed.
Oops?
But when they went to bed on Christmas Eve still trapped by the storm, she had to admit she was a little disappointed.
“I hate to sound like a broken record, but the weather is screwing up our plans. If the storm lets up, and if we can get your truck started, and if we can get back to town, any chance of that old-fashioned Christmas I was hoping for is gone by now.” She wrapped her arms around her legs, pouting into the semidarkness. “Bah, humbug.”
Mack pressed a kiss to her arm, trailing his fingers softly over her torso. “We can have turkey for New Year’s. Because you’re right, it’s still frozen solid so there’s no way we’re eating that tomorrow even if we do get to make a break in the morning.”
His fingers slid into a ticklish area and she attempted to wiggle away. “I forgot—I was going to suggest we go to the seniors lodge on Christmas Day. I think Geraldine and Floyd would enjoy the company.”
“Great minds think alike,” he told her. “I had the same thought when I was there setting up the Christmas decorations. And if by some chance we’re still stuck at the end of tomorrow, we’ll go the next day. Or the next. They’ll appreciate the company whenever we make it.”
“We could probably tell Floyd it was still Christmas a week later and he’d be okay with it. So, it’s not as if it’s the actual date that’s the important part,” Brooke said softly, understanding filtering in.
It really wasn’t about a random date on a chart, but who she spent it with.
The tickling turned more earnest and they ended up giggling like a pair of kids before the playing turned a lot more adult.
Christmas morning arrived, and Brooke woke earlier than Mack. She slipped out of bed to explore, only to rush back and bounce on the edge of the bed. “Wake up, wake up.”
“I wanted to open my present in bed,” he complained, reaching for her but missing as she danced out of his grasping hands.
“Later,” she told him excitedly. “Come listen.”
He groaned but obediently followed to the exit door. She swung it open then pressed a finger over her lips.
“I don’t hear anything.” Mack’s eyes widened. “Oh. I don’t hear anything.”
He hurried up the stairs, Brooke hard on his heels, and they headed for the nearest window.
It was early enough that the sky had just begun to brighten, the sunlight not yet reaching to the top of the mountains to the west. But the fact they could see the mountains was the little Christmas miracle she’d been hoping for.
Brooke twirled in his arms and pulled him close. “Merry Christmas to us.”
His grin said it all before he kissed her passionately.
On the way back to the kitchen to grab a quick meal before they made their escape, Mack stopped beside the entertainment unit. “Where did those come from?”
She tried for innocent as he pointed to the brightly coloured socks hanging at eye level. “Well, I’ll be damned, Santa made it.”
He glanced at her and grinned. “You should’ve told me.”
“Me? No. See, it was Santa. There’s his empty glass and the cookie plate I left for him last night.” She’d consumed most of the snickerdoodle after breaking off the teeniest crumb to leave it decorating the plate.
She took down one stocking and passed it to him. Mack peered inside before carefully lifting out the little stick figures and tiny buildings she’d made by pushing toothpicks through the miniature marshmallows.
“Awww, there’s a fire truck. And a house, and some tiny people.” He grinned at her. “You and me?”
She nodded.
Mack shook his head in amusement then reached for the other sock, his expression turning confused as he discovered it wasn’t empty. “You goof. You loaded your own stocking.”
“It wasn’t me,” Brooke insisted. “That Santa, he’s a naughty old elf.”
She upended her stocking and shook it, and a dozen of their condom stash fell into his hand like an adult snowfall.
He pulled her against him and kissed her enthusiastically, his lips still curled in a smile. When they both came up for air, he offered her a look that held all sorts of promise. “Let’s put your present away. I promise we’ll enjoy every bit of it later, but I think we should get out of here while we can, in case the storm returns for round three.”
They split up the tasks. Brooke pulled things together and tidied the bunker while Mack made his way out to the truck to see if it would start.
“There’s no use in both of us wading through the snow if I can’t get it going. And while I spotted spare batteries and jumper cables, I’m not going to haul them out if I don’t need them.”
Brooke decided to take the bedsheets and linens that needed to be washed with them so she wasn’t leaving more work for the Yoders. Plus, they’d made a list of everything they’d used, so by the time Mack made it back to the barn she had both their bags filled to the brim and waiting.
The disappointment on his face made it clear trouble wasn’t done with them.
“Truck won’t start?”
He shook his head. “Come with me. I’ll bring the batteries if you bring the cables. You might know some other tricks to get her going. At least now there’s a trail for us to walk.”
She joined him outside, the sunshine brightening the sky and glittering off of the millions of crystalline snowflakes. The air was shockingly cold, bracing against the back of her throat.
Brooke couldn’t help but smile even as they hooked up the battery and still couldn’t get the truck engine to turn over.
“Why are you grinning?” Mack leaned across the open hood of the truck, his eyes flashing at hers with laughter in their depths.
She touched her nose to his. “Because I’m with you. Because I’m happy.”
“You’re stuck with me too,” he pointed out.
“Bring the battery. I have another idea.”
He followed her back to the barn. She’d had something percolating for the last while, and now with his cooperation, she cleared a path around the ancient John Deere plow.
Mack watched as she opened the engine compartment and squatted to get a good look. “You’re kidding me. You think this thing still works?”
“We’ll find out soon enough. She’s old, but these things were built to last, and I don’t mean that as a company catchphrase.”
She found the master switch and flicked it on before hooking up the jumper cables. “We need to top her up with gas, and I need a pair of work gloves. This model has an open carburetor with a direct feed to the engine, so I need to cover the end to create enough vacuum to get the engine going.”
They both scrounged around until they found a jerry can to transfer some purple farm fuel into the engine. Mack was the one who discovered a pair of worn leather gloves tucked into a drawer by the work bench.
She slipped them on and offered a wink. “Fingers crossed.”
Brooke opened the fuel line then placed her protected hand over the end of the carburetor. She jimmied the starter c
able, listening to the sound of the engine turning over, harsh at first before it fell into the smooth putt-putt-putt of an old two-stroke engine.
She stood, delighted at her success, and found herself picked up and whirled in a happy embrace.
“You’re brilliant,” Mack told her. “Which means it’s time for us to get bundled up. This trip could take a while.”
Not nearly as long as he thought. She helped gather their things and tucked them onto the tractor so they weren’t in the way and wouldn’t fall off.
They got the barn door open with a little work—thank God for sliding doors that moved with only a little clearance. Then she had the tractor outside and idling as Mack climbed up to join her.
He pointed toward the highway. “Adventure, ahoy.”
She grabbed his wrist and changed the angle of his arm, his finger now pointing over the snow-covered fields that dipped and rose in waves toward the barely visible church tower at the edge of Heart Falls.
“That way, cap.”
He swung around far enough to look intently into her eyes as if gauging if she was joking. “There’s a heck of a lot of snow that way, babe, but if you think we can make it…”
“As the crow flies, we can definitely make it. And with this much snow, there’s not a fence between here and the edge of town that’s going to stop us. It’ll still take a while, but we’ve got enough gas, and it’s a beautiful day for a drive,” she said with amusement.
His strong arms wrapped around her as he settled in the back, letting her take control of the wheel and pedals. “Take us home,” he ordered.
Mack squeezed her tight as she put the tractor into gear and the ancient treads began a steady elliptical motion, carrying them forward over the masses of fresh snow.
Carrying them home toward Christmas.
15
By the time they reached the edge of town, Mack’s cheeks were sore from grinning. They’d begun to see people out and about on this festive day, and all of them stopped to stare as Brooke drove the old tractor in its highest gear—which was no more than a fast walk—down Heart Falls’ Main Street toward the shop.
