Watching Zach and Sean over the holidays, seeing them glow with happiness, hold hands, or sit cuddled together near one of the massive fireplaces, had made me want that for myself. Maybe I’d make a trip into the city soon. Take a few days and see if I could meet some people. Though swiping left felt really hollow right now, when what I really wanted was someone to smile at me the way Zach smiled at Sean. Like I was their world.
I still didn’t feel safe randomly hooking up with someone. Too much illness around. And didn’t that put a damper on my love life. The world at large taught us that sex was crucial. In truth it wasn’t sex so much as human interaction. The last year of stunted contact had really hammered that point home.
Rio had a nice smile. Warm and kind, though guarded, he’d always seemed very genuine. And now I was really worried. “Skeleton?” But I’d spent some time living off ramen myself before Ms. Sofia had found me. Not balanced meals by any means. “Does he even have power up there?”
“I think he has a generator,” Jim shrugged. “He doesn’t like people much. Keeps to himself. Heard someone say he has a bit of PTSD. But he’s been up here ten years or so? No one sees him in the winter. Then spring he shows up.”
“And no one worries about him all winter?”
“Most of us are too busy to get up that way,” Diana admitted. The manor was almost thirty minutes north, and with Rio’s tiny plot of land being past that, it made sense. In the snow it would be even harder. The roads were always well plowed, but since he wasn’t on a dedicated road, it was unlikely he’d be anything more than snowed in most of the winter. Crap.
“I’ll stop up,” I said making a commitment right that minute that I would not let that man spend months in the miserable cold all alone. “Can I load up a box for him?” What were some of the things he normally picked?
“Sure,” Jim said. “Take whatever you need.”
I went through the pantry, choosing things that could stretch meals, canned chicken, green beans, stuffing, and even got a few fresh items including a sack of potatoes and some bananas. I loaded it all into paper bags, got directions from Jim and headed back up, dialing Zach from the car on the way.
“I wanted to let you know where I’m going,” I told my boss. “In case I’m not back till late or something. It sounds like it’s a bit of a walk.”
“There’s a storm coming,” Zach said, sounding worried. “Ten inches of snow predicted. This far north you know it’s more likely we’ll get over a foot.”
“I’ve got my coat and stuff,” I said. “It’s not far. Just seven or so miles from the manor.”
“Call if there’s trouble. I’ve put the plow on my truck and can tow a car out of a ditch if necessary.”
“I will,” I promised and hung up. My plan was to send him the coordinates as soon as I arrived. I accidentally drove by the outlet twice before finding a small break in the snow. It almost looked like someone had partially shoveled the edge of the road where the trail began. I pulled off, parking out of the way, and sent a text off to Zach. I only had one bar on my phone, so hopefully it went through. Jim hadn’t been kidding about the trail. It was literally nothing more than a thin hiking trail etching through the trees. I couldn’t see anything but a dark overlay of woods.
When I opened the back of the car I cursed, realizing that I had no real way to carry pounds of food to a cabin that was a mile or so away through the snow. I stared at the cooler. It was a giant thing with wheels and a handle. That would have to do. I pulled out the cooler, which only had five pounds of bacon and a pack of steaks in it, loaded it with as much as I could, then stacked what I was able to on top before locking up the car. There was more he could have, but I’d have to make another trip back.
I tugged on the thick winter coat I almost never wore, a hat, and some gloves, then pulled the cooler to the trail. The wheels were almost useless. The snow on the path was shoveled, but not sturdy enough to roll on, so it was like pulling a lead weight. It wasn’t until I hit a dozen or so yards into the trees that the cooler seemed to find ice and begin to slide.
Thank god.
There were tracks along the edge of the trail. I examined them as I walked. Rabbit I thought, since they were small and sort of looked like a dick dragging through the snow. It made me laugh a little. A wild dick running through the woods, a meme I’d seen a few times but could actually fit it to factual life. City boy like me wouldn’t normally know much about wildlife, but Zach had arranged for a local hunter to come in and give mini tours of the woods, and how to identify critters. I admit I took it because the forest surrounding the manor was endless and very intimidating. I’d had lots of nightmares since starting the job about being snatched by mountain lions or bears. The hunter assured us that both were rare even in the manor’s huge stretch of woods. He’d given us a little e-guide of footprints to keep saved on our phone. Birds, squirrels, and rabbits were easy. The bigger stuff we were to avoid if we saw a hint of a handful of things. The class had helped ease some worries, but I kept my eyes peeled.
After several yards there were a scattering of bigger tracks. Okay well, they were huge. I paused to look at them, holding my hand beside one to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing. Yeah, bigger than my hand. Wolf, maybe? Nature queen I was not. But it looked sort of like a dog print. Big ass dog, or wolf. Should I go back?
I looked around, wary of the woods now, though the tracks disappeared into the trees heading away from the trail. No sign of movement. Hopefully that wolf was napping somewhere far away after its little rabbit chase.
Turning back to the supplies, I tugged it and we rolled along for a while, me just following the trail and hoping it would lead me somewhere. The cold was more intense out here. Wind not as strong as the trees acted as a good break, but the temperature almost seemed to drop. I tugged my jacket up and hat down, leaving little more than my eyes clear. Could eyes freeze? They sort of felt like it.
Chapter 2
As snow began to fall, I wondered if this had been the dumbest idea on the planet. It would have been smarter to go back to the manor and have Zach deliver the supplies. He had a truck and could probably think of a thousand ways to make this easier and safer. What if Rio didn’t even need anything? It had only been three weeks since the Christmas dinner. He was probably fine. Hunkered down to keep warm.
I’d have really liked to be warm in that moment, could even think of my favorite mulled cider recipe. Did I have all the ingredients for it back home? Probably. I kept the kitchen well stocked. The short time I’d lived in youth shelters and been food insecure had really taught me to prepare. Even if the power went out at the manor, I’d have enough food to feed everyone for a few weeks at least, although I might have to get a little creative.
Apocalypse ready, no, but regular snowstorms I could handle. Thankfully the manor hadn’t had any incidences since Zach and Sean had become a thing. Guess true love had broken that curse.
I sighed thinking of their relationship and craving it hard for myself. I wouldn’t have to wait until I was in my forties, right? That would suck. Did anyone want to wait twenty years for love?
The trail went on. At least someone had shoveled it. It would be nice to know that I was walking somewhere instead of following a path to the middle of nowhere, which is what it felt like in that moment. The snow began to accumulate, and my feet felt numb. Tennis shoes weren’t really meant for snow adventures I thought, and wondered if I should have splurged on that pair of designer boots I’d seen online. The fur insides would probably have been a dream right now. But they hadn’t been practical since my trips outside the manor were short and limited to plowed parking lots and my car.