Page 49 of Passion in Bloom

Todd wasn’t any better prepared to fight with the pipes, but he had been smart enough to call another ranch hand who’d rented out here long ago. He recalled how the pipes acted up for him when he stayed at a different cabin, and it was with his help that we could trudge outside into the cold and locate the main shutoff to my entire home.

As soon as the handle squeaked and turned under my strength on this thicker pipe, I held my breath and prayed the metal lever wasn’t so rusted out that it would snap as well.

It didn’t. And once the water was stilled, Todd spoke on speaker from inside my cabin. “It ain’t gushin’ out no more!”

I heaved out a deep exhale, looking up at Heather and the other ranch hand. Her breath misted in front of her mouth, proving how cold she was. As if the icy cling of my wet clothes against my body could’ve fooled me. We were soaked. We were in the open November air.

“Come on,” she said, holding a hand out to me so I could get back to level ground from this natural depression where the pipes ran outside. “You’ll freeze.”

“So will you.” I didn’t like the chatter of her teeth as she saw me up to the ground again.

“Both of you will,” the other man said. “Listen, my daughter’s about to go into labor any second now and my wife will kill me if I’m not there to rush to the hospital with them all.”

I waved him off. “Thanks, man. I appreciate you coming.”

He couldn’t help now. All that remained after that commotion was cleanup, and that wouldn’t be a quick feat.

Todd shook his head in the cabin, surveying the damage. “What a mess.”

I shot him a stern look. “You don’t say.”

“Well, you ain’t gonna be able to stay here anymore,” he replied. He sighed, letting his shoulders slump as he looked at the puddles taking over my cabin. “I think that cabin up closer to the road is mostly clean, if you wanna stay there in the meantime...”

And you were just talking about me moving into town. I supposed this cabin turning into a damn water fountain would be another reason for the owners to tear them down.

“Yeah. Thanks,” I told him.

But then Heather surprised me. “You can, um, you could camp out at my place.” She pressed her lips together, almost sheepish as she glanced at Todd. Suggesting that was a telling clue that she and I were getting together. Her cabin was just a studio-spaced unit. Her offer implied that we’d be sleeping together there.

“Yeah?” I asked, fighting a smile.

This was bold.

This was big.

She was taking a step in saying that, and it seemed she was brave enough to let Todd see that we were...something. I had no clue what, but after we crossed the line to have sex, she wasn’t quite as skittish now. This was a leap forward where I wanted to go, which was anywhere near her.

“Well, that’s a nice gesture,” Todd quipped. With his back to her, he winked at me.

A nice gesture? Sure, it was. But it sounded a lot more like an introduction to how much she wanted to open up to me.

“I appreciate it,” I told her, hoping she could know just how grateful I was that she’d come into my life—and not just because I needed a new place to stay.