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After leading her into the bathroom, he washed her face but did not allow her to brush her teeth, not bothering to explain why as she already knew she wouldn’t be allowed to do anything to remove the taste of him until he was ready for her to do so. She found the drop seat was convenient as he instructed her to go potty. They returned to her room where he dressed her in a pair of fleece-lined purple leggings and a thick sweater spotted with a variety of different color polka dots. After making the bed, he sat her down on it, ignoring her squirm as he pulled a pair of thick socks over her feet before slipping them into a new pair of boots. He brushed her hair and pulled it up into two pigtails, tying one end with a red ribbon, the other with a yellow one. She smiled as she caught her reflection in the mirror above the dresser. She looked years younger than her chronological age.
Lunch consisted of thick grilled cheese sandwiches and bowls of his homemade tomato soup. It was hot and filling, and though he’d tucked a napkin in the neck of her sweater to serve as a bib and cautioned her to blow on each spoonful of soup, she didn’t feel ridiculous, she felt cherished. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if he’d allowed her to place one of the fat pillows she’d snagged from the couch on her stool. But when she set it down on the wooden seat, he quirked his eyebrow.
“I… I guess not?”
“You guess correctly. Little ones who earn themselves two spankings and a paddling before lunch do not get to ease their discomfort with pillows.”
After lunch, he sent her to get her coat. “I don’t know where you put it, Daddy. The last time I saw it was in the bathroom.”
“No, honey. Not your windbreaker, I meant your new coat. It’s hanging in your closet. Oh, and your mittens are in the top drawer of your dresser.”
It took her longer than really needed as she stood in her closet, gawking at all the clothes hanging from the rods. Dresses, blouses, skirts, and sweaters filled the space. He’d not only shopped, he must have bought out the store. Clothes weren’t the only items. Shoes were on racks; sneakers, rain boots, slippers, saddle shoes, and Mary Janes were lined up, waiting to be worn. There was also more than one coat. A pale pink coat with a fur collar and an actual fur muff draped around the hanger beckoned, but seeing a navy blue one next to it, and knowing he had suggested a walk, she stroked the fur for a moment before pulling the blue one from the hanger. She grabbed a red pair of mittens from the drawer and ran downstairs.
“Wow, you bought a lot of clothes!”
He laughed and took the coat from her, holding it open so she could slip her arms into the sleeves. “I did, and I can’t wait to see you in every outfit.”
“I love the pink coat. It is so pretty!”
“I’m glad you like it. You can wear it later this week when I take you to town.”
She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. “Town? Like where… other people are?”
“Yes, the town is small, but I’m pretty certain there will be people. Why?”
“I-I’m not sure. What will they think seeing a grown woman dressed like… like a little girl?”
“Don’t you fret about that, Elena. Trust me that you’ll be just fine. Give me your hands.”
She held out her hands and he slipped her mittens on. After he had pulled on his outerwear, he opened the door and they went out onto the porch.
Elena pushed the worry about the upcoming visit to town from her mind as she looked around in awe. “It looks like a wedding cake!”
Liam laughed. “Well, it is certainly white, isn’t it? Ready to take a hike?”
“Can we build a snowman instead?”
“Sure we can. Where do you want him?”
Elena looked around and then pointed to the place where she’d entered the woods. “Over there. That way he can keep watch on all those animals I heard rustling around when I looked for the rock with the key.”
Liam looked toward where she pointed. “Why would you look for the key rock in the woods?”
“Because that’s where I kicked it,” she said. Looking up, she saw his eyebrow lift. Giggling, she tugged on his hand to get him moving, explaining as they walked toward the trees. “So, it flew really far and I could hear animals moving. It scared me but I knew I’d freeze if I wasn’t brave enough to find it. By the way, are there bears up here?”
“Yes, bears and wolves though I haven’t seen any near the cabin. I’ve seen a lot of deer and smaller animals like rabbits and opossums.” He suddenly stopped and squatted, pointing to some marks in the snow. “See those?”
She bent over, peering at where he pointed. “Oh, are those bear tracks?”
“No, those belong to a raccoon, but they prove a point. You are never to go into the woods without me. I don’t want you to worry too much about wildlife. Like I said, the larger predators don’t tend to come close to civilization and living among nature is one of the reasons I chose to build up here, but you could easily get turned around and lost.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Elena said, scanning the woods. “In fact, why don’t we build our snowman over by the cabin? That way we can look out the window and see him.”
His laugh rang out loudly, but he simply stood and lifted her off her feet until her face was level with his. “This is your snowman, sweetie. We can build wherever you want.”
“Then by the porch,” she decided instantly.
