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“Good thinking.” She sat on a chair and slumped, looking resigned to a night of roughing it.
I loved an open fire, so after I’d had a quick shot, I rubbed my hands together. “Right. Back in a minute. I’ll gather some wood.” I grabbed a cane basket by the door. A smaller one caught my eye, and I pointed. “Maybe you can collect some kindling. It will be quicker.”
“I don’t even know what that is.” Savanah wore that confused, worried look that told me to leave her be. I had to keep reminding myself this girl hadn’t lived in the real world.
“Don’t worry. Leave it to me. For now, maybe remove the dust covers from the front room. Yes?”
She wasn’t a woman who was used to doing anything. Least of all taking orders. She released a puff. “Okay. But hey, I’m pissed off with you.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’ll keep apologizing when I return.”
She rolled her eyes and returned a mock smile.
As it happened, I discovered a shed of chopped wood. So I went around and collected twigs from the adjoining forest. Overall, I felt light and alive. I loved the place. Resourcefulness had been drummed into me in the army, and this was children’s play compared to the challenges I’d faced while on tour.
Having endured long stretches at army campsites with very little else but video games and men talking about all the things they missed, patience had also been drilled into me. In any case, I preferred the ocean over the desert, beach scrub over caves, and soaring seabirds over military aircraft.
I returned to find that Savanah had removed the cover from a couch and a table. “Will this do?”
“For now.” I dropped the wood by the fireplace and got to work, and before long, a roaring fire brought some welcomed cheer to the room.
“It was meant to be painted and restored.” She pointed at the cracked walls.
“I might just check upstairs and set up our sleeping arrangement first, just in case.”
She clutched her arms. “In case of what?”
“There’s a storm coming, and if the electricity cuts out, we’ll be in the dark. I’ve got a torch. But while there’s light, I’ll get things ready.”
She bit into a nail.
“Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “What do you think? This is turning out to be a nightmare.”
I smiled. “See it as an adventure. You wanted to get off the grid. Now you’ve got it.”
“Not to this extent. I’ve lost all contact with the outside world.”
My eyes settled on a phone. I pointed. “There’s a landline here.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh my god, so there is.” She bit her lip. “I don’t even know my mother’s number.”
I raised the receiver and discovered there was no dial tone. “It’s not working.”
Her body slumped. The poor girl was seriously out of her comfort zone, and guilt sliced through me for not packing that tyre.
Sticking close, Savanah followed me up the stairs. The rooms were large but dark and a little gloomy.
“God, I don’t remember this place being so horrid.” She peered into a wardrobe filled with coats.
She pulled out a woman’s red coat. “This is kind of cute. Very ’60s.” She sniffed it. “And musty.”
“Give it some air, and at least it will keep you warm.” I removed the duvet and gave it a good shake.
“Should we sleep up here?” I asked.
I glanced at the double bed, unsure of what to say. We weren’t meant to be sleeping together. Up to now, she’d been the initiator. Not that I minded. Women taking the lead were kind of sexy. But that was in the past with Savanah and I had to stick to my role as a bodyguard and not some smitten ex-lover.
