AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He nodded, then walked out the door. She followed, thinking that the least she could do was to try to make him as comfortable as possible, since he had responded in the very best way anyone could have to the circumstances. It made her a little sad to think he might not be enjoying himself quite as much as she was, and if there was anything she could do to make being stuck with her more fun for him, she would definitely give it a try.
Chapter 8
Franklin held the matchto the small pile of rotted wood and hoped it would catch quickly and easily. He knew that was probably a little far-fetched, but it would be really nice to have a fire. He wasn’t cold exactly, but once they had a fire, he felt like he could relax. They wouldn’t freeze to death, and they definitely weren’t going to starve overnight. There had been water at the bottom of the bag along with candy, just as Eleanor said, and they were pretty much set. As long as they had a fire.
Eleanor had gone back out for another armful of wood, and it was a little surprising to him, since they hadn’t been together very long, but he missed her presence. She didn’t have to be talking to just make him feel less alone.
Maybe that was just because they were out in the middle of nowhere and it was dark and cold, so it was nice to have another human around.
He could say that to himself, but he knew it was a little bit more than that.
He didn’t know too many other women who would have been able to do what Eleanor had. Not just in delivering the kitten, but in staying calm and not panicking. She wasn’t hanging onto him, begging him to save her, but she wasn’t being bossy and acting like she knew it all either. Most of all, she wasn’t having hysterics, but had a cool head, and was helping with their survival, if he could use that term, although it made it seem like they were on the verge of dying. Perhaps they would be if they didn’t have a fire.
They still might, he thought to himself, as the flame didn’t catch.
“I was hoping it would just catch, and a big fire would start to roar, and everything would be okay,” he said as she came in the door and he reached back to grab another match out of the box.
“I think it will. I really don’t think it’s going to be hard. But I could be wrong.”
She’d been right about most things, and he had a good mind to trust her. She knew a lot more about this kind of stuff than he did, but she wasn’t acting like it. Which he appreciated.
It turned out, she was right about the fire catching. It took three matches, but on the third match, the wood started to flame, and it continued to flame after the match went out.
Carefully he blew on it, then added a few more small pieces, and soon he had a small but cheerful fire.
“Well, that’s very Christmasy,” Eleanor said as she watched the flames dance in the doorway of the stove.
He laughed. “I wasn’t thinking Christmasy, but I suppose that’s an adjective that would suit.”
“What were you thinking? Warm? Lifesaving?”
“Yeah. Pretty much a lifesaver. I don’t think we would have frozen to death, but I’m pretty sure we would have gotten to know each other a lot better than what we do now.”
She laughed, like the idea didn’t bother her at all. He kind of thought it didn’t. Although she’d been careful, after they’d run into each other opening the door, not to touch him.
After all, they were practically strangers.
