Patricia Davids - Shelter From The Storm

“The engine has to warm up.”

Annoyed that she was looking foolish at every turn, she glared at him. “You could’ve told me that.”

“You could have admitted that you don’t know anything about running a truck. Did you realize that you have to keep the exhaust pipe free of snow or you will die of carbon monoxide poisoning inside the cab?”

“I didn’t. You just love rubbing my face in my ignorance, don’t you?”

“That’s not true. Can you say the same?” He slammed the door shut and walked to the rear of the vehicle.

Gemma’s irritation quickly gave way to guilt. She was in the wrong. She would have to apologize. She shouldn’t have snapped at him. Nothing was simple anymore. Every step she took pushed him away, when that wasn’t what she wanted. She moved until she was sitting with her back against the driver’s-side door and stretched her legs across the seat. In the side mirror, she saw Jesse kick a clump of snow away from the rear tire. He was angry with her.

Why was it that they couldn’t have a civil conversation? They were going to be alone together for hours. She watched him pace across the trail behind them with his arms crossed over his chest. She could see his breath rising in white puffs. The snow had started falling again. She couldn’t expect him to stay out in the cold while she enjoyed the warmth of the truck. It was clear she was going to have to make the first move. She folded her hands across her abdomen.

She had abysmal judgment where men were concerned. Robert was a prime example. He’d spoken about love and marriage, but he’d used her and cast her aside as soon as she gave in. She betrayed the vows she had made at her baptism and lost her self-respect for nothing.

Love and marriage were out of the picture now. She was about to become an unwed mother. Someone to be pitied. To be talked about in hushed tones, pointed out as an example of what could happen to girls should they stray. She wanted to bury her face in her hands and cry. Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she scrubbed them away. They solved nothing, but she couldn’t stem the rising tide of her remorse.

* * *

When Jesse had his anger under control, he glanced at the truck. Gemma’s head was bowed and her shoulders were shaking. Was she laughing at him? He’d been the brunt of her teasing before. He’d give a lot to know what she found funny in their current situation. As he walked past the truck bed, he caught the smell of gasoline. Leaning down, he checked under the truck but couldn’t see anything wrong. The undercarriage was resting on a snowdrift but the smell of gas was stronger. He wished he knew more about trucks, but he knew enough to be sure it was dangerous to run the vehicle if the gas tank was leaking.

He pulled open the cab door. Gemma wasn’t laughing. She was weeping. His anger evaporated. “I’m sorry, Gemma. Don’t cry.”

“I can—can cry if I—I want to.” She wouldn’t look at him as she sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue from the box on the dash.

“We need to turn the truck off. It’s leaking gas.”

Her eyes widened. She quickly turned the key and the engine died. “Is it dangerous?”

“Not unless something sparks. We’ll have to get by without the heater. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. Please forgive me.”

“I’m crying because my ankle hurts.”

He sighed heavily. “Then I’m sorry I made your ankle hurt worse.”

“Go away,” she snapped and sniffed again. He took a step back. She looked up and held out her hand. “I didn’t mean that, Jesse. Don’t go. Get in here where it’s warm. You’ll catch your death out there.”

“I’m pretty tough. A day in the cold is nothing new for me.”

“Please?”

He got in the truck, gently lifted her injured leg and placed her foot on his thigh. “You should keep it elevated. Is the snow pack helping? Am I forgiven?”

She bent her other knee and scooted forward an inch to make her position more comfortable. “It’s hard to be upset with someone who is being kind.” She rubbed both eyes with her hands.

“I will make it a point to be kind more often. I think we should get your shoe off, but that is up to you.”

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “I’m already crying. I guess now is as good a time as any.”

She braced herself, but he was incredibly gentle as he pulled her shoe off her swollen foot. It immediately relieved some of her pain. He placed her shoe and sock on the dash and settled her foot on his leg again. “It needs to be taped up.”

“With what?”

He opened the glove compartment and pulled out a roll of duct tape he had noticed yesterday. “This might work. I’ll need to put your sock back on. I don’t want to plaster this to your skin.”

After a few minutes, he had fashioned a crude brace for her foot. “How is that?”

“Okay. Better I think.”

“Warm enough?”

“The blanket helps.”

“I don’t know how. It has more holes in it than a cheese grater.” He reached over, tucked it tightly around her shoulders.

“How long do you think it will take Dale to get help?”

“It’s hard to say. Four hours, maybe less.”

She leaned her head back against the glass and untied the ribbons of her bonnet. “Then we won’t be rescued anytime soon.”

“You might as well try to get some rest.”

Far from sleepy, Gemma closed her eyes anyway, but she could feel his gaze on her face. She endured it as long as she could. She opened one eye. “What are you staring at?”

“I was trying to figure out what is different about you.”

“I’ve got a suntan. The sun actually shines during the winter in Florida, unlike this place, which is dreary from late September until May.”

“You think these beautiful snow-covered pines are dreary?”

“I do.”

She could see he was disappointed with her answer. If he thought the snow-covered woods and gray skies were beautiful, then he was odder than she had imagined. She waited for his next comment. She had never had this much of a conversation with him before. When he didn’t say anything else, she closed her eyes but her throbbing foot allowed her to sleep only fitfully. Sometime later, the cold roused her. She raised her head and found Jesse rubbing the frost off a spot to see out.

“Are they here?” she asked hopefully.

“Not yet.”

“Oh.” She leaned back and pulled the blanket up around her shoulders. “Can we have the heat on for a while?”

“I don’t think we should risk it.”

“Not even for ten minutes?”

He shook his head. “I checked the gas gauge a half hour ago and the tank is almost empty. I know Dale filled up this morning before we left the motel. If the gasoline has pooled under the truck, we could start a fire. Or worse.”

“Worse?”

“An explosion.”

That would be worse , she conceded silently. He knew more about vehicles that she did. She was cold, but she trusted his judgment and didn’t push the issue. “It’s snowing again.”

It wasn’t a question. The windshield was covered. He moved her foot off his lap and opened his door. “I’m going to check the trail for any sign of them.”

“That seems silly. You can’t see much outside and you’ll only get colder.”

“Moving around will help me warm up.”

“Oh, okay. That makes sense. I wish I could join you.”

A gust of wind blew in the snow as he got out. It settled on her blanket and sparkled in the dome light. He closed the door and she shivered. She might not be able to walk but she could still move. She spent the next few minutes swinging her arms as she bent and straightened her good leg. It helped a little.

Relief surged through her when Jesse opened the door again. She hadn’t realized how safe his presence made her feel. “Anything?”