“Taylor! Finally! Are you okay? Where are you? We expected you home over an hour ago.”
“Hi, Mom. I’m fine. I'm actually at someone’s house. It’s a long story, and I will tell you all about it when I make it home, but the storm has me at a standstill. I’m going to stay here until the snow lets up and I will be able to drive home safely. I just wanted you to know I’m okay and alive.”
“Well, whose house is it? Is it someone we know?”
“I honestly doubt it.” I laugh at the thought of Maddox interacting with my mother. While she's reserved and the nicest person anyone would ever meet, she’d tear him a new one for his rudeness. “His name is Maddox and seems to keep to himself.”
“Oh honey, it sounds like the beginning of a terrible horror movie. Are you sure you will be okay?”
“Mom, it will be fine—no need to overreact. Listen, I have to go, I just wanted to give you a call. I hope you guys are okay and will get through the storm okay.”
“We will be fine, dear. I’m just worried your father will annoy me to no end if we’re snowed in for too long. You may come home to a horror scene yourself!” We both laugh, send our love to each other and then goodbye. I love my parents’ relationship. They’re still very much in love and play pranks on each other as if they were my age. Their love is rare and amazing to watch. I hope one day find I will someone to share that kind of love with.
I make my way back to the couch, put away my phone and return to my seat with the book. I shudder a little due to the chill in the air and look around for a blanket. I finally find one and drape it over my shoulders. It's a heavy quilt that should warm me in minutes. Happy with the new layer, I settle back into the couch with Moby Dick and immerse myself into the story.
After an hour, Maddox finally makes his appearance, startling me slightly. He looks at me and scowls.
“By all means, make yourself at home.”
“You shut yourself in your room for over an hour. What would you prefer I be doing?”
“Make a few calls to get your ass home. Now you’re going to be stuck here until the storm is over.”
He runs his hand through his dark, unruly hair. It must’ve been months since he had his hair cut, but at the same time, it’s fitting for the whole rugged thing he’s going for. I watch his muscles flex with every movement. Quickly, I avert my eyes back to the book in my lap, not wanting to get caught admiring him.
“Listen, I’m not too happy with this situation either, but I do appreciate you not sending me out in this mess. There’s no way I could’ve made it out of that.” I gesture out the window in front of me and glance back at him to see if he’s still upset. He’s still looking at me, but his expression changes just slightly.
“Are you cold?” he asks with a touch of annoyance.
“Aren’t you? It’s freezing in here. I hope you don’t mind me using your quilt. I didn’t want to disturb you to ask.”
“It’s fine. I’ll start a fire to warm up the house. How about you check out the spare room and see if you want more heat in there as well. This fireplace does well to heat the main area, but it tends to leave the rooms a bit rigid.”
“Oh, okay. Um, which room would be the spare?”
Without a word, he points to the door on the right of the hall, closest to the front of the house. He puts on his jacket and boots and starts out the front door.
“Where are you going?” I can’t help but voice my curiosity. The storm is still growing, and it has to be freezing out there. He didn’t even bother with gloves or a hat.
“The wood pile is outside. I need to bring it all in.”
“Oh, well do you need help?”
He laughs at me as if I made a joke. I stare at him in confusion. Is it that funny that I would offer to help?
“I’ve got it handled, princess. Check out your room and let me know if it’s up to your standards.”
With that, he’s out the door, slamming it behind him. I stare at the closed door. Who does he think he is to keep calling me Princess? I’m sure he’s doing it to be irritating.
Finally, I open the door to the spare bedroom and flip on the switch. I'm pleasantly surprised that it's a large, beautifully decorated room with a four post bed. Long white sheers hang all around the bed, creating walls of silk. There’s a beautiful wardrobe on the opposite wall where I'm standing and a large stone fireplace to my left, directly across from the bed.
As I make my way further into the room, I see a small bathroom that has a gorgeous and inviting porcelains bathtub. I think this will do quite well their than the room being quite chilly. I decide to ask Maddox if he will make a fire in the room after all. It's getting late, and a warm bath before bed is the perfect ending to a very stressful day.
I make my way into the living room to grab my belongings and borrowed book, then am startled by the door swinging open and slamming against the wall. Maddox stomps in with a wheelbarrow full of wood. I quietly watch as he makes his way to a rack by the fireplace and unloads it all. Within minutes, he's done, and without saying a word, Maddox walks past me with the wheelbarrow and heads back out the front door. He leaves the door open, so I wait a few moments to see if he’s coming back before shutting the door. When I decide to go against his born-in-a-barn habits and walk towards the door, I'm almost run over with the wheelbarrow that’s full with more wood. I jump out of the way as fast as I can, thankful my toes are still intact.
“What are you doing? Stay out of the way.”
“Sorry. I was going to shut the door.”