Chapter Seven
Ariella
I couldn’t afford several grand in repairs on my car, let alone a new fridge. “Any chance there’s a bus that’ll take me to town?” Should I just abandon the car? That’s all it was good for anyhow. Besides, my past was tied to that vehicle, wasn’t it better if I left it and every part of New York behind?
“There aren’t any buses in Breckenridge, but I’m sure we can find you someone who can give you a lift who lives in town and works in the city.”
“You guys consider where we were today a city?” The population had been less than 10,000 people. It is hardly classified as a city. We headed out of the booth at Lumberjack Shack and back to Jaxson’s truck. He had started the engine and warmed up the vehicle for us before we got back inside.
I climbed into the passenger side and waited while he secured Isabella into the car seat. He seemed like a pro, knowing exactly what to do in the least amount of time possible so that he could climb into the truck quickly. “You’re good at that,” I said. It was a stupid comment to make, but I was impressed. My sister had two kids, and when she was pregnant with the second and in labor at the hospital, I was delegated to watching the littlest boy. It had taken me an hour to get him in his car seat, and even then, I wasn’t comfortable with how it had been latched. It didn’t seem secure.
“Thanks,” he said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. Slamming the door shut, he put the truck into reverse before pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road. “Next stop, your house to drop off the fridge. You’re going to need groceries too, but that can wait.”
“It can?” I was almost relieved by his suggestion to wait.
“Yes. We’re going to need to chop up firewood before nightfall. Remember, you burned up everything dry and in the house.”
“Can’t I order some and have it delivered?”
“Sure, but it’s not cheap,” Jaxson said.
I knew that, but I was not an outdoorsy girl who chopped firewood. I didn’t know the next thing about splitting wood, and I wasn’t incredibly strong either. I wasn’t expecting Jaxson to do it for me either. I just thought the house wouldn’t require firewood to keep warm. I needed to stop blaming Mason for the listing. I should have come to Breckenridge and visited the cabin before paying for it with every dollar to my name.
“Daddy!” Isabella squealed from the backseat.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“I’m bored,” she announced, whining and groaning as she tried to free herself from her car seat. Thankfully, it appeared too tight for her to unbuckle herself.
I turned around and offered her my undivided attention while Jaxson focused on the narrow, snow-covered road. It seemed the roads stayed covered with snow all winter, and it wasn’t even the coldest months of the year. “What’s your favorite color?” I quizzed her, trying to keep her preoccupied for the rest of the drive.
“Purple,” she squealed with delight and grinned proudly, her nose scrunched up. Her hands stalled on her buckle, already forgetting what she had been attempting to do. “You?”
“That’s a tough one,” I said. “I’d have to go with turquoise that shimmers, like a mermaid’s tail.”
“You’re very specific,” Jaxson said while he kept his focus on the road.
While turned to face Isabella, the car veered off the main road and up the long narrow driveway to my house. We were almost back.
“I like mermaids too!” Isabella squealed and clapped her hands together.
“You do?” It had been fairly obvious with her mermaid shirt, hairbow, and sneakers. “I never would have guessed it.”
He pulled up to the front of the cabin and parked the truck. “Thank you.” He kept his voice low and soft, and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to keep Isabella from hearing or it was supposed to be a private moment between us.
I shifted in the front seat and brushed against his coat. “It’s my pleasure,” I said. After all, he’d done to help me, and we barely knew one another, it was the least I could do.
He shut off the truck and stepped out into the cold before unbuckling Isabella and carrying her on his hip.
I hurried to the front door, unlocked the entrance and gestured for him to bring his daughter inside. While it wasn’t nearly as warm as it had been that morning, the house was still considerably comfortable. The temperature would drop tonight. Leaving the door open to bring in the refrigerator would also cool the place.
“Izzie, you stay in here,” he said, plopping her down on the sofa.
“But Daddy, I want to be with you and Ella,” she said, struggling to pronounce my name. It was sweet, endearing, really.
He bent down, crouched at her level, unbuttoning her jacket and sliding it off her shoulders. “Ariella,” Jaxson said, correcting her as he slowly annunciated my name for her to repeat.
The little girl rolled her eyes at her daddy. “Ella. Tis what I said.”