A Soldier Finds His Way (4 page)

The water boiled, and he poured it into the three cups he’d prepared with packets of cocoa, the marshmallow kind. His favorite. He left the cups to cool and went outside to get an armful of wood. After stoking the fire, he pulled the wooden crate close to them and delivered the cocoa to Zoe and Audra.

Audra’s gaze met his. Man, she was pretty. Even banged up with her head still oozing blood, she was unbelievably attractive.

Her head lolled to the side. For a second or two, she breathed soundly, then jerked straight.

Edward blew across the cocoa, sipped, and set the cup on the crate. “I think it would be a good idea if Zoe and I made sure you didn’t nod off on us. Not yet. Tonight you can sleep, but I’ll have to wake you up every so often to make sure you can be woken up. Head traumas can be funny like that. Can’t be too careful.”

“Sleep? Here? Tonight? No, I need to get Zoe home. My sister will be worried sick over her. Can we call home? Where’s my purse? My cell phone is in my purse.”

“Lady, your purse, along with your cell phone, your lipstick and other frilly frou-frou stuff is in your very wet car at the bottom of the river. Something tells me you’re not talking to your sister for a while. And don’t even ask if I have a phone or a cell phone because the answer is no. I left my cell phone in my truck, which is parked several miles from here. I came in on a borrowed snowmobile with the intention of getting away from everyone. You two just destroyed any hope I had of a quiet vacation.”

“We’re sorry to ruin your private little party.” Audra’s voice carried a sharp bite. Her face softened. “I’m sorry I said that. Truly, I am. I’m glad God put you here today to make sure Zoe and I lived to see another day. What you did for us was brave. You put yourself at risk for us. I’ll never forget you for that.” She faltered as tears streamed down her face.

Edward warmed his back near the fire while Audra dozed in a fitful sleep. Zoe slept soundly beside her, unbothered by Audra’s twitching and moaning. Should he wake her, or let her sleep? She was breathing, and that was what mattered right now, and no one was screaming or crying.

Audra jerked, and cried out in her sleep. “Zoe!”

Zoe woke with a start and shook Audra. “Wake up, you’re dreaming. Everything’s okay.”

Edward rushed over to them. “The kid is right. You were dreaming. You’re okay, and Zoe’s okay. That must have been quite a dream you were having.”

Audra put her good arm around Zoe and wept into the child’s hair. “I was dreaming about hitting the snowbank and—”

“What were you doing out on that road in this weather anyway?”

“I was bringing Zoe to my house for a few days. Vanessa and Mike, her parents, were going to come and get her and take her back home. They moved into their new house a few months ago, and I’d only been there once before. I nearly got lost driving there, so I bought a GPS to help me get back home. It didn’t seem to be working properly. Maybe I didn’t have it set up right.” Her shoulder lifted in a shrug.

“As the weather got worse, the satellite signal kept getting lost, and so did I. I was also frustrated with the GPS because it seemed to be sending me away from the main roads. A few times it told me to make right-hand turns onto one-way streets going the opposite direction.”

“It sounds like maybe you had it set for pedestrian travel instead of vehicle travel.”

“Maybe you’re right. That would explain what was going on.” She nodded. “At first the snow wasn’t too bad and I pressed on. We ended up on a narrow, winding road with nowhere to pull over or turn around. When I rounded a curve, the road was blocked with snow and rocks. I hit the brakes, but it was too late. I remember going airborne.”

Zoe’s eyes widened. “It was scary.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie. Thank God you didn’t get hurt.” Audra kissed Zoe’s cheek and looked back at Edward. “The next thing I remember is waking up here in this chair.”

Edward stayed silent. If she needed to say more and get it off her chest, he’d let her.

Audra brought her hand up to her neck and rubbed it as if she’d just survived a hanging or other near-death experience. “It happened so fast. I guess that’s what everyone says when they’ve been in an accident. One minute you’re singing a silly song. The next moment your heart stops beating. But God—”

“But God?”

“You know sometimes you make plans but God changes them. Or something horrible is about to happen but God changes the circumstances. I don’t think you simply happened to be in these woods, with that particular dog and her supersonic hearing, at the precise moment my car decided to swan-dive into the river. Do you?”

“
Pfft.
Gimme a break. If God was watching out for you, why’d He let you get lost and tumble into the river in the first place? If He’d have done His job and kept you on the right roads, or told you not to start out from your sister’s house right from the get-go, you’d be cozied up with your family right now instead of out here in the middle of the woods, all banged up, ruining my peace and quiet.”

“I’m sorry about that part, but I certainly don’t blame God for what happened.”

Edward rolled his eyes, walked away, and grumbled under his breath. “Great, just great, another Holy Roller. Just what I need. It’s bad enough I have to put up with our medic and all his hallelujahs and praise the Lords. Am I some sort of magnet for these people?”

“Hey, excuse me, where’s the bathroom?” Zoe asked.

“Come on. I’ll show you.”

She popped out of the recliner and followed him.

“Where’s the sink?” She wrinkled her nose and spun.

“You have to use the kitchen sink.”

“Hey, there’s no faucets on the tub.” She pointed to the holes where faucets would go.

“Yeah, it’s tricky taking a bath. First, I have to attach a hose that I rigged for the kitchen pump then pump the tub full. After that, I have to heat water on the woodstove or fireplace to add to it or else take a freezing cold bath.”

Zoe shivered. “No, I don’t want to be cold again.”

“It’s not easy being clean out here. Let me give you a few house rules. If all you do is pee, don’t flush. I have to pump water into the toilet tank for every flush, and I don’t feel like doing that all day long. You got that?”

“Gross.” Zoe scrunched her face. “Okay, got it.” She looked around. “Do you have any toilet paper?”

“You’re a lot of trouble, you know that, kid?” He handed her a roll from the upper shelf and went back to the living room.

“She likes you,” Audra said.

Edward sat in the rocking chair and began rocking. “What makes you think that?”

“She told me, of course. She said you were like an angel sent by God to breathe life back into me. She’s a bit melodramatic with her descriptions. By the way, where did you learn CPR?”

“In training.”

“They taught you well. It worked. I’m living proof.” Audra smiled.

“Hey, um, what’s your name?” Zoe called from the bathroom. “Do you have a toothbrush I can use?”

He met her at the doorway. “Edward. My name’s Edward.”

“That’s it? Just Edward?” Head tipped sideways, she shot him a look of incredulity. “My whole
name is Zoe Elizabeth Leonard. What’s yours?”

“You know what? You’re a nosey little kid. You want to know everything. You want to know why I don’t have faucets on my tub, why I don’t flush every time, if I keep an extra toothbrush, and now you want to know my whole name. What’s next? You want to know my social security number?”
How many questions could one kid ask? Did she ever shut up?

Her relentless stare wore him down. “Okay, I’ll tell you my whole name, and I’ll tell you where the spare toothbrush is. It’s Edward Levi Giordano. Now stick your finger out like this.” He held out his index finger.

She stuck out her finger as instructed, and he spread a blob of toothpaste on it.

“There’s the spare toothbrush, kid. Come on, I’ll pump some water for you in the kitchen.” Edward moved a crate close to the sink, and pumped the water.

Zoe climbed on and brushed enthusiastically.

“It must be getting late. What time is it?” Audra asked.

“It’s…” His watch hadn’t changed time since he last looked at it. “Well, I don’t know. So much for waterproof, I guess.” He loosened the strap, tossed the watch onto the wobbly end table, and went to the window. “It’s getting dark. Happens quickly out here, being surrounded by trees and hills. I’m going to let the dog out and clear the snow away from the door and windows again. Oh, by the way, Zoe.”

She looked up at him.

“The dog’s whole name is Cricket in case you’re wondering. You got that? Just Cricket. Okay, Zoe Elizabeth Leonard?”

Zoe laughed as Cricket bounded out the door into a hill of snow.

Edward came back inside with an armful of wood. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to fix something to eat?”

Audra rested her hand on her stomach. “No thanks, I feel a little queasy.”

“What about you, Zoe?”

“I’m not hungry, thank you.” She leaned on the arm of Audra’s chair, whispered something to Audra, and sat on the floor with her head in her hands.

“What’s the matter with the kid?” Edward let Cricket back into the cabin and shut the door against a gust of wind.

“She’s tired, and she misses her doll. It was in the car.”

Zoe looked up at him with sad eyes.

“I can’t get your doll, but I know someone who’d love to sleep with you.”

Her face brightened. “Who?”

“See that fleabag over there?” He jerked a thumb toward Cricket. “She’d be glad to pile up in the bed with you. Would you like that?”

Zoe stood, sprinted toward the bed and belly-flopped onto it. “Come on, Cricket.”

Cricket leapt on the bed next to her and claimed a spot near the pillows.

Edward covered Zoe with the blanket and walked away.

“Hey, aren’t you even going to say good night?” Zoe called after him.

“Good night. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” He pulled the curtain closed behind him and headed for the rocker.

Audra looked up from the recliner and cast a glance toward the bedroom. “Zoe had quite an adventure today. An adventure that was entirely my fault.” Her chin quivered and she looked as though the floodgates were about to open.

Women. They sprang a leak at the least bit of trouble in their lives. Any old thing could set them off in tears, sad stories, sappy movies. Why couldn’t they buck up and bear stuff? It was a wonder men could be attracted to such emotional creatures
.

“I know my sister is worried sick, along with my parents. We looked at the forecast, but Vanessa and I thought it wouldn’t be as bad as they predicted. We were wrong. I almost killed Zoe, and I feel horrible.”

Edward couldn’t deny his attraction to this particular woman. When he’d checked her pupils earlier to make sure they were dilating equally, he noticed green specks sprinkled throughout her blue eyes. A guy would have to be a blind not to be captivated by eyes like hers. “Don’t beat yourself up. You and your sister don’t have a crystal ball. You couldn’t have known the day would end up like it did.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“From here on out I have to put my energy into thinking about how to get you guys out of here. You probably should be seen by a doctor. How’s your arm? Mind if I take a look?”

“It throbs now and then, especially if I bump it. And, no, of course I don’t mind if you look at it.” She supported her arm with her other hand. “Thank you for being so nice.”

He had tied the stick he’d been whittling to her forearm after padding it with a towel and made a sling from one of his long-sleeved pullover shirts. Now, he carefully removed the crude splint from her arm and pushed her sleeve up. Her arm was still swollen. “I could ice it down if you think you could can stand it. It might help the swelling go down faster. What do you think?”

“That may help, I guess. But where are you going to get ice?”

“Where am I going to get ice? Are you kidding? I’ll step into the outdoor meat locker and get all the ice we need. I’ll be right back.”

Edward went outside with a pot from the kitchen, and came back a few minutes later with a pot full of icicles he’d pulled off the eves of the cabin. He broke them into smaller pieces, put them into a Ziploc bag and wrapped the bag in a towel. “Here, put this on your arm for a while.”

“Thank you. You’ve been good to us. I can’t even let myself think about how this day would have turned out without you.”

A peaceful quiet fell on the room, accentuated only by the sound of logs crackling in the fireplace.

Audra’s eyes closed, and her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Light from the fire quivered around the room and seemed to stop to investigate Audra’s beauty. Shoulder length hair, straight and dark blond, framed her delicately featured face. Smooth, feminine skin gave her a look of grace and gentility. The fingernails of her slender hands were painted a soft pink.

A high-caliber babe like Audra probably had a man in her life and several more waiting in the wings to take his place.

She stirred, and he turned away. It wouldn’t be right to be caught studying her.

“I must have drifted off.” She sent him a small, tired smile.

“Oh, I hadn’t noticed. I think that’s enough ice for now.” He lifted the bag from her arm. “You look tired. It’s been a rough day for you. Do you want me to help you get to the bed with Zoe?”

“I think I need a trip to the bathroom first. Can you help me out of this chair, please?”

He replaced the splint, making sure it wasn’t too loose or so tight as to cut off her circulation then took her hand and helped her stand.

“Oww! I think my hip is bruised.” She rubbed the spot.

“Yeah, it is. Your hip and backside were already turning purple when I saw them earlier.”

“You saw a bruise on my behind? How could you have seen a bruise on my behind?”

He squirmed. What could he say? Surely she didn’t think his clothes jumped on her by magic.

Zoe piped in from the bedroom, “He saw you naked today, Aunt Audra. Remember?”

Their eyes met. Her face reddened. No doubt, the revelation that he’d changed her clothes and seen, well, everything, had finally dawned on her.