Cabin Heat: A New Adult and College Romance (The Billionaire Romance Redemption Series Book 1) (2 page)

“You know what’s weird?” Rob questioned as he turned toward Abby.

“What?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen a car for the last twenty minutes. Not a single car coming or going. And no one passed us either. Don’t you find that weird?”

“You worry too much,” Barb answered without looking at him. Bruised, Rob turned back to face forward.

“Okay, guys,” Abby said to get everyone’s attention. “We’ll stay at Ruth’s cottage for the night. Ruth, help me navigate. Rob, get the radio on to a weather station, will you?”

ANDREW Carrington had not planned to leave the cabin for the next few weeks, so hearing the weather report earlier didn’t worry him at all. Not until he got the phone call from his mechanic in town. The shop phoned to let him know his Jeep was ready.

“Bob, can’t you have one of your staff drive it up here in a couple of days?” he asked.

“No sir, Mr. Carrington,” the mechanic answered in his Western twang. “You mentioned you need the car by next Monday, right?”

“I have other cars here, but yes, the Jeep is the easiest to get around in,” Andrew confirmed.

“Well the storm’s gonna keep the guys here busy for at least a week,” he explained. The longer he spoke, the more his accent reverted back to its Western USA core. “And it’s bound to fill up the lot. Is it a ride into town that you need? Because two of my guys are not far from your place with the tow truck. They can pick you up and bring you here for it.”

Andrew thought he could use some extra supplies if the storm was going to be as bad as the weather station was making it out to be. His dad would probably come by after the storm settled down. Andrew could never predict how many partners, VPs, lawyers, accountants, or assistants his father would have with him at any given time, so he felt he should probably stock up.

“All right,” he answered patiently, holding in his mild frustration. “Have them pick me up and I’ll come into town with them.”

“Much obliged, Mr. Carrington,” he answered. “They’ll be at your door within half an hour.”

After he hung up, he opened the front door to listen for the tow truck before going to his room to get dressed. The weather was still mild, and the snowfall wasn’t expected until the next day. Andrew knew that that meant nothing. Down on Lake Tahoe, the lake-effects snow could turn the area from pleasant to a treacherous, winter wonderland within minutes.

Twenty minutes later, he heard the loud engine of the tow truck as it drove up his driveway.

“How’s it going fellas,” he asked as he walked up to their vehicle.

The mechanic in the passenger seat opened the door for him to sit up front with them.

“Good morning, Mr. Carrington, sir,” the driver greeted him. “Well, it’s going.”

“I don’t envy what you men will be up to for the next few days.” He made idle conversation as they drove into town. “You may be working twenty-four-seven with the people driving through in sedans and minivans. They’re the ones who usually get stuck, aren’t they?”

The driver nodded. “We’ve got a ton of tourists visiting this year, and many more poor, unsuspecting motorists just driving through to get to Truckee or Highway eighty. And worst of all, one of our trucks is down until we can get some spare parts from the manufacturer.”

“I feel your pain, gentlemen,” he empathized.

As they got into town and drove up to the auto shop, he thanked them and tipped the men a hundred dollars each for the ride. They looked at him as if he was their favorite uncle from childhood and repeated their thanks until he walked into the small customer area of the auto shop.

“We’re all ready for you, Mr. Carrington,” Bob greeted him.

Bob walked toward the wall of car keys and pulled off a set with a large keychain with the Jeep logo.

“Here you go, sir. It’s parked on the side.”

“Thanks for the call, Bob,” he answered. “You were probably right to force me down here. It feels like it’ll be a doozy of a storm coming through.”

Since the accident, Andrew could feel the weather changes in his left forearm and knee. The bones and joints would ache whenever rain or snow was about to fall. It was uncanny.

“Well, I’d better get moving.” He turned to leave. “Take it easy out there, Bob. See you soon.”

Andrew left the car parked where it was, because the only grocery in town was on the other side of the road. It was surprisingly busy. He did his best to get what he needed as quickly as possible. As he left the store, his bad knee felt worse. That could only mean one thing.
Shit, the storm is coming today
.

After he loaded the groceries in the back seat of his Jeep, he made his way to the local gas station; as he got out to fill up the tank, snow began to fall. It was that light, large-flaked, puffy snow that could be a bitch when the wind started. They took ages to eventually hit the ground. That’s what made them so dangerous.

He was just thirty minutes from town on a good day, but from what he had already seen of the snow for the first ten minutes of his drive home, he knew it would take at least twice as long. Every few minutes, the visibility worsened, and it was still daytime.

He put the windshield wipers on full cycle and had to lean forward to see out the front windshield. The roads wound tight around treacherous ledges as they led down from the main road to his side street, so he knew that even with the barriers, he had to keep a sharp eye on the turns.

His family had owned the property he lived on since he was a boy, and they would visit every summer. With that type of familiarity, he knew every blind curve and twist of the road. When the weather turned like this, however, and turned this quickly, every side street looked the same, and every curve was a potential death trap.

Still, he preferred to be there. He liked the isolation of living at the cabin and having the place to himself—most of the time. He had the space, the necessities, some of the modern conveniences, beautiful vistas, and most of all, he could keep a safe enough distance from most people. It was the best way to ensure nothing would happen to anyone close to him again—and that no one new could get close.

After he left his medical practice, his only companionship occurred during the intermittent visits by his father when he was passing through or needed board member documents and contracts signed. Sometimes he would pop by to confer with him for input, when in fact it was one of his dad’s check-in calls. Andrew would simply regurgitate whatever his dad said, just to get him to leave sooner. His father wasn’t stupid—he saw right through the evasive antics; yet he still entertained them. Andrew knew that if his father ever passed him the reins to the family’s multi-billion dollar empire, he would simply assign some sharp executive as chairman and CEO. He was never built for running the family business, and his father knew it. Still, his father felt he was helping Andrew during these visits; and maybe he was.

Andrew’s sister never visited anymore. He and Joy had been so close growing up, but all that changed when she left Lake Tahoe that last time, over five years ago. Somehow, when her almost-arranged marriage didn’t pan out, she became obsessed with the man and refused to listen to Andrew’s pleas for reason. It was a shame, too. There were so many men who were interested in her. Like many before her, she wanted the one man she couldn’t have. And when Andrew confronted her so she could finally open her eyes and move on to have a life after Matthew Lewis, she cut out Andrew.

It really was her loss; after all; she was missing out on her annual visits to the best place in the world, the way he saw it. Yet, after the accident, Andrew had often thought about reaching out to her for emotional support; a familiar shoulder. That’s what family was supposed to be there for. He breathed out a sigh, gripped the steering wheel tighter, and shifted his focus to getting home in one piece.

During the final few minutes, it was nearly impossible to see a thing in front of the car. As he got closer to the lake, the winds blew colder and more powerfully. There seemed to be ten times more snow blowing around. The flakes were large and puffy and mesmerizing through the windshield. He did everything he could to avoid thinking back to the accident. It had happened during a heavy snowfall just like this.
Come on, Andrew. It’s not the time or place
.

He slowed down to an almost crawling speed, careful not to miss his turnoff, marked only by a break in the long tree line of tall red firs and Jeffrey pines. At the beginning of the driveway to their property sat a wooden wagon wheel on one side and an oversized boulder on the other. The boulder had their house number etched onto it. By the time he made it home, the boulder looked like kids had spent hours shaping it into a snowman. All that was missing was a scarf and a carrot for a nose. Luckily, the top few inches of the spokes of the wagon wheel were still visible.

He turned onto his long driveway and carefully coasted the last few hundred yards down the slight slope to the main doors of the cabin. It would be quicker to unload the groceries and supplies before parking in the garage. It was smarter than making five or six trips across the hundred or so yards between the house and the garage structure, especially with the intensifying pain in his knee. And after five or six trips with the garage door up, it would be a pain for the automatic garage doors to close all the way, with the way the snow was blowing.

He unloaded the supplies, dropping them inside the front door over just a few trips, and parked the car in the garage. Tempted to bring in some extra firewood from the shed, he turned and thought for a moment. The shed sat beside the large guest house three hundred yards from the main house. There was so much to do inside to get ready.

It would be simpler to load the firewood onto the Ski-Doo trailer and make one trip after he put the groceries away.

“After,” he said aloud to himself. He noticed his deep, booming voice seemed so quiet amidst the whirling noise of the wind and rustling of trees.
Mother Nature at work.

There wasn’t much time left to hunker down, so Andrew picked up the pace. He quickly put away the groceries, placed the batteries and a couple of extra flashlights in one of the kitchen cabinet drawers, and went to his bedroom to plug in the satellite phones he would use when his father needed him urgently.

Regular landlines, cell phone service, as well as Internet and cable, were not nearly as reliable during a storm. It only took was one downed tree to cut the power line, and that would take out the phone lines too. He took a battery-operated lantern with him as he headed back outside.

Before loading up on firewood, he went around the other side of the house, which was closer to the garage. He needed to check the fuel level of the large propane tank that powered the two emergency generators for the house. They sat side by side under a reinforced, sheltered enclosure. The tank was full, because he used city power for day-to-day electricity use. The backup system had been installed in case the power went out, and was a smart purchase because it would kick in at least twice during the winter. And with the coming storm, anything was possible.

Finally, he walked over to the shed. It housed the firewood, a few Ski-Doos, Sea-Doos, and two riding lawnmowers. It was just as large as the garage, but the doors weren’t automatic. The firewood was neatly stacked and tied up on top of a few skids, to keep them dry and off the floor. A local service delivered cords in the middle of the fall, and could deliver more during the winter whenever he ran out.

He placed a smaller shovel at the garage entrance, then piled as many bundles as would fit on the Ski-Doo trailer. Once he felt there was enough for a few nights, he connected the trailer and rode the Ski-Doo up to the house. Again, unloading in one trip was far better. That manual garage door could be a hassle to open and close.

All that remained was to return to the shed, lock it up, and then use the shovel to clear a path back to the house.
Finally, I can get out of this snow and relax in peace
.

ABBY was regretting her earlier decision before they were halfway to Ruth’s grandparents’ cottage. It felt like the moment they agreed to keep going, the sky voiced its objection by opening up and emptying out all the snow at the disposal of the heavens. It had been snowing barely an hour and there was no visibility.

It was the snowfall that kept giving back. What fell got caught up in the blowing wind, and swirled around or blew across any remaining signs of asphalt roadway. Abby gripped the steering wheel and squinted to see what was left of any semblance of roadway, signage, or landmarks. There was nothing. Rob tried to help as much as he could, but reiterated more than once that he felt useless riding shotgun, as he could also barely see outside.

In the seat behind Rob, Ruth was less nonchalant about finding the way to the cottage. She opened and reopened the map application on her smartphone, and would either swear out loud when the map didn’t load, or belt out some unreliable declaration that a tree looked familiar, or a bend in the road seemed like they might be close. The truth was, Abby knew deep down that they were lost. The only upside was they were in her SUV, which could maneuver on the snow-covered roads as long as she kept her speed under twenty miles per hour. By the time they had gotten down the narrow mountain roads, she needed to top off her speed at ten miles per hour.

“Want me to try driving now?” John asked from the back.

Abby briefly entertained the thought. “Thanks for volunteering, John. Normally I’d be more than happy to accept an offer like that. With the roads this bad, and as you’ve never driven my car before, it’s probably best if I go the rest of the way.”

“You’re probably right,” he conceded, as Trina nestled in his arms, looking a little more fearful as the storm worsened.

“Okay, guys!” Ruth shouted. “That covered statue we just passed should be the neighbors four doors down from my grandparents’ place. That means you need to slow down even more, Abby. The driveway is coming up.”

“That’s great, Ruth,” Abby answered. “Just let me know when. I’m practically going at zero miles per hour.”

“It’s just past that large tree,” Ruth said ecstatically. “Turn now.”

Abby slowed almost to a full stop, but couldn’t see the ground ahead to navigate. “I don’t know if that’s a driveway, Ruth.”

“I’m positive it is. Just go slowly into the turn.”

As Abby turned the car, all six of them were jolted forward in their seats, and the SUV came to a sudden stop.

“What was that?” Rob asked, using the automatic button to turn down his passenger side window. It made no difference in visibility, and snow was piling into his lap. He opted to close it up quickly.

“We may have hit something,” Abby announced. “I’ll try reversing.”

As she shifted to reverse and slowly hit the gas pedal, they all felt the vehicle skidding sideways, but Abby couldn’t find enough traction to back out of whatever she had bumped into.

“No dice,” she said, shifting to park.

“Maybe John and I can help push it out?” Rob suggested

“We may need everyone out of the car for that,” she answered. “Rob, can you get the flashlight in the glove compartment? Let’s grab our jackets in the trunk and check first.”

“Good idea,” he agreed.

“I can probably find your coats from back here,” Trina said, turning around and reaching over her seat to look in the packed cargo section. She grabbed the stack of winter jackets and raised them high so they could see.

“Score! Which of these are they?”

“That navy one is mine,” Abby answered.

“And the black parka is mine,” Rob said.

“Hey, leave the car running, okay?” Barb jumped in to give her two cents as the two got dressed.

Abby was surprised she had been this quiet for so long. On their trip home to Reno before Christmas, she had been the most talkative of the lot. She had also been the most self-centered.

“You never know with this cold weather,” Barb continued. “Plus, I’m already freezing back here.”

“Sure thing, Barb,” Abby answered, doing her best to stay positive. “And a good idea, too.”

“And we definitely don’t want you freezing, Barb, especially while we’re here in the middle of nowhere, possibly with dwindling fuel, and lost,” Trina shouted from the back seat. She was clearly annoyed.

“Who asked you anything, Trina?” Barb turned and snapped back.

“Let’s keep it together for now, okay, ladies?” John said calmly. “Everyone’s a little worried. And I know nerves are frayed. But we all need to keep calm and things will work out.”

Trina and Barb seemed to take his advice to heart, albeit reluctantly. Barb returned to her forward-facing position, although not before shooting an evil glance at Trina, who was now looking away from John and out the other window.

“Let’s go, Rob,” Abby said as she opened her car door.

They both got out and Abby walked around to the front passenger side. It was clear as she held up the flashlight that they had hit the side post of a locked, metal driveway barrier. It had been completely covered by snow, so there was no way to know beforehand. The SUV had made contact with the barrier just above the bumper, which had crumpled the hood.

“That’s not a little fender bender, Abby,” Rob said, worried.

“You’re right,” she agreed. “I don’t think we can drive it like this, even if we could reverse and get out.”

“True,” Rob answered. “You know, I’m thinking we should turn the engine off. Could be dangerous, keeping the car running like this.”

“I agree. Let’s also get Ruth to check and see if this is her grandparents’ place.”

“No need. Look here,” he said. He walked up to a partially hidden sign and dusted off the snow. “Shit. It’s Broad Oaks Golf and Country Club. My uncle plays here often. They’re closed for the winter.”

“That’s not good.” Abby scratched her head. “Let’s get back in the car and warm up while we weigh some options. We’ll have to move fast, especially if we can’t keep the engine running for long.”

“Are you gonna break it to them?” he asked as Abby headed back to her side of the car.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Good,” he shouted above the howling snow. “I don’t want to be the target of Barb’s wrath.”

“If it’s not now, it’ll happen eventually,” she teased. “You’re the one who likes her, remember?”

“Touché,” he answered and smiled.

“I can just imagine how much fun you’d have if she liked you back! Just a little food for thought.”

They got back in the car, and turned the heat up. Abby took a deep breath, preparing her message mentally.

“So what gives?” Barb asked.

“Okay, everyone,” Abby started. She turned to the back so she could face them. Giving bad news without eye contact could prove disastrous, in their predicament. “Before I start, let me ask you, Ruth, how far is your grandparent’s cottage from the Broad Oaks Golf and Country Club?”

“At least a good twenty-five minutes’ drive,” she replied, looking confused. “Why?”

Abby looked at Rob, who shook his head in disbelief. They both had grown up on farms; they understood the implications of her answer. They could be at least ten miles away from her family’s place.

“And how many properties do you think are on the way between their place and Broad Oaks?” she continued.

“Seven, maybe eight,” she answered. “But they’re all closer to the cottage than to Broad Oaks. The grounds of that place are massive. But what does that matter? Shouldn’t we be trying to get the SUV unstuck or something?”

Abby returned her focus to the passengers in the back. “We don’t have any good news, guys. First thing is, we’re at the driveway of Broad Oaks Golf and Country Club. Second thing is, the car is really badly damaged. We turned right into the metal entrance barriers. So the front fender and hood are crumpled up, and we don’t think we should keep the engine running for long.”

“What the hell?” Barb reacted first. “You mean we have to walk? Fuck. Serves us right for listening to Ruth.”

“But I was so sure it was around here…” Ruth trailed off, looking out the window as if to recalibrate her bearings.

Trina let out a short whimper and leaned her head on John’s shoulder. “We’re all gonna die of hypothermia. I just know it.”

Panic was swirling and about to rear its head, so Abby knew she had to take control. “Look, I don’t want to scare anyone, but here is the plan we should consider. First, let’s all find our phones and see if one of us can get through to 911.”

One by one, they reached into their pockets or purses, and tried. None of them got a signal.

“No luck,” Rob said, looking back at everyone frantically trying and retrying the phones. “Not that they would be able to do anything. They probably don’t send emergency vehicles out in this, and even if they did, we may not be the only ones who need help.”

“Understood, and we needed to explore the option first,” Abby said calmly. “So what this means is, we need to find shelter somewhere nearby.”

“Can’t we wait until morning and maybe by then we’ll get some help?” Ruth asked.

“We can’t stay in the car, Ruth,” Rob answered. “We can’t keep it running and we can’t stay in it overnight without heat.”

“Let me finish, everyone,” Abby commanded.

Her tone was firm, but respectful. She had practiced that tone when working with patients during her undergraduate nursing clinicals.

“What we’ll do first is put on all the breathable layers of clothes that we have. The layers will keep us dry and warm. We need to cover as much as possible, so if you have extra gloves, scarves, hats, winter boots, anything to cover up, then put them on. Next, we’re better off walking back where we came from. The SUV tire tracks may still be visible, and that will keep us on the road. If anyone searches for us, they’ll probably be coming from that direction too. We had passed the Lake Tahoe main access road about a half mile back. There have got to be some people or accessible cottages there. Last thing. We need to stick together. So we need to all agree to this one plan to make it through until we get help. Is everyone with me?”

Everyone nodded at various levels of enthusiasm. That was enough for Abby, so she turned to Rob.

“It’s good you brought some of your moving boxes, after all. Check them to see what else you have that we can use. Extra clothes, blankets, camping gear, lighters, food, water, anything we can use for heat or emergency shelter tonight, and to keep from starving or getting too dehydrated.”

“Good idea,” Rob agreed.

“And if anyone has food in your bags or purses,” Abby continued. “let’s take that with us.”

“I’ll help you, Rob,” John said. “Ruth, let me out from your side, please.”

“Wait,” Abby continued. “Rob, you and John will need to unload all the boxes. My dad put some emergency supplies in the wheel well under the cargo area. They will come in handy. Trina, come sit up front or beside Ruth. That way those boxes and luggage can go in the back seat. It’ll save Rob and John from having to repack everything.”

The ladies quietly searched through their bags passed forward from the back, and began dressing in what they could find. The tone was somber, but as they all had something to do, they seemed more focused and calm. Eventually, they were all cladded in layers upon layers of clothes and winter gear, and the men had emptied a large backpack and a gym bag to put in all the camping items, food, and tools that might help if they needed to sleep outside.

When it was time to go, Abby made them load up in the SUV to warm up one more time.

“Are you sure the snow plows won’t pass here soon?” Ruth asked.

Rob answered her this time. “We’ve been stuck here for at least twenty minutes, and drove through the snow for over an hour. Not one vehicle, police car, or plow. We’ve got to go with Abby’s plan, Ruth.”

“Okay, let’s go, everyone,” Abby called out as Rob turned off the engine for the last time. She pressed on the car horn and kept her hand fixed on it for almost a minute.

“Why’d you do that?” Barb asked, holding her hand to her ears to block out the sound.

“If anyone lives around here, they may hear it and come looking for us. That reminds me. Rob, there’s a whistle in the glove. Let’s take it with us.”

With that, they left the warm SUV and headed into the bitter cold of the blizzard.

* * *

“Ouch!” Abby exclaimed, about ninety minutes into their walk. By then, they were all exhausted, near frozen, and beginning to get hungry. Abby was right. The main road to access Lake Tahoe was less than a mile back; however it had taken them an hour to get to it. As they turned onto the main road, the wrath of the storm worsened. The road elevation descended slowly and that was to be expected—they were getting closer to the lake. Walking through the driving, blinding, lake-effects snow, however, had slowed them down and worn them out. It didn’t help that the intermittent blowing of the whistle had not garnered any attention. And now this.

“What’s the matter?” Rob asked.

He came from behind to Abby’s side. She was doubled over, holding on to her ankle. He pointed the flashlight down at it. The rest of them stopped as well when they noticed the flashlight wasn’t pointed forward.