Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

Chapter 16 Gwen

16

C H A P T E R

Gwen

G wen walked over to the couch where her mother, father, and brother sat in front of the fireplace. Her parents were reading while Brent was busy playing his game.

“Guys, I’m going with Sawyer, Lucas, and Darren. We’re running low on supplies and Oliver said there is a hunting lodge a couple of miles due west of here.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” her mother asked. “You’re not as strong as they are and it’s extremely cold out.”

Gwen smiled. “It’s not that far. The snowshoes will make the trip a lot easier. Besides we need the supplies and I don’t think help is coming anytime soon. I can’t sit around here doing nothing.”

Brent looked up from his game. Gwen saw the worry in his eyes. She didn’t want to scare him, although she wasn’t going to hide the truth from him, either.

Audrey stood up and hugged Gwen. “Just be careful, okay? It’s dangerous out there. You guys could easily get lost. We’ve had snow storms that just suddenly crop up.”

Gwen nodded and smiled reassuringly at her mother. “We’ll all be careful, I promise.”

She glanced at Jerome who was sitting in the corner of the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, with a hard expression.

To her surprise, he cleared his throat and said, “Be careful. There are a lot of wild animals out there.”

Gwen blinked. That was the first decent thing he’d said to her since they’d been trapped in the lodge.

For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond. Then, she said, “Uh, thanks, Dad. I will.”

He nodded, although the hard look on his face didn’t soften. Gwen wasn’t sure what to think.

The men were putting on their snowshoes. She quickly pulled on her coat, gloves, and boots before tying on the snowshoes and heading out.

With a heavy sigh, Gwen followed Sawyer out the door, with Darren and Lucas behind her. The snow seemed to go on and on forever. If the situation had been different, Gwen would have been enchanted. Tall evergreen trees, with a dusting of snow on them, reached the temporarily blue skies. The sun shined on the snow, making it seem as though it sparkled like someone had sprinkled diamonds over it.

No one talked as they focused on putting one foot in front of the other. As they plodded on, the cold gnawed at Gwen’s face and her fingers started to feel numb. A chill permeated through her parka and grabbed her bones.

After about an hour and a half of trudging through the snow, they saw what was little more than a shack ahead. It was small and weathered. Snow weighted down the roof and it was half buried. It was nestled in the woods and if they hadn’t known it was there, they might have missed it.

There were no footsteps around it and the place looked completely abandoned.

“It doesn’t look like we’re going to be bothering anyone,” Sawyer said.

The door was unlocked and Lucas pushed open the door, looking cautiously inside, before they entered. It was a single-room structure. A thick layer of dust covered everything. The air was thick and musty. The wood box was stacked high with kindling and logs next to a primitive potbellied stove.

A pile of blankets was piled in see-through bags on the makeshift bed in the corner. Three boxes of canned goods sat on the counter. Two cases of water perched on the table.

Sawyer picked them up and looked at the dates on the food. “They’re still good.”

They started filling their backpacks full of food and water.

“I kind of feel bad,” Gwen said. “What if someone gets lost and comes here looking for food.”

“Hopefully there’s no one out here. But we have a building full of people who need the food now and we can’t wait for ‘what ifs.’ What if we leave the food here, no one comes, and our people need it,” Lucas said.

“Plus, judging by the condition of this place, no one has been here in at least a few months. Either the rangers or Oliver will resupply the place once the roads open again,” Darren said. “Lucas is right. Right now, we have a need for the supplies.”

Gwen knew they were right, although she was still worried in the back of her mind.

“What about the blankets?” Darren asked.

“I think we can leave those here. If we need more, then we can strip blankets from the beds in the cabins,” Sawyer said.

With their bags full of supplies, they headed back outside. Gwen looked back at the cabin before they started walking. It looked like a fun place to hang out during the summer or fall but not necessarily in the dead of winter.

The wind picked up again, swirling the snow around them, making it hard to see. She felt the exhaustion hanging over her like a heavy blanket. Her muscles ached and she wanted to find a warm spot, collapse, and sleep. The trip had been worth it, but everything – her father’s attitude, the stress of two avalanches, and the fear of running out of supplies until they could be rescued – weighed heavily on her.

She hoped that the supplies they had would be enough to last them until help came. She had heard Sawyer and Lucas talking about the possibility of hunting for food.

At least we would have that.

When they got back, Millie gratefully inventoried what they brought back.

“Thank you, guys. This will help a lot.”

“Do you need any help?” Gwen asked.

“No. You’ve done enough today. Go relax.”

Sawyer headed to the library and Gwen followed him in there. They were the only ones in the room. Sawyer started the fire, picked up the book he had been reading, and sat on the overstuffed couch. She grabbed her book and sat down next to him, their thighs touching.

Gwen sighed. “It seems like we’re the only ones in the world. We’re completely cut off from all other humans.”

Sawyer nodded. “Yeah, it does seem that way. It feels very peaceful and sometimes, it’s easy to forget, at least for a few minutes, our dire circumstances.”

“Yeah. It’s almost like we’re trapped in a snow globe. It seems strange to be up here in the absolute silence and stillness. I’m used to all the noise and chaos of the city.”

“I know what you mean. Hopefully, no one shakes the globe up again anytime soon,” Sawyer laughed.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Gwen started reading and shifted slightly so that she was leaning against Sawyer. He put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. A warmth coursed through her body at his touch.

Before she knew it, the exhaustion took over. Her eyelids grew heavy and she fell asleep.

“Gwen, wake up,” Sawyer said. “It’s time for supper.”

Her eyes slowly opened and she looked around. The fire had died down quite a bit and there was a slight nip in the air. She was nestled against him and she didn’t want to move.

Reluctantly, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you like that.”

“It’s okay. You looked very peaceful.”

“It felt good to be in your arms,” she confessed.

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ears and smiled at her. “It felt good to hold you.”

They sat there for a couple of seconds and then he stood, holding his hand out to her. “Millie cooked the rest of the pork chops. I’m starving.”

Gwen laughed as her stomach rumbled. “I guess I am, too.”

She put her hand in his and let him pull her up.

Jerome looked at them both when they walked into the dining room. He pressed his lips together and shook his head. For once, he didn’t have anything caustic to say.

Maybe it’s a good sign.

She, Brent, and Samantha sat with Lucas and Sawyer during dinner. Sawyer was telling Brent about igloos.

“The Inuit people made hard bricks out of the snow and stacked them together to form a rounded structure. The snow helped insulate them against the cold. Then, they would build fires inside the igloos for warmth and cooking. A lot of time, the people would line the interior walls with animal skins, which would also help the igloo stay warm. The heat made the snow melt just a little and the water would trickle down over the bricks. Then, it would freeze again making ice, which only made the structure sturdier.”

“What about in the summer?”

“The igloos would start to melt in the spring when the temperatures started to rise. That’s when it was time for the Inuit people to pack up and start following the game. They erected tents to live in as they moved around,” Lucas explained.

“That sounds hard but fun,” Brent said. “Do they still live in igloos?”

“No. Now, they live in wooden houses, just like everyone else,” Sawyer said.

“That’s too bad,” Brent said, clearly disappointed. “I was going to go to Alaska and see the igloos when I grow up.”

“Maybe you should build your own,” Lucas suggested.

Gwen groaned. “Please don’t give him any ideas.”

Everyone laughed.

After dinner, they decided to play Uno .

Jerome walked by and watched them play for a minute. He looked around the room at the other people playing board games, cards, or dominoes. Again, Gwen was hopeful that maybe he had changed his attitude.

Instead, he said, ““We’re going to die here, and you guys are having fun just like those fools did on the Titanic.”