Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

Chapter 18 Gwen

18

C H A P T E R

Gwen

G wen lay back on her pillow, her fingers touching her lips. Closing her eyes, she could still feel the intensity of the kiss. She had never known a kiss could feel like that – soft and gentle, but with an intensity that made her heart race. That moment, when they held each other in the library, it felt like everyone and everything in the world disappeared around them. Her body still tingled from lightning that had coursed through her body.

I wonder what it would feel like to make love to him?

Her face flushed from the heat and she pushed the thought away.

She sighed softly. Gwen was certain that she had fallen in love with Sawyer. There was no denying it anymore. Everything about him, from the way he cared for people, to the way he handled every crisis with calm strength, and even the way he smiled at her had stolen her heart.

Samantha, Maddie, and Emilia walked in and plopped onto the bed, sitting with their legs crossed.

“I’ve seen you and Lucas hanging out a lot,” Maddie said. “What gives?”

“He’s amazing. The man is incredibly intelligent. He is the first man I’ve actually had a conversation about philosophy with. Most men I go on a date with want to talk about how great they are or try to get in my pants. Lucas will ask me about my life as though he’s actually interested. We’ll talk about everything in life.” She giggled, and said, “He’s also an amazing kisser. Ladies, I think that I just might be falling for him.”

“That is so awesome. You deserve to find love,” Maddie said. “Darren’s pretty amazing, too. You know my dad has a couple antique cars he restored, with my help, so we actually have had some good conversations about that. He’s a Sylvester Stallone fan and also loves John Wayne and old Clint Eastwood movies. You know I grew up with that.”

“So, what about you and Sawyer?” Samantha asked.

“He’s pretty amazing. I think I’ve fallen in love with him.” Gwen sighed heavily. “The biggest problem is my father. We’ll see how things go after we get off this godforsaken mountain. I would hate to have to choose between the two of them.”

“I’ve noticed that your father hates him. That would be hard,” Samantha said. “But no offense, your father seems to hate everyone and everything.”

“None taken. I know he’s been a jerk, and there’s nothing that will change him. I’ve tried talking to him and I know Mom has to.”

“It’s not on you,” Samantha said.

“You’re awfully quiet, Emilia. Is everything okay?”

“Not really. You know that I’ve been hanging out with Zaid. He is an incredibly sweet man. He’s not been feeling well lately and hasn’t been eating.”

Gwen frowned, suddenly feeling the weight of the conversation shift. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He says that he’s just tired,” Emilia said, worry evident in her voice. “It’s more than that, though. Sawyer’s been keeping an eye on him. He thinks that an infection could be setting in.”

Gwen felt a pang of worry at the mention of Sawyer’s concerns. “An infection? That’s serious. What’s Sawyer going to do?”

“Sawyer’s already started him on antibiotics,” Emilia said, glancing at the other women. “Oliver happened to have some in his supplies, luckily. But Sawyer’s worried. If we don’t get off this mountain soon, things could get bad.”

There was a heavy silence in the room. They had all become friends since being stranded on the mountain and they cared about Zaid. Regardless of how good of a doctor Sawyer was, there was only so much he could do with limited resources. Zaid could possibly lose his leg – or worse.

“We need to pray,” Maddie said, softly.

They all nodded and bowed their heads.

Maddie said, “Lord God, we come to You asking for Your healing hand over Zaid. Please give him strength and restore his health. Guide Sawyer and those caring for him with wisdom and skill. We ask that You provide a way for us to safely get off this mountain and for Zaid to receive the help he needs. Protect us all during this time, and bring us peace and comfort. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”

“Amen,” everyone said.

When the prayer ended, Gwen opened her eyes and let out a long breath. She thought about what Emilia had said. She thought about how Sawyer had set Zaid’s leg, how he had jumped into action the moment Zaid showed symptoms, and how he’d done everything he could with what little they had. It only made her feelings for him deepen.

“He’ll be okay,” Gwen said, trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Emilia.

“I hope so,” Emilia said with a weak smile. “Zaid’s been strong through all of this and tried not to let anyone see how much pain he’s in or how badly he feels, but he’s not invincible. I’m afraid that if help doesn’t get here soon, I’m going to lose him before we even have a chance to see where our relationship is going to go.”

The conversation winded down and as Gwen fell asleep, she said another prayer that God would send help soon.

Gwen woke up early the next morning and wandered into the kitchen to see if Millie needed help. Elsie was already there, so Gwen went to the parlor to wait. She was reading the same book about the mountain that Sawyer had. Gwen had to admit that there had been a whole lot of bad situations happening on the mountain – maybe more than in other cursed or haunted places.

Sawyer, Lucas, Darren, and Joseph went outside to chop more wood after breakfast, so Gwen started to head into the library. She didn’t hear her father’s footsteps behind her.

“You need to stay away from Sawyer,” Jerome said, his voice sharp and angry. “Are you having sex with him?”

Gwen turned around, her fists clenched at her side, trying to keep her temper in check.

“I’m not and even if I was, it’s not your business. I’m an adult who lives on her own. I completely support myself and you have no right to tell me what I can and can’t do. Besides, there’s no way to stay away from him, even if I wanted to. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re stuck here on top of this mountain, all together.”

Jerome’s eyes narrowed. “Sawyer’s just using you and you’re too bloody blind to see it.”

“Using me for what? He hasn’t asked anything from me. He didn’t even ask for me to start talking to him. I finally saw through your blind hatred,” Gwen said passionately. “You would know that he’s a good person, too, if you’d give him a chance.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jerome growled. “"I don’t need to give him a chance. I already know what kind of person he is. He's no different from the rest of his family."

“His family are great people. Sawyer has done a lot to help everyone out here, including you. You’re just too stubborn to see it and admit it.”

Jerome’s expression didn’t change. “He just needs to feel important. He’s using this situation to make himself look like a hero. People like him always want to be the center of attention.”

Gwen shook her head. “No, Dad. He does it because he cares and because he’s a good man.”

“He’s got you snookered and you’re going to end up getting hurt,” Jerome snarled and walked away.

Sighing heavily, Gwen looked over at her mother. For a moment, they locked eyes. Gwen’s heart skipped a beat, hoping for some kind of support. But her mother only shrugged, a sympathetic look on her face, and gave a soft sigh.

“I wish I could say something different,” her mother said quietly, “but you know how your father is.”

Gwen’s stomach sank as her mother turned to join Millie, Tessie, and Elsie at the table, where they were setting up for a game of cards. She felt like she was fighting a losing battle. She stood in the hallway for a minute, feeling a little lost.

Zaid and Emilia were sitting in the parlor near the fire. Gwen looked at Zaid and noticed that he had lost some weight. His face was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes.

“How are you doing?” she asked him.

“Fit as a fiddle. I can’t wait until my leg heals and I can get out of this chair, though. I will never take walking for granted again.”

Gwen thought about asking about the infection but decided not to. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Zaid reached for Emilia’s hand. “No, thank you. Emilia, Sawyer, Millie, and Tessie practically wait on me hand and foot. If I didn’t know better, I would think that my chair was some kind of royal throne.”

Just then, Brent walked up and tapped her on the arm. “Can you teach me how to snowshoe? Oliver says he has a pair I can use.”

“Of course. I can use the fresh air.”

Brent was a fast learner and soon, he was snowshoeing like an expert. They clomped around for a while, never losing sight of the lodge. Brent had learned his lesson.

As they were heading back into the building for lunch, he asked, “Are you going to marry Sawyer?”

Startled, Gwen said, “What?”

“Are you going to marry Sawyer? You seem to like him a lot.”

“I do like him a lot,” Gwen confirmed. “As a matter of fact, I love him. He’s a pretty amazing man.”

“I love him, too,” Brent said. “He always treats me like I’m a grown-up. Sawyer asks what I think about things and actually listens to me.”

“He is a great listener.”

“If you guys do get married, can I come live with you?”

“Sawyer hasn’t said anything about getting married. Besides, there’s a huge problem with that.”

“Grandpa,” Brent said. “But you don’t live with him, so you don’t have to talk to him.”

“Good point,” Gwen said. “I’ll have to think about that.”

Brent looks up. “Look at those clouds. Is it going to snow again?”

“Heavens, I hope not, but it sure looks like it’s going to, doesn’t it?”

They got inside just as lunch was being served. Brent and Gwen weren’t the only ones who saw the sky. With a sense of doom, everyone prepared for another storm.