‘Twas the Love Before Christmas

14. Noah

Chapter fourteen

Noah

R oad conditions were getting worse when suddenly I could see lights from what looked like a car stuck in the snow on the side of the road. I pulled over to help get the people to safety. Just as Tobias had been worried about my safety, I was worried about the rest of the people on the road.

To my surprise, Catherine was in the car – and no one else. What in the world was she doing out here in this storm? At least she could trust I wouldn’t harm her. And the way the sun started disappearing behind the clouds as it set, she would be here in the dark—alone —maybe all night. That wasn’t right. If nothing else, I had saved her from waiting all night long.

“What a chance encounter, huh?” Catherine asked with a laugh. “I’m glad to see you, Noah. Think you can get me out of the snow with your truck?”

I pursed my lips as I looked around at the mess that Catherine had gotten into. Granted, it was most likely not her fault; the snow was coming down heavy, and the wind was blowing so hard that it was difficult to tell where the road was under all the snow at times.

“I think the conditions are too hazardous for that; besides, I don’t have my tow chain with me,” I said. “It’s been in Dad’s garage for a while. I should have put it in the other day when it first snowed. However, I can get you out of here and somewhere safe for the night. It wouldn’t be good to leave the car running and have the battery die on you or run out of gas in the middle of the night.”

Catherine nodded.

“Here. Let me clear some of the snow away so you can at least get out of the car. That much, I can handle. Especially since I get the feeling that this road will be deserted tonight.”

I took a good look in either direction to make sure I wasn’t going to get hit by some wayward vehicle if I was on the road for a moment. No lights in either direction as far as I could see. Then, I started shoving the snow aside with my arms. I quietly thanked the heavens for my coat; otherwise, this would have been awful work. Even with my coat, my arms could feel the residual cold left from each shove. If any of that snow got into my coat, it would be hard work to dislodge it.

Once the snow had been shoved to either side of the car, I carefully helped Catherine open the door and get out. Both of us were safe. So far. Now, I had to get her somewhere safe for the night.

“Have everything? Keys, purchases you’re worried might spoil overnight?”

“Everything I bought can be in the cold overnight,” Catherine reassured me. “None of it is food, anyway. Thanks for the help, Noah.”

“Of course. Come on; let’s get you in the truck and out of this cold weather.”

I helped her walk across the shoulder of the highway and then up into the passenger seat of the truck. Once she was inside and buckled, I moved to get into the driver’s seat. Thankfully, the heavy snow had everyone else staying home. I was safe taking my time on the road.

And I was able to make sure she was safe. If she had gotten hurt on my watch, I don’t know that I could have lived with it. Even if she forgave me. I quietly promised myself that I was going to get her home safely, no matter what it took.

Once I was up in the driver’s seat of the truck, I turned to Catherine.

“There’s a beautiful little bed and breakfast down the road. I think it’d be more prudent to stop there for the night. We can call a tow truck for your parents’ car in the morning. That way, both you and your car can get home safely,” I said as I started the truck.

“No. We should just go home. No point in making our parents worry with this snow, you know?” Catherine said as she motioned to the storm outside.

“As much as I agree, that’s what phones are for tonight,” I replied. “Catherine, it’s getting dark. If we were to have my truck hit a snowbank like yours did, I think there is a much lower chance that we could get help. You’re incredibly lucky that I happened to be coming down the road when I was and saw your car in the snowbank. And I don’t think the battery in my truck would last all night if we ran the heater to keep ourselves warm. It’s more practical to go to the bed and breakfast and get your car towed out tomorrow.”

I started to pull the truck slowly back onto the road. The last thing I wanted to do was end up in the snowbank like Catherine had tonight. Besides, the bed and breakfast was only a few miles away. It was close enough that even with it getting dark and windy and with more snow coming down by the minute, I was confident enough in my driving that we could get there without a major incident.

If we slid a little but stayed on the road, that would be all right. We just needed to be able to get into the parking lot safely.

She let out a soft sigh.

“I suppose you’re right.” She shook her head. “Thank goodness no one will want to steal decorative bowls and mistletoe.”

“Mistletoe?” I asked. “You got mistletoe? Where do you even find mistletoe this time of year?”

“It’s artificial mistletoe, but I got it because I like to tease my brother about who he brings home for Christmas. We’ve not done mistletoe in a while, and my parents don’t know where the last artificial sprig I picked up is,” Catherine said. “And I got it at the Livingstons, where I got the rest of the things I picked up. Went with Rebecca. You remember her from high school, right?”

“She still lives around here? Huh. Out of all the people most likely to stay, she was one I didn’t have on the list,” I said. “Now, other than the incident in the snowbank, how has your day gone?”

“Up until the snowbank, it went well. I went to brunch and out shopping with Rebecca. That’s about all I did today. What about you?”

“Went and saw Coach White at the university. I just wanted to talk to him, and I was already up here,” I replied, not really interested in sharing the details. “It’s been a while since we chatted, and he’s a large reason I’m where I am today.”

Catherine fell silent after that as I focused on driving. I imagined she was texting her parents and maybe a few others to let them know she wouldn’t be home tonight and that there was possible damage to the car from hitting the snowbank. I found the turn-off from the road, inched my way into the parking lot, then pulled into one of the few empty spots still available and turned off the truck.

“Well, here we are.” I smiled a little. “Now, let’s get inside and pray they have a room available. It looks like they’re full tonight.”

“Indeed,” Catherine said with a small smile.

With that, we scurried into the bed and breakfast, careful of the ice and fresh snow slurry under our feet.

Once inside the entryway, we stomped our feet and brushed the snow off our coats before entering the lobby and approaching the front desk.

Suddenly, an older woman came around the corner. “How may I help you tonight? You poor things look like you’ve been through a rough time,” she said, showing some genuine concern.

However, her patience was starting to run thin because I could see some signs of annoyance in her eyes. Her eyebrows had met in the middle of her forehead, and they were coming together as if to ask what else we could possibly want but a room.

“Yes, we were headed home to Indigo Lake when one of our vehicles got stuck in a snowbank, so here we are. Would you happen to have any vacancies tonight?” I asked.

At this point, I would take whatever we could get. There was no way it was safe to drive all the way home, and I hoped they would understand if we had to stay in the lobby because of it. At least the lobby would be warm, and we wouldn’t be running the battery down in my truck if that was the case or risk running out of gas.

“We have a single room available. You’re lucky; the storm outside has caused the only cancellation tonight,” she said.

“We’ll take it, thank you,” I said.

Catherine elbowed my side —hard. We had no other choice, even if it meant we only had one bed in the room. It was this or risk getting left in a snowbank all night long, and I’d rather share a bed than a snowbank. Besides, it wasn’t like either of us had a partner right now to worry about reassuring. Why she had needed to elbow my side was beyond me for simply thinking of our safety.

Though honestly, any partner who needed reassurance after hearing about how she had gotten stuck in the snowbank and this was the safest option was a partner I didn’t want to have.

Once we had our room key, I heard my stomach growl. Loudly. Catherine walked into the dining room, but I stayed at the desk to ask the woman a couple of questions.

“How many beds in that room, Ma’am?”

“Just one bed in there,” she said. “I know there are a few rooms with multiple beds, but we have a few families passing through who have needed them. I’m sorry, sir, if that’s going to cause a problem.”

“Thank you, anyway.” I managed a smile despite the knot in my chest. “Any room is better than waiting in the cold.”

With that, I paid for the room and walked away from the desk. The front desk was a large mahogany desk with a potted orchid on the right side of the computer. The lobby was ornately decorated with a beautiful marble fireplace, a wire grate in front of it to protect the younger children who stayed here, and a few roasting sticks to the side. They could have also been fire pokers, used to stoke the fire, but I preferred to believe they were roasting sticks for marshmallows for cold nights like this.

Two large couches were in the lobby, which almost created a square around the coffee table. There were plenty of chairs dotting the outside edge, each one near an outlet so that guests could charge their phones and relax. It gave me the vibe that it used to be a hunting lodge, but I supposed that a bed and breakfast was a good business right off a small, two-lane highway.

I joined Catherine in the dining room, but all the details as far as decorations here escaped my notice. All I could smell was the food, which was delightful. Cinnamon rolls, eggs, hash browns, and waffles. They had had breakfast for dinner tonight, and we were the last to be served now that we had a room key. They had been getting ready to take the food back to the kitchen for the staff to share, I suspected, from how one of the workers was looking at the cinnamon rolls.

Catherine and I sat at one of the tables to eat.

“Well, at least we have a place to stay for the night… but we have only one bed, don’t we?” Catherine asked.

I nodded.

She sighed softly.

“Well, I guess it’s better than nothing.”