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Resting back against the oversized pillows, he closed his eyes and dreamed about Drew.
Chapter Two
The next morning, still wearing the same clothes he’d had on the day before, Caleb fixed himself a cup of coffee and walked out onto the front porch. “Holy shhhh,” he mumbled as a blast of frigid air hit him squarely in the face. “Dang, it’s cold.” He hurried back inside and closed the door.
Tossing a fresh log into the fireplace, he held his steaming mug between both hands while he attempted to get warm. Thank goodness he’d remembered to bring his thermals and winter boots or else he wouldn’t be venturing too far away from the fire. Talk about a massive drop in temperature from the previous day!
With nothing better to do, Caleb decided to take a hot shower. As he ran his hand over his day-old beard growth, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and laughed.Nope, not going to do it,he said to himself and dropped his razor back down into his travel bag. It wasn’t like anyone was going to see him, and besides, a little beard growth might help to keep his face warm.
Stripping his clothes off, he quickly reached into the shower to turn on the hot water. Panic suddenly washed over him though when nothing came out of the faucet. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, standing there shivering. Much to his dismay, the cold side produced the same results. “Now what?”
The thought of leaving the water dripping overnight hadn’t even occurred to him before he’d fallen asleep, and he could kick himself for not remembering to do so. Aggravated, he slipped his clothes back on and went back to the living room. Not that he really thought he was dirty, but he’d really anticipated the warm water running over his face, down his chest…
By mid-afternoon, tiny droplets of water began to drip from the kitchen sink. “Thank God,” he murmured and wiped the backside of his hand across his forehead. He’d only brought a case of bottled water with him, and he’d already had to use a few for brushing his teeth and washing his hands. He’d have to remember to add another case to his shopping list when he went into town later.
Suddenly, a small puddle of water began to collect on the floor and a bad feeling washed over him. He quickly snatched open the cabinet doors and much to his dismay, the underside of the sink was saturated. The puddle grew bigger and bigger and before he knew it, the kitchen floor was soaked. He tried to sop up what he could with the few bath towels he’d brought along, but lot of good that did him. If he couldn’t contain the leaky pipes soon, he’d have to strip the bed and use the linens to keep the water from getting into the other rooms in the cabin.
“Dad, at this point, I don’t know what to do,” he said franticly into his phone. Caleb hated having to call his dad with the news, but he was at a loss. Without any kind of tools, he felt helpless.
“Let me see if I can reach Gene Gardner,” Harry Archer replied. “He doesn’t live too far away. Just on the other side of the field. Maybe he can look at the leak or knows someone that can.”
“I hope so. I just don’t want the water to reach the carpet in the living room. Mom will have a fit if it gets ruined.” Caleb tried to remain hopeful despite the way things looked.
He found a bucket and an old mop in the utility closet and set to work keeping the water contained to the kitchen area. Housework was his least favorite chore, and this proved even more how much he detested it.
Less than a half hour later, Caleb was relieved when he heard a knock at the front door. Finally, he could get this mess resolved. And maybe even a hot shower!
But when he opened the door, Gene Gardner wasn’t standing on the other side. Instead, a young woman bundled from head to toe, complete with wool scarf and fur-lined hiking boots, stood staring at him. As soon as their gazes connected, she quickly looked away.
“Hi,” Caleb said and adjusted the flannel shirt he had on over his long-sleeve tee shirt. “You’re not Gene.”
Instead of saying anything, she extended a bag towards him then took a step back. He noticed her cheeks were a rosy shade of pink, but he didn’t want to assume he’d been the reason for it. After all, it was cold out. The idea that he’d caught the attention of a woman was almost humorous.
Caleb looked at her confusedly. Taking the bag from her, he immediately looked inside. “Did Gene send these?” he asked as he peered down at a hammer, pair of pliers, and assorted sized wrenches.
Determined not to say anything, the young woman pointed with her gloved hand at something leaned against the side of the cabin, next to the front door. Caleb looked over to see some sort of long pole with a weird shape on the end, but before he could reply, she was already walking back to her car.
“Wait,” he called out, but it was no use. She climbed inside her SUV and quickly closed the door.
He waved his hands in the air to get her attention, and she lifted one hand at him as though she were half waving back.
Caleb was confused yet intrigued by this beautiful woman. Who was she? Was this Gene’s daughter, the same freckle-faced little girl who used to aggravate Drew?
Chapter Three
Caleb had no idea where to find the cut-off for the water meter, but now that he had the tool to properly take care of it—thanks to the mysterious woman who had graced his doorstep—he knew it was in his best interest to find it as soon as possible. He hurried back inside for another layer of clothing and his gloves.
Zipping his coat all the way up to his neck, he was about to walk out the front door when his phone rang.
“Caleb, this is Gene Gardner.” Though he hadn’t seen the older man in several years, he recognized Gene’s gravelly voice almost immediately.
“Mr. Gardner, my father said he was going to see if he could get in touch with you.”
“Yes, we spoke a bit ago. Harry says you’re staying in the cabin for a few days, and you’ve got a leak of some sort?” Gene Gardner inquired.
“I feel like an idiot, but I didn’t think about leaving the water dripping. Looks like the pipes froze during the night and now that they’ve started to thaw, I’ve got an even bigger problem on my hands.” With the phone pressed to his ear with one hand, he used his other to swipe the mop across the floor. Dear Lord, his mother was going to freak if he didn’t get this mess cleaned up soon.
“Yep, sounds like you’ve got yourself a mess. My daughter should be down that way soon with some tools for you to use. If you can shut the water off, I can stop by later to look at it. Can’t say that I can fix it, but I can repair it temporarily so you can have water. My wife’s Christmas party for work is tonight, so it’ll be a while before I can get there. If that’s not too late for you.” Gene sounded truly apologetic that he couldn’t get there any sooner.
