Respite

Chapter 3

I woke up before the sun rose and threw on a pair of sweats and a long-sleeve shirt. I needed to buy another thick comforter or a space heater on my first paycheck. The cabin was clearly not well insulated, or my HVAC system wasn't efficient enough to heat my bones this late in the fall season. I had, unfortunately, woken up frozen to the bones several times last night and huddled under my blanket so that my hot breath would be trapped with me.

Slowly I climbed down the staircase and made my way to the instant coffee to warm up my cold bones. I stared out the window above the sink while the hot water boiled in the kettle and admired the foliage. It was quiet outside as the sun began to peak up over the mountains. I expected the birds to be awake, but it seemed that the cold kept them in their bed as well. Interestingly, I hadn't even heard the wolves or any wildlife all last night. There was an eerie quietness that had stilled on the property since I had pulled in last night. I couldn't say it was a menacing silence, but certainly a silence that kept you cautiously checking over your shoulder.

            By the time I had made a cup of coffee and settled on the porch, Connor was peeking out from the bushes. When he saw me settling to sit on the stairs of the porch his smile beamed, and he seemed to have more of a pep to his step. He carried around the same cane with the wolf head and a thermos, and I noticed that his shaggy blonde hair had been cut along with his peppered beard. He certainly was a good looking older man, and I had no doubt that he had been a handsome guy man back in his prime. I wondered for a moment if he had ever married or if he had carried on being a heartbreaker.

            "Haircut?" I asked as I took a sip of my coffee. The bitter tase of coffee was nearly repulsive, but I continued sipping on it regardless. My joints ached as I began warming them up. I wasn't sure what needed the hot coffee more, my sleep deprivation mind or more achy, cold bones.

            "Sure did. Had to keep myself looking good now that I have company." He smiled innocently and tenderly at me but made sure to give me an exaggerated wink. Unlike Earl at the diner, Connors flirting was harmless, and I was eager to keep the lighthearted conversation going. His comments and company made my heart burst with warmth, "Tomorrow, I'll bring you better coffee. I can smell that junk from here." He laughed as he settled ungracefully on the stairs beside me. Our hips were touching and the warmth between the two of us was calming as we watched the trees in front of my cabin.

            "I'd decline out of southern manners, but I desperately need a better cup of coffee." I chuckled as I took another sip of this horrid coffee. He shook his head, opened his thermos, and with one quick motion slapped the bottom of my cup upwards causing the coffee to splash across the front yard. Without a word he tipped his thermos into my cup and filled it. The smell of hazelnut swarmed around us, and I sighed, "Thank you Connor, you really didn't have to."

            "Honestly, I just didn't want to smell it anymore." He rolled his eyes and sipped out of his thermos.

            "I got that job at Grayson's shop." My voice was just above a whisper to preserve the stillness of the woods around us. The sun was still slowly peaking up over the mountains and more creatures began stirring. Each individual sun ray peaked over the mountain and hit its individual and dedicated spot on the forest line.

            "I don't know him personally, but word is he's a good guy." That was reassuring.

            "He's a big guy." The size of Grayson still played heavily on my mind. I had laid in bed for a while thinking how large he was and what he could do with that type of power. The last time I had been near a man that large I came out black and blue. I didn't dare stand a chance against Gray.

            "That he is. His old man was just as big, if not bigger. He used to work for the railroad and could do the work of two men." Connor mused, "Those boys of his followed their daddy on that account. They've never been known to throw their weight around though. Always respectful boys even when they shouldn't have been." He rambled quietly like he could clearly see the boys grow up in his mind like a pop-up card.