Shelter From The Storm

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She folded her arms across her chest. “Not until you explain to me what you’re doing.”

Even cold and miserable, she could be obstinate. He sighed heavily. “I’m making a smaller loop to go around your body. I’m going to fasten the other end of the strap to the front of the hood and pull it tight. That will keep you from falling over backward in the rough places.”

“That’s all you had to say.” She held out her hand. He gave the loop to her. She slipped it over her head and settled it under her arms.

“How is that?” he asked.

She pulled her hands inside her cloak and leaned back several times to test the strength and tension. “It’s fine.”

“Fine enough to last a few more hours?”

“It’s getting dark already.”

He held his arms wide. “Want to spend the night here?”

“Of course not. Are you worried that we haven’t met up with Dale yet?” Giving voice to her concern made the situation seem even more dire.

“I have enough to worry about getting you to safety.” He pulled on his gloves, slipped into his harness and started trudging forward again.

Although Gemma had always been impressed and intimidated by Jesse’s size, she had never considered how strong he actually was. Walking through the knee-deep snow and pulling the sled had to be exhausting and yet the only break he had taken was to ensure her comfort. His determination was amazing as he struggled through deeper and deeper snowdrifts. He fell to his knees once but got up and kept going. As darkness fell, Gemma shivered in the increasing cold. The snow finally let up. The clouds overhead thinned out and the thin sickle of the moon cast the landscape in harsh shadows of black on white. She huddled over as low as she could get but the wind still found her and sucked away any warmth from beneath her blanket. When she had reached the end of her endurance, she heard Jesse as he muttered something that sounded like “Finally.”

She raised her face to see a break in the trees ahead. She was ready to cheer if her teeth would stop chattering long enough. Her elation died a quick death as Jesse pulled her sled into the open. There wasn’t a highway in front of them. Only the remains of some kind of building in a small clearing. A cabin maybe. A chimney jutted above part of the roof that hadn’t fallen in. She didn’t remember seeing a place like this on their way this morning. Could they have passed by and she just hadn’t noticed the building? She listened but didn’t hear the sounds of traffic. Nor did she see any lights.

Jesse dropped to his knees and bowed his head. Fear sent a surge of adrenaline through her aching body. “Jesse, are you okay? Where are we?”

He looked back at her, but his face was in the shadows and she couldn’t read his expression. “We’re lost.”

Chapter Five (#uad603436-d11b-5ee9-bc04-14e26edd2116)

Jesse couldn’t believe what lay in front of him. Not safety but desolation. The ruins of a second building were nothing more than odd blackened timbers sticking upright through the snow. A pond sat frozen and silent at the bottom of the clearing. A dead cedar tree stood between the house and the pond. There were no signs of life anywhere. He didn’t bother calling out.

Somehow, he had made a horrible mistake. He had no idea where he had taken a wrong turn. It was his fault and his alone. He’d been in such a hurry to get back to New Covenant that he’d left his good sense behind. They should have stayed with the truck. They might have been rescued by now.

He wouldn’t be at the auction in the morning. The land he’d hoped to buy would go to someone else. Now he was lost in the wilderness and, worst of all, he’d brought Gemma with him into this dangerous situation. He sank to his heels as the magnitude of what he had done overwhelmed him and bowed his head.

Please, Lord, give me the strength to overcome this disaster. Help me keep Gemma safe.

He repeated the phrase over and over in his mind, searching for the solace he needed. “Jesse, you have to get up.”

It wasn’t the voice of his heavenly Father, but rather the voice of the little sparrow on the sled. If she had once thought him as dense as a post, he had certainly proved her right. His bold assertion that he could get them back to the highway was nothing but an empty promise.

He looked at her over his shoulder. Would she forgive him for putting her life in danger? “I’m sorry, Gemma. I don’t know where I went wrong.”

“That doesn’t matter, Jesse. We need shelter. We need a fire.” She could barely talk because her teeth were chattering so badly.

She was right. Now wasn’t the time for remorse and self-pity. He struggled to his feet and pulled the sled toward the cabin. The snow had drifted as high as the front porch. The structure blocked the wind from the north. He stepped onto the floorboards carefully. They seemed solid enough. He slipped out of his harness and pulled open the front door. It scraped along the floor but opened wide enough for him to get inside.

It was too dark to see much. The smell of charred wood filled his nostrils, but the ceiling seemed intact and the interior was free of snow. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw a stone fireplace dominated the center of the space. It was a double-sided type open to two separate rooms. The cabin would provide the shelter they needed if he could get a fire going.