Chapter 6

WILLIAM KNEW something wasn't right—tension washed off Garvin—but he wasn't sure he should ask him about it. They had talked about some pretty intense subjects, and maybe it was too much for him. William probably should have kept his mouth shut. Talking too damned much had always been one of his flaws, and while what he'd said had been what he felt, it was pretty obvious that Garvin didn't agree.

Maybe William was stupid to think that he would agree. Garvin had been spiraling for years. William smiled as he thought about that term. He'd heard it in a TV show and never understood it until now. "Garvin… are you going to be okay?" He went to where he was making dinner at the small counter and stood across from him. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"You didn't," Garvin said without looking up. "I'm just trying to work through some things." He continued working.

"Okay. But why are you chopping the poor onion to near oblivion?"

Garvin's knife came to a stop. "Shit." The poor thing was nearly paste.

William blinked his watering eyes as Garvin slid the mush on the cutting board into the trash. William watched and waited, hoping Garvin would open up. It usually worked pretty well. Or it used to. He'd had to learn patience over the years. It was not something that came easily to him.

"What am I supposed to do?" Garvin finally asked as he began cutting a new onion. "You're here, and we're going to be in this cabin for a couple days. The road is going to be blown shut, and the snow will be a couple feet deep by the time this ends. We can go in on the snowmobile, but that's about it."

"And that makes you nervous?"

Garvin shook his head. "You do. "

"I make you nervous." He leaned over the counter. "How do I do that?" It was too much to expect that the nerves came from the same source as his own.

Garvin shrugged. "It's probably just me. I need to learn not to overthink every single thing in my life." He finished the onion and then began cutting four slices of bacon. He added that to a pan and got it cooking just as the lights switched off and the room went dark.

"Crap," Garvin swore. "Come over here and watch this. I need to get the lamps."

William took over browning the bacon while Garvin opened the end upper cabinet and set out some battery-operated lamps. They were bright enough to see pretty well by. Once there was light, Garvin took over the cooking once more. "I have more batteries, so we aren't going to have to worry about light. But the propane furnace isn't going to run because it needs power for the fan. So we have the stove for warmth."

"Do you need me to do anything?" William asked.

"Bundle up and bring in some more wood to fill the box. We have to make sure we have enough to get through the night. Sasha should also go out and do his business. But stay under the shelter of the carport and out of the wind." He continued cooking as William pulled on his gear before calling Sasha and opening the door.

As he stepped outside, the wind caught him. Damn, that was cold. He turned so his back was to it and managed to find the wood pile. It was dark as hell, snow swirling everywhere. Fortunately, Sasha took about three steps, peed, pooped, and hurried back to the door. William used the light from the window to guide him as he let the dog inside and followed with his load of wood. "God, it's something else." He filled the wood box and retrieved another load, adding what he could to the box before placing what was left on the floor next to it.

"You should have taken a light," Garvin said.

"I guess I'm so used to the city, where there's always light no matter what time it is." He hung up his gear and added more wood to the stove, building the heat, then closed the stove door. "What else do we do?"

"Wait out the storm. The power won't be back on until it's over, and things like this can last a couple of days. We have plenty of food and wood. We'll need to melt snow for water for everything, including the toilet, because the pump needs power, but from the looks of things, we'll have a ton of that."

"Do you need me to get some?"

Garvin shook his head. "I'll take care of that after dinner." He went back to cooking, and William nervously wandered around the small room. Every time the wind whistled outside, it sounded like it was trying to get in. "It's okay. This happens here, and I have everything we could need to wait it out. It happens a couple times a winter."

"How can you stand it all alone?" It was bad enough when Garvin was with him. But going through this alone was more than William could think about. "What do you do if, I don't know, a tree falls on the cabin or the wind sends something through a window?" His imagination was really going for it, and he was having a hard time reining it in. William hated that his chicken side was on display, but he couldn't stop it. He was literally in the middle of nowhere in a cabin that didn't even have power, and the only things standing between them and freezing to death were these walls and the fire. The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became.

"This cabin has been here for forty years, and the trees nearby are strong and sturdy. I know every single one of them in my woods, and those that are weaker are cut down for firewood or building material. Nothing out here goes to waste. Just relax and remember that it's only the wind."

"And a shit-ton of snow," William retorted, trying not to shiver as the wind howled once more. He would have liked it if Garvin had come over to comfort him with more than words, but he stayed in the kitchen. The scent of bacon and onions soon filled the space, adding a sense of warmth that William didn't know was possible. "I can't believe you remembered."

"That this is one of your favorites?" Garvin asked before adding the tomato and garlic, and maybe a touch of oregano. It was hard to tell in the light, but the familiar scent of Garvin's pasta sauce seemed to calm the wave of worry that threatened to take over. It wasn't long before they sat together on the sofa, blankets over their legs, eating the old favorite, simple pasta that always tasted like Garvin. No one made this the way he did—no one ever had—and William sat close enough to him that Garvin's heat warmed his leg .

"Thanks for this." He lightly bumped Garvin's shoulder as he wolfed down the food. Maybe it was the worry, or the simple fact that earlier in the day he had been out in the frigid air, but he was hungrier than he could ever remember. Usually he was so worried about his weight and how he looked that he never gave really good food much thought. It was to be avoided in order to preserve his image. But this… well. This was to be enjoyed, savored. As William turned, he knew its maker was supposed to be loved, because anyone who could put this kind of warmth and care into a bowl of pasta deserved more than living alone in a cabin. William wanted that for Garvin, and hell, he wanted to be that person.

He had already been in love with him, in a way, for quite some time. That wasn't the issue. William knew what his heart wanted. Hell, the damned thing pounded in his ears whenever Garvin was nearby. The real issue was how closed off Garvin was, and how William could get him to open up. That eluded him. William ate his pasta, hands shaking just because Garvin was next to him. There had to be something he could do.

GARVIN WAS right: the power stayed off and the cabin largely dark. They turned off many of the lanterns to save the batteries and sat in front of the fire. William stared into the flames, wondering what he was going to do with Garvin, and came to the conclusion that there wasn't much he could do. Garvin would either open his heart or not, and there was little William could do to pry open that particular black gate except make sure Garvin knew that he wasn't going to run on him, even though at the moment, he wanted nothing more than to get out of this frozen landscape, where every gust of wind sent a chill through him.

"We need to sleep," Garvin said. Sasha had curled himself in front of the fire, and William had the blanket up over him so only his head stuck out. He had no intention of moving to the other room no matter how comfortable that mattress was. It was too cold in there. Hell, it was just warm enough out here near the fire. "Get up, okay?"

William was skeptical, but he did as Garvin asked, keeping the blanket around him. Garvin went to the back of the sofa and fiddled with it until the back came down, making a flat space. "Oh."

"I've had to sleep out here near the fire before." He hurried away and returned with a couple of pillows and a few more blankets. He covered the cushion with a sheet before spreading out the blankets. "Go get cleaned up and leave the bathroom door open while I finish up here."

William didn't have to be told twice. He hurried to the bedroom, where he grabbed some night clothes and raced to the bathroom with some water they'd heated on the stove. Never in his life had he changed clothes or cleaned up so quickly. Leaving the door open as Garvin said, he returned to the room, where Garvin had everything set up. Sasha jumped up and tried to make himself comfortable in the middle.

"No. Get down," Garvin scolded, and Sasha slowly trudged off the bed and back onto the floor, looking at both of them like they were the Grinch and he was some kind of orphaned Who. "You can stay by the fire."

Garvin hurried off while William settled quickly under the covers, shivering until the blankets warmed. By the time Garvin returned, William had made this little cocoon, and he didn't dare move. "Keep your cold parts off me," William teased as Garvin got in on the other side.

"I thought friends shared," Garvin said as he scooched closer.

"God, your feet are like ice." William tried to move away, but there wasn't that much room.

"So are yours," Garvin retorted when William gave him a dose of his toes on his calf. He chuckled at the game as Garvin drew closer, sliding an arm over his hip and then around his belly. Finally William was starting to feel warm… and as soon as that happened, his dick stood up to take notice. William decided to ignore it. Clearly Garvin was going to, and there was no use making things weird between them. Well, weird er .

"There's enough wood?" William asked.

"Yes. Plenty. Just relax and go to sleep. Sasha is right there. I'm willing to bet that at some point in the night, he'll climb onto the bed, and that dog can put out heat like nothing else."

"Okay. But what about the fire?"

"I'll keep it going," Garvin said, and William settled back into the warmth .

He should have been able to go to sleep. He was warm and tired as hell. But every time he closed his eyes, his mind settled on where Garvin held him. William scooted closer to Garvin, trying not to seem like that was what he was doing. Sasha climbed up on the bed and curled into a ball at the foot.

The wind kept blowing, but it didn't compete with the blood racing through him. "Are you okay?"

William hummed and closed his eyes once more. He was not going to tell Garvin that he was awake because his entire body was on fire for him. Garvin was his friend, but if he didn't want anything more than that, then William wasn't going to make a fool of himself. Finally, at some point, he fell asleep, only to wake when Garvin got out of bed. The fire had burned down, and he added more wood, building it back up.

"It's cold again," William said.

"I know. It won't be for long." He got the heat building and then joined William under the covers. "The wind is dying down, and it looks like much of the snow has ended." He snuggled down under the covers.

William rolled over, pulling Garvin close to him, their heat combining.

"Hopefully the power will be restored tomorrow, but we'll have to see."

Part of William hoped the power stayed out. He could stay curled next to Garvin for as long as possible. But he made up his mind. No matter what, the first move had to be up to Garvin. If William made it, as he was tempted to do right now, he knew nothing would come of it. If William truly wanted a chance with Garvin, the decision had to be his. As hard as it was for William to be patient, that was what he had to do.

His mind made up, he closed his eyes and tried to fall back to sleep as a low rumble sounded—one he felt more than heard. Actually, William wasn't sure if he felt it or heard it, but something had happened. "Do you think that was an earthquake?" William had felt plenty of those in California, though this felt different. Maybe it had been some kind of winter thunderstorm, though Garvin said that the storm was lessening.

"Not sure. We'll find out in the morning." Garvin settled under the covers, and William let himself try to relax into sleep, but a second rumble, this one more intense, shook him, rattling a few of the dishes in the kitchen. It lasted for a few minutes, not growing, but the sound ebbing and flowing before dying away. Garvin didn't even wake, and once the sound had faded, he heard no more and finally fell to sleep.

THE ROAR of engines outside pulled him out of sleep. It was dark yet. Garvin still slept as William got up and added wood to the stove. The cabin was warmer, and the clock on the stove blinked. At some point in the night, the power must have been restored. That was good. At least they had basic heat and lights again. William went to the kitchen window to check out the noise and saw four men climbing off snowmobiles outside.

"Garvin, something is going on," he called.

"What?" he mumbled. "What do you need?"

"There's a group of guys outside." Even though he knew they were there, the loud knock on the door made him startle. Garvin got up, and William hurried over and opened the door before stepping back out of the cold.

"Enrique, what's going on?" Garvin asked.

"We need your help. There was a huge avalanche along one of the sides of the pass. Didn't you feel it?" Enrique asked.

"I think I did," William said. "I wondered if it was an earthquake."

"It was. That started the avalanche, and it buried some people. There are still three missing. We'll wait outside for you." Enrique closed the door behind him as Garvin raced into the bedroom.

"Stay here and keep the fire going. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

William followed him into the bedroom. "I'm going too." He had no intention of staying here alone all day, and if he could be of some help, then he would be. He pulled on the long underwear he'd bought and then a pair of jeans.

"I don't think that's a good idea. What do you know about winter rescue? About winter at all?" Now Garvin was being snide, and William glared at him.

"I know enough to keep my eyes open and watch for signs of people. You need to drive that snow beast, so I can be the lookout. Unless you want me to do the driving." He instantly saw Garvin tense. "Okay, then. Don't argue. You're wasting time." William pulled on a long-sleeve shirt and then a sweatshirt before stepping into his snow pants. He was already getting warm, but he got his coat on and then two pair of heavy socks before stepping into his boots and lacing them up tight. Finally, he pulled on the heavy hat he'd gotten and then lifted the hood from his coat in place. He probably looked like the kid from A Christmas Story .

"Fine. Wear these too. They will help you see and protect your eyes." Garvin handed him a pair of goggles. Then he pulled the strings on William's hood, bringing it closed, leaving just enough space for him to see and breathe. After doing the same for himself, Garvin told Sasha to be good, and then they tromped outside as William wondered what his impulsiveness and stubbornness had gotten him into this time.