Stranded: A Christmas Story Read Online Free PDF Page B

one of the guys. I’m looking for a woman who isn’t afraid of a man who will insist she be the best she can be.”
    “But who will insist you be the best you can be?” she asked.
    “I will,” he said, wedging the last of his cones into the box they were stacking them in. “If I’m not the best I can be, how can I earn her respect? There’s more pressure on the man than on the woman in relationships like that. Because he wants to be worthy of the task, he has to make sure he’s constantly above reproach.”
    Lydia had never heard any man say the things that Mason Carter was saying. But then again, she’d never met anyone like him.
    “The wind’s kicking up,” he said. “Let me grab some more wood.”
    “Do you need some help?” she heard herself asking.
    “Nope,” he said. “The woodpile is right in the shelter by the back door.” He left and emerged a few moments later.
    Lydia walked over and watched as he stoked the fire and added more wood. She noticed that he’d put up a little fir wreath on the wall behind the stove.
    “I can’t believe tomorrow is Christmas,” she said.
    “I know.” He stood and faced her. “And I’m sorry you won’t be with your folks.”
    “Could be worse,” she said. “I could be dead.” She looked up into his eyes. “Thank you for saving me…Mason.”
    “You’re welcome, Miss St….”
    “Call me Lydia,” she said.
    “You’re welcome, Lydia. It was my pleasure, at least until you wrecked my snow machine.”
    “Oh…” she’d forgotten about that. “You think you will be able to fix it?”
    “There’s no way of knowing, but I can’t go trying to haul it to the shed in this weather. When the snow stops I’ll dig it out and assess the damage. In the meantime, there’s no need worrying about it, right?”
    “I’m sorry,” she said.
“All is forgiven. You did something wrong, you were punished and you apologized. Consider the slate wiped clean.”
    Lydia colored up at the mention of the spanking, but there was something about his statement that she found comforting. Lydia had been in a couple of short-lived relationships punctuated by mind games and grudges that eventually eroded them away to nothingness. Mason Carter’s approach to slights was different than anything she’d ever experienced.
    “I was going to cut a tree tomorrow,” he said, provided there’s a break in the weather. “You’re welcome to help if you’d like,” he said.
    Lydia smiled. “Yes, I would.” She yawned, suddenly feeling tired.
    “You’ve had a long day,” he said. “You should turn in. Your suitcase is in the room.”
    She thanked him and went to the bedroom that he’d relinquished for her comfort. There was a handmade bed with a high-loft mattress, a dresser and a basin with an old-timey wash basin and stand. A small stove in the room had already been lit. The room was warm and snug, like the rest of the house.
    Lydia had packed her favorite comfortable pajamas - flannel bottoms and knit top - and a pair of plush socks. She slipped into them and used the travel mirror in her bag to check her reflection as she cleaned and moisturized her face.
    She was yawning when she finally climbed under the handmade quilt and snuggled into the soft warmth of the bed. This was not how she had expected to spend Christmas Eve, at the home of a stranger in the woods. At that moment she should have been sitting around her parents’ tree, opening the traditional one gift before the next morning’s big extravaganza of opening the remainder. She had no cell service at Mason’s cabin, and her parents were probably worried sick by now. They’d likely called the airport, the police, everyone. But even if they had, no emergency vehicles could get into the pass. Her selfishness had likely destroyed her parents’ holiday, or at least their Christmas Eve.
    Lydia decided that she had deserved the spanking she’d gotten from Mason. She’d been a bad girl, and while she’d never