Dominic and Walt shook hands one more time and then Leesa and Dominic climbed into the Blazer, with Leesa again getting behind the wheel.
As she pulled out of the driveway, they could see Walt thumbing through the thick sheaf of bills and smiling. He looked up for a moment when Leesa again beeped twice to warn any oncoming traffic. She grinned. He was probably afraid they had changed their minds.
“I didn’t want this thing registered in your name, just in case,” Dominic said.
“I understand.” Leesa liked all the little ways Dominic was always trying to protect her. “Do you mind if we take this thing for a real test drive?”
Dominic raised his dark eyebrows. “What do you have in mind?”
Leesa smiled. “Well… I wouldn’t mind seeing Rave.”
Dominic laughed. “Go for it,” he said.
Leesa headed east on Washington Street, down the hill toward the river and then over to the beautiful arched steel Arrigoni Bridge. Once they crossed the bridge, it was all she could do to keep driving at a steady fifty miles per hour. She didn’t feel safe going any faster on the slick road, but her foot seemed to want to press down on the gas pedal so she could see Rave a little sooner.
She had driven to the Maston settlement once before, so she knew where the isolated turnoff was. Even so, she almost passed right by it, because the rutted dirt road had not been plowed—it was really more of a wide path than a road anyhow—and was almost indistinguishable in the darkness from the surrounding area. She found a spot along the side of the highway where the plow had pushed the snow back a bit farther than elsewhere and guided the Blazer into it.
“I forgot the road wouldn’t be plowed,” she said, disappointed. “It’s a pretty far walk through all this snow.” In truth, she didn’t see how they would be able to manage it—too bad she hadn’t asked Walt if he had a plow attachment for the Blazer.
“And you can’t call him to tell him we’re here,” Dominic said, smiling as he recalled their earlier conversation about cell phones.
“Ha! You’re right about that,” Leesa said.
A wild idea suddenly popped into her head. Maybe she could take advantage of Rave’s acute hearing. What the heck, she thought. They were here, it wouldn’t hurt to try.
“Maybe I can call him,” she said.
She turned off the engine and climbed out of the car. Away from the heater, the cold immediately enveloped her, so she quickly zipped up her parka. Dominic got out and came around beside her. It was so very quiet out here. The soft ticking of the Blazer’s engine seemed unnaturally loud in the stillness. The silence was perfect for her plan, though. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.
“Rave! I’m out here on the highway. Come get me before I freeze to death.”
She felt a little foolish, shouting into the darkness like this. Rave was almost certainly inside somewhere. She wondered if he’d be able to hear her yell through whatever walls might be between them.
She got her answer less than two minutes later. Rave came walking up the unplowed roadway almost as if it had already been cleared, rather than covered in two feet and more of drifted snow. He was dressed only in a gray T-shirt and jeans. Out here, he had no need to conceal his nature by wearing heavier clothes. She couldn’t see his feet behind all the snow, but guessed he was probably only wearing his moccasin style shoes.
Leesa felt her heart grow warm as she watched him approach. The pale moonlight glinted off his coppery hair and a big smile seemed to light up his handsome face from within. She knew he must have ratcheted up his inner heat, because the snow in front of him was melting even before his legs touched it. The familiar tiny blue flames on his fingertips that were the only outward manifestation of his inner fire seemed brighter than usual in the darkness, reflecting off the snow in an eerie blue glow. Tiny bits of steam, also
As she pulled out of the driveway, they could see Walt thumbing through the thick sheaf of bills and smiling. He looked up for a moment when Leesa again beeped twice to warn any oncoming traffic. She grinned. He was probably afraid they had changed their minds.
“I didn’t want this thing registered in your name, just in case,” Dominic said.
“I understand.” Leesa liked all the little ways Dominic was always trying to protect her. “Do you mind if we take this thing for a real test drive?”
Dominic raised his dark eyebrows. “What do you have in mind?”
Leesa smiled. “Well… I wouldn’t mind seeing Rave.”
Dominic laughed. “Go for it,” he said.
Leesa headed east on Washington Street, down the hill toward the river and then over to the beautiful arched steel Arrigoni Bridge. Once they crossed the bridge, it was all she could do to keep driving at a steady fifty miles per hour. She didn’t feel safe going any faster on the slick road, but her foot seemed to want to press down on the gas pedal so she could see Rave a little sooner.
She had driven to the Maston settlement once before, so she knew where the isolated turnoff was. Even so, she almost passed right by it, because the rutted dirt road had not been plowed—it was really more of a wide path than a road anyhow—and was almost indistinguishable in the darkness from the surrounding area. She found a spot along the side of the highway where the plow had pushed the snow back a bit farther than elsewhere and guided the Blazer into it.
“I forgot the road wouldn’t be plowed,” she said, disappointed. “It’s a pretty far walk through all this snow.” In truth, she didn’t see how they would be able to manage it—too bad she hadn’t asked Walt if he had a plow attachment for the Blazer.
“And you can’t call him to tell him we’re here,” Dominic said, smiling as he recalled their earlier conversation about cell phones.
“Ha! You’re right about that,” Leesa said.
A wild idea suddenly popped into her head. Maybe she could take advantage of Rave’s acute hearing. What the heck, she thought. They were here, it wouldn’t hurt to try.
“Maybe I can call him,” she said.
She turned off the engine and climbed out of the car. Away from the heater, the cold immediately enveloped her, so she quickly zipped up her parka. Dominic got out and came around beside her. It was so very quiet out here. The soft ticking of the Blazer’s engine seemed unnaturally loud in the stillness. The silence was perfect for her plan, though. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.
“Rave! I’m out here on the highway. Come get me before I freeze to death.”
She felt a little foolish, shouting into the darkness like this. Rave was almost certainly inside somewhere. She wondered if he’d be able to hear her yell through whatever walls might be between them.
She got her answer less than two minutes later. Rave came walking up the unplowed roadway almost as if it had already been cleared, rather than covered in two feet and more of drifted snow. He was dressed only in a gray T-shirt and jeans. Out here, he had no need to conceal his nature by wearing heavier clothes. She couldn’t see his feet behind all the snow, but guessed he was probably only wearing his moccasin style shoes.
Leesa felt her heart grow warm as she watched him approach. The pale moonlight glinted off his coppery hair and a big smile seemed to light up his handsome face from within. She knew he must have ratcheted up his inner heat, because the snow in front of him was melting even before his legs touched it. The familiar tiny blue flames on his fingertips that were the only outward manifestation of his inner fire seemed brighter than usual in the darkness, reflecting off the snow in an eerie blue glow. Tiny bits of steam, also
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