The Christmas Phoenix Read Online Free Page A

him.
    "Whoa. I come in peace. If you want me to go away, just say so. I saw you across the yard, and it looked like you were having trouble getting to your woodpile. So I rode across. I didn't mean to sneak up on you, but I figured you'd hear the motor." He gestured toward the snowmobile.
    Her features relaxed and she put the shovel down. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone."
    Jake nodded. "Your power out too?"
    "Yes. It's getting a little chilly in there, so I wanted to bring some of this wood inside."
    "I'll help."
    Together they knocked off the rest of the snow. A thick layer of ice had formed under it. They cracked through the ice, and uncovered the wood. Jake frowned at the pile. "Do you have more wood somewhere else? That's not going to last you very long."
    "I know, but it should at least warm up the house a little, and then I figured I'd gather up more of the branches and stuff around the yard. If I have to, I'll call someone to see if I can buy some."
    "You've got a lot of wood all around the house."
    "Yes, but I've never used a chain saw. There’s one in the shed, but it hasn’t been used since Doug died.”
    â€œI’ll take a look at it. If it works, I’ll help you cut up some of these dead trees,” he offered as they carried some of the logs inside to the wood stove in the den.
    She beamed at him, and he felt his heart speed up. "Thank you. That would be great."
    Jake watched as Jess opened the damper and started a fire in the stove. He had always admired a self-sufficient woman and this one in particular managed quite well on her own. He wondered how long she'd been a widow, and then chastised himself for his curiosity. There was no way he could burden her with his problems. He was so deep in debt he had nothing to offer, and with a bum leg he was no prize. Still, he couldn't stop the feeling of protectiveness he felt whenever she was near. Maybe it was because she was so tiny compared to his six-foot-plus frame, but he wanted to take care of her, even though she seemed capable of taking care of herself.
    Rory shuffled into the kitchen, poured himself a glass of orange juice and took it into the den, where he plopped down onto the couch and picked up the television remote.
    â€œMom, the TV’s not working.”
    â€œI know. The power’s out. That’s why I’ve been outside getting wood.”
    â€œOh.” He put down the remote and picked up a video game.
    Jess’ phone rang and she excused herself to answer it. While she talked, Jake looked over at her son.
    H e was taller than his mother, and looked pretty healthy. Why was he sitting there on the couch while his mom did all the work?
    "Hey, kid."
    The boy's fingers stopped, but his head didn't move. It was difficult to see his eyes through the hair covering his face. He'd just have to assume he had the kid's attention.
    "Your mom's been working pretty hard out there. Why don't we help her out?"
    The boy didn't move for a while, and Jake wondered if he'd overstepped. Finally the boy shrugged, and stood. Jake stood almost eye-to-eye with him. He wanted to shake the kid and ask why he would let his tiny mom work so hard, but held himself back. He didn't have the right. Better to just suggest strongly and hope the kid got the message.
    "If the power is out for a long time, you two will need a lot of wood. More than what she has out there. I'll start cutting, and you can bring it to the side of the house. Okay?"
    His words were again met with a shrug, but at least the kid was up. Jake wondered what it would take to elicit a verbal response, but decided a shrug was better than a refusal. Best to pick his battles, he supposed.
    He held his tongue again when the boy grabbed a sweatshirt before following him to the shed. Did he really think a sweatshirt was good enough to protect him from the sub-zero temperature? Well, the boy was old enough to know better.
    Jake found the chainsaw and got it to work. He and Rory went