December 23, 2010

0230

Victorian Bed and Breakfast

Mac woke up with her nose, face, and any other exposed skin almost frozen. She couldn't hear the furnace running anywhere in the house making it almost eerily still. Sitting up, she saw Harm putting logs in the fireplace on the other side of the room.

"Harm, what happened?"

"The electricity went out. Vonda came up and gave me these logs to put in the fireplace." Finally getting the fire going, he put the screen up, washed his hands, and climbed back into bed. "Do you mind if we get closer? I am so cold, and until the room heats up, our body heat is our best bet."

"I guess it's the least I can do since I am partly to blame for your predicament. I did steal your shirt."

"Yeah…you owe me! I am just kidding. Come here, though." Climbing in behind her, he wrapped her arms round her, cocooning her in and warming her up almost instantly. His head was on the pillow right behind hers, and she could feel his breath near her ear. Eventually, his breathing slowed and she could feel him fall asleep. If someone had told her this morning that by the end of the day, she would be in a B&B with Harm, in bed, she never would have believed it.

0440

Mac drifted in and out of sleep. Harm's breath in her ear was not helping her sleep. At one point, she felt something pressing on her stomach. It was his hand, placed protectively over her abdomen. She loved lying like this, but she had to roll over. Flipping, Harm stirred somewhat, and opened his arms, putting them around her so that she could cuddle in to his chest. She did not even know if he was aware of what he was doing, but she was enjoying it. Settling in, she laid her head on his chest and luxuriated in the warmth she found in his bare skin. Then, she slept peacefully.

0730

Harm awoke with the sound of knocking on the door. "Commander? Colonel?" The heat is still out, but we have the fireplace roaring in the fireplaces downstairs. Breakfast will be ready by 8.

With that, Mac stirred, realized that the cold air in the room was still present, and she hunkered down under the covers even farther.

"Mac? Come on. Let's get up and get dressed so we can go eat. Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes, but I am cold. Cold trumps hunger."

"Wow. I am marking that one on the calendar. My marine is turning down food."

Opening only one eye, she looked at him, "Your marine? Really."

"Come on, let's go." With that, Harm flung the covers back, much to Mac's chagrin, and headed to the bathroom. He returned about ten minutes later dressed in a thick woolen sweater and jeans. Mac was still curled up in the bed. Pulling the thick down comforter off of her, Harm picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.

Teeth chattering, she stuttered, "Hey now. I am not Debra Winger, and this is not a paper factory."

"I know, but I am an officer and a gentleman." With that, he put her down and closed the bathroom door. Ten minutes later, she emerged clean-faced, wearing a heavy crimson red sweater and jeans. Even without makeup, she was beautiful. He was the only woman he had ever known, including his mother, who really did look good just out of bed in the morning. He never told her that, and thought it wise to save it for another time.

Walking downstairs side-by-side, the scent of wood smoke and bacon filled the air. They were not the only guests there. Sitting at the table was an older couple, who looked as if they had been married for at least half a century, another clean-shaven young man who looked to be in his early twenties, and a young couple who couldn't have been more than 21 or 22 years old. They all smiled when Harm and Mac reached the bottom of the stairs. Smiling, Harm said, "hello…good morning!" He led Mac to a pair of seats near the fireplace and settled in for breakfast. Just then, Vonda burst through the doors carrying two large platters of food in each hand, balancing another on her forearm. The young man jumped up and offered his help. "Oh, thank you Jimmy."

"Of course, Ma'am. Is there anything else I can help you carry in?"

"Actually, there are two more coffee pots on the counter. Can you grab them while I get the juice pitchers? Thanks."

Returning quickly, Jimmy set the pots on the table and seated himself.

"I think we are all here," Vonda announced. "Admiral, will you say the blessing?"

"Now Vonda, it's Matt. I have not been in the service for a few years. You know that! And yes, I would be happy to. Let's bow our heads. Dear Father, thank you for this shelter from the cold, the nourishment to our bodies, and the fine service. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen."

"Amen," chorused those present . Vonda began passing the platters of eggs, bacon, toast, and sausage to those assembled.

"Did everyone sleep well?" Mac couldn't help but smile. She did sleep fitfully with the furnace issues, but it was the most pleasant sleep she had had in awhile.

"Yes, thank you. I didn't want to get out of bed, actually," she said, giving a pointed look at Harm.

"Well, I was hungry. You can always go back to bed after breakfast if you like." Mac just smiled at Harm, and took a bite of her bacon slice. Winking at him, she continued eating with only the thoughts in her head to entertain her. He shook his head as if to say, 'what am I going to do with you?" and reached for the platter right in front of him.

The guests fell into silence, enjoying the home-cooked food and the warm atmosphere. Across the table, Harm noticed that Jimmy was trying not to stare at Mac, but he would look at her when he thought she was not looking. It was absurd to think that Mac would even consider anything romantic with someone so much younger, but he could not completely ignore the nagging feeling in his gut. All of a sudden, he realized that someone had addressed him and was waiting for a response.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Jimmy just asked you where you went to school," Mac said, looking at him as if he had just grown a second head. "Where were you?"

"Oh, I am sorry. I was just admiring the architecture in the room. It's quite period authentic, isn't it?" Harm lied. Vonda blushed and smiled.

"Yes, we renovated it from the bottom up. I decorated it myself, using old photographs as a reference. This was the only place a traveler could stay in the late 1800's into the turn of the century. It fell into disrepair in the 1970's, but my husband and I fell in love with it. This has been our labor of love, and it has been good to us."

"It shows," Mac agreed. "When was it built?" With that, Vonda launched into her family's tale of the building, hanging on her every word. Harm was interested, but was inwardly puzzled by the feeling he was experiencing. Sitting back, satiated from Vonda's wonderful breakfast, Harm reached his arm around the back of Mac's chair. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jimmy watching them, grimace slightly, and look away. It was a small gesture, but he wanted the younger man to realize that he had no chance of becoming more intimately acquainted with the lovely Colonel Mackenzie.

Vonda finished her tale and stood up to gather the dishes. Mac joined her, "Please. Let me help you."

"Oh, honey, you are a guest. This is my job."

"Vonda, you have taken such good care of us that it is only fitting."

"All right," she chuckled, "put the platters on that counter over there. But that's it!"

Mac stacked some of the platters, with Harm pitching in on the larger, more awkward ones. Soon, they were finished.

"All righty, my dear. You go join that handsome man in there and enjoy yourself. Shoo!"

"Now, Vonda, we're just friends!" Mac protested.

"Yeah, and I am Cleopatra and you are really on my barge on the river De-Nile! Don't think I did not see the way he looks at you, or when he put his arm around you when Jimmy was admiring you from across the table. That man has it bad, mark my words!"

Laughing, Mac could not help herself. This old southern woman was a riot, and she didn't miss a trick. "Really? I hadn't noticed." Mac smiled, and blushed at the thought of Harm getting even a little jealous. She walked back into the main dining room to find Harm looking at the cabinets of games and movies Vonda kept around for the guests.

"Look Mac…Monopoly, Life, Risk. You want to play a game?"

"I haven't played Monopoly in years! Let's try it!" Matt and his wife, Sylvia, were in the room. They asked them if they wanted to join them, but they declined. Sylvia had been very quiet during breakfast, and Matt shared that she wasn't feeling well. As they headed up the stairs, both Harm and Mac saw him pinch her rear, and heard her subsequent giggle, followed by faster running up the stairs.

"Well, " Mac said, barely containing her amusement, "I will bet she won't get much rest for a little while anyway. I hope I am like that at their age."

"Me too...I mean, yes, I am sure you will be." Harm blushed in embarrassment. He had not meant to make such a Freudian slip, but it was the truth. He hoped she would be that way at their age, and what's more, he hoped it was with him. Spending more time together than usual the last few weeks made him question what he really wanted in life and how to attain it. Sarah was becoming more prominent on that wish list. He just wished he knew if she felt the same.

"I win!" Mac exclaimed, bringing Harm out of his reverie. Sure enough, she had. Smiling, he put the board away. He saw her walk over to the window, and look out at the snow and ice that covered the town. Icicles hung from the power lines and houses' edges like lace. It was easy to see why the power had gone out. The ice was so heavy that it broke the lines and the roads were impassable with the snow and the heavy layer of ice on top of it. Absolutely nothing was moving outside. The snow reflected off the ice like a giant mirror. The sun helped warm the room, even though the fire in the large fireplace did help. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and it looked as if they would be spending the holiday there, especially with the way the roads were so treacherous.

"Harm, do you want to go outside and play in the snow? We could build a snow man!"

She was almost like a little girl in her excitement. "Sure. I don't know if we will get far with the ice on top of the snow, though." They went up to their room and got their coats, gloves, and extra sweatshirts. Wrapped up like the Michelin Men, they carefully stepped across the porch, and attempted to traverse the steps that went down into the front lawn. Mac made it down the stairs, but lost her footing on the ice and slid several feet down the small hill that was the front yard.

"Mac! Are you ok?" She was laughing heartily, where she stopped, so he did not think she had hurt herself.

"Can you help me? I think the snowman is a lost cause. You were right."

"I'll try!" He slowly slid his way towards her, and proceeded to follow her example by sliding the exact same way and landing right next to her. Throwing her head back, and breaking out into hearty laughter, Mac threw her arms around Harm's neck and hugged him.

"Nice try, sailor. Any ideas about how to get out of here?" Momentarily stunned at Mac's sudden show of affection and obvious display of joy, he stammered but regained his composure.

"Uh, well, let's crawl back to the porch on all fours. It might work." So, with wet clothes and a lot more giggling, they slipped and slid back up the hill to the porch steps. The water-soaked clothes were so cold, they had to change. Quickly getting back into the house, Vonda laughed at their antics.

"You two made me laugh so hard I almost needed an adult diaper!"

"Yeah, but now our clothes are soaked and we are both freezing. "

"Here," she said, going behind the counter, "I keep these for the honeymoon packages. They are included in your rate; I just forgot to put them in your room." She handed them two robes with the B&B's initials on them.

"Thank you very much!" Mac exclaimed.

"No problem, honey. Put your wet clothes in the laundry bag you will find in your closet, and I will be up in a little while to get them and launder them for you."

"Vonda, are you sure this isn't putting you out?"

"Heavens, no! You two are pure entertainment! It's the least I could do!"

"Thanks, again. Let's go!" They climbed the stairs to their room.