"I'll go see if I can find you another." Annie hurried back to the garage, expertly assessing the drift piled against the garage door as she passed. The plastic shovel just might be strong enough to clear the drifted snow so the door could open to get the car out, but she knew from experience, it would never penetrate the hard-packed icy mound that blocked the driveway by the road. Sam ran back and forth between Jack and Annie, enjoying himself immensely in the fresh fallen snow.
* * *
Annie looked around the garage systematically. Sports equipment, camping gear, bicycles and so on were carefully stacked around the walls of the garage, but she saw no sign of any kind of snow removal equipment. She was becoming chilled very rapidly, due to her already damp clothes.
Annie suddenly remembered the storage shed she had seen in the back yard when she had let Sam out last week, and she hurried around the back to take a look at it, shivering in the cold wind. It was padlocked, but Jack must have a key. She didn't have high hopes, though. Even if there was a snow blower, it would have to have a lot of horsepower to be effective on the frozen snow bank the plow had created. And if it wasn't a two-stage blower, then it didn't stand a chance, no matter what horsepower it was. Metal shovels were probably a better bet, but it would take the two of them hours to clear away enough snow to get the car out of the driveway.
Annie trudged through the snow back to Jack, where she was dismayed to see him still wildly and fruitlessly attacking the bank of snow. He sure is desperate to get rid of me, she thought miserably.
"Jack, do you have a key to the shed out back?" Jack kept up his assault on the frozen pile while she talked. "Do you think there might be a better shovel there or maybe a snow blower?"
"Snow blower!" That got Jack's attention, and he paused in his onslaught. "My neighbor has one! He always uses it to clear my sidewalk, when he does his own. I'll ask him to borrow it." Despite the deep snow, Jack practically ran around the side of the house to his neighbor's yard, with Sam following in his tracks.
* * *
When he got there, he stopped short. The neighbors' house was dark. Either no one was home or they had gone to the bed for the night. Jack guessed the former; if his neighbor had been home, Jack was pretty sure he would have made a few passes through with the snow blower by now, and his walk and driveway were both undisturbed.
Jack almost fell to his knees in his despair. He had to do a better job of taking care of Annie. He just had to!
Jack had always wanted to be the kind of man a woman could count on, the kind of man who would and could provide for a family and protect them. Now, that there was a woman whom he wanted to take care of, to protect, he couldn't even provide her with a way home. He couldn't protect her reputation from gossip and scandal. He felt useless, frustrated, and desperate to come up with some solution.
He heard Annie wade through the deep snow to come stand, shivering, beside him. He tried to wipe the bleak look off his face to reassure her that he would get her home, one way or another.
"I'll think of something, Annie. I will get you home. You can count on it," Jack said with as much conviction as he could muster. He was determined not to let her down.
* * *
Annie pulled her cold, soggy scarf around her face to try to cover her hurt feelings. Frankly, his desperate and futile assault on the snow pile had unnerved her. She had been shocked by how determined he was to get rid of her. She didn't want Jack to know how much pain his frenzied desperation to get her out of his house caused her.
Well, that was fine. She didn't need to stay here. If he was so frantic to be rid of her immediately, she would go. She might not be able to get all the way home, but she could find shelter nearby, where she could wait out the storm until the busses started running again, tomorrow.
"Don't worry about me, Jack. I can take care of myself. I'll just get my things and I'll see you at school on Monday." Annie wanted to hurry away, in case the tears she felt prickling her eyes started to overflow. Was her company really so awful that he couldn't stand to have her around for another second? Maybe he had a girlfriend coming over this evening and he had to get her out of the way, first? Every scenario Annie could come up with to explain Jack's behavior just made her feel more distressed.
"I'll just go get my handbag and then I'll be out of your hair."
She ran for the house and was in the garage kicking the snow off her boots, when Jack and Sam caught up with her.
"Annie, don't be silly! You can't walk home in this weather. You shouldn't be out in it at all. You're already soaked and shivering. Now come in here and—"
"I'm not going to walk home, Jack. I'm not stupid. Or suicidal. I saw a Catholic church just a few blocks away, right by where I got off the bus. I can go there. Churches almost always offer sanctuary in emergencies, and they'll probably let me stay there for the night." She kicked her boots against the step one more time then went into the house to get her handbag.
"I'll be warm enough there until the busses are running again in the morning, and I won't be a burden on you." Annie tried very hard not to let her voice break at the end of her sentence, but she felt a tear leak out of her eye. She only hoped that Jack would attribute it to the cold rather than realize how much he had hurt her by his wild desperation to get rid of her. She hurried through the house, even though she knew she was tracking snow in. She didn't want Jack to get a clear view of her face, where he seemed to be able to read her every emotion.
* * *
Jack was frustrated with his own helplessness, and now, he felt somewhat frustrated with Annie, as well. What was she thinking of, heading out into a storm like this? Going to a church didn't solve the problem.
"Annie, stop it!" Exasperated with her dash toward the front door, Jack quickly stepped in front of her to prevent her from going any farther. "That's not going to help anything! If you go to the church, your friends are still going to wonder where you are tonight and maybe call the police, and everyone will ask you what you were doing out here, and then you'll still have to—"
"My friends won't know where I spent the night." Annie tried to pass by Jack but he simply blocked the doorway so she couldn't get any further. "Sonja and my other friends all left for Mamie's party this morning, and the other girls in my dorm will think I went with them. So you don't have to worry about them. Just toss me my handbag and I'll get out of your hair and leave you alone."
Jack froze for a moment as the impact of Annie's words sunk in, and Annie seized the opportunity to reach around him and snatch up her handbag. She wished she had a chance to pat Sammy goodbye, but at this point, all she wanted was to get out of there.
Annie reached for the doorknob to let herself out, but Jack's hand got there first, blocking her exit, once again.
"Wait a minute, Annie. Are you saying that no one would even notice if you didn't come home tonight?" Could it be? Could his luck be that great? Could she actually spend the night and no one would raise the hue and cry?
* * *
Annie thought the way he phrased the question made her sound lame and pathetic, like no one cared about her. Like no one would even notice if she just disappeared. She had friends! Good friends! They were just in Quebec right now, and her more casual friends would just assume that she had gone with her close friends as planned. Just because Jack couldn't stand to have her around for another second didn't mean that no one liked her.
"If you'll just open the door, I'll leave and you can be rid of me, like you so obviously want to be." Annie refused to look at Jack, keeping her eye trained on the doorknob that he blocked. She was still shivering with cold and her bottom was still tingling from the spanking, but the pain she felt from Jack's eagerness to be rid of her far overwhelmed any other feelings of discomfort.
"What?" Annie's words startled Jack. What in the world was she talking about? "I don't want to be rid of you! But…are you telling me that if you didn't go back to your dorm tonight, no one would report you missing?"
"I have plenty of friends, Jack, but they're not at the dorm tonight, or they think I'm in Canada," Annie replied stiffly. Jack's comments and actions had touched a real nerve with Annie. She often worried why she had never had a boyfriend. Was there something wrong with her? Something unlikable? Because this was something she worried about frequently, she was highly sensitive to any suggestion or evidence that people didn't like her or care about her. Jack's comment implying that no one would even notice if she lived or died had hit her like a blow, not to mention his frantic eagerness to get her out of his house.
"And you certainly were in a hurry to get me out of here. I'm sorry if my presence is so offensive to you. I'll be more careful not to overstay my welcome in the future. In fact—"
"Annie, this is perfect. You can stay here!" Jack started to take his coat off and reached in the closet for a hanger. He was startled when Annie slipped out the front door behind him.
"Annie, Annie, wait! Where are you going? Come back inside. You can stay here." Jack dropped his coat on the floor and rushed out onto the porch. He caught hold of Annie's arm just she reached the top step.
"I wouldn't want to be a burden, Jack. I'll be just fine. In fact, I'll call you from the church and let you know that I'm safe there, so you won't have to worry. Just let me go." Annie tried to pull her arm away, but Jack knelt down on the snowy porch and looked directly into her face.
"Annie, please don't go. Please. I want you to stay. It was all a misunderstanding. I don't want you to go! Please, at least come back in the house and talk to me so I can explain."
Sam had also run out onto the porch, and he was circling around Annie and Jack as if he were trying to herd them back into the house. The front door was wide open and some of the heavily falling snow was swirling inside. Annie was shivering from the cold and she noticed that Jack was also starting to shiver as he knelt there in the snow with no coat on and the wind howling around them. Heading out into the frigid night when she was already wet and cold suddenly seemed crazy.
"Okay," Annie said quietly.
Chapter 15
Jack jumped back to his feet and they returned to the house. Both of them felt a rush of relief when they closed the door behind them.
Jack started talking while they were still in the atrium, but he unwound Annie's scarf and helped her out of her coat while he talked. Sam shook himself repeatedly, scattering snow all around the entryway.
"Annie, I'm so sorry you thought I wanted you to leave. I was just worried that you would be upset if you couldn't get home, and I was so upset with myself for not being better prepared to drive you home. I was afraid you'd be angry at me for not taking better care of you, and I thought you would be worried about what your friends would think if you didn't come home, and… Here, come on in the living room where it's warmer."
Jack left Annie's hat and gloves on the table to dry and led her into the living room. Annie was shivering and her teeth were chattering.
Jack took charge immediately. "You're covered with snow, and so am I. We should both get into some dry clothes right away. Wait here and I'll go get you something to change into."
Jack hurried up the stairs, leaving Annie alone in the cold living room. He had been mistaken about it being warm in there. Because he had left the chimney flue open when they ran out to shovel the drive, and then left the door open when Annie had tried to leave, all the heat in the room had been blown out of it and swept up the flue.
Jack was back in just a moment with some clothes over his arm. "Come on into the laundry room. We can put your wet clothes in the dryer and you can wear these while they dry."
Jack had grabbed one of his tee shirts and a pair of his sweatpants for Annie to wear. When they got to the laundry room, he realized they might as well throw Annie's clothes in the wash first, so that she would have clean clothes to wear in the morning. He added detergent to the washing machine and set the dial, then told Annie to toss her clothes in after she changed into the dry clothes he had brought for her. He left her in the laundry room to change and went up to his room to find some dry clothes for himself.
Annie slipped out of her wet clothes and started the washer. She pulled on the tee shirt Jack had given her, but there was no way she could make the sweatpants fit. They were more than twice as long as they should be for her, and even with the drawstring, she couldn't make them stay up. They kept slipping down and rubbing against her sore bottom. After fussing with them for a few minutes, she gave up. She did wish she hadn't put her panties in the wash, if she didn't have other pants to wear, but the tee shirt came down almost to her knees, and the short sleeves all the way to her elbows, so she was at least decently covered. She folded the sweatpants and headed back out to the living room.
Jack was already there waiting for her. He had changed into dry jeans and a sweater. When he saw Annie coming toward him in just the tee shirt, it took his breath away.
"I couldn't make these fit," she said, handing him the sweatpants.
"Annie, I'm so sorry you thought I wanted to get rid of you. I absolutely did not."
"That's okay. I guess I just…I don't know." Annie hugged herself in the cold room. She didn't want to have to explain to him that she worried a lot about why guys didn't seem to want to be with her, and that his reaction had just touched a nerve with her.
"You're still cold, how about if we build a fire?" Now would be the perfect time to talk to her. They could sit close together in front of a romantic fire…
"It's pretty late, and I'm really tired," Annie interrupted Jack's reverie. She felt a little embarrassed about being around Jack wearing nothing but a large tee shirt, not to mention the fact that she was still cold. What she needed was to curl up under the covers and thaw out. "If you could just loan me a blanket, I'll be fine sleeping here on the couch."
"You don't need to sleep on the couch. I have a guest room upstairs. No one has slept there since my sister visited me this summer, but I know the sheets are clean." Jack tried not to show how very disappointed he was that she wanted to go to bed so soon.
"I don't want to be any trouble…" Annie began.
"Annie, you're no trouble. I want you to stay here. I want you to be comfortable. I want to take care of you." Annie did look tired and even paler than usual. She wasn't shivering anymore, but she was hugging herself with cold and he could see goose bumps on her calves where her legs stuck out of the tee shirt. Jack wanted to take her in his arms and warm her up, but he had to talk to her first and make sure she didn't object, and he couldn't talk to her while she was standing there in the cold. He sighed with frustration, but he tried to look on the bright side. At least, Annie was here with him and would be here when they woke up in the morning. When she was fresh and comfortable and he had made her a nice breakfast, maybe then would be a good time to talk.
"I have a guest room and a guest bathroom, and I even have an extra toothbrush for you. I got it from the dentist last month when I had my teeth cleaned, and I usually use an electric toothbrush, so it's brand new. Come on up and I'll get it for you." Jack was determined to be a good host now. He had almost blown it by trying to get her home and making her think he didn't want her here, and he wanted to make up for that. He would put aside his own needs and wants and focus on Annie's needs. She was cold and tired, and he was determined that he would take better care of her now.
Annie looked around the guest bathroom while she brushed her teeth. It didn't have a magnificent tub like the master bath off Jack's bedroom did, but it did have a shower. A hot shower sounded great to Annie, but she didn't see any bath towels. There was a tiny hand towel on the rack by the sink, but it wouldn't be anywhere near big enough to dry off with after a shower. And the only soap she could find was the small fancy pump container of hand soap by the sink. She might be able to make do with that, but she would need to ask Jack for a towel.
She went out into the hall but she didn't see any sign of Jack. His bedroom door was shut, as were all the other doors. Had he alrea
dy gone to bed? Should she just find the guest bedroom and go to bed herself? She had just placed her hand on the doorknob to the room she assumed was the guest room when suddenly she heard Jack coming up the stairs.
"Annie, would you like a sandwich before bed? If you're hungry, I could make you something to eat." Jack tried not to sound as hopeful as he felt. Annie looked almost irresistible to him dressed in just his tee shirt, and if he made her something to eat, he could spend more time with her before she went to bed.
Annie wasn't eager to go back downstairs, where it was several degrees colder than it was upstairs due to the cold wind that had blown through when the door and flue were open. Even if they built a fire, it would take a long time to warm up down there, not to mention the fact that she was wearing nothing but an oversized tee shirt. "Umm, it's way past the time I usually go to bed, and I just want to crawl under the blankets and go to sleep."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Annie regretted them. She had wanted to ask to take a shower, and now she couldn't, because she had said she just wanted to go to sleep. Or maybe she still could? She could say she just wanted to take a shower and then go to bed? But Jack was already speaking.
"Sure, of course!" Jack hid his disappointment by speaking quickly. "I didn't mean to keep you up when you had already said how tired you were. I just wanted to make sure you weren't hungry. Well, I'm pretty tired myself after all that struggle with the snow. I'll just be right across the hall. You know where to find me, if you need anything." He hurried into his own room before he gave into the temptation to kiss her goodnight.
"Goodnight!" Annie called after him. Oh well, she would just take her shower in the morning. She should warm up pretty soon, once she got under the blankets.
Submitting To Her Professor Page 15