Free Blessings of the Heart and Samantha's Gift by Valerie Hansen Page A

was wiping the telephone on his jeans. Bree’s only comment was, “Yuck.”
    “It’ll be okay,” Mitch assured her. “It’s just a little wet, that’s all. He didn’t have it long enough to do any damage.”
    “I thought you said he didn’t chew things.”
    “This is the first time.”
    “That you know of,” she said, holding out her hand. “Give it to me. Let me look.”
    Mitch obliged. “See? I told you. No real damage.”
    “Oh?” Bree said sarcastically. “Then maybe you’d like to tell me how to make this thing work without an antenna.”
    He mumbled under his breath, then set his jaw. “Okay. Don’t panic. That can’t be our only option. What else have you got?”
    “Nothing. Just the normal telephone on the desk.”
    “I don’t believe it! A first-class place like this, and you don’t have a satellite connection?”
    “Hey, don’t yell at me. I never needed anything else until you showed up.”
    “What if you had a real emergency up here? What would you do then, hike down the mountain yourself to bring help?”
    “Don’t be ridiculous.”
    He regarded her with derision. “I’ll bet you don’t even have any hiking boots, do you?”
    “I do so. I’ve worn them once, too.”
    “Wow. I’m impressed. How did you manage to do that without getting them dirty?”
    “You don’t have to be sarcastic. If you must know, I didn’t leave the yard. I wouldn’t have bought boots in the first place if Emma hadn’t insisted I needed them to keep from being bitten by snakes.”
    “Not during the winter. Only at this time of the year,” Mitch said. “You know, you really should get out more. Walk through the woods. Enjoy God’s country. You miss the real beauty of this area by not exploring the wilds. In the spring and summer you can spot new varieties of wildflowers every week. Some of them are so tiny you’d miss them if you weren’t watching where you stepped.”
    “Meaning, I need to stop and smell the roses?”
    “Something like that.”
    “Point taken.” Bree looked from Mitch to the ruined phone and back again. “Well, what’s Plan B? Do we just sit here and stare at each other while we wait for rescue or is there something we can do to help ourselves?”
    “I’m still willing to walk down the road as far as I can and check out the damage. If I can work my way around the washed-out places on foot, I’ll come back for the boys, and we’ll try to make it to the highway.”
    “And then what?” Bree asked. “Hitchhike? That’s a dumb idea under the best of circumstances. You’re not going to put those poor little kids in danger like that. I won’t let you.”
    Mitch’s eyebrows lifted. “Well, well. How come you’re suddenly being so protective?”
    “Survival instinct, I guess. I may not be mother material but I’m not stupid. It’s miles to the highway. Assuming it’s open at all, what makes you think you’d catch a ride easily? And suppose you slipped and were injured trying to navigate the washed-out parts of the dirt roads on the way? Who would take care of your boys and lead them to safety then?”
    “When you’re right, you’re right.” He gave her a wry smile and nodded for emphasis. “In that case, what do you suggest I do to keep the kids occupied? They won’t be happy just sitting and staring at cartoons for a whole day. They’ll get restless.”
    “So, take them outside and play hide-and-seek.”
    “No way. Even if it wasn’t drizzling out there, all I’d need is for one of them to leave the yard and get himself lost in the woods. And don’t forget the snakes. Copperheads can be especially nasty.”
    Her eyes widened in disbelief as she anticipated his thoughts. “Oh, no. You aren’t suggesting they play in the house, are you? Of all the idiotic notions!”
    “Not a fast game like hide-and-seek,” Mitch said. “Do you happen to have any crayons?”
    “I have markers.”
    “No way. Too permanent. Your rugs would never survive if we