Free Road To Love by Courtney Brewer

lessened.
    “I told him I would do whatever I had to, to watch over you.  In this case it came down to following you.”
    “You mean you did follow me from the apartment?”
    “I had a promise to keep.  Are you mad we deceived you?”
    Abigail contemplated that until she slowly shook her head.  She was surprised that she wasn’t angered by the deception.  “Thank you!”
    “You’re thanking me?  What for?”
    “If you hadn’t have followed me, I could still be stuck at the restaurant.”
    He snickered.  “Yeah, but we’re still stuck.”
    “True, but I’m not alone and frankly I’m grateful for that.  I might have a cool exterior, but I am not as brave and I look.”
    “I didn’t think you would ever find being stuck with me an advantage.”
    Abigail smiled.  “There’s first time for everything.”  In that moment she was starting to feel better about the situation.

Chapter 10
     
    Several minutes had passed when Travis decided to try to go back to the truck.  Abigail begged him to let her go too, but he wouldn’t budge.  They didn’t know if the creature, animal or human, was still nearby.  Now as Abigail waited impatiently for his return she feared the worst.  As each minute went by she felt like something had gone dreadfully wrong.  When she heard the door open she let out a sigh of relief.  “Thank GOD you’re back.”  She threw her arms around him; his arms were still full as she held him close.  When she pulled away she realized how truly shocked he was.  “I was worried.”
    “I didn’t think you cared.”
    “I don’t, but that would mean I would have to fend for myself.  Plus, Todd would be pretty mad at me if something happened to you.”
    He laughed.  “Truer words never spoken.”
    Their gaze never swayed from each other.  “Did you get everything?”
    “I did; here are two flashlights, two blankets, and a picnic basket.”
    “What’s in the picnic basket?”
    “I came prepared.  It’s not gourmet, but it will have to do.  Are you hungry?”
    She smiled.  “I am.”
    “I have fruit, cold meat sandwiches, chips, and water.”
    She opened the basket and stared.  “You came with enough food for an army.  Did you plan this accident?”
    She shook his head.  “Yes, I risked my life so that we would be forced to spend the evening together.  Go ahead and eat; I saw some wood outside, I thought we could have a fire.”
    She went on to eating from the basket and waited for him to return.  He carried 4 logs in his arms and Abigail started to laugh when he put in the fireplace.  “Did you forget something?”
    “What?”
    “Um…something to start the fire.”
    “You underestimate me.”  He reached in his pocket and produced a matchbook.  “Always come prepared.”
    “Hm…” she took a bite of her sandwich.  “You surprise me Travis.”
    He turned back to her as the fire started to grow.  “I’m sorry about, well…everything.”
    “There are too many apologies being made.  We’re both sorry and let’s just leave it at that.”
    “Okay; I like that.”  He laid a blanket in front of the fireplace.  “Shall we?”  He grabbed the basket from her and she grabbed the other blanket and joined him in front of the fireplace.  “This should warm this place in no time.”
    “I half expect to see 7 dwarfs walk in at any moment.”
    He laughed.  “Wouldn’t that be something?”  He grabbed a sandwich and took a bite.  “I know that Thanksgiving is tomorrow, but I’ll wake up early and beg someone to come help us.”
    “We don’t even know where we are.”
    “I’ll figure it out.”
    “I believe that.”
    “You do?”  He faced her and she smiled and shrugged.  “We’ll get out of here with as little disruption in our lives as possible.”
    She trusted him and she knew where there was a will, there was a way.  “Thank you for the food.  I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t been so