Baby it's Cold Outside

There was a heavy sleet falling and the wind was whipping the treetops but it was warm in front of the fire. I had worked most of the day but had finally given up, as the weather got worse. By the time I got home, the roads were icy and the traffic slow and careful. I fixed an early supper and opened a bottle of wine.

With the kitchen cleaned up, I was relaxing in front of the fire when the lights went out. A few candles here and there solved that problem. I could go out and start the emergency generator but why bother, the fireplace kept my small house warm all by itself.

A little later, I dozed off in my recliner. I woke up to someone banging on my front door. As I went to open it, I called out, "Hold your horses, I'll be right there."

I opened the door to find an older woman dressed for a party, not freezing weather. She had on a light jacket but it was more a windbreaker than a true coat. Her dress ended a few inches above her knees and was whipping around in the wind.

"I was beginning to think no one was home," she said with chattering teeth.

"Please, come inside and get warm, you look frozen. I was napping and the power is off. What happened?"

"My car slid off the road and I can't get it out of the ditch," she said as she came in.

I closed the door and told her, "Come sit by the fire and warm up. Let me get the comforter off the couch."

"Thank you. I don't think I would have lasted much longer out there."

"Didn't the heater in your car work?" I asked as I watched her rub her bare hands together and then hold them close to the fire. My mind noted her nice legs and fine ass as she bent at the waist. I'm such a dirty old man at times. Well, all of the time actually.

I handed her the comforter. As she wrapped it around her shoulders, she said, "My car stalled when I slipped off the road and I couldn't get it started again. There was a lot of water in the ditch and I'm afraid something got wet that shouldn't have. My shoes are soaked."

"Let me get you a towel and a pair of heavy socks. Cold wet feet are a sure way to get a cold, my Grandmother always told me."

"Smart woman, your Grandmother," the woman said as I left the room carrying one of the candles.

When I returned, she had her shoes off and her pantyhose in her hand. "Is there someplace I could hang these to dry?" She asked shyly.

I handed her the towel and the socks, and took the pantyhose. "I have just the place for them. My wife always dried hers by hanging them on the shower rod. It's been a long time but I think I can remember how she used to hang them."

"Your wife doesn't wear pantyhose anymore?"

"I doubt it, she passed away about ten years ago. She probably doesn't need them in heaven," I said as I headed back to the bathroom.

"Oh!" I heard her say after a second or two.

When I returned, she had folded the blanket up and removed her jacket. She had the socks on, and was backed up to the fire. She wiggled her toes and smiled when she saw me looking at the socks. They were large on her, almost like short knee socks. What can I say; I have big feet.

The dress was your basic little black number. Every woman has one and most look good in them. This lady was no exception. The square cut neckline showed a good bit of cleavage, the waist was snug and trim, and the slightly flared skirt showed off her hips and legs. Not bad at all.

"If you're hungry, I just finished supper and there are some leftovers." I told her.

"No, I'm fine, I ate before I left home. I had an idea that I should have stayed home but I wanted to meet my brother's fiancé. They are leaving for England shortly and this will be my one and only chance for a while. That's where I was headed when I ran off the road."

"Does he live close by, I have a four wheel drive truck. I could take you there."

She shook her head. "No, he's another two hours south of here and I'd rather not impose on you anymore than I have. There's no need for two people to be in the ditch on my account."

"It's no problem and you're welcome to stay here, if you'd rather. I have an extra bedroom and it will be easier to get your car unstuck in the daylight. The phone is over there, if you want to call your brother and let him know where you are."

"Thank you, I probably should do that. He'll worry if I don't."

I went into the kitchen to give her a little space and privacy. I refilled my wine glass when I did. I filled a second glass for her.

*****

She was hanging the phone up when I returned. I held the glass out to her saying, "Here, this will help warm you up."

She looked at the glass and hesitated a second before she took it. "I don't drink much," she told me with a shy smile.

"One glass won't hurt you. If it did, I'd have been dead a long time ago."

I sat down in my chair and said, "I'm Mike, Mike Reed."

"Betty, Betty Smith. I'm glad to meet you Mr. Reed and I sure appreciate your hospitality."

"It's Mike to my friends, Mr. Reed was my daddy and he died a long while back."

Betty smiled and sat down on the hearth with her back to the fire. "You live kind of out in the middle of nowhere, don't you. This was the only house I'd seen for a while."

"North of me there ain't much but there's a town about a mile or so on down the road," I told her.

"Is there a motel there, I hate to impose myself on anyone."

"Like I said, you aren't imposing, the company is appreciated and no, there's no motel in the town or the next one for that matter. Not many travelers stop around here, there's nothing to do or for them to see," I said softly.

Betty sipped her wine and then sipped it again. "This is very good. Blackberry, isn't it?"

"Yes, I make it myself. It's got a little more kick than the store bought stuff and a lot better taste. My Grandmother taught me how to make it when I was just a little kid. The blackberries grow wild down in the creek bottom behind the house. It would be a shame to let them go to waste."

She took another sip of the wine and then sighed softly. "It does warm the insides."

I nodded and took a sip of my own. "They say its good for the blood and digestion also," I said just to make conversation. It had been a while since I had entertained a woman and I was a little nervous and a lot rusty.

Glancing up at the clock over the mantle, it was nearly ten. I shook my head. "It can't be that late."

Betty looked at her watch and nodded. "I'm afraid it can be. I left home around five and expected to be in Houston before now. If I was home, I'd be in bed by now."

"It's well past my bedtime also."

The conversation lagged and I stood up. "I guess I should show you to your room. It's at the end of the hall. I don't have any of my wife's nightgowns left, my daughter confiscated them all, but I do have a rather large t-shirt."

"I have an overnight bag in the car...." She started and then sighed. "But it's much too late to try and retrieve it."

"No problem. Where are your keys?" I said turning toward the front door and my coat.

"The t-shirt will be fine. Tomorrow is good enough to worry about my bag."

"My daughter uses that bedroom and bathroom so there's at least a hair brush and I think there's a new toothbrush in the medicine cabinet." I told her as I turned toward my bedroom to get the t-shirt.

I came back with a black t-shirt a minute or so later. I picked up a candle and turned toward the hallway. "I can go turn on the generator if you want a shower," I said as she followed me down the hall.

"I'm good," she said as I stopped at the bedroom door and held the t-shirt out to her. She smiled and took it and then the candle. "Thank you. You have been so kind."

I nodded. "I'll see you in the morning, then."

"Good night," she said as she stepped inside the bedroom and looked around.

"There are extra blankets in the closet," I said. "And good night."

She stood and watched me as I went back down the hall to the living room.

*****

I awoke a little after daylight and took care of my morning business. Once I had the coffee pot ready and the fire in the fireplace built back up, I slipped on my coat and went out to start the emergency generator. When I came back in, Betty was sitting at the breakfast bar looking at me. "Is that coffee I smell?"

Nodding, I took off my jacket. "We also have water, heat, and electric. So a hot shower should be ready shortly."

She smiled and nodded. "Coffee first. Anyway, I thought the fireplace and candles were quite sexy last night."

I chuckled and turned to the cabinet over the coffee pot and got out two mugs. "I haven't worried about sexy in a long time but I did like the little black dress you had on last night."

As I filled the mugs, Betty got off the stool and came around the counter to stand next to me. I glanced around at her. She had on the black t-shirt that was huge on her and came down to mid thigh. She had my long socks on her feet. I smiled and whispered, "That outfit ain't bad either."

She laughed and picked up one of the mugs.

"Sugar or milk?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Black is fine."

I stirred a teaspoon of sugar into mine. "I need the bitter edge cut off the top."

She nodded. "My late husband was the same way."

"There's a foot of snow out there and everything is iced over."

She shivered and then walked over to the drapes covering the patio doors at the back of the kitchen. She looked out and shivered again. "It looks beautiful but I hate cold."

"The older I get, the more I like heat."

She turned around and sighed. "I slept like a log. I don't usual sleep well unless I'm in my own bed."

"A combination of the adrenalin wearing off from running in the ditch and probably a bit of the wine."

"It is so peaceful and quiet here, also."

I nodded. "So quiet you can hear your own heartbeat," I said softly.

Betty smiled and then chuckled. "I wondered what that was."

I smiled at her as I walked around to take a seat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. She smiled shyly back at me as she walked over and leaned on the end of the counter. "I feel like one of those heroines in a romance story."

I cocked my head to the side as I thought about that. A moment later, I said, "I'm no hero. I'm just an old guy with a warm house."

"Not to mention warm socks and a very large t-shirt."

"Big feet and a daughter that doesn't look at sizes when she shops," I replied with a grin.

She laughed and nodded. "I have a daughter like that."

"Why is your son going to England?" I asked, remembering her comment from the night before.

"A job offer he couldn't refuse is how he explained it."

"I had one of those back in the day but it was Australia."

Betty sighed. "I've never been out of this country. In fact, I've only been out of this state three times."

"There is some beautiful country out there and I've seen a lot of it but this is always home."

"My husband and I always talked about traveling and the places we would go. None of it ever happened for one reason or another. Kids, family, bills, health issues, more bills. The list was always endless."

"Yeah, life has a way of drowning dreams," I said with a sigh. Then with a shake of my head I stood up. "Time for breakfast and a change in attitude."

Betty chuckled. "Breakfast has a way of changing a lot of things."

I looked at her for a second before I grinned and asked, "Are we talking breakfast, breakfast or something else?"

A light blush came to her face under my question and stare. "I'll, uh, never tell," she whispered with her eyes averted.

I chuckled as I picked up my mug and started into the kitchen. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased you. After all, I don't know you that well."

Betty sat her mug on the counter and stepped in front of me. The next thing I knew, she had her arms around my neck and was kissing the hell out of me. After a moment of shock, I sat my mug next to hers and returned the kiss. As our tongues dueled, I had the feeling I should have smoke coming out of my ears. My hands caressed her back from her shoulder blades to the swell at the top of her ass.

From the feel of things, there was nothing but her under that t-shirt. By the time, she broke the kiss and laid her head against my chest, my manhood was a hard ridge in the front of my jeans. That hadn't happened in a while. Of course, it had been about the same amount of time since I had last had a kiss like this.

With a shiver, Betty lifted her head and looked up at me. "Uh, maybe I shouldn't have done that," she whispered a few seconds later.

"You won't hear any complaining out of me," I replied with a wink. "It's been a while since I've shared a kiss like that."

She shivered and laid her head against my chest again. A moment later, she nodded. "Me too," she whispered and then let out a soft giggly laugh. "You kiss a whole lot better than I thought you would."

"I'm kind of out of practice, shall we say."

She looked up at me quickly and groaned softly. "If you're out of practice, I'm going to be in a world of trouble when you get some practice."

With a chuckle, I said, "I'll be a gentleman and take it easy on you."

She shivered and laid her head against my chest again. "That's one of the reasons for the kiss. You were such a gentleman last night. For a long while, I was worried about you making a pass at me and then.... Well, then, I got a little annoyed that you hadn't."

I chuckled and nodded. "You sound just like my late wife after our first date. I didn't try to take her to bed that night and the next morning, she was all pissed off about it. One of those damned if you do and damned if you don't kind of things."

"Exactly," Betty said as she stepped back from me and picked up the two coffee mugs. She held one out toward me and grinned. "Now about this breakfast you were talking about...."

"Breakfast for us or breakfast for me?" I asked with a grin as I teased her again.

She frowned and replied, "It had better be breakfast for both of us in both cases. What's good for the goose, is good for the gander."

I lifted my eyebrows and winked at her. "I like your way of think but right now, I think bacon and eggs are in order."

She smiled as she turned toward the counter. "Don't forget the toast."

I chuckled as I moved toward the icebox. "Toast is always a gimme unless there are biscuits."

*****

I had opened the drapes next to the breakfast table before we started to eat. I had fried the bacon while Betty made the toast. The eggs only took a few minutes to scramble. She had refilled our coffee mugs and had them on the table by the time I dished up breakfast.

Betty looked out the window at the blanket of snow and shivered. "So clean looking but so cold looking also."

"We'll have to find you something warmer than that little black dress to wear when we go get your car."

"Can't we just call a wrecker to come get it?"

"Why spend the money if you don't have too. I have a truck, a chain, and a nice shop to tow it to. I'll turn the heat up, dry it out, warm it up and it should start with no problem," I told her.

She nodded and smiled at me. "If you say so. I know little to nothing about cars."

"I've worked on cars most of my life. Either my own cars or racecars that I owned."

"You raced cars? What kind and where? My husband raced dirt cars for a good number of years."

"I raced on dirt, on asphalt, even on road courses back in my younger days. I knew several Smiths. Maybe I knew your husband."

She gave me his name but it didn't ring any bells. We talked about racing while we finished breakfast.

*****

After the kitchen was cleaned up, we headed for the spare bedroom. I dug out a set of my daughter's long johns, a flannel shirt, insulated coveralls, and a coat. In the pockets of the coat was a stocking cap and gloves. Next, I found a pair of boots.

Betty grinned as she eyed the stack of clothes. "Are we preparing for a polar expedition?"

"That t-shirt would be colder than your little black dress," I pointed out.

She shivered hard and whispered, "I was so cold last night."

"You're warm now, so get dressed," I said as I turned toward the door.

"Thank you again," she said quickly.

"You're very welcome," I replied as I exited the room and shut the door.

*****

I was standing next to the front door as she came into the living room. She had everything on, including the gloves and stocking cap. I was dressed except for my gloves. I had changed my work boots out for a pair of rubber ones.

Opening the front door, I said, "One artic expedition, right this way." She chuckled as she headed for the door. "We'll have to walk part of the way, my sled dogs are on vacation somewhere warm."

She laughed as she passed me and went out the door. "You make everything fun, don't you?"

"It's always better to laugh than to cry," I replied as I followed her outside.

"Your Grandmother?" She asked as we walked through the snow toward the shop.

"Nope, that one is mine. It comes from lots and lots of experience."

She nodded and sighed. "I can see that. I cried a lot after my husband died."

"Been there, done that," I said as I opened the shop doors."

My truck was parked inside. I took a moment to start the shop heater and then we got into the truck. I fired it up and backed out. I stopped and went to shut the shop door. As I got back in the truck, I said, "That will give it a head start on getting warm inside."

*****

The water in the ditch had a thin coating of ice on it. I waded in and hooked my chain under the front bumper. The leg of my pants got wet since I had to kneel down to get the chain in place. Even with the little car in park, my truck had no problem pulling it up onto drier ground.

I had her get into the car and try to start it. It turned over but grudgingly. "Okay, leave the key on and put it in neutral. Have you ever been towed before?"

"Not in a car," she said with a grin.

"Funny," I said with a wink and added, "Without the motor running, the steering is going to be harder and the brakes are going to take more pressure."

She nodded. "The motor died on my husband's old truck way back when, so I know about that."

The highway in front of my house is four lanes, with wide paved shoulders, and a paved median down the middle. "We have plenty of room here and I'll take it slow. First, I'm going to pull us forward until we are straight on the shoulder. Keep a light pressure on the brake so the chain stays tight."

I paused and she nodded. "When traffic is clear, I'll wave at you and then we'll make a turn across the whole highway to the other shoulder. After that, we go down to my driveway and make a turn in there. I'll drive past the shop and then wave for you to stop."

She took a deep breath and said, "That sounds easy enough."

I smiled reassuringly at her and said, "Piece of cake."

*****

Everything went as planned. After she stopped, I backed up and removed the chain from both vehicles. When I came back to her car, she was looking at it and then at the shop door. I chuckled and said, "Now the real work begins."

"We push?" She asked.

"We push," I confirmed.

She groaned and started for the back of the car. I grinned and leaned inside to turn the wheels as far left as I could. The ground was level but the snow somewhat hindered us but it wasn't bad getting the car in front of the shop door.

With it in place, I opened the shop doors and went inside. I returned with a cable with a chain on the end of it. I hooked the chain under the front end. "You steer. Just keep it straight and I'll do the rest."

She gave me a funny look and got into the car as I went back into the shop.

I heard her laugh as I started to winch the car inside. "You are prepared for everything," she called out with another laugh.