I placed her on the bed noticing how peaceful she looked noting that I really liked picking her up; she felt good in my arms, made me feel all manly.

But I was uneasy about her temperature and didn’t want anything to happen to her while she was in my care.   

I got more aspirin and placed the tablet between her lips. Four was the limit and I decided to halt the aspirin for a while and to wait things out.

The storm was getting worse and louder. The mountain team, if they missed her, would not be up here for at least a day or so.  Checking, I tried to make a cell phone call and, just as I suspected, the tower was down. The tower always went down in storms, at least two days.

Nothing to do, I thought, but hunker down.

Turning back to take another look at her, I gave her a last glance, deciding to let her rest. I could use the time to get back to work on the book.

I thought I would probably not get much done but it was something to do while watching over her.

I must have gone to sleep because I heard a sound and looked up to see her standing there with the comforter around herself, sweating, looking sicker than ever.
   
'Whoa” I said you should…”  But before I could finish the sentence she started to fall.

I caught her, picked her up, hearing her say, “I feel sick, really sick.”   

There was no getting her out. The snow storm had picked up and the windows were icing; the lines were down and it wasn’t looking good.

I put her back to bed and got on the CB, cranking up hoping that Pete or somebody would hear me. I got nothing, nothing at all. We, both of us, were going to be here for a while.

I went to her bedside looking at her, studying her face now flushed, feeling both a bit paternal and maternal. She looked like an angel, a sick angel to be sure, but this angel I thought, was my responsibility and I didn’t want anything to happen to her.
 
That angelic face looked up at me and she reached out, eyes blurry, putting both her arms around me, nestling her face onto my shoulder and blubbered.

It was warm blubber and I smiled to myself, feeling the warmth of it spread into my shirt. I held her, and held her until she went limp and fell into sleep.  It made me smile.

I decided to get another cold compress for her moving to the bathroom to get a towel to swab her forehead. Coming back, I dabbed her forehead, and she seemed grateful, then I swabbed her arms.

My, my I was thinking, and suddenly I remembered where the thermometer was, in my backpack, and I moved to get the backpack from the truck, taking a last look at her, before I left, to be sure she was going to stay put.

 Thermometer in hand, I checked her read-out which had settled in at 102. Not great but not as bad as it could have been. Settling in the chair beside the bed I decided to give the cell phone another try, but no luck, nothing.

Back to the cold compresses; this time I took a chance and applied the cold compress to her body because I suspected the long underwear were not helping in getting her temperature down. I pressed the cloth carefully avoiding her breasts focusing on her rib cage area, and her color bone, her head, arms and forehead.  I heard her whisper “thank you” and she drifted off again after whispering ‘oh, that feels good.”

I glanced up at my inside-outside thermometer on the wall. The inside temp was sixty-five degrees, but the outside temperature was seven below and looked like it was going to go down even further as the night wore on.

I reached out and held her hand for a while and then I left her side to get the outside generator going and to get some candles. Cold like that would probably mean the lights would go out. I thought I had better be prepared. I put some wood on the fire and came back to her side sitting down and suddenly feeling a little light headed my self. I began to wonder if I had the bug too.

   
After a time she awaken and sat up looking at me bleary-eyed.
 
She said, ”Didn't know where I was at first. And you? Did I faint?”

“Sort of” I said, disappointed that she was up.
 
I had hoped to get back to writing something more while she slept. But she was up now. I had to give up that idea for a while.

“Sorry for all the trouble, she said.  No trouble” I said lying,

“no trouble at all.”
 
“You know,” I began slowly saying “it would not have hurt to tell me the truth about why you are here. I still would have helped.”

She averted her eyes, and said “I know. I know. I should have been honest with you.” She paused a long moment. “Except I woke up here and I realized the situation…I didn't know you…” Her voice trailed off.

Looking at her, I was struck; she was looking better. She was rebounding a little, more animated.
  
“What” I said “is a nice lady like you doing up here in a snow storm serving papers?”
 
I could see she was debating whether or not to tell me all of the truth. She didn't say anything until, at length, she said:

'Well the hearing is in 30 days, I had  only until yesterday to get them to you. Otherwise....”
 
The truth was she had taken the assignment voluntarily because she knew of him and came up at her Dad’s suggestion. Dad had shown her his book jacket saying, “Been coming up the last three years or so. Thought you might want to meet him.”

Dad was playing match-maker-again. She looked at the book jacket and clucked “Humm, ok.”  Dad urged me to do the papers and at the same time take a look for myself.
  
She decided she would come up and have a look for herself.

Despite not feeling well she had made the trip forgetting about the heavy snow warnings.

At 35, she was tired of bars and looking.

She got a good look at him sitting there. He didn't disappoint.
He was a good looking man. And, sick or not, she had liked the feel of his big hands and the look of his arms, his big arms. She liked sexy arms, she liked his arms.

 Chapter Six

But he was gone again as she started to drift off again. He came back moments later with a paper cup, and what looked like cough syrup.

She hadn’t been totally honest with him, she thought, taking the cup and starting to sip. She was no real process server.  Her Dad was the local US attorney and she was visiting for the holidays, she herself, was an attorney in New York.

Her Dad excitedly told her of his arrival to write; it was the buzz of the town and Dad casually mentioned it her, saying it would be nice if “someone” could take care of a little errand for him. “Here is what he looks like.” he said pushing the book toward her on his desk saying "I met him. nice guy, single and everything, and not gay.”

Since mom died, Dad was not shy about “wanting to see her settled.”
And she too, wanted to see her settled, but she was not willing though to “settle.”

Dad pushed the book across the table toward her like it was a hunk of chocolate being offered to a chocoholic, which she was.

Casual-like she said “I’ll think about it but I don’t do dating. I am long past that. Either they are interested in settling down or they are not. I don’t need anybody to buy me dinner.”

She did think about it, got the papers and rented a car, after having decided to go have a look. Wouldn’t hurt to look. But she didn’t tell her Dad. The gps was to be her guide. She could be up and off the mountain without her Dad knowing he had perked her interest.

She started to drive. but the damned gps was wrong. It nearly made her drove off a ledge on the mountain; with the snow the road was not easy to see.

She had started to walk and had gotten into trouble that way.

She sipped the cough syrup and put the cup forward for another sip.

“It’s got codeine in it and that should help you sleep," he said.
Damn she liked the sound of his voice. So calm.

A cold compress was again back on her forehead as she started to drift off to sleep again.

The man knew how to make you feel taken care of. That was something she had not looked for; her Dad had taught her to be self-reliant, especially since mom died. But if this was what it felt like, it wasn’t so bad.

"Best to just try to get some rest. I have some work to do."

He pulled her covers over her and tucked the last bit under her chin as she drifted off.
 
He went to the living room and inspected the processing papers more closely. His father's brothers were indeed contesting the will. He had to be in Auburn in a week, make a court appearance. Sure, just what he needed.

A bit tired, he turned back to his manuscript and worked for what seemed over an hour, when he heard a sound behind him.
He turned and she stood there, looking oddly pretty and her eyes all red and her head tiled down slightly.
He glanced at the clock. It was nine pm.

"You have to get some sleep,” he said, mock-scolding her. You can get a lot sicker if you don't rest."

She didn't answer.

Finally she said "Where will you sleep?"

I'll be fine out here on the couch. "Go ahead take the bed.”
She stared at him, and started looking around the room.

He said "What? "

"It's me." she said. "I need something soft and cuddly to sleep. Usually I have my cat -Tigger, Tigger was given to me by my mom, years ago. I just have gotten into the habit of sleeping with him on the bed."

He stared at her and she looked back trying not to see what his reaction was.

"So" he said, "I don't think I have any, , , , but I do have some extra blankets.” Let’s see if they will help."

He disappeared into a back storage area and re-emerged with an armful of blankets, which she took gratefully.

"Thanks for being, being so understanding." she said.

He nodded and she turned to return back into the bedroom thinking he was not what she had expected.

He turned back to the keyboard still not believing that she was anybody’s local process server. The woman, was too well dressed for that, and a lot of woman under that comforter.

“Stop it.” he admonished himself.