Read Finding West for Free Online Page B

said.
    “You should make coffee more often then. Every morning if possible,” I said and immediately regretted it. “Well, not literally. But... you know what I mean.”
    He smiled at me over his mug then looked back towards the window. “So it looks like it snowed several more inches overnight.”
    I walked to the window above the sink and looked out , seeing my Jeep still stuck in the ditch and buried under even more snow. “That sucks.” I turned back to him. “Are you going to try and walk back into town today?”
    He waited a few heartbeats before saying, “ I think that would prove an exercise in futility.”
    I nodded, trying not to show my relief. Truth was, somewhere along the way, I’d become accustomed to his presence. I’d never admit it aloud of course; he’d have to employ torture tactics to get me to divulge that I didn’t want him to leave just yet.
     
    After eating Cocoa Pebbles cereal, we sat across the table from each other awkwardly.
    “So…” I played with the milk, sliding the spoon into it over and over.
    “So…” he echoed, stroking his beard.
    “Is it itchy?” I asked, motioning to his face.
    “Not usually,” he said, pinching pieces of it between his fingers. “But it’s there, you know?”
    “I wond er what you look like under all of that?” I was just musing out loud, but suddenly I was burning with curiosity. “I bet you’re a complete uggo under there. Maybe that’s why you grew a beard to begin with.”
    He grinned. “Possibly. Or maybe I’m an international male model who just wanted to be incognito for a while.”
    “Until you were kidnapped for ransom—”
    “But the kidnappers realized nobody would pay the ransom, so they took my belongings and dumped me in the middle of nowhere.”
    “No, no,” I said, enjoying our banter. “Your kidnappers were women, fans of yours, and they didn’t want money, they just wanted your body. So they had their way with you, but you somehow escape d. You wandered in the snow, lost for days…”
    “ Until you found me and nursed me back to health.” He leaned back in the chair and brought his hand up to his mouth, rubbing his beard absently. “I’ll forever be indebted to you,” he said with a hint of a grin.
    I p ushed away from the table, ignoring the sincerity in his last comment. “Come on then. Why don’t you shave that beard off and let’s find out if our theory’s correct?”
     
    A few minutes later we found ourselves in the tiny bathroom going through my dad’s old leather toiletry bag. I pulled out an old-school safety razor, the kind with the rounded top that opened up.
    He picked it up and studied the blade inside. “This is pretty dull. It would eat my face up.”
    I rummaged in a drawer and found a package of pink disposable shavers. “Would you rather use these?”
    He returned the safety razor in the leather bag and picked up a pink one. “ Why not? I’m more scared of tetanus than the color pink.”
    I produced a ca n of berry-scented shaving gel. “And this?”
    “Okay, now maybe I’m a little scared.” Nevertheless he squeezed some onto his hand then began to massage it onto his face.
    I watched him closely in the mirror, completely engrossed by the process.
    He paused, the pink razor inches from his face. “Can I help you with something?”
    “ I don’t remember my dad shaving. At least, I never saw him shave. I’ve always wondered how it’s done, how you don’t just nick an artery and bleed all over the place. I mean, I’ve shaved my legs, but the thought of shaving a face is kind of scary.”
    “Sometimes you nick something and you have to stick a piece of toilet paper on it.”
    “Men actually do that?”
    “Sure. I think.” He holds out the razor. “Would you like to try?”
    “You want me to shave you?” I asked , my heart immediately racing. “You trust me with a blade near your throat?”
    The crinkling around his eyes was back. “ You went to all that trouble to