Burning Ember

Chapter 3

Thursday after noon, I had decided it was time to try my hand at splitting some wood. Fall was coming in strong, and the weather was growing colder by the day. The weather app on my phone informed me of a possible snowstorm later. Snow was something I wasn't used to, but I was excited for it. On the other side of the garden, back behind the house, was a big stump with an old, rusted axe stuck into it. I walked the tree line and dragged back a few pieces of broken and dead trees and laid them beside the stump. I had never chopped wood before, let alone handled an axe. After a few practice swings, I started hacking at the log, hoping to break it into smaller choppable pieces.

By the time evening rolled in, I still had no firewood and had only managed to develop blisters on my hands. I walked back across the porch to the front of the house, wiping sweat from my forehead as a red pickup was pulling into the drive. Hale. I stood with my hands on my hips, giving a friendly wave as he parked.

"Hey," he called out as he walked to the back of his truck and opened the tailgate. He began gathering the bags, as I walked out to help.

"Need a hand?" I asked, not wanting to make him do it all himself.

"You can get the door, I'll take them to the kitchen for you," he offered as he grinned and scooped up the last of the bags. A one trip kind of guy. I hurried up the steps and opened the door for him. Hale put all the bags on the table and fished a delivery form from his coat.

"Let me wash my hands, and I'll fill that out for you and grab the check." He nodded as I turned the faucet on and ran the cold water over my blistered hands.

"Been busy today?" he asked, his tone inquisitive and friendly.

"Yeah, I've been trying to get some wood chopped, but I guess I'm not very good at it as I still don't have any," I huffed a laugh as I dried my hands on my sweater.

"Need some help?" he suggested as I reached for the form.

I glanced up, the desperation was clear on my face as I said, "Really? Don't you have deliveries to make?"

He smiled, "You were my last delivery for today, so it's no trouble at all."

"That would be amazing."

Hale was patient as I put the groceries away and led him to the back. The area next to the garden was in disarray, littered with bark and wood splinters. I had managed to hack through one log, but it was still too bulky to split. Despite my best efforts, I might have made the job tougher for him. "As you can see, I don't know what I'm doing," I said with a weak smile. He walked around the log, pulling the axe free from where I had left it stuck in the tree.

"This is here is part of the problem," he said, lifting the axe and running his thumb along the dull, rust-coated blade. "You'll need a chainsaw to cut this up before you even consider splitting it for firewood."

"I'm pretty sure I don't have one of those," I replied with a shrug.

With a swift motion, he flicked the axe down into the stump, lodging it there with precision and force. "No worries. I have one. I'll go get it," he offered, heading back towards the porch.

"You don't need to go to all that trouble for me. I appreciate it, but it's not necessary," I insisted, trailing after him to the front. I was conflicted about accepting his help or trying to manage on my own. In my past experiences, men's kindness usually came with strings attached, and despite it possibly being my own overthinking, I had a hunch Hale wasn't any different.

"Ember, it's no bother at all. In a small town like this, we look out for each other. Plus, I wouldn't want you to end up cold tonight," he said, turning back to me with a look that seemed sincerely concerned. "I'll be right back." I could be wrong in my assumption, but only time would tell.