She stumbled in through the low door, numb feet and thighs hardly working any more so she was hardly able to walk across to tiny room to the cracking fire. The smell of woodsmoke though was delicious. He pulled up a rough wooden stool so she could sit close to the fire.
‘Take this,’ he said and thrust a cup of something hot into her hands.
She wrapped her fingers around the mug. Heat flowed into her hands and thence to her body. She raised the cup and felt the warmth on her face. The fire was already making her trousers steam and her feet were coming back to life.
As the snow in her hair started to melt, icy water dripped into her tea and dribbled down her neck. She was seized with a spasm of shivering. He handed her a towel. She used it to dab at her neck and rub her hair half-heartedly then she took a slurp of tea.
‘Okay?’ he asked.
‘Couldn’t be better. Quite a day, eh?’
