“What the fuck!?” she hissed.
The dream had ended. The harsh truth of the forest was exposed.“You sure say‘fuck’a lot,” I said.
Her face darkened with a scowl.“All of this is one giant‘fuck’,” she spat.“So expect to hear more of it.”
I let the laugh bubble out of me before I sighed and put my hands on my hips.“Well then, fuck.”
She glowered and stepped the rest of the way onto the porch.
I approached the sled, a smile still on my face, and undid the straps holding down the canvas tarp over our supplies. I slid the kennel off and into the snow. Villainy came to the front of the kennel then, looking well-rested and content. His little nose nudged and rubbed against the bars a few times. I stuck a finger through, scratching him on the cheek as Mr. Beans let out a low rumble of warning from the shadows within.
I looked up at Betty on the porch.“Can you handle carrying that?” I asked, gesturing to the kennel.
She warily assessed the steps, as though afraid Larry might reach out and grab her ankle if she stepped down.
“What, are you afraid of a little weasel?” I teased, effortlessly swinging a fifty-pound sack of cat food up off the sled and onto my shoulder.
Betty watched the entire movement, lips parting in obvious awe. She was way too easy to read. I could’ve sworn a little drool was forming at the corner of her mouth.
Her expression soon hardened back into a scowl.“I’m not afraid.”
She stomped down the steps and gripped the handle on the top of the medium-sized kennel. Hiding her struggle, she lifted it, having to use both hands to manage the task. I could see she was trying to act tough, but the blush on her cheeks and her fast breathing betrayed her.
We’d get her built up and strong in no time. After a few days of chopping wood, she’d be fine.
Chapter 12
Betty
I caught the body language and doubtful expression on his face as he watched me, like he didn’t think I could handle any of this. That only made me more determined to prove him wrong. I was a versatile and multifaceted woman, and I refused to allow him to typecast me any other way.
Gritting my teeth and steeling my nerves, I hauled the two cats in the crate up the two stairs onto the porch. With a thunk, I set them down, trying to do so in such a way that it didn’t jostle them or hint at anything that belied my stalwart claim.
Success.
Straightening, I let myself admire the carved wood surrounding me. It was honestly breathtaking. Each golden beam stripped of bark, smoothed and sealed to maintain its natural warm color, knots and all. I could literally sense the dedication and time it took to build this. The energy of it was infectious. If I didn’t know any better, this could easily be the porch of a luxury mountain cabin in Aspen.
I shut my eyes and breathed deeply. The scent out here was something else. It was crisp and clean, smelling of rich pine and raw earth—a stark contrast to the city. Even with the higher altitude and thinner air, it felt wonderful; so pure it was like breathing‘real’air for the very first time.
From what I could tell, Mr. Beans had given up. There’d been nary a peep from him since the pine marten sighting.
The weaselly little thing was startling and fast, but its tiny face was admittedly cute, like a cat and Weiner dog procreated. As long as it didn’t climb my leg, we could cohabitate. Besides, I was well accustomed to the fat squirrels and mammoth rats back home. What was a little weasel in contrast?
I heard Gray’s heavy boots on the porch steps behind me. I turned to steal a glance. He was struggling with his keys in one hand, his other wrapped around the largest bag of cat food I’d ever seen.
I couldn’t help but marvel at the ease with which he’d lifted the bag off the sled and onto his shoulder. I mean, I get it. Buff men were hot, but this was a whole other level of hot-ness. His muscles weren’t born in a gym, and it resulted in this trunk of a man, dense, with less focus on body fat percentage and more focus on raw strength and the need to survive. I wanted to climb him like a mountain and summit the peak.
But I’d told myself to back off. He might look like the best jungle gym at the park, but that didn’t make it safe.
He found the key he was searching for, pinching it on the keyring, and it looked comically tiny in his large fingers. His hands were rough and calloused, used to hard work, and suited to this isolated life. I wondered how long he’d been out here? He’d said a decade, but really? And all that time alone?
I rubbed my gloved hands together and forced my thoughts toward more important things, like heat and food. I was starving, and the setting of the sun had given way to a bitter chill that seeped ever deeper through the layers wrapped around me. Even my butt was feeling the chill, despite the extra padding.
Gray slid the cold metal key into the lock and twisted it before pushing the door open. Reaching an arm in, he flipped up a few interior switches near the door frame and stepped back, letting me enter first.
“After you,” he said, extending an arm in a gesture of welcome.
I avoided his eyes, terrified he’d see the fear and uncertainty swirling inside them—not to mention the infuriatinglustfulness.
