Chapter Five
O nce daylight came and the snow began to lighten up, Sera decided to venture out and look around. Maybe she’d be lucky enough to run into someone who could help her. She wasn’t holding her breath, though. This was Montana wilderness at its finest. Absolute BFE.
Securely bundling Loki into his bubble carrier, she pulled the kitty backpack on and grabbed her overnight bag and purse. She also made sure to carry her pepper spray. She had no idea where she was or where she’d end up, but maybe she’d stumble onto a motel.
Wanting to avoid the road in case those men were still looking for her, she opted for walking deeper into the woods. The snow wasn’t as deep, and the dense treetop canopy provided good cover from the weather and any searching eyes.
Loki was used to hiking in his carrier, so he settled right in as Sera trekked through the snow.
A little over a foot had fallen throughout the night, but the good news was it seemed like it had mostly stopped.
The cold wind blew the flakes around and within ten minutes the shock of the icy air left her second-guessing her hike.
Wearing only a light jacket and canvas tennis shoes, which had soaked through within the first two minutes of walking, she was hardly prepared for a Montana winter.
She had no idea if she was walking in the right direction or further away from civilization and the possibility of rescue. Did anyone actually live out here? she wondered.
Just as she was beginning to think her hike was a lost cause, Sera smelled the faintest tinge of smoke in the air.
Hope welled up inside her and she picked up her pace.
After another minute of walking, the trees thinned out enough for her to see a cabin in the distance.
It was a big, modern-looking log cabin with a small wisp of smoke curling from the chimney.
Oh, thank God. She wanted to jump up and down, but instead, she tightened her hold on the pepper spray.
As much as she wanted to believe in humanity and people wanting to help someone in trouble, she didn’t anymore.
Not after what she’d gone through last year.
Yes, there had been heroes, but her mind always seemed to remember the monster.
Huddling against a pine tree, she took a moment to scope out the situation before making a move. It was so quiet, she swore she could hear each snowflake as it hit the ground. When Loki shifted in the backpack, she knew she had to move or risk her wet shoes eventually freezing to the spot.
She saw her breath as she released it and stepped forward, her tennis shoes crunching through the snow. Halfway to the cabin, she abruptly stopped, her limbs freezing up.
A man lay in the snow. At least, she thought it was a man from his build. Broad shoulders donned in a thick jacket, long legs encased in worn denim and big, booted feet.
He wasn’t moving and she couldn’t tell what might’ve happened. God, was he dead? She sincerely hoped not. Despite her initial reluctance to venture closer, she realized if he was breathing, he needed help. And that trumped her fear.
Rushing over, not knowing what to expect, she stopped beside him. She couldn’t see much of his face since his head was turned, but she did see he was breathing. Logs were scattered beside him, and she guessed he’d been carrying them when he collapsed.
“Um, excuse me, sir? Can I help you?”
Just when she thought he wasn’t going to respond, he rolled onto his back and moaned.
The first thing she noticed was his thick, dark beard covered in snow, and sinfully long lashes that brushed the tops of his cheeks.
When those lashes fluttered open, she found herself staring into the most stunning ice-blue eyes she’d ever seen.
They momentarily focused on her then rolled back in his head. His face looked really flushed.
Releasing her overnight bag, she knelt down, not exactly feeling threatened by him, but still clutching her pepper spray. Just in case.
“Are you hurt?” she asked, looking him over. She really hoped he said no. He was a big man, and there was no way she’d be able to get him up and into the house on her own.
His gorgeous eyes opened again. “Hi,” he rasped. His deep voice had a rusty quality to it, as though he hadn’t spoken in far too long.
“Hi.” Her stomach did a strange little dip.
Now what? She couldn’t leave him all by himself in the snow. A year ago, she’d seen the best and worst of humanity, and through it all, she’d held onto hers. When someone needed help, she would do her best to provide it.
“Ah, I can help you into the house,” she offered, “but I’m going to need you to get up.”
He extended a gloved hand and she grabbed it, hauling him up into a sitting position.
“Fell down,” he murmured, looking a little confused as to why he was on the ground.
“Yeah, it looks that way.” How long has he been out here? At least he was dressed more warmly than her. “Can you stand?”
He nodded, dragging himself up off the snowy ground. Planting his booted feet, he swayed slightly, and Sera grabbed his sleeve. Wow, he was even taller than she first guessed. At least six two or three.
“Steady,” she murmured, ducking beneath his arm. “C’mon, let’s get you inside.”
Together they turned, the man leaning on her, and began walking toward the cabin. But once they reached the porch steps, Sera abruptly halted.
“Oh, shit,” she hissed, seeing a wolf wander around the corner of the cabin.
It was already up on the porch, its full attention on them.
The creature was beautiful, but terrifying.
She cursed her rotten luck and quickly thought over everything she’d ever learned about wolves.
They didn’t usually attack and weren’t truly vicious.
Or, crap, maybe she was thinking of coyotes.
Either way, her alarm bells were ringing, warning her to proceed with caution.
“Um, sorry to disturb you. You look like a wolf, but you’re probably some kind of shepherd, right?” Hopefully. “A friendly husky mix maybe?”
She could feel Loki moving around in the backpack, as if he sensed danger. But when she stepped back, the man tightened his hold on her shoulders.
“That’s just Storm,” he rumbled, not appearing concerned at all.
“Storm?” Was it his pet? Or maybe he just fed it, kind of like a squirrel? It had a name, so obviously he knew it.
When the man started up the stairs, Sera swallowed hard and avoided making eye contact with the creature. Its piercing yellow eyes unnerved her. When they reached the porch and stopped in front of the front door, the animal walked over, moving right up beside the man.
Oh, hell, her heart nearly stopped beating. He wasn’t planning on letting the creature into the cabin, was he?
He shoved the door open and the wolf paraded right into the cabin as if he owned the place. Great. Tucked beneath the man’s arm, trying to keep him upright, she kept a cautious eye on the wolf as they stepped inside. Please, don’t let me be mauled.
“Oh, my God, it’s freezing in here,” she declared, pausing to reach for the door and swing it shut.
“Heat broke,” the man uttered.
He was leaning on her, a little too heavily, and she grunted as she guided him over to the leather couch and let him slide off her.
He plopped down on his ass then dropped back on the cushion, making the most pathetic sound.
When he looked up at her, his expression tortured as though every single hair on his head hurt, she lightly pressed a hand to his forehead. A shiver racked his big body.
“You have a fever,” she announced, glancing over as the wolf—no, from this point on, she would refer to him as a shepherd mix because that made her feel much better—stalked closer. The man’s incredible glacier-colored eyes slid closed. “Um, sir?”
No response.
Okay, on the one hand, she could quickly use his phone, call Melanie and then get the hell out of there before this turned into a Cujo situation.
Or she could secure Loki safely in a bedroom, get a fire going and hang out for a while in case the bad guys were looking for her.
Realistically, there was no way she’d be able to drive her car back onto the road with all the snow.
She didn’t feel threatened by the stranger because, well, he could barely stand.
If she had to guess, she’d say he was suffering from a bad case of the flu.
Sera locked eyes with the shepherd in wolf’s clothing, still unwilling to set the pepper spray down.
“Storm, right? You promise you won’t eat me?
” The serious golden eyes didn’t so much as blink.
“Or my cat? Because if you’re a very good boy, I’ll watch over your dad here and feed you some dinner.
And all you have to do is let me hang out here for a little bit. Sound like a deal?”
The animal made a chuffing sound and Sera took that as a yes.
“Okay then. As long as everyone is on their best behavior, we all win.” Putting on a brave face, now acting as if she owned the place, Sera went back outside with Loki on her back, grabbed her bag and gathered the fallen logs into her arms. Hopefully, the wolfdog would let her back inside the cabin.
When she reached the cabin’s threshold, she saw the creature lying beside the couch, near his master. Moving slowly, she closed and locked the door then deposited the wood on the brick hearth.
“Okay, first things first.” Putting Loki in a safe place was priority number one.
Time to explore. Walking past the couch and extremely vigilant shepherd-ish animal, Sera glanced over the open layout of the cabin.
It was a pretty cool place with a rustic, masculine vibe.
Lots of navy blue and chestnut brown. There was a big modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a curving wooden staircase that led to a second floor and a loft which overlooked the main floor.
Large wooden beams soared high above her head, running along the ceiling, and big picture windows provided a stunning view of distant mountain peaks and a river running through the property.
Sera wandered past the stairs and down a hall.
Finding the master bedroom, she stepped inside.
Definitely a man’s domain. An appealing mix of what smelled like cedarwood and cinnamon hit her nose.
Breathing deeply, her gaze scanned over a large bed, neatly made, with a deep blue bedspread.
There was also a dresser with a framed photo on top.
Curious about the man lying on the couch, she walked over and picked it up.
It was a group of very tough-looking military men, nine in total, and all armed to the teeth.
They stood on what looked like a desolate mountaintop in a faraway land and held up two flags—an American flag and a red flag depicting the image of an Indigenous American with a pair of crossed tomahawks.
Carefully setting the frame back down, she guessed they were some kind of special forces unit. If the man in the living room was a former military operator, that meant he was a protector—a fierce warrior who’d be competent against a threat.
Well, maybe not exactly at present since the flu was kicking his ass…and winning.
But once he was feeling better, he might be a good ally to have in her corner if the bad guys came looking for her. He probably had guns locked up somewhere, and she wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about that. Guns had a tendency to freak her out, and with good reason.
A chill ran through her, and she turned back around and walked out. She decided she’d tuck Loki away upstairs. As far away from White Fang as possible.
As she headed to the staircase, she paused and glanced into the living room. The man looked sound asleep and his dire wolf hadn’t budged from his side.
Fine by me.
Moving up the steps, she slid her hand along the smooth polished railing.
Not a speck of dust. No Christmas decorations, either.
The entire place seemed clean and tidy. At the top of the staircase, she saw three open doors.
A quick inspection revealed the first room was a bathroom, the second one a guest bedroom and the last one a small sitting room with a comfy-looking chair, tall lamp and several books stacked on a table.
Returning to the guest room, she went inside, closed the door and slid the backpack off. She set it on the bed and opened it. “It’s okay, Bubba. You can come out.”
The black cat hopped out of its bubble carrier and began to fearlessly explore the room as though he owned the place. “I’ll get you set up in a bit. First, I need to get a fire going before we all freeze.”
Cracking the door, she slipped out and made her way back downstairs. Still clutching the pepper spray, she walked over to the hearth, eyeing the wolfdog as she knelt and began building a fire. He didn’t move, and it felt like he was guarding the man on the couch.
There were still some embers burning, so Sera added more wood and kindling. She’d never built a fire before, so she was grateful for the head start. It didn’t take long for the flames to build, and soon a roaring fire crackled, warming the room.
Her attention moved to the man, and she wondered what his name was.
Actually, she wondered quite a few things.
Why did he live by himself in the middle of nowhere?
Well, she assumed he lived alone since she didn’t see anything that suggested differently.
She’d looked for signs of a wife or kids.
Nothing. And why in God’s name did he have a wolf?
It seemed like he lived a fairly simple and quiet life.
She stood up and took a closer look around.
A huge puzzle covered a table by the window, and her lips curved in a small smile.
Other than online games, she didn’t know anyone actually still put old-school puzzles together.
The half-completed image was an eagle soaring over a lake.
She wandered over, picked up a puzzle piece and studied the others.
There must be thousands of them. After a minute, she placed the piece where she thought it belonged and it clicked into place.
“Okay,” she said softly, straightening up. “Time to figure out a makeshift litter box, feed Loki, feed myself, get Flu Man into bed—and hopefully you’ll follow, Mr. Wolf—and then call my sister.”
No problem.