Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
ANGEL
Where did I leave that other boot? I bend over and search under the bed again, then check the neatly folded pile of blankets by the fireplace, where Garrett sleeps. Every damn night.
“My boot walked out of here on its own,” I yell across to the bathroom. The water just shut off, so I know he can hear me.
“I’d love to blame it on you being a slob, but I’m afraid you’ll poison the stew with more mushrooms.
I chuckle, because I will. “I’m not a slob. Just slightly bad about keeping track of things.”
“Lousy quality for a supply master.”
“Oh, I’m great with keeping supplies organized. That’s stuff that belongs to other people, so I wouldn’t dare be disorganized.”
“But it’s okay to lose your own stuff?”
“Yes, because I’m not letting anyone else down.”
“I’ll towel off then help you look for it. Or we can skip the Christmas celebration.”
“We’re going, even if I have to leave here barefoot. Don’t try to weasel out of going, either. You promised you’d go and I’m not showing up alone.”
“What’s so important about a bunch of singing?”
“I want to see the kids perform. They’ve been working so hard.”
“You’re a hard one to say no to.”
“Except when it comes to sharing a bed,” I mumble under my breath. I have to be careful what I let slip around Garrett. The man has exceptional hearing, even from under the shower head.
Picturing him in the shower puts a smile back on my face.
Per our agreement to be nothing more than friends, I shouldn’t be thinking of him in that way, but it’s so damn hard not to.
Every night I watch him strip, then slide under the blankets on the floor.
He thinks I’m asleep, that I’m not watching.
But I open my eyes, just to glimpse the male I can’t have.
“You sure you don’t want help in the shower? I could move you along faster, then you could help me find my boot before the show starts.”
“Seriously, darling, showering with me will lead to things you don’t want.”
“You don’t get to decide what I want.” This time I mumble a little louder because I want him to hear me.
“Almost done,” he calls out. “If I find that boot, no mushrooms for a month.”
“You think I’ll be here for another month?”
“You’re right. Two months.”
“My skills aren’t that bad.” I’ve already been here six weeks, pouring everything I have into learning how to evade pursuers.
“You’ve made progress, but you need more practice, especially with scenting.”
“Or a better nose.” When several scents hit me at once, I struggle to separate them. I don’t recall scenting ever being this hard.
“You should be able to find that boot by scent alone. You’re still relying on your eyes too much, darlin’. Put a blindfold on.”
I’d like to suggest what we could do with a blindfold, but I don’t think he’d appreciate it.
“There are better uses for blindfolds, Garrett,” I call out to him.
“Not in my cabin.”
So much for having some fun. I sigh. I should be grateful I have my Garrett back. The open, easy-going, cheerful shifter I first met, not the one that turned away from me and his entire pack the second we got here.
“Maybe you should wear the blindfold and demonstrate,” I suggest.
He doesn’t answer.
I’ve stumped him—with flirting I’m not supposed to be doing. I promised I wouldn’t seduce him.
Okay, let’s get back on track.
I open the chest of clothing Garrett keeps at the foot of the bed. Not that I recall putting my boot in there, because who puts away only one boot? Likewise, wearing only one boot to go outside is equally ridiculous which means it has to be in this cabin.
Holding the chest open with one hand, I toss out pants, sweaters, socks, and extra pillows. There’s nothing here.
“Try a blindfold,” he calls again.
“Fine.” I shove the entire pile of clothes and pillows back into the trunk. He can scold me after I find my boot.
After I tie one of his socks around my eyes, I pull air into my lungs.
Suddenly, I’m confronted by dozens of scents I’ve never noticed before.
My wolf sorts them until she finds one that piques her interest. That pungent smell of old, worn leather dredged through mud and river water, from when we went fishing yesterday.
“It’s working,” I call out. “This blindfold trick is really smart,” I say a second before I crack my foot into the corner of the bed. “Damn it.”
“Watch where you’re walking!”
“Very funny.”
His chuckle from off in the bathroom makes the pain disappear. Well, he and my wolf who’s finally fully recovered after nearly two months at this pack. Or has it been my time here with Garrett? Either way, I’m back to full strength, with a lot more skills in my pocket.
When I bump into what I think is a wall, I rip off the blindfold. Not a dead end, after all… a closet. I open it up to find a tangled pile of canvas bags and backpacks that Garrett takes on his missions.
“And he says I’m a slob,” I mumble under my breath as I bend down and sort through the mess. “Found it!” I yell out when my hand snags the worn, cracked leather trim at the top of my boot.
“Where?”
“Looks like it got caught up with the last bag you shoved in the hall closet.” As I pull out my boot, the pile shifts. Something shiny buried in the far, right side of the closet catches my eye. I reach for the small box wrapped in shiny red foil. A Christmas gift!
My heart thumps with excitement. Garrett got me a gift!
“Angel, did you hear me? I asked if you want to try fishing again tomorrow? We’d have to venture beyond our territory for salmon and char, but I know a place where we won’t be trespassing in anyone’s territory.”
When he appears in a towel riding low on his hips, I hold up the gift. “I can’t believe you got me a Christmas present.”
Garrett’s smile falls. “That was for Marla.” He takes the gift and tosses it into the kitchen trash. “I didn’t realize it was still in there,” he says as he retreats back to the bathroom and shuts the door. Just like that, the mood darkens.
I need to get rid of her ghost. And yet… I want to know the woman who still has a hold on him. I reach into the trash and pull out the box. Unwrapping it seems like an invasion of privacy, though I’m not sure whose. Garrett’s or Marla’s?
Carefully, I slide my finger under the tape and remove the red foil wrapping paper in one perfect piece. Inside the box is a very cute Christmas ornament, a penguin wearing a red scarf and white skates.
“She loved penguins. And her wolf loved sliding on the ice.” Garrett’s voice carries from where he’s standing in the doorway to the bathroom, fully dressed.
“It’s an adorable present.”
“She died a week before Christmas. I never had a chance to give it to her.” He takes the ornament from me, letting it twirl on the string before placing it back in the box.
“You were right, Angel. Time to move forward.” He tosses it in the trash, then takes my hand. “I promised you a fun time tonight,” he says as we head outside into the biting wind.
I shiver, but I’m not sure why, since my wolf is keeping me plenty warm. “Give me a sec to get my hat and gloves.”
With Garrett waiting outside, I head back in, snag my winter wear… and the box sitting atop the trash.