Chapter 12
Cole woke in the darkness, the fire in the wood stove reduced to glowing embers. The temperature in the cabin had dropped enough to pull him from sleep, his body automatically registering the change even in rest.
He rose quietly from his makeshift bed on the floor, careful not to wake Janice as he moved to the wood stove. Opening the door, he fed it two fresh logs, watching as the flames caught.
The firelight grew, casting a warm glow across the small cabin, and Cole found his gaze drawn to Janice's sleeping form in the bed across the room.
She lay on her side, one hand tucked under her cheek, blond hair spilling across the pillow in a tangle of waves.
The soft glow from the stove sent shadows dancing across her face, highlighting the curve of her cheekbone and the sweep of her lashes against her skin.
Her lips were slightly parted, her breathing deep and even.
Beautiful. The word rose unbidden in his mind, and he couldn't push it away.
He'd seen plenty of beautiful women. Dated some of them. But this was different. Janice wasn't trying to be beautiful. She wasn't posed, made up, or performing. She was just... herself. Asleep in a tiny cabin in the Alaskan wilderness, bundled under quilts, completely unguarded.
And he wanted to protect that. Wanted to keep her safe with a fierceness that had nothing to do with professional duty and everything to do with something he didn't want to examine too closely.
Cole thought about his fellow Keepers who were married or engaged. Every single one of them had found their significant other during a mission, in the middle of danger and crisis.
He'd always thought it was sheer chance. Random luck that they'd crossed paths with the right person at the right time. Maybe a dose of forced proximity and adrenaline making emotions run higher than they normally would. But they’d found their person nonetheless.
But watching Janice sleep, remembering the determination in her eyes when she'd insisted on going with him tomorrow, the way she'd trusted him enough to fall asleep with him in her cabin… Cole wondered if it wasn't chance at all.
Maybe it was something else. Something deeper.
He'd always been careful about emotions in crises. He knew that fear and danger could create false intimacy, make people feel connected when they were really just clinging to each other for survival. He never wanted to confuse those heightened feelings for something real.
But his fellow Keepers hadn't done that. They hadn't confused anything. They found their soulmates amid chaos and built real lives together once the danger passed.
Was that happening here? Or was he just tired and letting his guard down in ways he shouldn't?
Sighing, Cole turned away from Janice's sleeping form and returned to his bed on the floor. He pulled the blankets over himself and stared at the ceiling, listening to the fire crackle and the wind whisper against the cabin walls.
Sleep eventually came again, fitful and filled with dreams he wouldn't remember in the morning.
Cole's eyes opened to gray predawn light filtering through the cabin windows. He'd managed a few hours of real sleep, his internal clock waking him at the time he'd programmed into his subconscious the night before.
He rose quietly, noting the slight shift in Janice's breathing that told him she was waking too. Moving to the window, he pulled back the curtain and felt his jaw tighten.
The snow had picked up again. Not the heavy storm from before, but steady, persistent flakes that were already adding fresh inches to what had fallen previously. Visibility was decent, but the conditions were far from ideal.
They'd need to leave soon if they were going to make this work. Get to the mining site, collect the samples, and get back before the weather potentially worsened.
Behind him, he heard Janice stir, the rustle of quilts as she sat up.
"How's it look out there?" Her voice was rough with sleep.
"Snowing again. Not terrible, but not great either.
" He turned to face her, then allowed his gaze to roam over her.
Her hair was out of the braid, creating waves down her back and a halo about her head.
She had a pillow crease down her cheek and blinked up at him sleepily.
Grinning, he chuckled aloud. She reminded him of how his younger sister would wake when they were kids.
She would sleep hard and wake up harder.
But he had to admit that his feelings about Janice were definitely not sisterly. "We should move soon." He grabbed more wood to add to the stove.
She nodded and swung her legs out of bed, padding quickly to the bathroom in her long pajamas and thick socks. The door closed, and Cole heard the water run briefly before she emerged minutes later, dressed in jeans, thick socks, and a thermal shirt with a flannel shirt layered over it.
Her hands moved with practiced efficiency as she gathered her hair, fingers working it into a thick braid that fell over one shoulder. When she finished, she looked up at him and grinned.
"You can take care of business," she said, gesturing toward the bathroom, "but come out here to get dressed. I'll turn my back, but a man your size should never try to dress in that tiny-ass bathroom."
Despite the tension of what lay ahead, Cole laughed. "You've got a point."
He grabbed his clothes and disappeared into the bathroom, managing to get his jeans on in the cramped space but giving up on the rest. When he emerged, Janice had moved to the kitchen counter, her back to him, already pulling out supplies for breakfast.
"It's okay," he called. "I got my pants on in there."
She turned around, and her eyes widened.
Cole stood by the bathroom door in his jeans and a tight thermal T-shirt that molded to his chest and shoulders. He watched her gaze travel across him, seeming to linger on his shoulders, arms, and torso. Her lips parted slightly, and a flush crept up her neck to her cheeks. “Damn.”
It was dumb. Absolutely juvenile. But Cole couldn't help the surge of pleasure that went through him at her obvious appreciation.
He'd worked hard to maintain the fitness level the military had demanded long after he'd left the service.
And having Janice Lynch look at him like she liked what she saw made every early morning workout feel worth it.
She blinked and turned quickly back to the stove, but not before he caught the small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
Cole pulled on the rest of his layers while Janice worked at the tiny kitchen. The smell of eggs and butter filled the cabin as she scrambled eggs in a pan and toasted bread in another skillet.
"I have jam!" she announced, holding up a jar with such genuine excitement that Cole couldn't help but grin.
The way she said it… Like strawberry jam was a luxury rather than a basic grocery item made something warm unfurl in his chest. This was her life out here. Simple pleasures. Making do with what she had. Finding joy in small things.
And she was willing to risk all of it to protect the wilderness and wildlife she'd spent months studying.
They ate quickly, both of them knowing they needed to fuel up for what was coming. The eggs were good, the toast better with the jam she'd been so excited about. They worked in comfortable silence, the kind that came from shared purpose rather than a lack of things to say.
As they began layering on their outdoor gear, Cole went over the safety protocols.
"When we get there, you follow my lead exactly," he said, pulling on his thick jacket. "If I tell you to do something, you do it immediately. No questions, no hesitation. Understood?"
He half expected the independent, stubborn woman who'd gone out alone in a storm to push back against taking orders.
But Janice just nodded, meeting his eyes steadily.
"When dealing with animals, especially one that's injured, it's important to follow protocol.
The handlers and vet techs have to trust the person in charge, or someone gets hurt.
" She pulled on her own layers. "So I get it.
You're in charge. You know this stuff, not me. "
The simple acceptance exemplified the trust implicit in her words, and hit Cole harder than any argument could have. She was putting her safety in his hands without reservation.
He would not let her down.
They finished dressing in silence. Thermal layers, fleece, insulated pants, heavy coats. Hats, gloves, balaclavas, goggles. Janice packed her water sampling kit with careful precision, each piece of equipment checked and double-checked.
Cole did the same with his own gear. GPS unit. Satellite phone. Emergency beacon. First-aid kit. The Sig Sauer he'd retrieved from his truck last night, now secured in a shoulder holster under his coat.
He caught Janice's glance at the weapon, but she said nothing as she finished her own preparations and turned to face him.
"Ready?" he asked.
She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded. "Let's go."
They stepped out into the cold morning, and Cole settled onto the snowmobile.
She swung a leg over and sat behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Even through the thick layers, he felt her touch like a brand.
Starting the machine, he pulled out of the shed.
Whatever happens, he would keep her safe.
Because somewhere between breaking into her cabin and watching her braid her hair this morning, Janice had become more than just someone who needed protection.