Chapter 20
“How about you start at the beginning and make your way to how you ended up here in this cabin?” Cole suggested.
Her eyes bugged. “Oh, you want the whole story!”
“We’ve got time.” He glanced out the window at the snow drifts. “We’ve got nothing but time.”
She was quiet for a moment, as though gathering her thoughts, then began.
"I came from a close family. Both my parents are veterinarians.
They run a clinic together in Washington State.
Our house was always full of animals. Some were pets, some were rescues, some were wildlife that Mom was rehabilitating before release. "
Cole could picture the scene… a young Janice surrounded by dogs, cats, and injured raccoons, learning to care for creatures. "Sounds chaotic."
"It was," she agreed, her smile warm with the memory. "But it was also wonderful. Mom specialized in wildlife medicine, and I'd watch her work with eagles with broken wings or deer hit by cars. She taught me that every life mattered, no matter how small or how wild."
"So you never wanted to be anything else."
"Never." Janice's voice was firm, certain. "From the time I was old enough to understand what they did, I knew that's what I wanted. To help animals, to understand them, to take care of creatures that couldn’t tell you what was wrong when they hurt."
Cole found himself leaning forward, drawn in by the passion in her voice, the way her whole face lit up when she talked about her work. This wasn't just a job to her. This was a calling.
"After college and then vet school, I worked in a clinic in Colorado for a while. Then I decided to move back to Washington and worked at my parents’ clinic.
I loved being near them again, but then I had a chance to be part of a university grant study on climate change effects on wildlife in Alaska," Janice continued.
"It seemed like the perfect opportunity.
I got to do field research in one of the last truly wild places, documenting how the wildlife ecosystem is adapting to warming temperatures.
I thought it would be good experience, and...
" She paused, her expression becoming more thoughtful.
"And I guess I wanted to prove something to myself. "
"What's that?"
"That I could step outside my comfort zone.
" She pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them in a gesture that made her look younger, more vulnerable.
"I love the clinic work and working with my parents.
But there was a part of me that wondered if I was just taking the easy path, staying where it was safe and familiar.
This assignment was a chance to challenge myself, to be alone in nature doing important work. "
Cole heard what she wasn't saying… that she wanted to prove she was more than just her parents' daughter and that she had her own identity separate from the family practice.
"You don't mind being outdoors and being alone?" he asked. "Most people would find this level of isolation difficult."
"I actually like it. When I'm out there checking cameras or collecting samples, it's just me and the wilderness.
There's something peaceful about that." Her expression grew more serious.
"Though I have to admit, after discovering the contamination and knowing someone might be watching me, the isolation felt a lot less peaceful. "
"I can imagine." Cole's protective instincts flared again at the thought of her out here alone, vulnerable, with no one to help if things had gone wrong.
Janice was quiet for a moment, then said, "I dated someone for almost two years. But I finally realized we were better as friends."
Cole's chest tightened with an emotion he didn't want to examine too closely. "What happened?"
"He was offered a job on the East Coast and wanted me to come along. Easiest decision I’ve ever made…
my answer was no. He moved to the East Coast, and honestly, I felt relieved.
" She gave a small, self-deprecating laugh.
"That's probably a sign, right? When your boyfriend moves across the country, and your main emotion is relief at being able to just be alone for a while? "
"Yeah, that's a pretty clear sign." Cole waited a moment, thinking through what he wanted to ask, then finally just jumped in. “Do you want to stay in Washington and work at your parents' clinic when this is all done?"
Janice's voice grew softer. "As close as I am to my parents, my answer to that is going to be a vague 'Not really.' My parents have a large practice, and other vets work there. My dad teaches some classes at the university, and Mom never felt like I needed to take over their work."
She shifted, pulling the blanket higher. "If I met someone, I have no problem moving because I can always find work. If not, then I can stay in Washington. But you see, it's not really about where I am. It's about doing a job I love."
Cole felt something shift inside him at those words. She wasn't tied to a specific place. She could go anywhere, work anywhere, as long as the work mattered to her. That kind of freedom, that kind of flexibility mirrored his own journey in a way he hadn't expected.
"And being with the right person, if they come along," he ventured quietly.
Janice faced him fully, and their eyes locked. The air between them grew thick with unspoken possibility.
"Yes," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Absolutely."
They held each other's gaze for a long moment, and Cole felt his heart hammering against his ribs. He wanted to close the distance between them and see if her lips were as soft as they looked.
But he also knew they were in a pressure cooker situation. After all, Logan had warned him about this. Isolated, in danger, and dependent on each other. The intensity of what they were feeling could be situational, adrenaline-fueled, not real in the way that lasted beyond the immediate crisis.
Though tell that to Logan and Vivian. Or Sisco and Lenore. Or any of the other Keepers who'd found their soulmates in exactly this kind of situation.
Cole cleared his throat, breaking the moment before he did something he couldn't take back. "You, uh, mentioned your mom specializes in wildlife. Does she still do rehabilitation work?"
Janice blinked, seeming to come back to herself. "Yeah. She's got a whole setup now, with proper facilities and partnerships with the state wildlife department. Last I heard, she was working with a golden eagle that some idiot hunter had shot."
"People are idiots," Cole agreed, grateful for the safer topic even as part of him regretted pulling back.
"The worst kind of idiots," Janice said with feeling. "Who shoots an eagle? They're protected, they're magnificent, and they're completely harmless to humans. But some people see something beautiful and wild, and their first instinct is to destroy it."
The passion in her voice, the fury on behalf of creatures who couldn't always defend themselves, made Cole's chest ache with something that felt dangerously close to what he'd been trying to avoid acknowledging.
He felt something for her that was stronger than what he could have imagined after knowing her for such a short time.
But giving in to the feeling, he knew he wanted to know more.
They stared at each other, and Cole wanted to say all the things that had been building inside him since he'd first seen her on that snowmobile. But Janice had just told him about a relationship that ended because there was no spark. He wasn't about to push her into something she didn't want.
She licked her lips and then hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “I should fix something for us to eat.”
“We’ll do it together.”
Her smile was like a reward. They fixed a simple dinner together, heating chili and serving it with crackers. While they worked, Cole noticed that the snow had finally stopped falling. The storm that had trapped them here was moving on, leaving behind a world transformed by white.
"Look," he said, nodding toward the window.
Janice moved beside him, and they stood together watching the clouds break apart to reveal stars scattered across the black sky. The moon emerged, nearly full, casting silver light across the snow-covered landscape.
"It's beautiful," Janice breathed.
"Yeah," Cole agreed, but he was looking at her profile in the moonlight, not the view outside.
She turned to face him, and something passed between them at that moment. Definitely attraction laced with possibility. All the things they'd been dancing around finally surfaced.
"Cole—" But before she could finish, his phone buzzed. Cole cursed under his breath and pulled it out, seeing Sadie's name.
"I need to take this," he said apologetically.
"Of course."
He answered, moving away to the kitchen area. "What's up?"
"Just wanted to give you an update," Sadie said. "The miners are still at the hotel in town. No movement toward the cabin area. You should be clear for the night."
"Good to know. Thanks, Sadie."
"How's she doing? The researcher?"
Cole glanced back at Janice, who was cutting the pie. "She's tough. Smart. Handling everything better than most people would."
"And how are you doing?" Sadie's tone suggested she was asking about more than just the mission.
"I'm fine."
"Uh-huh." Sadie didn't sound convinced. "You know you wouldn’t be the first to—”
“Sadie,” he warned, glancing at Janice, who was thankfully busy at the tiny kitchen counter.
“Well, try to get some rest.” Sadie laughed. “Logan wants to conference call tomorrow morning with you, me, and Landon. Figure out the next steps."
After the call ended, Cole returned to find that Janice had set the pie out on the counter.
"I figured we've earned dessert after the day we've had."
They ate standing at the counter, and Cole had to admit the pie was worth every bite. Sweet, rich, exactly what they both needed after the stress and cold and danger.
"Tell me about your family," Janice said between bites. "Your sisters."
So Cole told her about Kate and Emma, and about his mom who still lived in the house where he'd grown up. About the hot chocolate his mother made on cold winter nights, and about his nephew Dylan who was already showing interest in airplanes.
Janice listened with genuine interest, asking questions, laughing at his stories. And somewhere in that conversation, with chocolate on their tongues and the cabin warm around them, Cole realized he was in serious trouble.
Because this wasn't just attraction anymore. This wasn't just about adrenaline, forced proximity, and danger creating false intimacy.
This was real. She was real. And he was open to finding out if this was more than just two people meeting in unusual, adrenaline-infused circumstances.
But when he looked at her, he no longer just saw someone who was part of a mission and everything to do with who she was—passionate, stubborn, brilliant, brave, beautiful.
"What are you thinking?" Janice asked, catching him staring.
Cole set down his plate, considering his words carefully. "About how you're the most interesting person I've met in a long time."
Color flooded her cheeks. "You are to me, too."
They stared at each other again, and this time, the air felt electric with possibility. With want. With all the things neither of them was quite ready to say out loud but both were definitely feeling.
"We should probably get some sleep," Cole said finally, though it was the last thing he actually wanted. "Tomorrow will be another long day."
Janice nodded, though her eyes held disappointment that mirrored his own. "You're right. We should rest."
But neither of them moved. They just stood there in the warm cabin, looking at each other, the space between them charged with everything they weren't saying.
Finally, Janice broke the spell, glancing over at the bed.
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” he said.
“But—”
“No… I’ll sleep on the floor,” he reiterated.
She dragged her tongue over her lips, then nodded.
Turning, she grabbed her night clothes and headed into the bathroom.
When she finished, he did the same. By the time he came out of the bathroom, she was already in bed.
He checked the windows and doors, then added another log to the wood-burning stove before placing the blankets and pillow on the floor.
After a long, silent moment, he heard her roll over. When he looked up, she was peering down at him.
“Cole, can I ask you a question?”
He started to chuckle, thinking about how they already covered so many topics, but when he saw the firelight dance in the intensity of her gaze, he just nodded. “Yeah. Anything.”
“Has there ever been anyone special… or I guess I should ask if there is currently anyone special… with you?”
He wasn’t sure why she asked. Maybe just curiosity or perhaps interest. But as his breath seemed to be trapped in his lungs, he realized that he really hoped it was interest. Thinking of his response, he answered truthfully.
“Over the years, a few serious relationships. Exclusive. One, many years ago, that I thought might become permanent, but she couldn’t handle the distance of my military career.
She’s married now, with three kids and a good husband, and I get a Christmas card from them each year.
Since then, a few that were exclusive for a few months.
But, deep inside, I knew they wouldn’t last.” He shook his head.
“That makes me sound like a prick, stringing a woman along, but honestly, as soon as I knew there was no staying power, I broke things off.”
“I could never imagine you being a prick, Cole. You’re too nice,” she said with a smile, still leaning over the bed, her gaze pinned on him. A moment passed, and she pressed, “And now?”
He shook his head again. “No. There’s been no one special in years. As soon as I left Maine, I was helping to build LSIMT. No time for a relationship and no interest in just dating someone when I wasn’t… when I didn’t feel something immediately.”
“Oh… okay.” She offered a tiny smile, but uncertainty seemed to fill her expression as a little crinkle formed between her brows. She rolled onto her back, and he instantly felt the loss of seeing her face.
After another moment, a whisper hit his ears.
"Good night, Cole."
His chest squeezed at how he wished he was lying in bed with her like earlier. Just to be near her. Instead, he was on the floor, where he could be between her and anyone who might come in. Protecting. Guarding. Honest to God… caring. "Good night, Janice."
Sleep was a long time coming as he lay there, hyperaware of her presence just feet away, replaying every moment of the day, every word of their conversation, every look that had passed between them.
And wondering how the hell he was supposed to keep things professional when all he wanted was to spend more time getting to know her… in a way that had nothing to do with his profession.