“I have a car, but I don’t remember what happened to it.”
He sat back in the chair, eyeing her. “Do you think you drove it up here? It seems unlikely you hiked here. You weren’t dressed for a day on the trails. That thin red sweater with the sparkles wasn’t exactly rated for low temps. Your pants were very thin too. I don’t think you were here to enjoy the outdoors.”
“No…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t know why she was here, and that was maddening.
He offered her an encouraging smile as if to lighten her mood. “Maybe Santa will drop off some thermal underwear for you.”
“I’ve never really been on Santa’s radar, so I wouldn’t expect a package to show up. Besides, you don’t have a Christmas tree. What kind of person stays in a cabin over the holidays and doesn’t at least decorate?”
He looked around at the lack of décor. “I hadn’t noticed, but now that you say that, I guess you’re right. I wonder if it’s too late to pick up a few things in town. And speaking of your car…it’s something the authorities could look for.”
“That’s true.”
“I’ll make a call about it soon. You can tell me the make and model when I do.”
She nodded.
“You remember where you live, I assume. I can take you home as soon as you’re ready.”
She gulped back her worry about going home. Her feelings on that bothered her a lot. She loved being at home. Puttering around watering her plants and curling up in the thrifted armchair with a good book were her happy moments.
But right now, something deep inside her was warning her that being in this cabin, with a virtual stranger, was safer for her.
How could she begin to convey this to Hunt?
Unable to utter a word, she drank her coffee instead.
“Freya?”
She glanced at him.
“You do know where you live, right?”
She nodded. “But you said the road crews might not clear the roads very fast.”
His brows tipped downward. When he wore that expression, he didn’t appear mean or grumpy like some people from her past. He only looked concerned for her.
Just like Aries didn’t run at her looking as though he would eat her. She still wasn’t sure about dogs, though.
He studied her a moment longer. “Yeah, I did say that.”
Hunt swayed his head toward the fire. She stole peeks at his strong profile. His rugged good looks drew her in. They made her want to keep staring. From this angle, she also saw just how full his lips were. Yummy lips that men didn’t usually get blessed with but left women fantasizing about how it would feel to kiss them.
Her insides knotted.
At that second, he turned his head and caught her staring.
For a heartbeat, their gazes locked. Her belly fluttered as he panned his gaze over her face the same way she’d just looked at him. Could he think her as attractive as she found him?
Nervous, she reached up to run her fingers through her semi-tangled hair. Hunt tracked the movement before pushing to his feet. “I’m going out to grab more firewood.”
“The wind is howling out there. Can’t it wait? We still have a few logs.”
“What we have won’t last forever. Besides, I could be wrong and the storm could get worse.”
Why did her heart leap at the thought of being shut inside this cabin with Hunt longer? She needed to return to work sooner or later. Even if returning to her apartment left her with some feeling of dread, she needed that job.
When Hunt took a step toward her, she broke from her dark thoughts. He bent over her to take her mug from her hand to set it on the small table next to her.
“What are you—” she began.
“Your hands are shaking again.” To prove this, he captured both of hers in his. She’d never felt big, callused, warm hands like Hunt’s. Having his heated stare on her while he rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles had her stomach dipping with awareness.
Then he released one of her hands and settled the pad of his thumb at the corner of her lips. “You chew your lip too.”
She lifted her teeth off her lip.
His gaze locked on it for an eternal heartbeat.
“Tell me what’s upsetting you.” His gritty tone edged into her as much as his look and touch.
She dropped her gaze to his chest, where smooth tanned skin peeked out of the neck of his T-shirt. Lifting her stare a notch landed it on his angled jaw and the trim beard covering it. The firelight played over the hairs, glinting auburn.
Finally, she met his eyes. Intense with concern, his brows drawn down again.
“I just wish I could remember what happened to me,” she whispered. It wasn’t a lie. At least not a total lie. Also, whatever she’d blocked out couldn’t be good, so did she really want to remember it?
He dropped his thumb from the corner of her mouth and gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it too. “Try not to work yourself up. You’re safe for now. As soon as the roads clear, we’ll go into town and have you examined at the clinic.”
“I’m sure I’m all right.”
“It would make me feel better.”
He’d feel better knowing she had a clean bill of health, just like he’d double-checked the heated blanket cord during the night when he believed her asleep.
He straightened away from her and moved to the door, grabbing his red ski jacket on the way. Aries followed. “I’ll just be a minute.”
She nodded. Wind blasted across the cabin when he opened the door. When he shut it, she continued to stare at the wooden slab, imagining his shoulders hunched against the storm.
She might not recall everything, but what she did know was she’d gotten damn lucky. A good man had found her in the snow and saved her. A man who seemed to be a born protector.
For the first time in her life, she felt safe and comfortable with someone. The realization had her jaw dropping open in shock, but it was definitely true. Out of all the strangers who’d come in and out of her life over the years, she’d finally found one that she trusted with her life.
With my life, but not my story. Nobody wanted to be around a crazy woman who had memory gaps. Like all those others, he would be in and out of her life fast.
But for now, she’d take his protection and care.
She threw another look at the door. A minute turned into more. She got up and walked to the window to peer out, searching the white landscape for a glimpse of Hunt’s red jacket.
More minutes ticked by. What was keeping him?
She drifted to another window and then another above the small kitchen sink, leaning in to see out of the glass.
Behind her, the door burst open on a blast of icy wind. Snowflakes followed the man inside, and he slammed the door on more.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
His mouth was set in a grim line. White flakes dotted his dark hair and shoulders, and when she stepped closer to him, she saw a few melting against his warm throat.
He strode to the fireplace and set the armful of logs next to the hearth. “I found a dead hare.”
She blinked at his back. “Maybe it froze in the storm?”
He shrugged off his jacket and brushed by her to drape it over the back of the chair. “Must have.”
Aries gave a little shake, and he turned to stare down at his dog.