Page 37 of Frost and Felines

"You're being so ridiculous right now," he muttered to himself. "You know she needs time."

But his tiger disagreed, suddenly becoming impatient, wanting to claim her, protect her, and shower her with the affection she deserved. The way her eyes lit up when she laughed today in the kitchen had nearly undone him. Her walls had crumbled just enough to show the vibrant woman underneath.

He flopped onto his couch with a groan. "She's not ready. She's still grieving Eli. How many times do you have to remind yourself?"

The sound of her laughter echoed in his memory, along with the way she had felt in his arms, soft and warm and perfect. The tiger in him purred at the thought.

"I'm in love with her," he admitted to the empty room. The truth of it settled in his chest, both terrifying and liberating. "Completely, totally in love with her."

A crack of thunder outside made him smile. He wondered if she was thinking about him too.

"Soon," he promised himself. "I'll tell her everything."

17

KIERAN

The first rays of dawn painted the snow-covered landscape in shades of pink and gold. Kieran's tiger purred with delight as he watched Mallory expertly wield her shovel, her platinum hair escaping from beneath her wool hat. Even bundled up in winter gear, she moved with a grace that captivated him.

"You're staring again," Mallory called out, not looking up from her work.

"Can't help it. You make snow shoveling look like an art form." He grinned as her cheeks flushed a light pink. Whether from the cold or his compliment, he couldn't tell.

"Better than making it look like a disaster." She paused, leaning on her shovel. "Did I tell you about the time I accidentally created a mini blizzard during my college graduation?"

His tiger perked up at the prospect of learning more about her. "No, but I'm dying to hear it."

"Picture this - I'm already nervous about walking across the stage, right? Then my heel catches on my gown." Shedemonstrated with her hands. "Next thing I know, there's snow falling inside the auditorium. Only over the stage though."

Kieran laughed, the sound echoing across the parking lot. "What did you do?"

"Pretended to be just as shocked as everyone else. Blamed it on the air conditioning system going haywire." She shook her head, smiling. "The dean bought it, thank goodness."

His shovel hit a particularly stubborn patch of ice, and he used his brute strength to break through it. "Any other entertaining mishaps?"

"Oh, plenty. There was the time I got so excited about getting published that it rained in my living room. Just my living room." She chuckled. "Eli thought it was hilarious. He just grabbed an umbrella and sat on the couch reading until I calmed down enough to stop it."

Instead of the usual sadness that accompanied mentions of her late husband, her eyes held fond amusement at the memory. Progress, Kieran thought, even as his tiger rumbled possessively.

"The weather's been surprisingly stable lately," he noted, moving closer to help her with a heavy drift.

"Maybe I'm just... content for once." Their eyes met, and something electric passed between them.

The moment stretched, full of possibility, until Mallory cleared her throat and returned to shoveling. Kieran watched her work, his heart full. Every day, every moment with her made him more certain - pretending wasn't enough anymore. He wanted this to be real.

Kieran's tiger bristled as Mallory's next words hit him like a bucket of ice water.

"The town crews are over there across the street. I think I just overheard them saying they can start bridge repairs in a few days," she said, her voice deliberately casual as she attackedanother snow drift. "And something about taking only a week or so, with the weather cleared up."

His shovel bit into the snow with more force than necessary. The thought of her leaving made his chest hurt. These past weeks, watching her charm guests and staff alike, seeing her quick mind at work solving problems, hearing her laugh at his jokes - it had become as natural as breathing.

"That's... good news," he managed, though his tiger protested. The parking lot suddenly felt too small and too confining.

Mallory nodded, not meeting his eyes. "Right. Good news."

The silence stretched on between them, broken only by the scrape of their shovels against the pavement. Kieran watched her, memorizing the way she moved, the determined set of her jaw, the wisps of hair that escaped her hat. His tiger paced, urging him to say something, anything, to make her stay.

But what could he say? Their arrangement had always been temporary. He had no right to pressure her to give up her solitude and her independence, just because he had gone and fallen in love with her.

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