Page 14 of Corey
Okay, on the one hand, she could quickly use his phone, call Melanie and then get the hell out of there before this turned into a Cujo situation. Or she could secure Loki safely in a bedroom, get a fire going and hang out for a while in case the bad guys were looking for her. Realistically, there was no way she’d be able to drive her car back onto the road with all the snow. She didn’t feel threatened by the stranger because, well, he could barely stand. If she had to guess, she’d say he was suffering from a bad case of the flu.
Sera locked eyes with the shepherd in wolf’s clothing, still unwilling to set the pepper spray down. “Storm, right? You promise you won’t eat me?” The serious golden eyes didn’t so much as blink. “Or my cat? Because if you’re a very good boy, I’ll watch over your dad here and feed you some dinner. And all you have to do is let me hang out here for a little bit. Sound like a deal?”
The animal made a chuffing sound and Sera took that as a yes.
“Okay then. As long as everyone is on their best behavior, we all win.” Putting on a brave face, now acting as if she owned the place, Sera went back outside with Loki on her back, grabbed her bag and gathered the fallen logs into her arms. Hopefully, the wolfdog would let her back inside the cabin.
When she reached the cabin’s threshold, she saw the creature lying beside the couch, near his master. Moving slowly, she closed and locked the door then deposited the wood on the brick hearth.
“Okay, first things first.” Putting Loki in a safe place was priority number one.
Time to explore. Walking past the couch and extremely vigilant shepherd-ish animal, Sera glanced over the open layout of the cabin. It was a pretty cool place with a rustic, masculine vibe. Lots of navy blue and chestnut brown. There was a big modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a curving wooden staircase that led to a second floor and a loft which overlooked the main floor. Large wooden beams soared high above her head, running along the ceiling, and big picture windows provided a stunning view of distant mountain peaks and a river running through the property.
Sera wandered past the stairs and down a hall. Finding the master bedroom, she stepped inside. Definitely a man’s domain. An appealing mix of what smelled like cedarwood and cinnamon hit her nose. Breathing deeply, her gaze scanned over a large bed, neatly made, with a deep blue bedspread. There was also a dresser with a framed photo on top.
Curious about the man lying on the couch, she walked over and picked it up. It was a group of very tough-looking military men, nine in total, and all armed to the teeth. They stood on what looked like a desolate mountaintop in a faraway land and held up two flags—an American flag and a red flag depicting the image of an Indigenous American with a pair of crossed tomahawks.
Carefully setting the frame back down, she guessed they were some kind of special forces unit. If the man in the living room was a former military operator, that meant he was a protector—a fierce warrior who’d be competent against a threat.
Well, maybe not exactly at present since the flu was kicking his ass…and winning.
But once he was feeling better, he might be a good ally to have in her corner if the bad guys came looking for her. He probably had guns locked up somewhere, and she wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about that. Guns had a tendency to freak her out, and with good reason.
A chill ran through her, and she turned back around and walked out. She decided she’d tuck Loki away upstairs. As far away from White Fang as possible.
As she headed to the staircase, she paused and glanced into the living room. The man looked sound asleep and his dire wolf hadn’t budged from his side.
Fine by me.
Moving up the steps, she slid her hand along the smooth polished railing. Not a speck of dust. No Christmas decorations, either. The entire place seemed clean and tidy. At the top of the staircase, she saw three open doors. A quick inspection revealed the first room was a bathroom, the second one a guest bedroom and the last one a small sitting room with a comfy-looking chair, tall lamp and several books stacked on a table.
Returning to the guest room, she went inside, closed the door and slid the backpack off. She set it on the bed and opened it. “It’s okay, Bubba. You can come out.”
The black cat hopped out of its bubble carrier and began to fearlessly explore the room as though he owned the place. “I’ll get you set up in a bit. First, I need to get a fire going before we all freeze.”
Cracking the door, she slipped out and made her way back downstairs. Still clutching the pepper spray, she walked over to the hearth, eyeing the wolfdog as she knelt and began building afire. He didn’t move, and it felt like he was guarding the man on the couch.
There were still some embers burning, so Sera added more wood and kindling. She’d never built a fire before, so she was grateful for the head start. It didn’t take long for the flames to build, and soon a roaring fire crackled, warming the room.
Her attention moved to the man, and she wondered what his name was. Actually, she wondered quite a few things. Why did he live by himself in the middle of nowhere? Well, she assumed he lived alone since she didn’t see anything that suggested differently. She’d looked for signs of a wife or kids. Nothing. And why in God’s name did he have a wolf?
It seemed like he lived a fairly simple and quiet life. She stood up and took a closer look around. A huge puzzle covered a table by the window, and her lips curved in a small smile. Other than online games, she didn’t know anyone actually still put old-school puzzles together. The half-completed image was an eagle soaring over a lake. She wandered over, picked up a puzzle piece and studied the others. There must be thousands of them. After a minute, she placed the piece where she thought it belonged and it clicked into place.
“Okay,” she said softly, straightening up. “Time to figure out a makeshift litter box, feed Loki, feed myself, get Flu Man into bed—and hopefully you’ll follow, Mr. Wolf—and then call my sister.”
No problem.
Chapter Six
Sera called her sister from the landline in the kitchen, talking softly and trying to convince Mel not to worry, as she rummaged around in the pantry. Of course, she didn’t get into the gritty details. All she said was her car slid off the road somewhere in Montana and she was currently waiting out the snowstorm at a cabin. When Mel started asking a million questions, Sera told her she had to go.
The more she thought about it, the more it sounded like she was trapped in a Grimms’ Fairy Tale: villains chasing her, getting lost in the woods, stumbling upon a cabin in the middle of nowhere, encountering a wolf and—her gaze zeroed in on the sleeping man—a slumbering giant lumberjack.
Maybe she should just let him sleep on the couch. He seemed comfortable enough. Plus, it was nice and toasty now. As long as she got up throughout the night and made sure to keep adding wood to the fire, they’d be fine.
Time to stockpile the wood because the log holder was empty.
Sera pulled on the man’s huge, heavy coat, figuring he wouldn’t mind if she borrowed it, and stepped onto the front porch. Somehow it felt even colder than earlier—maybe because the fire had warmed her up—so she pulled the coat tighter and the scent of wood and cinnamon surrounded her. Wow, it smelled good. Kind of spicy and strangely comforting. Hell, shecouldn’t remember the last time a man had been close enough for her to smell or the last time she’d been held in someone’s arms.
