Page 5 of Reindeer in the Headlights
Eventually, the cold numbed the pain, and I unclenched my teeth and butt.
Ambrose didn’t say much as he cleaned my wounds. His hands were steady and capable, and I longed for him to continue doing what he was doing. An image flashed into my mind of his hands on my bare butt, and I shook my head to rid myself of the picture.
“Thank you for looking after me.”
He didn’t look up as he wrapped an elastic bandage around my ankle. “I couldn’t leave you out there to die.” He secured the bandage and asked how it felt.
“Much better.” The ice and the compression were helping, and my thoughts were clearer. I pulled out the phone, but it was dead. It shouldn’t have needed charging, though.
“I should call someone. Do you have a phone?” I doubted he had a land line because not many people did these days, but anyone who could afford it had a mobile.
Ambrose tensed, and so many thoughts rushed through my head. Was he hiding away from someone or the authorities?
“The phone lines are down because of the storm.”
That was reasonable. “Don’t suppose you have a mobile?”
“There’s no signal out here, even on a good day.” He gathered up the first-aid supplies. “You’re welcome to stay until morning, and we can figure out how to get you home.”
This was the plot of so many scary movies. A lone traveler’s car broke down, and he was rescued by a stranger living in the woods with no way to contact the outside world. But instead of being wary or scared or hefting myself up, saying I’d sleep in the car, I felt safe, almost as if this was where I belonged.
Perhaps I’d hit my head, and I was suffering from a concussion.
The kitten stuck his head out from the quilt and mewed. Ambrose said he’d warm some milk, and I cuddled the little guy, thinking of his possible brothers and sisters in the snow.
“I’m sorry, little boy if I deserted your siblings. I should have saved them too.” Not that it would have been possible with me hobbling over the deep snow, but I was ridden with guilt.
Ambrose returned with a small dish of milk, and I put the kitten on the floor. It got more milk on its fur and the rug than inside his tummy, but his little tongue lapped enough of the liquid to satisfy him.
Ambrose fashioned a blanket into a little bed closer to the fireplace and encouraged the kitten to snuggle in. I hid a yawn behind my hand, and my host insisted I take his bed. He changed the bedding, saying he’d sleep on the foldout couch. I protested but halfheartedly because I was exhausted.
He helped me into bed, and I must have gone to sleep immediately, because when I opened my eyes, it was pitch dark. I fumbled for the lamp because there was a tiny warm body beside me, and it was purring.
When I finally turned the lamp on, I blinked at the bright light because there wasn’t one small dark kitten in bed with me. There were two, and the second had white fur. This second one couldn’t have made it all the way from the road to the cabin, so Ambrose must have gone out looking for it. But I had said nothing to him, unless he picked up on me apologizing to kitten number one.
There was too much thinking happening and not enough sleeping, so I flicked off the lamp. Tomorrow I’d figure out how to get home, but it’d be a shame to leave the sexy woodcutter. Not that I knew he chopped wood, but he had a fireplace. It was a reasonable assumption.
4
AMBROSE
Wyndham cared more about that kitten than he did about his own injuries, and not once had he seemed any too concerned about his vehicle. He had such a soft heart. It was one of the many things I already liked about him.
And wasn’t that messed up? Here he was, injured and in need of help and I had a growing crush on him, a desire to scent him deeply, and was sporting a semi every time I touched him. This human was here for my help, not my ogling. I had to cross my fingers he didn’t pick up on it, because the last thing the guy needed was to feel uncomfortable around me on top of all the rest of it.
When I overheard him apologizing to the kitten for not looking for his siblings, I knew I had to go find them, or at least try. They were young. I didn’t really know how young, but it was a good sign that the cat lapped up the milk. It meant they were past the stage where they needed a bottle or, preferably, their mother to survive, and given I had neither, that was huge.
What little I knew of cats, they were usually born in litters, so it made sense there might be some siblings out there. But all thatdepended upon how that kitten came to be there. He seemed well cared for, so my guess was he hadn’t been born in the wild. Did he get lost when someone pulled over? Was he dumped? There were many options, and none of them good. At least he had Wyndham now. Something told me there was nothing that would stop that man from giving that adorable fur baby a good life.
I grabbed my phone and put it in my pocket, hoping to get a signal when I got closer to the car. Cow’s milk wasn’t a great food for the kitten, I knew that much. I’d have wanted to help them no matter what, but seeing how important they were to the man on the couch, I needed to keep him good and healthy. I had tuna, some salmon in the freezer, those kinds of items, but it was best to find out exactly what was best for him before giving them any more than that bit of milk.
Wyndham had fallen asleep almost instantly. I knew his mind had to be racing, but his body had been through a lot of stress between the cold, the accident, and the injury. It made sense that once the situation calmed down, he’d be sound asleep, making it the perfect time for me to leave on my mission.
I jotted a note and left it on the side table next to where his head was resting, hoping he wouldn’t wake long enough to need it, and then trudged down toward the road. The weather was clearing up, or at least a patch of clear weather was passing through. Around here, it often cycled back again. Only time would tell.
When I reached the road, I took out the phone and asked Google what to feed kittens when you didn’t have access to cat food or cat formula. It gave me a lot of ideas, including a formula that was made, all with ingredients I had. Keeping that kitten filled with nutrients before we were able to get to a vet was the bestI was going to be able to do. That and find their siblings, if any existed.
When I reached the car, I was freezing. My reindeer, who was not too pleased about any of this, surprised me. It didn’t feel like he was upset about being dragged through the snow looking for a possible kitten, as much as he was pissed at me for not protecting the man in the cabin.
