Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Zeus disappeared into the woods, his jaunty tail wagging as he went. I wondered if I should call him back, but he was probably okay. After all, they’d let him wander before, since he’d shown up at my cabin twice.
Using a shuffle step so as not to fall, I followed him. He’d stopped in front of two trees that were close together. Loose twigs and branches stretched between the trees, creating sort of a snow break. On the far side, snow was piled up against them, but on this side, they held the snow back.
Slowly, I made my way over there. There was a log in front of them that wasn’t covered in ice. I brushed off some snow and then sat down.
Zeus came over to sit in front of me, and I hugged him. His fur was so warm and glossy. “You really are a good boy, you know,” I told him. “I can see why they named you after a god.”
He gave me what could only be called a smile and nuzzled his snout against my hand. I obliged him by scratching his broad head. “Next time I’ll see if there’s a brush I can use on you.”
We sat there for quite some time. The area between the two trees was surprisingly sheltered. It was still cold, but the branches above kept the snow from falling on my head. It wasn’t even windy, at least not in this spot.
It almost felt like the snow forts my grandfather had helped me make when I was a kid. He was my mom’s mom, and lived in Oregon, so I didn’t see him often. But making snowmen and snow forts with him were cherished childhood memories.
Despite the chill, it was kind of pleasant, sitting there hugging the dog. But after a while, a sharp whistle pierced the air, and Zeus was gone in a flash.
I followed him, only I was moving a lot more slowly. When I emerged from the trees, Zeus was sitting at Carter’s feet, looking up at him in an adoring fashion.
Carter made no comment when he saw me. I had to admit, he looked every bit the handsome, rugged outdoorsman. He stood tall, looking like it would be impossible for him to take a wrong step and end up on his ass—unlike me. Of course, he had those metal spiky things on his boots, but I got the feeling he’d look that way no matter what.
“I saw my cabin,” I said when I neared him.
He turned to take a look and then swore under his breath. “It got hit again.”
“What?” Surprise made me take a quick step forward, and my foot slid out from under me.
Carter grabbed my arm before I could go down. His grip was firm and intractable. “The roof over there by the deck. That was intact yesterday.”
I squinted, but I couldn’t quite make out what he meant. Over half the cabin looked like a big pile of rubble. Carter put his hands on my shoulders, angling me in the right direction. Then I could see it. A big branch had caved in a corner of the roof over the deck.
Despite the thick winter coat, I could still feel the heat from Carter’s big hands. Strong fingers like that could probably give one hell of a massage, not that I could picture Carter doing that. Men that good-looking seemed to be more into receiving than giving.
The silence made me feel awkward. “I’m glad I’m not still under all that.”
“Me too,” he said, his voice quite soft in my ear. I shivered, but not from the cold. For some reason, the moment felt rather intimate. Unless it was for a scene, I didn’t usually stand this close to men—or anyone, really.
“Um, I hope it was okay that I took Zeus out. He kind of didn’t give me a choice.” It was all I could think of to say.
“Yeah, he’s like that. I have to take him in now, or he’ll get in the way.”
He strode away, and with no one around to observe me, I watched him leave. He had such confidence. Had he ever been nervous about anything? It didn’t seem like it. Zeus trotted along next to him, happy to be with his master even if they were just going inside.
But that’s not what Carter did. He let Zeus in and then picked up something long and narrow. As he came back toward me, I saw what it was.
A bow.
A sleek, black, lethal-looking bow.
He slung it over his shoulder as he passed me. “Don’t want to risk Zeus getting in the way when I take a shot.”
Carter strode off while I stood rooted where I was, my mouth agape. Take a shot at what? Bambi? Bambi’s mother? Probably—what else was there to hunt up here? He didn’t seem like the kind of man to waste time on squirrels.