Fate and Destiny (3 page)

Satisfied that his charge
would be comfortable, Andrew cleaned the cabin. Wet clothes hung on
a line over the fireplace to dry. All of the bandages and supplies
returned to their slots in the first aid kit. He emptied the bloody
water from the bowl and rinsed out the washcloth before he was
done.

Outside, the storm
continued to grow in intensity, the wind howling around the cabin.
Refreshing his cold coffee with hot steamy brew, Andrew stared at
the woman sleeping with Shadow protectively curled up around
her.

He refreshed Shadows water
bowl before frying a couple of eggs for himself.

The woman and the blizzard
provided too much excitement for one day, and all before
breakfast.

3.

Horrific images danced
through her head as she hung in the mixed-up world between awake
and asleep. Nightmarish glimpses of men in a car hitting and
threatening her. Men she knew but couldn’t seem to remember exactly
how she knew. Dreams of flying through the air, rolling dizzily,
cold, and near death, then suddenly stopping against something
hard.

Curling deeper into the
warm blankets, she was certain the nightmare would be a distant
forgotten memory before she really woke up. Bending her knee, she
twisted in an attempt to roll over without leaving the warm place
etched into the mattress. She barely moved when pain shot from her
ankle.

Gulping in air, her mouth
flew open, hands instinctively reaching down to feel her leg.
Whimpers of pain and awareness escaped as sleep dissolved. In their
place came hot blinding percussions dropping her back to the bed.
Her head swam and her stomach rolled as dizziness and nausea almost
overcame her. The ankle now competed with the throbbing from her
temple.

Slowly, she forced her
swollen eyelids open. It took a moment for them to adjust to the
low light.

The room was on
fire.

Panicking, she slammed her
eyes shut before cautiously reopening them. Not a house fire, a
contained fire. Even the dim light bothered her irritated eyes.
Blinking a few times, trying to clear her head, squinting anew as a
fireplace slowly came into focus.

Her head began to clear.
Her bedroom closet was gone. In its place stood a large stone
fireplace with a fire burning on an open grate. Where the bathroom
door should have been, a window framed the gray sky. Wanting to sit
up and look around, the aches across her body warned her not to
even try. The quilt under her tightening fingers was foreign, the
pillow cradling her head not nearly as soft as her own. A few more
blinks, a deep breath, and the room stopped swimming.

A crumpled pile of blankets
covered the floor between the bed and the fireplace. Windows
flanked either side of the stone chimney, and a soft glow shone
from them into the room. To the left of the fireplace, on the other
side of the window, stood a door. Between the window and the door,
jackets hung on large hooks reflecting the firelight. One of them
was hers. How strange that she couldn’t remember hanging her jacket
up there. For that matter, she also didn’t remember ever being here
before, getting in the bed, or falling asleep. At any moment, three
bears were going to come through the door and accuse her of eating
their porridge. The gingerbread police would come, discover a green
eyed Goldilocks trespassing in Baby Bears’ bed, arrest her and put
her before a jury of fairies and elves.

That’s
it
, she thought,
 
I’ve lost my mind. Gone over
the edge, flew over the cuckoo’s nest. Forget fairytales. Guys in
white coats are going to come through the door and have me fitted
for a straightjacket.

She still needed to roll
over to alleviate muscle stiffness. Despite the pains, she tried to
ease from her side and onto her back without using the aching leg.
Something large and soft behind her stopped the movement. Reaching
back over the blankets, her hand brushed against a lumpy form. Her
first thought was of Baby Bear from the fairytale. Paralyzed with
fear, she lay perfectly still, her heart beating too fast, too
heavy. Her head pounding with the increased blood flow.

The figure moved a little
closer and she could not restrain herself anymore. A brief scream
erupted, as she scrambled into the corner of the bed against the
wall, intense pain forcing her mind to the edge of
blackness.

Crouched, sitting on her
backside, she used her arms as leverage, kicking her good leg out
as hard as she could. A loud yelp and a large hairy beast leapt
from the bed. Fear and adrenaline took control of her body. The
room swayed. Fairytales and the boogeyman from under the bed
stalked her, but there was no place to hide. 

She needed to stay awake
and alert. That thing could come back. Losing control over reality,
her head slipped back down to the bed. The fireplace swam in and
out of darkness. She curled up as tight as possible, but no safety
existed. Her head refused to lift from the mattress. Gripped by a
need to fight back, she tried to speak. Something, anything. But
only whimpers escaped her lips as blackness came over her, quieting
the fears.

From the safe place on the
floor near the fireplace, Andrew looked at the now motionless form
of the woman on the bed. Everything happened so fast. There was no
time to react, much less calm her, or save poor Shadow from the
kick that launched him from the bed.

Scratching the fur around
the dog’s neck, Andrew felt for injuries. No lumps or cuts rose
along the nape. The animal was strong, his pride hurting more than
his neck. The dog would get over it and forgive her, but Andrew
doubted Shadow would be sleeping next to her in the bed anytime
soon.

“
It’s alright boy. She
didn’t know any better. Ungrateful wench, isn’t she?”

Warily, Andrew crept closer
to the bed in case a foot came flying in his direction. Not taking
any chances, he prepared to duck or block as needed. Her body
curled up tightly into a ball with her back pressed against the
wall and headboard, her head along the outer edge of the mattress.
Reaching out, he stroked the side of her face to see if she would
respond. When no reaction came, he unfolded her body so she would
be able to lie comfortably.

Taking great care with the
injured leg, he placed her head on the pillow and situated her in
the middle of the bed. He tucked the blankets around her again,
preserving her body heat. The whimpering ceased and she visibly
relaxed enough to sleep calmly.

Throwing another log on to
keep the cabin warm, Andrew returned to the rug, his only cushion
from the hard floor. Shadow, deciding it was safer sleeping near
his master, curled into a ball next to the fireplace.

“
Nice try, but we both
know you’re going to slip under the blankets with me as soon as you
think I’m asleep.”

Andrew chuckled as Shadow
opened one eye, yawned, and turned his face towards the
fire.

This woman was going to be
more trouble than she was worth. But at least he was not going to
be bored or lonely in his mountain retreat.

Blinking away sleep, she
tried to focus on the coats hanging by the front door. Her gaze
drifted over to the fireplace, coming to rest on the man sleeping
on the floor. The events of the night before were fuzzy. Everything
blurred together into a tangled mosaic of colors and sensations.
She studied the man intently as she concentrated on breathing
evenly and controlling her erratic heartbeat.

His face was relaxed with
sleep, lips slightly open, short dark hair, and smooth skin with a
scruff of more than one missed day of shaving. He was an attractive
man, but she didn’t know him. Although only bits and pieces of
memory lingered, she knew he was not one of the men who abducted
her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t an accomplice.

Her eyes darted to the
door, trying to clear her mind. Spying the fireplace poker leaning
against the wall, a plan began to form. She would get to the tool,
then either hide it or use it immediately. The man on the floor
would take it away from her unless she did more than make idle
threats. Just moving her toes brought twinges of pain along her
leg. It would be difficult to defend herself and wield a weapon
against attackers when she couldn’t even straighten her leg without
pain, not to mention walk.

The mental exertion began
taking its toll on her throbbing head. Raising her hand, she rubbed
her forehead, her fingers finding bandages. Even her own gentle
touch in that sensitive area caused her to wince, sending spears of
hurt slicing through her head. Her eyes closed briefly with fatigue
and pain. Worried, she could not return to sleep and leave herself
defenseless.

She opened her eyes, once
again staring at her captor. He seemed innocent lying there asleep,
but looks were deceiving. She wanted to memorize his features in
case she lived through whatever happened to her.

The weak light from the
windows and the fireplace pierced her skull, but she hardly even
blinked while she scrutinized the man. She would not allow herself
to falter now. Her life depended on it!

He was awake before he
opened his eyes, the subconscious sensations of someone staring at
him while he slept slowly waking him from a fitful sleep. He
cautiously opened his eyes, expecting to see Shadow looking over
him, drooling and waiting for breakfast. Instead, steely feminine
eyes greeted him with a glare full of suspicion and hostility. It
was too dark to see what color they were. He caught himself,
wondering why he should care. Sensing the animosity sizzling within
them, he didn’t move, mesmerized by the emotions in those
depths.

Mistrust and fear were the
most obvious. She was afraid of him. He knew it without her saying
a word. She would hurt him if she could. He stared back at her,
trying hard not to appear as a threat of any kind, making no sudden
moves that might startle her.

The blankets around him
started to wiggle. The cool air of the cabin crept under them as
Shadow decided to wake up for the morning. He wriggled until his
cold wet nose and large brown eyes stuck out of the blanket near
Andrew’s head. The dog looked over at him with a sleepy, tongue
wagging; good morning grin before his jaws opened into a wide, lazy
yawn.

Andrew tipped his head back
to avoid the morning dog breath, but it was no use. The thick warm
stench from the dog’s mouth hit Andrew even as he held his breath
and turned his head. He tipped his head back farther, seeking
fresh, cool, untainted air.

As if suddenly remembering
his new best friend turned enemy, the dog looked towards the woman
in the bed, his large tail wagging under the blankets. He never
held a grudge for long. Throwing back the blankets, Andrew released
the animal to cease the fierce tail lashing.

Quickly crossing the space
between Andrew and the woman, Shadow leapt onto the bed. Other than
the quick movement to free the dog from the tangle of blankets,
Andrew didn’t move. Instead, he regarded the woman as her
expression transformed into amusement, then wonder, at the lovable
dog joining her on the bed. Shadow crawled on his stomach with his
head low. His doggy way of making peace with the person who had so
viciously kicked him.

Using the tip of his nose,
Shadow nudged the long, graceful fingers of the woman's hand
resting on top of the blankets. Andrew leaned up on one elbow and
watched as she patted the furry head while the traitorous dog
studied her with adoration. She seemed to have forgotten Andrew was
there. Maybe her fear abated, leaving it safe for him to get up.
Then again, maybe she was hoping the floor magically opened up,
swallowing him whole. 

A slight smile played at
her lips as she ran her hand over the thick coat of fur. Suddenly,
her awareness of Andrew renewed. Lifting her eyes to meet his, the
smile disappeared, cloaking her face in anger and fear once
again.

 “
Who are you and
where am I?”

He calmly regarded her
before answering. The unsaid accusations in her voice were
apparent.

“
My name is Andrew Greer
and you are on a mountain near Doves Cove, Colorado. I found you in
the snow yesterday and I brought you here so you wouldn’t freeze to
death.”

“
I don’t believe
you.” 

Andrew sighed. He saved
her, cleaned her up, and gave her his clothes and bed. Now he was
stuck taking care of her for who knows how long, and she was
treating him like he was the one who hurt her! It just doesn’t pay
to save a damsel in distress these days.

He wasn’t concerned she
would jump out of the bed with a wildcat frenzy and attack him. Her
injuries would prevent her from trying. He pulled back the
blankets, slowly standing up before stretching out his sore
muscles, the joints in his body cracking after the long night on
the hard floor.

“
Look lady,” he said
calmly. “I don’t care whether you believe me or not. I have no
reason to lie to you, and you can believe whatever you want. If you
want to leave, please feel free. This is my quiet haven and the
door is right over there.”

He motioned toward the
front door before flipping on the light in the kitchen.