Fate and Destiny (5 page)

Running a towel over his
damp head, Andrew emerged from the bathroom, spotting Shadow curled
at Destiny’s side, snoring. Damn traitorous dog, turned by a pretty
face. Shaking his head, Andrew smiled at the picture of the
beautiful woman and the shaggy mutt sleeping peacefully
together.

5.

Hours later, Destiny woke
to the smell of food and the sounds of static and music. Her head
didn’t throb nearly as badly as the first time she woke up in the
little room. Propping her heavy head on her arm, she watched Andrew
dancing in the kitchen with his back to her. He swayed gracefully,
his feet turning so she could see him in profile as he sang into a
spoon. She closed her eyes to slits, but it was useless. The smile
on her lips betrayed her. Locking his eyes on her, he began to
perform in an exaggerated fashion for her
amusement. 

The small light in the
kitchen allowed her to study his features clearly for the first
time. He was very handsome, with short brown hair and smooth skin.
His golden brown eyes twinkled when he smiled captivatingly at her.
She could not help herself and smiled back, which seemed to make
him smile even more. Although he wore a thick pullover, she could
remember how finely sculpted his back and chest were from the last
time she had seen him standing in that same spot.

Averting her eyes, she
pretended to look for Shadow so Andrew would not see her blushing.
Despite her efforts, he noticed. Her attempts to hide her
appreciative glance made him smile even more. Her green eyes
twinkled, her smile lighting up the corner of the room where she
rested. A familiar stirring coursed through his chest and down to
his legs. He quickly pushed the thoughts away, adjusting the
channel to limit the static on the radio. If she realized the
effect she had on him, she would close herself off again. She was
beginning to trust him and he did not want to jeopardize that
trust.

The weather reports that
managed to break through the static on the radio stated there were
at least three more days of raging snow circling the area. The
weather must cooperate before he would be able to get Destiny to
the sheriff or a doctor. Until then, he did not want to engage in a
war with her or spend time defending himself.

The storm trapped them
together for the time being and he would have to make the best of
it. Keep his hands off her, keep her comfortable, and then get her
out of his cabin as soon as he could. In the meantime, if she did
not trust him, she might try to leave or hurt him if he was not
wary. On the other hand, it was probably a good thing for her she
was injured. Remembering her injuries instead of thinking of her as
a beautiful woman would make it easier to control his newfound
urges toward her, especially if she kept smiling at him the way she
did.

Turning
his thoughts from her, he returned to preparing their simple dinner
of grilled cheese and vegetable soup.
 
Despite the rustic appeal of the
structure, he had no intentions of living without some minor
conveniences. The cabin was equipped with a small generator for
backup electricity, but if he wasn’t frugal, he would have to do
without the luxury of coffee and lighting other than
candlelight.

The cabin had no central
heat, but the plumbing worked very well, running from the well
behind the cabin, through a series of filters and insulated pipes
and into the house.

The snowstorm wiped out the
main electricity on the first night, and he had no idea how long it
would be until he could get down into the small town to refill the
propane tanks. Switching off the radio and the light, he placed the
food on the counter and faced Destiny. She lay on her side on the
bed with her head propped on her hand.

“
I hope you’re hungry. I
need to find a level surface for you to eat on though.”

“
I’m starving. It seems
like I haven’t eaten in weeks.” Another smile briefly crossed her
lips.

“
But, before we eat, could
you help me again?” She glanced at the bathroom door.

This time, instead of
reacting stiffly as if he would throw her out the window, she
clasped her wrists around his neck. Her body was warm and soft. As
he carried her, the weight of her breasts pressed against his
chest, her nipples tightening against him through the flannel that
buttoned up all the way to her neck. He did not want to let go of
her even after he had taken the few short steps to the
bathroom.

She shivered as his body
heat left her while he helped her stand on her good foot. When she
finished, he returned, scooping her into his arms.

“
I feel like a knight in
shining armor coming to rescue you from the plumbing
dragons.”

“
Oh my fair and brave
knight.” She did her best to curtsy with only her head. “Thank you
for slaying the dreaded plumbing dragon with your mighty
plunger.”

 
She batted her
eyelashes and gave him a coy look. Unable to contain himself, he
broke into laughter and she joined him.

“
I am feeling much better.
Do you think we could both sit on the floor to eat?”

“
I think that’s a great
idea. I’ll get you all set up.”

He sat her on the chair he
occupied earlier. Taking the pillows and blankets, he created a
cushion for her leg and back.

She laughed nervously,
admitting her fears.

 “
And to think that
not too long ago, I thought about grabbing the fireplace poker to
protect myself from you.”

He pushed aside the thought
of being bludgeoned with a fireplace poker.

“
You seemed pretty
frightened when you woke up. I guess I would have thought the same
thing if I were you.”

His calming eyes scanned
her face and she relaxed. They were on the same page now. A twinkle
came to his eye and he gave her a devilish grin.

“
Did you reach over while
I wasn’t looking and grab the fireplace poker?”

“
Of course not. I know now
you would just laugh at me for even trying.”

Andrew moved closer,
dramatically looking over and around her. Spotting the fireplace
tools, he bounded over and grabbed the set.

 “
I think I will just
move these out of the way for my own piece of mind.”

 
He set the rack and
tools near the front door before turning his attention back to
Destiny.

“
What about my razor from
the bathroom? Are you planning on making me bleed to death from a
thousand tiny nicks or a severe case of razor burn?”

Reaching her, he placed his
hands on each ankle, mindful of the bruised one. His hands roamed
thoroughly up her legs, around her hips, and up her sides, frisking
her for hidden weapons.

The firm yet brisk touch
tickled, causing giggles to erupt from Destiny.

“
Some knight you are!
Since when do knights frisk their princesses?”

“
Okay, fair maiden, I
think you’re clean. Not even a paperclip to poke my eyes out with.
Are you ready to feast now, milady?”

He helped ease her to the
makeshift pad, placing her swollen ankle on a pillow to keep it
from bumping on the wood floor. Fluffing the pillow behind her, he
looked into her clear green eyes. Her head did not seem to be
aching as badly as it had been and she was not as dizzy either.
Those were good signs as far as he was concerned.

He served her soup and a
sandwich along with a warm mug of tea sweetened with milk and
sugar.

“
So why do you live out
here in the middle of nowhere?” Destiny asked between spoonfuls of
the tasty stew.

“
Actually, I live most of
the year in California. I built this place so I could get away from
the city to relax and fish during the summer and ski in the
winter.”

“
Why did you pick this
place? I’m sure you could have found something a lot closer to
home.”

“
I work as a property
developer. My company determined this part of the country is
growing in popularity. People would want to come here for vacations
or summer homes. We bought most of the mountain, developed the
small lake into a large activity center, built cabins and
campgrounds. I liked it so much that I took first pick of the
cabins and had it outfitted for my own needs.”

Destiny licked cheese from
her fingers and used the last bit of bread crust to soak up the
remaining soup in her bowl.

“
So what did you have
done? I would have made it bigger with lots of windows or
something.”

Her eyes traveled over the
small area, imagining it larger.

“
More windows mean more
areas for heat to leak in or out. Larger spaces are also more
costly to heat and keep cool. Besides, it’s just me. I never bring
anyone up here. This is my retreat. I usually only sleep and shower
here because Shadow and I spend the rest of our stay out communing
with nature.

“
I had a cellar put in
under the kitchen area to keep most of my supplies indoors. I
installed top of the line thermal plumbing and electrical, extra
insulation. That kind of thing. I try to get up here at least once
during the winter months and I wouldn’t be able to survive here
without those little extras.”

Destiny nodded her
approval, seeing the small space with a new outlook.

After dinner, Destiny sat
on the floor playing solitaire, while Shadow watched intently.
Andrew washed the dinner dishes and then got out the first aid kit
so he could clean Destiny’s wounds.

Sitting next to her on the
floor, facing her with his thigh against hers, he gently removed
the bloody bandage covering the lump on her forehead.

 “
Sorry, honey. Guess
I should have warned you this might sting a little.”

He replaced the cap on the
antiseptic before placing a clean bandage over the abrasion. She
sat before him, a fragile waif wrapped up in his thickest blanket,
feet propped on a pillow, bandage on her head. She seemed cold no
matter how many logs he put on the fire and how warm the cabin was
to him.

He never needed more than
three blankets before. She used two of them while he slept with
only one. An extra blanket would come in handy on top of the rug to
soften the hard floor.

While he tended her, she
watched him silently. Her face so close that he could detect the
clean soapy smell of her skin.

She had green eyes, the
same color as new grass on a warm spring day, fairly emitting an
inner light all their own. He concentrated on making sure the area
around the wound was clean and there were no signs of infection.
Brushing her bangs out of his way, marveling at how soft and fine
the hair was. It was thick and a soft brown color with red
highlights set off from the glow of the fireplace.

Satisfied that she would
survive the night, Andrew packed everything back into the first aid
box and rose to return it to the cabinet in the kitchen. As he
passed by Shadow, the dog turned his head and whined softly.
Returning from the kitchen, Andrew planned to open the door enough
for Shadow to squeeze through.

Upon releasing the lock, a
blast of cold wind rocketed into the cabin blowing out the fire.
Destiny gasped from the sudden cold and the shock of the darkness.
Shadow bounded out into the snow and Andrew quickly latched the
door after him. Long steps brought Andrew back to the fireplace and
he soon had the fire burning again. 

An urgent bark alerted
Andrew that Shadow returned to the door hastily. He was ready to
return to the warmth of the cabin.

“
You’re gonna have to wait
a minute Shadow!”

Andrew wrapped the last
blanket around Destiny to protect her from the cold air.

She tucked herself up
tightly, burying her face in the blankets while she shivered.
Shadow impatiently scratched at the door. This time, Andrew was
prepared for the force of the wind. Easing the latch open, he used
his body to block as much of the cold wind as he could while Shadow
slipped between the doorframe and Andrew’s legs to get back into
the cabin. The door slammed shut behind him.

The dog stood in front of
the slowly growing fire and roughly shook his whole body to expel
some of the cold and wetness before happily trotting over to the
woman wrapped up in the blankets. Shadow plopped down on the excess
blankets that circled her, and then laid his head on his
paws.

Andrew tended to the fire,
trying to get some of the warmth back into the cabin while Destiny
sat behind him shivering, her teeth chattering.

With the dog back in the
cabin, and the fire sparking into flames, Andrew went into the
bathroom, turning the shower on to the hottest it would go. It was
a waste of precious propane to heat the water up to this level, but
she had to get warm. The shivering and teeth chattering were
probably making her head throb.

Back through the door, into
the main room of the cabin, Andrew bent down in front of
Destiny.

“
I’m going to carry you
into the bathroom with the water running hot. The steam will warm
you while I get the fire going again.”