He and his brother have a complicated relationship.
He’s an actual Boy Scout.
He spent a considerable amount of time being forced to survive in the wild by his own father under the guise of self-improvement.
He hates the family name and all the benefits that apparently come with possessing it.
He’s kind enough to keep her from wandering the darkness outside alone, even after she tried to elbow him in the ribs.
That all paints a picture that’s slowly coming together, and she decides that maybe she got lucky crashing with him, if luck is even an option anymore. She forces herself to leave out the fiancé-shaped parts that she’d rather forget.
Soon enough they shove their socked feet together, tucking the blankets around themselves and rearranging back into a proper pile.
“Mmm. That’s good,” she mumbles into his shirt. “You want me to move a little? I’m kinda on top of you.”
“Nah. You’re fine.”
She may as well be in his lap, still situated between his spread legs with her head tucked under his chin. She’s never even slept this close to her own husband,either of them, and yet there’s nothing about this she doesn’t like. Worries she’s smothering him, or that his legs might go numb, but she hasn’t felt this warm and safe in a very long time.
It might be a frost-prompted illusion, but she goes with it. For now.
Sleep is elusive, though. Nora can’t do more than doze. As the sun comes up, something firm pokes against her hip. That’s her cue to move away. She doesn’t want him to feel awkward when it’s only biology. That sort of thing happens in the morning.
It has nothing to do with her at all.
She doesn’t comment, and he doesn’t offer an explanation, but the tint to his cheeks tells her he’d rather not talk about it.
Theo has plenty of time to walk it off when there’s another hike ahead of them in a whirl of windswept snow and no telling how long it’ll last.
* * *
There’s a house staring back at them like a mirage, shaded by large trees, out of place in the desolate landscape.
“You see it too, right?” she whispers.
“Yep.”
It’s only then that they race for the building, nearly tripping in their excitement before flying onto the broken-down porch and banging on the door.
This is it. Salvation. They found their own damn rescue. They’ll be in a heated hotel soon enough, and then she’ll tell Gwen all about this guy she met and almost died with.
This guy she survived with.
This guy that she’s starting to like a whole lot more than she should, but she spent all night in his arms, after all, and that’s not the sort of thing she can do without feelingdifferent.
Relief quickly turns to frustration when their pleas go unanswered.
“No one’s home.” He braces one hand on the glass to shield his vision as he peers inside. “It’s empty.”
She glances around the property, taking it in for the first time after being too distracted by the hope of rescue. No tracks. No car. No dog sled. No nothing. Can’t even see where the driveway is or where the road connects. If there is a road at all.
Their miracle is nothing but false hope.
“Let’s break in,” she says, matter-of-factly.
He grabs a rock from the ground without question, breaking the glass window in the door and they slip inside, surveying theinterior of a hunting cabin. Dozens of animal heads adorn the walls, staring down at them in morbid curiosity. She ignores that and aims for the kitchen, smiling in delight at a few cans of food and boxes of snacks that aren’t even expired.
She grabs a handful of crackers to inhale, offering Theo the box to do the same. They aren’t exactly minding their manners right now, and she laughs, covering her mouth with her hand.
