“There’s not much here, but it’ll do. There’s gotta be a phone or a radio. Checked the cell and still no service,” he mutters, searching the house in vain for a phone that doesn’t exist before huffing in defeat.
“Do you think they have sled dogs out here?” She points out the window toward the little houses in the backyard, all lined up and empty.
“Looks like it. Or may not yet, maybe the dogs are coming. It’s weird no one’s here if that’s the case, ‘cause you can’t just pack up a sled team and take it somewhere else easily, you know? That’s a lot of dogs to travel with.”
She nods. “Yeah. Weird. They’ll get back and think they’ve been robbed when they see the glass everywhere.”
“Technically, they have been. We’re eating their food, about to sleep in their beds tonight, and…” He walks a few steps to grab a hunting bow off the wall. “We’re taking their weapons.”
That’s a sound plan. They need a way to defend themselves from various dangers. She aims for the opposite side of the cabin and pilfers a rifle from above the fireplace.
“Wait,” he warns. “Do you know how to use—”
Nora checks the chamber for rounds before closing it up again and cocking the handle.
“Okay. Looks like you do,” he finishes. “Is this one of the skills you were talking about?”
“I may have taken a class, or five, after my first divorce,” she smirks, enjoying his clear surprise, followed by something thatlooks vaguely smitten filtering across his face. “Are you sure you know how to use that? Don’t hurt yourself.”
He hefts up the bow she points to, screwing his face up in mock confusion. “Is there a safety on this thing? It’s pretty heavy…”
He pretends to almost drop it, watching her face transform from worried to annoyed as she shakes her head and turns away.
“I’ll manage,” he continues, shoving the weapon into the corner. “We’ll leave them a note before we go, let ‘em know we’ll return what we’ve taken and pay for the food.”
Their tour is short-lived when it becomes clear they’re stuck in here now instead of being stuck out there. No radio. No way to call for help. Still better than the cave. There’s no working power and no heat, but the cabin feels like an upgrade with two bedrooms and decent-looking beds. A bathroom the size of a shoe box waits near the back, and a polar bear head smack at the end of the hallway sets the mood.
She grazes her fingertips over the black nose, passing by sharp teeth. “Think it’s real?”
He nods. “I did some research before I came out here. They’re all over these parts. It’s illegal to hunt them, though.”
“So that’s why you’ve been worried about running into one?”
He shrugs. “Crazier things have happened. They’re one of the only animals to see us as a food source, and we’re traipsing all over their territory.”
Nora shakes her head absently. “When Gwen told me she might be moving here, I thought she was crazy. Imagine choosing to live beside one of your only real predators.”
“You said before that she’s a scientist?”
“She is. Could have picked something warmer to study, though.”
“That’s the last type I ever expected Oliver to get hitched to. Bar flies are more his speed. Can’t wait to find out how thiseven happened. Did she tell you? ‘Cause he didn’t go into much detail.”
“She didn’t either. Said she’d tell me everything in person like it was some grand secret, but that’s just her.”
“Well, it’s looking more and more like we might be hearing that story sooner rather than later. This here is a windfall. If there’s a house, we gotta be heading in the right direction.”
“How long are we staying?”
She wants to hold up here until someone appears at the door to whisk them away, but for all they know, that could take weeks or months.
“We should catch our breath. Get warm. Maybe a couple of days? If we get lucky, someone will come home by then. What do you think?”
She nods. “Okay. A couple of days.”
They’ve found themselves a cabin, and right now it’s the closest thing to home they’ve got.
They don’t sleep in the beds, choosing instead to spend all their time in front of the fireplace after gathering enough wood from the chopped pile out back. Each at one end of the large sofa, curled up in their blankets and snacking on canned peaches. The only important thing they talk about is the next crossword puzzle question.
