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When the knob turned without benefit of a key, he went onto full alert. Perhaps upon finding nothing valuable inside, the perpetrator had left empty-handed and without bothering to lock up behind himself. Still, Liam was a cautious man and wasn’t about to consider the cabin uninhabited until he checked for himself.
Pushing open the door, he stepped inside. Nothing moved and no sound met his ears except for the hum of the refrigerator and a ticking that indicated the hot water tank had begun to heat the moment he’d opened the panel on the garage wall and turned the electricity and water back on.
Once his eyes adjusted fully, the moonlight streaming through the window allowed him to move silently. Liam checked the door in the kitchen, finding it locked. Turning, he paused, the bottle of water on the island drawing his eye. Someone had definitely broken in.
Ducking his head into the small half-bath beneath the stairs, the laundry room and searching the guestroom, he was assured that he was the sole occupant of the lower level. He climbed the stairs, stepping over the fourth one from the bottom as he knew that to tread on it would produce a squeak. He’d been meaning to replace the slightly warped wood but hadn’t gotten around to it.
On the landing, he paused, listening to see if his presence had been detected. Silence surrounded him, and yet he saw a soft glow coming beneath the door at the end of the hall. There had been no power before he’d turned it on a few minutes earlier, so either the intruder had brought his own source of light and left it behind… or he was still here.
Dividing his attention between the two doors, he opened the first to find it uninhabited. Closing the door and his mind to how he had given up hope that it would ever find the occupant for which it had been designed in residence, he moved to the door of his bedroom and eased it open. He immediately found the source of light. A cell phone was on top of the table next to the bed, a soft beam shining up to the ceiling. It was evident that the intruder hadn’t just left a phone and split. Not unless they left without benefit of shoes. A pair of hiking boots was on the floor beside the bed. Two things about what he saw had his brow furrowing and his anxiety ratcheting down several levels. First was the fact that the boots would only fit a very small man, but add in the neon-pink phone case, and he was pretty positive that his little burglar was a female. Moving forward as silently as a mouse, he found his intruder… well, what little of her he could see.
She was turned on her side, curled up beneath covers that concealed her entire body. The sight of green hair gave him pause. While women were now dyeing or putting streaks of every hue in their hair these days, this green wasn’t one he could see them choosing. It was a drab olive color and as he bent closer, he saw that it wasn’t hair at all. It was a hoodie whose cord had been pulled so tightly beneath her chin that the fleece practically covered all of her eyes. Even the tip of her nose was buried beneath the quilt.
Who the hell was she and what was she doing in his bed? Forget that… how had she gotten inside? The cabin wasn’t easy to find. He’d built high on the mountain, the barely there road not encouraging visitors.
“Who are you, little one?”
When a soft whimper sounded, he realized he’d spoken aloud. Before he could straighten, she turned, small fingers appearing to clutch the covers tighter as she rolled over. What he saw had him rocking back on his heels.
No fucking way!
Sure, the smattering of freckles across her cheeks and bridge of a small button nose could belong to another, but the ring on her finger, a ring he’d had designed and commissioned to be made, was one of a kind. He’d slipped it onto her finger—though not one on her right hand where it was presently being worn. Even though he didn’t understand why she was here or why she’d come back, he immediately shifted into the role that had been as automatic as breathing ever since he’d become a man. Moving to the cedar chest at the foot of the bed, he lifted the lid and removed another quilt. Gently so as not to wake her, he shook it open and then laid it across her. She was always chilled, even in the summer. Burning calories as quickly as she consumed them kept her on the thin side and her body barely made a lump under the covers. With the snow and no heat, the poor thing must be freezing. He stood at the end of the bed, looking down on her.
The anger and sense of betrayal had been real. The hurt over losing her had run deep. He’d spent months not knowing where she was, what she was doing, asking himself if she was as wrecked as he was or had she walked away and found whatever she thought she wanted… what would make her happy as he’d been unable to do? They’d not seen each other or spoken in a long time, but it took nothing more than her presence to have every moment they’d ever shared playing like a film in his head. He knew he had the right to rip back the covers, wake her up, and demand answers… yet he didn’t. He didn’t make a point of going unprepared into any situation. And though he’d definitely been blindsided by her actions that day, and was shocked at her appearance now, he was going to make damn sure he was prepared when she woke.
If her being here meant what he found himself hoping, she wouldn’t have to worry about being cold for long. No, if she had returned to the very spot she’d fled, then she hadn’t dropped by just to say hello.
“Sleep well, you’re going to need your strength,” he said softly, a grin appearing when her nose crinkled as it did when she was puzzled about something, and she gave a soft little snore. His blood quickened as memories flooded through his mind.
When she gave a little whimper, he spoke again. “Shh, I’ve got you. I won’t let anything harm you, baby.” He stood a long time, just watching her, waiting until her fingers relaxed their clutch on the covers and her breathing deepened. Shit, he wanted nothing more than to join her in the bed and pull her into his arms. Instead, he bent to kiss her cheek, extinguished the light on her phone, grabbed additional bedding from the chest, and left the room.
Descending the stairs, he headed for the couch. It sure as shit wasn’t as comfortable as the bed in his guestroom, but it would do. He had no intention of not waking if the little minx attempted to sneak out. Sleeping on the couch, he would have absolutely no worries. He was a light sleeper and would come instantly awake the moment a footfall, no matter how light, fell onto the stairs. After placing several logs in the stone fireplace and lighting them, he made up his bed for the night. While the cabin slowly began to warm with the heat of the flames, he went into the kitchen and placed the half-empty bottle of water she’d drunk from back into the fridge. Well, he’d just add robbery to trespassing. With the discovery of his extra key lying on the counter, he removed breaking and entering from her list of crimes.
He understood how she had found the cabin and how she’d found the key as she’d been here before. Very few people knew about the cabin but there was the very rare occasion when he’d allow others to use his place. A very few, very select group of people had qualified to have earned the privilege. He couldn’t imagine any of his friends taking advantage of him and yet the lack of a vehicle and her very presence was enough evidence that someone had assisted her without informing him of their plan to do so. The question was who? Trust was an extremely important part of his life and theirs. Breaking it, in any way, would be very hard to forgive. Who did he know who might be willing to risk his friendship?
Too restless to sleep or even read, he decided to bring in the provisions he’d brought. It took him two trips to grab all the grocery bags. He was planning on staying a week or so and had come prepared. He turned on the lights, rotating the switch to make them dim and yet providing enough illumination to chase away the shadows. He put the groceries away, stocking the shelves of the refrigerator and filling the baskets on the counter by the stove. He might be in the woods, but damn, he was planning on eating well. A few items went in the cabinets and a few more into the freezer before he returned outside. The snowfall was getting heavier, his boot prints from his first trip to the car already almost completely obliterated. By morning it would be a least a foot or two deep with some drifts even deeper.
He grabbed his backpack and his duffle, then closed the garage door. He could smell the aroma of wood smoke drifting on the chilled air and it made him smile. The moment he left the city, every mile of highway navigated, every switchback driven brought him peace. Though he’d been on alert upon his arrival, and he’d been shocked at the discovery of her in his bed, he disregarded the fact that his head was telling him to ignore his heart. If there was even the barest glimmer of hope that her presence, her return, meant what he prayed it did, he’d do whatever it took to let her know she’d made the right choice.
Back inside, he locked the door and grabbing the bottle from the freezer, poured a shot of vodka, downing it in one swallow. Pouring another, he settled at the island and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He waited until it connected with the hotspot he’d engaged to boost reception and then dialed, taking a sip from his glass as he waited.
“Hey, sorry to call so late but do you have a minute?” he asked when the phone was answered.
“For you, sure. What’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be enjoying self-imposed isolation by now?”
“Depends on the definition of isolation,” Liam said, taking another sip of vodka. “Care to guess who I discovered in the cabin… in my bed?”
On the other end of the phone, Sean Rodrick chuckled. “Goldilocks?”
“Ha-ha,” Liam said, rolling his eyes, but knowing he’d walked right into that one. It hadn’t taken long running down his list of close friends before settling on one. A certain feisty woman with golden curls who could trust that he’d forgive her. “No, but speaking of Goldilocks, where’s Kathryn?”
“Kathryn, not Katie, I see? Funny you should ask. She’s actually upstairs right now, nose to the wall, contemplating the consequences of her recent choices.”
Liam knew that could mean one of a dozen things but made a guess. “Those choices wouldn’t have anything to do with her bestie Elena, would they?”
The silence lasted for only a moment, but spoke volumes. Liam could practically hear the gears turning in Sean’s head and see that head shaking back and forth. “Is that who’s in your bed? Elena?”
“Yes, and I need to see what Katie knows about it. Has she said anything to you?”
