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That was a put down, but he’d deal. It was better in the long run. If Tawny threw herself at him or Liam, it would be hard to control himself.
The snow on the ground made the trail not only slippery but difficult to see the path. A few times, they veered off in the wrong direction, but it didn’t take Tawny long to realize she’d made a mistake.
Alex’s hands were cold, and he could only imagine how uncomfortable Tawny must be, yet she never complained.
What seemed like a long time later, a cabin came into view. It was a small wooden structure no more than five hundred square feet in size. The porch was a nice added touch, though. A snow covered stack of wood was piled up on the side, but he didn’t see any power lines, so he assumed there was no electricity. Despite that lack, it would beat sleeping outside any day—at least for Tawny.
She held onto the porch handrail, and as she climbed the three steps to the porch, her shoulders slumped. Poor thing.
“I need to get out the key,” she mumbled.
“Why don’t you knock first to see if Zach is in there?” Liam suggested.
They both knew he wasn’t there, or they would have sensed his presence. Alex was surprised Tawny couldn’t tell, but he wanted her to have some hope that her brother might be there.
She knocked. “Zach?”
When there was no response, she turned around, closed her eyes for a moment, and inhaled.
“What should we do?”Liam telepathed.
Alex stepped up to the door and tried to open it.Locked. “Where is the key, Tawny?”
“In my backpack.”
Liam helped her take it off. It took a moment for her to locate it. Once she did, she opened the door. “Zach?” Tawny called as she hurried inside.
If he didn’t answer the first time, he probably wouldn’t answer the next. To prevent any more snow from blowing in, he closed the door. The space consisted of one large room with a set of stairs on the right hand side that lead to a loft. From this angle, it appeared as if two mattresses were on the floor. The first-floor room had a fireplace on the north side and a sink and a few shelves on the opposite wall. Next to the sink was a wood burning furnace.
“How about I see if we can get a fire started? It’s almost as cold in here as it is outside,” Alex said.
“That would be great. There’s a stream not far from here. I need to get some water so we can make tea or coffee.”
“I’ll do that,” Liam offered.
“Thank you. I guess I’ll see if any family member left any canned food from the last time they visited.”
Both men dropped their backpacks and headed outside. The wood would be wet, but with some luck, the fire might dry it out. If not, heating food and staying warm would be difficult.
An image formed of Tawny shivering. Naturally, he, and hopefully Liam, would offer to keep her warm. Skin to skin contact would be the most effective he’d say, but in truth, Alex didn’t want to put more pressure on Tawny. Sex was definitely out of the question in this place. Besides, they were there to find her brother.
Go. The fire wasn’t going to start itself.
It took three trips for Alex to carry in enough wood to last the night. He had been forward thinking enough to bring not only a lighter but some fire paste that would help ignite the wet wood.
It was time to create a cozy retreat for the three of them.
CHAPTERFOUR
With the woodalready chopped outside, Alex managed to start a fire in the stove as well as in the fireplace. Liam then boiled the water he’d collected from the stream for the tea.
“This tea hits the spot,” Tawny said. “Despite wearing gloves, my hands nearly froze. Thankfully, I can feel my hands and feet again.”
Alex didn’t like that she’d been so cold. No telling if she’d suffered any frostbite, but if she did, she shouldn’t be going outside for a while. He had the sense she wouldn’t heed any warnings, however. Tawny was determined to find her brother, no matter the consequences.
He pulled out his cell. Surprisingly, it had one bar, which would be enough for a text. That meant her brother could have texted her—assuming he hadn’t either lost his cell or his battery hadn’t died. Alex didn’t want to consider another alternative.
After a half hour, the cabin was finally warm and cozy. Unfortunately, the snow was still blowing outside, and Alex had no idea how long it was going to last. Even a wolf would have a problem maneuvering in this weather as the snow was close to a foot deep already. If the bad weather hadn’t rolled in, he and Liam would have gone exploring.
