Page 14 of Their Frozen Bones

She needed to know more about this mysterious man living alone in the forest with his dogs. Julie scanned the room and her gaze alighted on a small desk in the corner. She hobbled across the floor toward it and turned on the lamp. The top of the desk was clear apart from a small tin containing pens. Although Raven wasn’t home, she looked over one shoulder before sliding open the drawers. In the top one she found a neat pile of folders, each with a name written on the top. She peeked inside and discovered medical records of the people he had treated. Another drawer had detailed notes of each dog he’d trained, along with any problems he’d encountered and how he dealt with them.

Guilty, she kept searching the room. She wanted more information but found nothing of interest. This guy may be treating people and training dogs as he had informed her, but any past life had been erased. Not one photograph or personal identification of any type whatsoever in his room. She found a small envelope stuffed with receipts, but apart from that, it seemed that Raven had no identity prior to moving into the cabin. How much of what he had told her was fabrication? Was he living a lie?

The smell of his cologne curled toward her nose. There must be a woman in his life. She ran his conversation back through her mind. He’d mentioned a woman he visited when he wanted to sell or rescue a dog, but he’d told her repeatedly that at the moment there was no way through to the next cabin, let alone all the way into town. If what he was telling her was true, where was he? She had no idea how long he had been missing and couldn’t imagine why he’d want to go out in the freezing cold during a snowstorm in the middle of the night. She tried to recall how long after dinner she’d fallen asleep. They’d eaten around six and she’d taken the medication with her dinner. She recalled yawning halfway through her meal and the effort it took for herto clean her teeth before she went to lie down. That was the last thing she remembered, so she’d been asleep since around six-thirty.

If Raven had gone out after dinner to tend his dogs, he should be back by now. If something had happened to him, surely his dog Ben would have been going ballistic by now? She hobbled to his bedside table and lifted the alarm clock, turning it so she could see the face in the light from the bathroom. She had been asleep for twelve hours. Panic gripped her. What would happen to her if he didn’t return? She had no idea of her location in the forest even if she had a telephone. Trying to get through the snow with a broken leg would be suicide. She would just have to try and survive until the melt. A trickle of anxiety crawled up her spine at the thought of Raven lying out in the open injured or, worse, dead. Then there was Ben. Shouldn’t he be here inside the warm house? Her mind went to the dogs in the barn that he mentioned pulled his sled. She couldn’t just leave them out there to die locked in their kennels. Perhaps when it stopped snowing, she could figure out how to attach them to the sled and then try and find her way home. Her stomach tied in knots at the thought of being alone in the freezing cold in the middle of the forest. Surely once the snow stopped falling, the choppers would be out looking for the crashed aircraft. If she could get back to the crash site when she heard choppers overhead, she would have a slim chance of being seen.

She went back into her bedroom. Raven had unpacked her things and put them in the chest of drawers and the closet. It took her so long to get dressed. By the time she’d maneuvered her cut-up jeans over the splint, sweat trickled down her back and her heart pounded with overexertion. The agony shooting up her leg made her nauseous and she sat on the bed and sipped water until her head stopped spinning. Outside the sun was creeping into the sky, but even in the dark, with so muchsnow it was surprisingly light. She dragged on her coat, hat, and gloves and using her crutches made her way to the front door. It was like a Christmas card and even the barn had a wintery charm about it. The forest wore a mantle of white that extended to the black mountains. From her position she could make out Bear Peak with its distinctive bear’s head rock formation. She shivered recalling all the terrible stories Emily had told her about the graves at Bear Peak. It was called a killing field by the townsfolks, and it was very close to the cabin. She could hear water and gathered the river that Jenna had fallen into when out with Atohi looking at old gravesites last year would be close by. She recalled flying over Bear Peak and through the canyon when the blizzard hit with force.

She hobbled along the porch and stared at the barn. No lumps lay along the cleared pathway. Piles of snow each side told her Raven cleared it daily. She stared at the barn. It seemed a mile away but in truth it was less than fifty yards. She hobbled down the steps, gasping and spilling great gusts of steam into the air. So very slowly she made her way to the barn. At the front was a sliding door, and to one side a regular door. She made for the regular door and turned the knob. It opened with oiled ease and she peered inside. The barn smelled of dogs but not in an unpleasant way, more like the smell of puppies. No barking greeted a stranger in their midst. She moved toward the kennels, noticing the furnace pushing out the heat. She stood gaping at the empty pens. Wherever Raven had gone, he’d taken his dogs. Suddenly very alone, Julie made her way painfully back to the house.

In the kitchen the wood stove still had red embers glowing inside. Julie added more wood and moved painfully along the cabinets, searching for food. The coffee pot sat on the counter, filled and ready to turn on. She flicked the switch, glad to see it spring into action. From what she discovered searching thekitchen, Raven froze everything. He must have gone into town every six months or so and purchased a ton of bread. The freezer was filled with it, along with butter. He used powdered milk but a jug had been prepared and sat in the fridge along with half a loaf of bread. She made toast and coffee and sat at the kitchen table. Before she’d finished eating, she heard dogs barking. Relief and suspicion rolled over her in equal measure at the sound of Raven returning. It wasn’t the first time he’d vanished for hours. It was getting difficult to get her head around the fact that he insisted there was no way out and yet he managed to move around without any trouble at all. She poured a second cup of coffee and added more bread to the toaster. The cold made her hungry and she wanted an excuse to be sitting there. She couldn’t wait to see his expression when he walked into the cabin.

Half an hour later, the door opened slowly. Raven removed his coat, shook the snow from it at the door and then walked inside. He at once dried Ben before removing his hat, gloves, and boots. When he straightened, he still hadn’t noticed her. He went to the hearth and added more logs to the fire and stood for a time warming his hands. His dog flopped on the rug before the fire and yawned. When he eventually turned, he started at seeing her. Julie smiled. “Good morning. Where have you been all night?”

SEVENTEEN

Unaccustomed to having someone living in the house with him, Raven blinked at the sight of Julie sitting at the kitchen table. She was indeed a beautiful young woman and reminded him of a Nordic ice maiden. Her long blonde hair hung past her shoulders like a silk scarf. It never seemed to be untidy and it framed a face that could have been made from porcelain. The look was accentuated by the high color in her cheeks and her remarkable gray eyes. He’d never seen anyone with large expressive gray eyes like that before.She’s too young for you.He gave himself a mental shake. The high color in her cheeks might be a fever. Infection in her injured leg could be fatal. He noticed she’d dressed and frowned. The jeans must be uncomfortable pressed against her leg. “You should be resting. Moving around all the time on that leg won’t help.”

“First you tell me to move to avoid blood clots and then you tell me not to move.” Julie waved a slice of toast at him. “I woke up and you were gone. Your bed hasn’t been slept in and Ben was missing. I figured you might have fallen and went to make sure you were okay.” She stood and poured him a cup of coffee and dropped more bread in the toaster. “Did you find a way of contacting my dad? Or anyone to tell them where I am?”

Rubbing freezing hands together, he shook his head. “I tried a few more trails but they’re either blocked or too narrow for the dogsled. I’m trying, Julie, but the weather is making it impossible.”

“Okay, but I need to let my dad know I’m okay. He’ll be going nuts. You don’t know him. He’ll never stop searching for me.” Julie eased into a chair and her eyes resembled a trapped animal. “I have a family out there. Friends who care about me. I need to get them word. You need to keep trying.”

Raven moved into the kitchen, washed his hands, and then went to the fridge. “I’m going out every day, Julie, and that’s good your dad will never give up. Maybe he’ll see the smoke from my chimney and head this way. If he has a snowmobile, it would be easier to find a way through the deep snow.” He sighed. “Try not to worry too much. You need to recover and then we can both go out and search for a way back to civilization. Right now, I’ll make us some eggs. I collected them yesterday. I have my chicken pen split up for winter. One half gets light from six until six; the other pen gets natural winter light. Halfway through winter I switch. It means I get eggs all through winter and the chickens get a rest from laying.”

“You have chickens?” Julie’s gaze followed him. “I didn’t see any chickens.”

Breaking eggs into a bowl, Raven looked at her over one shoulder. “You went outside?”

“Yeah, to see if you were lying in the snow.” Julie shrugged. “I saw the kennels. You sure take care of the dogs. Do they all like living together like that? I figured they’d be locked in pens like horses.”

Shaking his head, Raven poured eggs into a pan with a dollop of butter. “They’re all neutered and social, so they have a nice area to run around and places where they can sleep. They are all rescue dogs. I only took social breeds that are strong and willingto work. My dogs enjoy pulling the sled. They’re not hunters, so when the snow melts they’ll spend most of their time lying around. They don’t venture too far and understand that bears are best left alone.” He divided the eggs onto two plates and pushed one toward her followed by a fork.

The walking outside would account for the flushed cheeks, but he needed to be sure. “Do you feel okay?”

“Apart from the pain, yeah.” Julie buttered the toast, pushed a plate in his direction, and sucked the butter from her fingers.

He took the toast and pushed a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “No shivers, hot and cold feelings? Does your leg hurt or does it burn?”

“You sound like my dad.” She leaned back in her chair. “I don’t have a fever, but I’d sure like to take a shower. You have hot water, don’t you?”

Nodding, Raven sipped his coffee. “Yeah, the furnace heats the water and the house. It keeps the pipes from freezing as well. When I set this place up for long term, I made sure it covered all my needs.” He frowned. “Are you sure? I’ll need to remove the splint from your leg. I don’t have anything to replace it with if it gets wet.”

“There are handrails all over the bathroom and in the shower.” Julie gave him a direct stare. “Why is that?”

Not wanting to reveal his secrets, Raven shrugged. “I was injured at one time and it was necessary.”

“Which brings me to where you go all night.” Julie ate slowly. “You said there was no way out of this place and no other cabins close by. So where did you go?”

He looked down at his plate and chuckled. “Did you miss me?”

“No, I figured you were dead.” Julie glared at him. “It’s not funny. It hurt like heck, going to the barn looking for your sorry ass.”

Raven finished his eggs. “I went out just before five. I always make my bed. It’s a leftover from the Army, and I like being neat and tidy. I checked the traps, collected the critters, and then went along a few trails to search for a way through to the fire road. Unfortunately, avalanches have blocked the trails. I could have tried a few tracks unknown to me but staying out in the cold is limited and I can’t expect my dogs to keep going for hours at a time.” He met her gaze. “Right now, we’re stuck here.” He sighed. “I can’t even get back to the crash site. I had planned on leaving a message that you were safe here with me. I should have thought of leaving a message before, but getting you to safety was my priority.”

“So you haven’t been away all night?” Julie nibbled on a slice of toast, her gray eyes examining his face as if seeing right through him.

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