Page 90 of Snow River

“Why?”

“Because I wanted you to stay,” he said simply.

“But why there?Why the hardware store?”

He had no answer to that, other than, “It was all I could think of.”

“Intuition,” she whispered.“We’re not so different.I think I dreamed about this many years ago, on my eighteenth birthday.I dreamed I was flying across the snow after a bear who needed me, and then I fell into the snow and when I woke up, my hair was white.Now here we are, in the snow, together.”

Bear couldn’t find the words to respond.Magic, was all he could think.She’s magic.Thisis magic.He held her close and let his love pour into her.

He was almost asleep when she whispered, “Are you ever going to tell me your other name?”

He chuckled.“If you wish.”

“I do.”

“It’s Snow.Technically, it’s all one word, Snow-Bear, except in Ahtna.I decided to just use the Bear part.”

“Snow-Bear,” she whispered.“That’s perfect.I love that.I love you, Snow-Bear.”And she fell asleep.So did he, like a stone down a well.

When he woke up, the howl of the blizzard had stopped and light filtered down through the spruce branches.He shook Lila awake.Her eyes blinked open and smiled into his, and he’d never known such happiness.

They each ate an energy bar and drank some water.His muscles were cramped from sleeping in such tight quarters—shallow sleep, always alert for danger—and he had no idea what was facing them out there.

But he was strangely calm and happy.He and Lila were together, and they loved each other, and he’d protect this magical, vulnerable, core-strong soul to the ends of the earth.

After they’d eaten, they gingerly pushed away the spruce boughs and the extra foot of snow that had fallen since they’d built the shelter.The morning was full of golden light that glanced off the snow in an exuberance of sparkles.

“Do you hear that?”he whispered.

“It sounds like a fire.”

“They must have gone through with it.”He listened closely, trying to determine if they’d just set the fire, or if it had been going for a while.He hadn’t heard the sounds of a snowmobile, so they must still be here on the property.

Another sound caught his attention.A mechanical whine resolved into a flapping of blades.“There’s a helicopter coming.Maybe a few.”

He climbed out of the shelter and shaded his eyes against the sun.Helicopters weren’t necessarily a good thing.They could be coming to help Hardwell and company, who apparently had unlimited resources at their disposal.

He reached a hand to Lila to help her out of the shelter.As she brushed snow off herself, her face lit up with a glow of wonder.“Is it always so beautiful after a blizzard?”

“Yes,” he said simply.“It always is.”

She cocked her head to listen to the sound of approaching helicopters.“They’re with us,” she said confidently.

“Intuition?”

“No.Why would they bother to send helicopters to a compound they just burned down?It would draw attention.It’s not logical.”

He burst out laughing and pulled her against him.“You’re always going to surprise me, aren’t you?”

A mischievous smile played across her lips.“Most likely.Are you okay with that?”

He answered with a passionate kiss that said more than he ever could with words.

They made their way out of the sheltering woods, through the knee-high snow.Luckily, at these low temperatures, the snow was light and fluffy, rather than wet and dense.When they reached the beach clearing on the river, they saw the glow of a fire up the slope.All those expensive secrets, up in flames.

All except the one still hidden inside his jacket.

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