Page 61 of Out of the Cold

Lucy sat down at a table that was set up near the podium, and immediately a line formed.

He should take her out for dinner when she was done here so they could celebrate properly. He could order some champagne and toast her success.

Except...no. She’d inevitably ask him something about his life, something he couldn’t answer. How long would it be before he snapped at her, or confused her by evading a simple question?

God, how he wanted to give her something special today, but it wasn’t going to happen.

Instead, he drove her back to her cabin, congratulated her, and watched her disappear through the door, wishing he could follow?.

Chapter Eleven

It took Lucy a longtime to fall asleep the next few nights. Between the turnout and warm enthusiasm from the crowd, it was by far her best reading ever. But what really kept her awake was the memory of Gabriel’s eyes on her, the way he’d leaned in and smiled whenever someone complimented her. He took such obvious pleasure in her success.

And that wink. She’d almost slithered to the floor when he did that.

She would have bet anyone any amount of money that Gabriel couldn’t have winked if his life depended on it. Those moments when she saw his former self were coming more often now, confusing and enthralling her.

But he was off-limits, so she didn’t let herself make up excuses to see him, not even when she made beef stew and chocolate chip cookies. Instead, she poured herself into her book, Hilde’s training, and their treks into the backcountry.

She’d been tempted to go back to walking on the road after the incident with the bear, but that wasn’t such a great idea with plowed snow pushed up high on the side of the road. There was no room on the shoulder, and she and Hilde would be less visible to cars.

And anyway, she didn’t want to go backwards.

The first time back out, they didn’t go very far, but nothing had happened since then, and now she routinely snowshoed several miles out. There were stretches when she completely forgot to be scared of bears or mountain lions. She did, however, keep Hilde on a long leash attached to a belt and the phone in her pack.

A week after her reading, she woke in the middle of the night to the sounds of Hilde growling and pacing along the front wall, her ruff and tail fur standing on end.

The bear must be back. Or maybe some other animal was making her dog crazy.

She pulled the covers over her head and tried to go back to sleep, but Hilde’s agitation didn’t let up. There was nothing outside for a bear or anything else to eat, so what could it be?

“This better be good, Hilde,” she said, peering through the curtains.

Nothing.

Curious now, and hoping she’d see something cool, she headed into the mudroom and pulled on her coat and boots.

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