Page 98 of Out of the Cold

They were nearly at Len’s. He wanted to drive past their cabins and keep going until they’d both forgotten what he’d done.

He pulled into her driveway and reluctantly turned off the engine.

“Thank you again for coming,” she said. She seemed steadier, her eyes red but her expression calm.

“I’ll come in and help you clean up.”

“Thanks, but I can handle it.”

She was turning away from him to open the door, hiding her face.

“You’ll let me know how she’s doing?” he asked.

She hesitated the barest second before nodding. She got out of the car and he followed, handing her the keys.

She was ready to fly, and the best part of him was glad.

Chapter Eighteen

Lucy walked into theempty cabin and shut the door behind her. There was no one there to greet her, no Hilde to nuzzle into her palm or steady her with her sturdy bulk.

And no Gabriel.

It took her a while to clean up the mess on the floor, and she was exhausted when she finally lay down on the sofa with her phone beside her.

She woke a few hours later to it ringing.

“Hello?”

“This is the Jeffrey Veterinary Hospital. Is this Lucy?”

She sat up. “Yes. Is Hilde okay?”

“She’s resting comfortably. She hasn’t thrown up since you brought her in, and she looks more alert. Her bloodwork isn’t showing anything abnormal, so the doctor feels it was most likely something she ate.”

“What do you think could make her react like that?”

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