Page 59 of Line of Resistance

Nate grabbed the back of her coat, using his hold to pull Eloise back and out of the way.

The old woman’s barely-there brows slowly lifted and she gave him an appraising once over. “Where’d you say you got stuck?”

“Out past Fox.” He tipped his head toward Eloise. “She’s the principal down at Fairbanks North Elementary School and we were headed out to check on one of her students. The storm came in faster than we expected and we got stranded. Thought we knew our way back home, but I guess we thought wrong.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “You’re an awful long way from Fox. Not too many people could make it that far on foot.”

Eloise leaned toward the old woman, lifting one hand up like she was about to tell her a secret. “He’s a Marine.” She offered it up like it explained everything.

And apparently it explained enough because the old woman finally lowered her shotgun. “If you’re looking for a phone, you’re out of luck. Ain’t got one and there’s no service anyway.”

Eloise’s smile held. “I don’t blame you. I loved having a cell when I was younger, but nowadays I could just do without the whole thing.” She glanced around. “Maybe if you could point us in the direction of your closest neighbor, then we can get out of your hair—”

“Do I look like I know where my neighbors are?” The woman snorted. “Even if I did, the closest one would take you more than a day to reach on foot.” She propped the gun across a bent arm. “And that’s without a storm coming in.”

Eloise’s shoulders dropped. “There’s another storm?”

The woman jerked her head in a nod. “Should be here in the next hour or two. Said it’s going to be worse than the one that came the day before yesterday.”

Eloise deflated a little more. “Oh.”

The woman’s sour expression held as she sighed. “Come on. Can’t have you two freezing to death out there on my head.” She turned from the open door and disappeared into the cabin.

Eloise hesitated, her eyes coming his way. “Are we supposed to follow her?”

“I sure as hell hope so, because I’m not trying to heat the outside.” The old woman’s voice carried out from wherever she’d gone.

“I’ll go first.” Nate moved into the doorway, grabbing Eloise’s hand so he could be sure she stayed safely behind him.

He stepped into the small entryway, pausing to close the door behind them. His foot was barely past the welcome mat when their host hollered again. “Boots off.” She appeared beside them, mug in hand, frowning as she looked them up and down. “You two look a mess.”

“We weren’t really prepared to have to hike through the snow.” Nate quickly unlaced his boots and turned to line them into place on the mat.

The old woman jumped back, coffee cup crashing to the floor as she grabbed for her shotgun. “Holy mother of god, why in the hell do you have a rifle?”

“He works in security now.” Eloise was back to being all smiles, discussing his semi-automatic with the same casual enthusiasm she had over a hand knit sweater. “Thank goodness, because there was this whole thing with a moose and—”

“Those moose are a menace.” The old woman eyed him a second longer before pursing her lips. “Had one try to take me out a few years ago.” Her thin lips twisted into a smile and her blue eyes hinted at a sparkle. “Ever had moose jerky?”

Eloise returned her smile, looking just as amused. “Do you cut it into strips or do you use a jerky gun?”

Their host’s mouth dropped open, jaw going slack. “Well look at that. The school principal knows how to cure meat.”

Eloise’s smile turned more genuine. “I’m full of surprises.”

The woman cackled, head tipping back. She straightened, wiping at the corner of one eye. “The best women are.” She frowned down at the broken mug shattered her feet.

“I’m sorry about your coffee.” Eloise crouched and started collecting the shattered remnants into a pile. “Once we get back to Fairbanks I’ll make sure I get you a replacement.” She lifted up one of the larger sections, scanning the words printed across the ceramic. “Coffee makes me—” She went back to the shards, sifting through them before finding the one she was looking for. A whoop of laughter sent her toppling back onto her butt.

“You’re laughing now, but you won’t be when you get to be my age.” The woman snagged away the shard printed with the wordpoop. “You’ll do whatever it takes to have a nice bowel movement.”

Eloise continued laughing. “That might be the best cup I have ever seen.” She went back to collecting the pieces, standing once her hands were full. “I’m going to order two because I need one for myself.”

The woman’s stern expression softened just the tiniest bit, like she was finally realizing she’d found a kindred spirit. One who simply wore her mask in the opposite direction. “I’m Regina, but everybody calls me Reggie.”

Eloise straightened, cradling the collected bits of broken ceramic in one hand before reaching out with the other. “It’s nice to meet you, Reggie. Thank you for letting us come in. It was getting really freaking cold out there.”

“Well,” Reggie ignored Eloise’s hand, her frown slipping back into place, “it’s only going to get worse, so I guess you two will just have to stay here until I figure out what in the hell to do with you.”

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