Page 14 of Snowed in with my Alien Boss

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I barely felt that.”

“It’s the harness system. It is top of the line.”

He backed up again, and this time, the plow broke through the wall of snow piled up against the building. The amount of snow this planet could put down in a day always astonished him. The winter storm had nearly buried his cabin the other year, and he’d had to dig his way out through a window since the door wouldn’t open.

Now that they had breached the wall, they could see that the world outside was a white wonderland capped with clear blue skies that gave no indication that a ferocious storm had just passed. The sun was up, the rays shining down and cutting through the crisp winter air. It made the snow sparkle like precious gems.

He was used to seeing this scene out in his cabin, and despite the loneliness he often felt there, the sight always filled him with wonder. Just like at the cabin, snow hung off the trees around the shop so heavily that the branches looked as if they would break. But they wouldn’t. The plants had evolved to withstand the weight.

“Ooh! It’s so pretty!” Abby exclaimed.

Clearing out the rest of the snow was kind of fun. It reminded him of being a young male and controlling his sire’s transport for the first time. His sire had let him loose in an open field, and he’d zoomed around it pretending he was out in space and flying through the stars.

Abby’s hand on his thigh relaxed, and she let out a giggle when he turned the vehicle for another sweep a little faster on purpose. Soon, they were both laughing as they made quick work of the rest of the parking lot.

“That was fun!” she said, her face flushed with excitement. “Like bumper cars, but with snow. I can’t wait until they finish that amusement park at the north end of the colony. I haven’t been on a rollercoaster for years.”

This was an Earth concept he’d read about but honestly didn’t understand. What was the point of sitting strapped into a cart and moving through a series of tracks, unable to take control? But a rich Tallean merchant had backed the budding company’s idea, so perhaps there was merit in it. Abby certainly seemed excited about the prospect.

“You like these…roller coaster machines?”

“I do! All the thrill, none of the real danger. Most of the time, anyway. I heard that with Tallean composite materials and alloys, they’ll be able to build one that is way bigger and better than anything we have on Earth.” She eyed him speculatively. “Tallean-sized.”

Grogen barked out a laugh. “When this park is finally finished, we will go.”

“Yes! I can’t wait!”

Abby was beaming as they got out of the transport and picked up their shovels. They still had to remove the snow around the company vehicles and near the doors and clear the walkways that joined the front and back of the shop.

Grogen had purchased a child-sized shovel last winter when he’d found Abby struggling to use a regular one. Initially he’d told her she didn’t need to help with the physical labor at all, but he’d found her doing it again the next day, so he’d quietly added a smaller shovel to their tools.

“I’ll do the walkway,” she offered. Then she ran off to start clearing out the snow that went nearly to her thighs.

He watched her go, then turned to the work vehicles, shovel in hand, and started to dig.

Chapter 11: Abby

This was so much better than digging out of the apartment complex. She wondered if building management had knocked on the door yet to recruit “volunteers”, and if her father was grumbling right now because he’d been roped into helping. Served him right.

There was a tranquil stillness in the air as the snow absorbed all the sound around them. There was nothing but her and her shovel, the snow, and her thoughts. Of Grogen.

She was falling hard for him and found herself really hoping that a mate bond would form between them. But what if it didn’t? What if this was just something casual for him? She wasn’t sure she could handle that. What if she fell in love and he found his mate in someone else? That was one of the problems with human-Tallean relationships: if you weren’t their mate, you weren’t their mate. End of story.

Most Talleans in partnerships of convenience tried to stay away from the opposite sex to avoid starting something that could ruin their existing relationship. Others in those kinds of relationships were luckier and ended up forming mate bonds with each other later in life. The process of getting a bond to form by spending tons of time with someone was called “forcing a bond.”

It was clear that Grogen hadn’t found his mate yet, but then again perhaps he simply hadn’t been looking. There was a chance that Abby was his mate, but there was equally a chance that shewasn’t. Not wanting her brain to go anywhere near that particular black hole, she focused completely on her task.

Scoop and throw.

Scoop and throw.

Scoop and throw.

She was at the front of the building when she heard it: the soft chuffing sounds of dragus snouts scenting the air. Abby froze, dread seizing her belly. Perhaps they wouldn’t know she was here if she stayed very still.

Who was she kidding. They knew she was here; she’d just been shoveling. They were scenting to know what she was and if she was worth pursuing. In the past few years, they’d learned it was better to attack humans and Tallean females and youngsters rather than full-grown Tallean males.

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