Page 40 of Cold Foot Cash

A gasp escaped her, and she shielded herself as Cash disappeared with a loud sound she couldn’t identify. He blurred into an enormous bird, but was too fast for her to really take him in before he was airborne.

Heart hammering in her chest, she stepped forward and stared up at the sky where a huge snowy owl circled.

He was an owl. He was an owl! He was a mother-freaking snowy owl!

The man she was crushing on, her friend…he wasn’t a human. He really wasn’t. Harley had ignored that fact before this moment because she hadn’t seen the real him. Not really.

His wingspan had to be fifteen feet wide.

He circled slowly just above the canopy of scraggly trees, his eyes downcast, and his gaze glued to her. He beat his wings against the air currents. With his Change, she’d crouched down defensively, startled, and shielded her face, but slowly she relaxed and stood. She was in awe of the creature’s grace and power.

He circled one last time, and then tucked his wings and aimed for her. Oh shit.

“Cash?” she called, backing up. Still he came, and now he was tucking his wings tighter, picking up speed.

He was dive-bombing her! She was going to die! With a scream, she turned to run, but she felt his powerful grip on her arms immediately, and her legs flew out from under her as she was dragged skyward.

She tried to scream again, but the speed with which she was flying sucked the breath from her lungs, and curled her stomach inward, like she was on a roller coaster.

She squeezed her eyes tightly and clenched her fists, tried to drag her knees upward to relieve the helpless feeling that overwhelmed her.

The grip on her arms stayed firm, but not painful, and as Cash’s speed steadied out, she dared to crack one eye open. Oh God, she was so high up! She squeezed her eyes closed again, wishing for it to be over. He was going to drop her. He was going to drop her!

More time drifted by though, and Cash just kept the speed the same, and she settled into the rhythm of his beating wings. She dared to open her eyes again, and took in the world belowher. There were still snowcaps on the mountains, and below, the woods were gorgeous.

Panting, she unclenched her fists and relaxed her legs. His grip really didn’t hurt. When she looked up at him, the enormous owl glanced down at her. Those were Cash’s gold-colored eyes. This was Cash. This was her friend.

Stunned, she scanned the horizon. Everything looked so beautiful from up here. He took them down at a slow decline, and she thought he was going to settle her near the truck once more. A little ping of disappointment tugged at her. This was exhilarating! How many people could say they flew?

The woods were unfamiliar though, and she realized what he was doing as soon as she felt him line up toward a river.

Cash hovered her just above the water. She could almost touch it with her toes! She pointed her hiking boots. Almost! Cash lowered her by inches and her toes splashed a line. Harley squealed in delight and laughed. She laughed and laughed. “Oh my gosh, Cash! This is awesome!”

He had enormous, curved talons, but he was careful not to let the tips of them pierce her flannel. Cash beat his wings hard and lifted her back into the sky, did a slow turn and flew her right over the top of a snowcapped mountain. Below, there was a clearing with a community of A-frame cabins, and a firepit out front. The scenery was stunning. She reached up and hooked her hands on the backs of his legs just to relax into the flight more. Her face hurt from smiling!

This was the memory.

This was it.

This was what she would look back on during hard times. Remember that one time she flew? It was happening right now!

He flew her down the mountain and over a huge pond. There were people on the edge of the water, hanging around a fire.They waved, and from here, she could recognize them—the Cold Foot Crew.

He circled them once and then headed back toward the truck. She didn’t want it to be over. Up here, her problems didn’t exist. Nothing did but her and Cash, whom she was trusting with her life.

It was a moment she wouldn’t be able to describe later. She wouldn’t ever be able to make someone understand how special this was. It was just for them—Harley and Cash.

Near the truck, he flapped his wings hard, dislodging a leaf-cloud below them, and settled her carefully onto her feet.

She stumbled and pitched forward, landed on her knees as she watched him land several yards away from her.

His owl turned and watched her, stood up to his full height. God, he was beautiful. Regal. King of the sky. His talons were curled into the earth, and oh she knew he could do so much damage, but he hadn’t hurt her at all.

He’d given her the biggest moment of her life up until now.

He Changed back to his human form, right there in front of her, unashamed.

She loved that confidence. She loved that he was comfortable sharing this with her.

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