CHAPTER SEVEN

Angela sniffed as her tears slowly dried up. Hopefully, Sas wouldn’t forget to send Timber inside.

A few minutes later there was a knock and the door opened partially. “Can I come in? It’s colder than a witch’s—ahem, ice rink out here.”

“Oh shoot, yes. I can’t believe Sas didn’t tell you to come in.”

Timber walked inside and closed the door. Rubbing his bare hands together, he moved through the cabin. “Sas looked a little distracted. I think he was anxious to get you those painkillers.”

When Timber reached the stove, he held his hands over it. “Now that feels good. The cold is fine if you’re dressed for it.” He looked at her. “But you already know that, don’t you?”

She nodded. “I just wish I’d worn the right gloves. I had bought a great pair, but I left them on the boat because I thought I’d only be gone a few hours, not a few days.”

Timber shrugged out of his coat. “Don’t worry. If anyone can get your hands back to normal, it’s Sas. For a man who prefers to be alone, he’s always the first one to come to the rescue of a stranger.” He hung his coat on the spare hook and pulled out the chair at the table.

“I wonder why that is? Do you think he gets lonely sometimes and by helping someone who’s hurt, he can limit the conversation?”

Timber raised an eyebrow. “I think he limits conversation pretty well whether a person is hurt or not.”

She smiled. Now that the pain in her hands was subsiding a bit, it was easier to concentrate. “Yes, he does that quite well. Then why do you think he’s so willing to help?”

The older man looked at his thumb as if it was the most fascinating part of his body before digging beneath the nail. “I have a theory on that.”

She wanted to laugh, already knowing Timber could keep her entertained for hours, but his unwillingness to look at her made her squelch it. “What’s your theory?”

“I’m thinking Sas has something in his past that he feels the need to atone for. I’m not saying I know anything. It’s just a hunch combined with a few things he’s said that makes me think he wants to be absolved of past wrongdoings.”

“I can’t believe that.” He was the kindest, sweetest, shyest man she’d ever met.

Timber looked her straight in the eye. “You need to understand there is a percentage of men who escape to Alaska to get away from serious misdeeds. Maybe it’s something they did when they were young. Maybe it’s something they regret, or even feel justified in doing, but they are here for a reason beyond the struggle for existence with Mother Nature.”

She swallowed hard as Timber went back to cleaning his nails. “You think maybe Sas wants forgiveness?”

“I’m not sure about forgiveness. I think he wants to make fate happy.”

She squinched her nose. “Fate? You think he believes in fate?”

He nodded. “I know he does. He believes it was fate that caused him to take a midnight stroll the night he found me. It’s hard to argue with him. No one takes a stroll after midnight in the winter.”

She’d like to say it was coincidence, but that pressed the boundaries of believability. But fate? Like some mystic force?

“I know he thinks fate made him decide to go fishing the day he found you and to head out at exactly the time of day when he would see the reflection off your phone. He also believes that you were meant to drop it right there, so he could find you. He firmly believes that you were meant to be here.”

That was a lot of believing. She didn’t agree. She’d been stupid and lucky. That was easier to accept than that she was meant to almost die and possibly lose her hands.

“Hey, you look like you’re going to cry. It’s just one man’s belief.” Timber grinned. “That’s the great thing about living out here. We aren’t on top of each other so we can more easily accept our differences and get along.”

She nodded, though she couldn’t quite manage to smile. “I need to keep looking at the bright side of what’s happened, and Sas finding me was definitely a positive. What about you? How did you two meet?”

Timber had laid his hands on the table, but with her question, he leaned back in the chair, tipping it onto its back legs as he linked his hands behind his head. “I shot him.”

“What?” Her heart rate actually sped up at his pronouncement. “You shot him? Why?”

He chuckled. “Not on purpose…and not exactly.” His gaze moved off as if recalling the events and he lost his smile. “I swore I shot him. Looked down my sight through the underbrush as I leaned against a spruce tree, aimed and pulled the trigger on what I thought was a grizzly.”

“Wait. Did you or didn’t you shoot him?”

He moved his gaze back to her. “He said I didn’t. When I looked to see if the bear went down, Sas moved out of the thicket. I stood for a moment with my jaw flapping, but no sound came out. I ran down to him asking if he was okay. He said he was, but there was a hole in his coat. He claimed the hole had been there. I wouldn’t believe him, so he took it off and there was a hole in his flannel shirt as well, but the man was standing there talking to me. I insisted he take off his shirt.”

“And was he bleeding? Was it a flesh wound? Did you just graze him?” She could picture the encounter, which made her anxious to learn if Sas was okay.

Timber gave her his full attention. “You watch a lot of those crime shows on television, don’t you?”

She looked away. “Not a lot.”

“Well, it was none of those things, and he wouldn’t take off his shirt completely, but he did let me look at the left side of his chest. There was a slight red mark there, but no hole.”

“How could that be?” In her mind, Sas was bleeding to death.

Timber shrugged. “I don’t know. I swore I hit him, but he said the bullet hit a branch that smacked him in the chest and fate saved him. I have to believe him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the man’s own pectoral muscle made the bullet bounce off. He’s inhumanly strong.”

She tried to imagine what Sas looked like without his shirt on, but she couldn’t. Now that she thought about it, she’d never seen him unclothed in any way. “Was it too cold for him to take off his shirt?”

He looked at her oddly as if he missed something. “Not for Sas. He likes it cold. I think he didn’t want to take off his shirt because of his scars. I noticed one that ran horizontal across his chest just above the red mark and I’m sure you’ve seen the one around his eye.”

“I did. Was he in a car accident?”

This time, Timber shrugged. “I figured it was a motorcycle accident or even a human versus train scenario, but I don’t ask. That’s one of the unwritten rules of living up here. You don’t pry into someone’s past, but questions about a person’s safety, like asking if he has enough cords piled up or plenty of meat stored for winter are fine.”

“Oh.” She’d been about to ask another personal question about Sas, so she swallowed it. “But you don’t mind sharing. Is there anything else you can tell me about you and living out here in the wild?”

Timber grinned, set down his chair and rose. “Since you’re such a good listener, I’ll tell you about the time I came face to unpleasant face with a mama polar bear, but first I need to wet my whistle and I’m sure you wouldn’t mind another cup of tea.”

“Yes, please.” She relaxed back into the cushion and stared at nothing as her mind raced with thoughts of Sas. Timber’s story only made her that much more curious. Up until just then, she’d been secretly bemoaning the loss of her adventure trip, but what she was learning and experiencing here was far better than that ever could have been.

Now if her hands would just heal completely, she could consider her vacation a total success.

Having dropped his coat on a branch not far from his home, Sas ran south in the general direction of Timber’s cabin, but his mind wasn’t on where he headed. Instead, it was on the featherlight kiss Angel had given him. He hadn’t expected it and now his thoughts tumbled over themselves like a giant snowball rolling down the mountain.

Her lips, almost healed now, were soft and moist. He could still feel their impression on his cheek, or rather his mind did. She kissed him below the eye with no scar because that was the one he’d turned toward her.

It had been a kiss of gratitude. He understood that, but it had been given freely. His heart swelled. In his long life, he’d only been kissed by two other women, Akiakook’s nuliaq and a woman he’d saved from the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean.

Akiakook’s wife had often kissed him on the cheek for keeping her husband busy, which allowed her to visit with her daughter’s daughters. The woman he’d saved was a scientist studying frost flowers near the North Pole. He’d been camped nearby when he heard her yell before a telltale splash. Once he pulled her out, she’d kissed him with shivering lips before she was borne away by her team.

It wasn’t difficult to remember each woman despite the century between them. Now he had a kiss for the twenty-first century. Would she give him more?

The memory of holding Angel’s cold body close to his when he’d first brought her back to the cabin slowed his steps. He had never been that close to a woman before. It felt good. Would Angel want that?

He came to a full stop at Two Beavers stream. He’d read about how man procreated as well as the dozens of mating rituals used to bind the opposing sexes together for life. Akiakook had answered many of his questions about the pleasure it gave, far more than the simple release he provided himself.

But without a mate, he was destined to never know the joy of coupling. He’d come close once, when men had flooded the Yukon in a race to find gold. Amongst the mining camps, outposts cropped up that included places of drink and women.

He’d come upon Rangely’s End by accident as he traveled west across the northern most areas of Canada. It was night, and as he walked through a darkened alley, he found a woman pushing a drunk man out the back door of the saloon. The man made a grab for her, and she yelled.

He had to step in, so he pulled the man away by the collar of his shirt only to have the woman grab the half empty bottle from the drunk’s hand and smash it over the man’s head. He crumpled to the ground in a heap.

She’d been happy for the help and took him upstairs, saying she’d give him a discount for being so honorable. Having been alive for over sixty years, he was thrilled to have the opportunity to finally feel what coupling was.

She’d bared her breasts by pulling them above her corset and put his hands on them. They were large and the nipples painted red, but he never forgot how they felt. He’d grown hard, his need rising fast. She quickly unbuttoned his trousers and grasped his cock in her hands.

He closed his eyes at the remembered feel of her stroking his shaft. She’d exclaimed at the size and her brow furrowed. She’d even chuckled uncertainly, saying they might not fit. The need in him was too strong and his own experience too lacking for him to stay in control.

It was a mere second before he’d picked her up and set her on the dresser against the wall, spreading her legs with his hands. She’d laughed, calling him a randy one. Then she’d taken his cock in her hands again and stroked his tip against her opening.

The warm moistness of her womanhood had undone him. He spilled his seed before ever penetrating her body. She’d chuckled, telling him she was flattered and that he could have that one for free.

After that, everything changed. She’d placed his hands back on her breasts, distracting him from what she did. It wasn’t until she’d pushed him away that he’d noticed his linsey-woolsey shirt was unbuttoned, and she was staring at his scars.

Her voice was filled with fear as she yelled at him. “What are you? Get away from me, you monster. Get out!”

He opened his eyes, focusing on the cold air and the sound of a wolf’s howl miles away. Its lonely call echoed the one in his heart. Every experience he’d had in his existence, he’d learned from. The saloon woman taught him what to expect from intercourse, and it wasn’t something he wanted to repeat.

Crossing the stream in two strides, he continued toward Timber’s place, increasing his speed until he ran straight out. Angel needed the pain medicine so she wouldn’t lose hope. That was his mission now, not to look for anything more from their growing friendship.

His body eased into his strides. That’s what he had with her. Different from his friendship with Akiakook and even Timber, but a friendship, nonetheless. Akiakook was the father he’d never had and Timber was like a persistent squirrel. A nuisance at first, but when absent, missed simply because the norm was changed.

Angel was different. Her helplessness made him responsible for her, but her brightness and curiosity was a balm to his ravaged and shriveled soul. Soon he would have to tell her exactly how long it would take her hands to heal. Once he gave her Timber’s medicine, he could change the bandages and have a better idea of how long that might be.

Would she want to leave? He begged fate that wouldn’t be the case. He wanted to spend the winter with her. It would take at least that long to learn enough about her to keep him company for years.

The snap of a tree branch had him coming to a sudden stop. His mind had wandered and he forgot to be vigilant about his surroundings. Whirring around, he was just in time to face a black bear standing on his hind legs.

“I have no quarrel with you, bear.”

The bear roared, obviously upset that the element of surprise was gone. Then he attacked anyway.

The sting of claws slashing through his sleeve forced him to defend himself, and he smacked the beast on the side of the head, sending it back onto all fours. That just made it angrier, and it roared before ramming into his legs, forcing him back but not down.

The bear swung its head back and forth grunting before it rose on its hind legs again and swiped at his face. He turned his head, spinning around to kick the bear in its stomach. The animal fell forward and rolled before slowly getting to its feet.

“Go!” He stepped toward the bear, raising his arms high. Finally, it decided he wasn’t worth it and it loped off into the forest. His sleeve was ripped, but no blood stained it. The grooves left in his arm by the bear’s claws were already healing, the brief pain forgotten.

Scanning the area to make sure no other predator had come to discover what had caused all the noise in the silent night, he finally resumed his run, more determined than ever to return home by morning.

The bears were gearing up for a long winter of hibernation, making them that much more dangerous. The sooner he returned to Angel, the better. Jumping over a log, he sprinted down a hill, snow muffling the sounds he made as he ran.

~~*~~

Angela was awakened by bright sun streaming in the front windows of the cabin. She’d fallen asleep while still propped up by the couch cushion, so now she could see Sas’ face as he spoke outside. She recognized the cadence of Timber’s speech and the tone of Sas’ as they conversed though she couldn’t see Timber. As entertaining and solicitous as Timber was, she wasn’t just relieved Sas was back, but happy, too.

Without a doubt, she had a crush on her mountain man. Who wouldn’t? He was handsome, intelligent, gentle, caring, strong, and shy. That combination had her heart tripping and her imagination going a little crazy. Last night, she’d even dreamed of introducing Sas to her brother.

She wanted to know so much more about him and the places he lived, but it was hard to get him to talk about himself. She’d peppered Timber with questions about Sas, but the older man could only answer what he knew.

At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, she closed her eyes. Maybe if they thought she was still asleep, they would talk more freely. The door opened and one set of footsteps entered. She waited, hoping whoever was still outside would come in.

After a few minutes of only Sas’ footsteps moving about the cabin, she resigned herself to learning nothing new. Opening her eyes, she froze.

Sas stood with his back to her, taking off his white shirt, parts of which were torn. Scars from stitches ran from the top of both shoulders, around his shoulder blades and underneath his arms, as well as straight across his upper back.

That the deltoids and biceps of those arms were huge didn’t escape her notice, or that there was a scar around his left elbow and one around his right bicep, but it was sympathy that rushed through her at the trauma he must have undergone to need such extensive surgery.

The rest of his back was thick with muscle that she appreciated on a strictly feminine level, especially as he lifted his arms to pull off the last bit of his shirt. She barely noticed it was ripped, as his movement accentuated the broadness of his shoulders and the slenderness of his waist.

Her gaze travelled lower to find what might be more surgical scars near the top of his jeans, but the sight was covered too quickly by Sas pulling on another shirt.

What had happened to him? It seemed as soon as she learned a little more, it fueled more questions. Since he’d gone to great lengths to avoid her seeing him without a shirt, she closed her eyes and waited until she heard him in the kitchen area.

She yawned loudly and opened her eyes. “Good morning.” She smiled at him, though he only gave her a quick glance. She wished she could get up and wrap her arms around him and tell him he was awesome. She had her doubts that he’d had that said to him nearly enough.

Since he didn’t return her greeting, not that she was surprised, she started the day’s conversation. “Have you ever been married?” Okay, maybe not the most subtle approach, but since he was so good at not answering when he didn’t want to, she really wasn’t risking anything by being blunt. Though she had to admit it was an odd topic for first thing in the morning. It was probably more suited to morning-after conversation.

At the thought of her and Sas talking in bed after a night of passionate lovemaking, her whole body heated, except her hands which already burned.

“No.” He didn’t miss a beat as he mixed something in a bowl.

No? Right, no wife. “Serious girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Okay, how about a few casual girlfriends?” The word “serious” could throw a man off.

“No.” He moved to the stove and placed his pan on it as if he hadn’t just admitted he’d never been in a relationship of any kind.

Now that was concerning. He was such a nice guy. What was wrong with him that he had no girlfriends? Was he a sex only man? She wouldn’t have thought that.

She opened her mouth to confirm her assumption and quickly shut it. Maybe the scars had something to do with it. If only she could get him to be comfortable around her. She could show him they didn’t bother her.

As she searched for another topic, she recalled his interest in her own life. That had to be a sign that he cared about her as a person as well as a hypothermia victim. At least she hoped that was the case. “I’ve had two serious relationships.”

He didn’t actually show a reaction, but his hand hesitated for a second before he flipped the food in the pan.

“The first one I ended.” She waited to see if he would reveal that he listened, but he didn’t. “We were just in different places in our lives. The second one, he ended. I thought it was a perfect match because he liked to travel as much as I did. Unfortunately, we didn’t always travel together due to our jobs, and he found someone better than me who could go with him all the time.” At the time she’d been devastated, but looking back on it, she was glad the relationship had fallen apart.

“He was a fool.” Sas’ sudden entrance into her monologue surprised her.

“He wanted what he wanted.” She started to shrug, but stopped herself in time. She was finally adapting to her limitations. “I was the fool for falling for him in the first place.”

Sas shook his head, but didn’t say anything.

She smiled. “I’m better off anyway…except for my hands, that is.”

He finally looked at her, specifically at her hands. “They will be better, too.”

She had no doubt that he would do everything in his power to heal her. It was an odd confidence to have, especially when she didn’t even have that with doctors when she’d been sick or the one time she’d broken her ankle. Yet here she was, pretty much helpless, and she had complete faith in Sas, a stranger who had saved her life.

He placed the chair next to the bed then brought a plate over.

One look at the pancakes with berries in them and all thoughts of doctors and boyfriends flew out of her mind. “I love pancakes!”

He cocked his head as if surprised by her excitement. He obviously had no idea that she rarely had pancakes for breakfast, and the ones on the plate were slathered in syrup.

She didn’t say another word, wanting him to know how much she appreciated the treat. Instead, she opened her mouth in anticipation.

He focused on her mouth, but she’d swear he wanted to smile. As she began to chew, she closed her eyes. “Hmmm.” They were better than good. The syrup he used was different, obviously not maple. She couldn’t place the berries. Probably wild ones that grew in the area.

She swallowed and opened her eyes and mouth, not willing to delay the next bite with questions. The ensuing silence was comfortable, not awkward as she enjoyed every forkful.

“You liked those.” He made the obvious statement as he placed the fork on the now empty plate and lifted the wet cloth he always had ready for after she ate.

She gave him a full smile since her lips had healed enough to do so without cracking them. “I did. You’re spoiling me.”

He shook his head before he wiped her face. Then he moved his gaze to look at her hands. “I have to change your bandages.”

By his reluctant tone of voice, she could tell it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience. Her tummy constricted around the delicious meal she’d eaten. “Today?” Her voice came out pathetic, but the pain her hands gave her was excruciating. Only by not moving them was she able to bear it at all.

He rose and walked back to the kitchen. “I have the medicine from Timber. You should take it now before I start.”

Her relief was tinged with anxiousness at the finality of Sas’ statement. He wouldn’t be delaying the inevitable at all. She swallowed hard. “Okay.”

He returned with the tin cup and a pill.

She stared at his face like she always did in an effort to catch his gaze if he looked at her. This time she noticed sweat beading near his temple.

Frowning, she moved her gaze to the opening of his shirt. He’d switched out the white one for a cream one that looked like it was made of wool. Though it was dashing with its tie neckline and full sleeves, she could see a sheen of sweat at the base of his throat. This was the one he’d mentioned would be too warm. “Why don’t you change your shirt? You’re obviously sweating in that one.”

He shook his head. “This is the only one I have left.”

“What happened to the white one?”

As if he anticipated a long drawn out conversation, he leaned back in the chair. “I ripped it when traveling to Timber’s cabin, and before you ask, no, I don’t have another. I had to rip up my flannel one to cover the hot rocks I placed around you to warm you up when I first brought you here.”

Once again, he’d sacrificed for her. “Then please, take that one off before you can’t stand being in here any longer.”

“No.” He leaned forward as if that settled it.

If she could cross her arms, she would. “Unacceptable.” She could be stubborn, too. This was a perfect opportunity to show him he had nothing to be ashamed of.

His eyebrows rose. “Unacceptable?”

“Yes. I won’t have you over-heating because you’re so busy taking care of me. You need to take care of yourself because if you get sick, I can’t help myself yet.”

He shook his head. “I won’t get sick. Now take this pill, so it doesn’t hurt as much when I change your bandages.”

She clamped her lips together tightly. It was a big risk, but she wouldn’t take the pill until he took off his shirt.

“What are you doing?” He held the pill before her mouth, thoroughly confused.

She shook her head.

He sat back again, so she dared open her mouth to speak. “I will take my pill after you take off your shirt. Believe me, I’ve seen plenty of men shirtless, and it’s not a big deal. There is no reason for you to suffer from the warmth of your shirt.”

He frowned, his black eyebrows lowering.

If she had to bet on an emotion, she’d say he was frustrated. She just hoped he didn’t call her bluff and start changing her bandages.

He leaned in again, holding the pill. “Take the pill and then if I need to disrobe, I will.”

She shook her head again, keeping her mouth shut. She didn’t put it past him to sneak the pill in if she spoke.

When he sat back again, a myriad of emotions crossed his face, but she couldn’t tell what they were without seeing his eyes. “You won’t like it.”

“It has nothing to do with what I like or don’t like. You need to be comfortable and wearing that shirt out of some kind of decorum is silly. You take it off and I’ll take the pill.”

His jaw clenched as he sat there, holding both the cup and pill.

Part of her wanted to relent at his struggle, but her gut told her this was important, and as much as she hated to put him through revealing his many scars, she wanted him to be comfortable enough around her to do so. She didn’t have a clue as to why.

Finally, he rose and set the pill and cup on the chair.

Her stomach tingled in anticipation. She had an idea of what to expect. She just needed to control her facial expression in case his front was worse than his back.

He continued to stand there, obviously still not completely decided.

“This isn’t a big deal. Just take your shirt off, be comfortable and I’ll take my pill. I care about your health as much as you care about mine.” She gave him a soft smile.

He shook his head so slightly that it was barely perceptible, but she caught it. As if stealing himself for rejection, his neck muscles tightened just before he lifted one hand up, grasped the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head, gripping it in one hand like a life line.

Since he continued to look down, it gave her the opportunity to view his entire torso. The scars weren’t surprising since they all continued from the back, two that circled his shoulders, one across his chest and the uneven ones on his arms.

What did surprise her was the muscle beneath, bulging between the scars as if they were what held everything in place. His chest was massive and his abdominals like the ripples in the dunes of the Sahara. He even had the v-lines on either side of his hips that disappeared beneath his jeans. The leather around his wrists and neck made him look like a gladiator.

“Wow, you’re ripped.” Her exclamation came out before she could stop it. Shoot, she didn’t mean as in ripped up. She needed to clarify that. “I’ve seen other men ripped with muscle, but you’re by far the strongest.” She probably didn’t make it better, but her heart was pattering in her chest at an uneven rate and half the blood in her brain had just traveled south. “I’m so glad I don’t have to share you.”

She wanted more than anything to look at his face, but on the off chance he watched her, she let her gaze enjoy the view.

“You don’t find me repulsive.” His statement was said in a soft tone as if he was in shock.

Good. Beauty was more than skin deep and he had a beautiful soul, but even his body was more beauty than damage. “Of course, I don’t. Why would I? In fact, I’m grateful to whoever sewed you back together because if you weren’t alive and in the strong condition you’re in, I would either be dead or in a lot more pain than I am.”

At her mention of pain, he seemed to remember what he’d been about to do. Immediately, he threw the shirt to the couch, picked up the cup and medicine, and sat down.

The spruce scent she always noticed when he was nearby, heightened as if it came from his very pores. There was a wildness about it that spoke to her base female instinct.

He leaned in and she opened her mouth obediently. After placing the pill on her tongue, he tipped the cup so she could swallow the cold water.

It was the first time he gave her water directly from the sink, and its chill surprised her. It was refreshing, helping to take the edge off her rising desire. “Thank you.”

“It will be some time before it takes effect. I need to go outside and bring in more wood for the stove.” He rose as he spoke, quickly depositing the cup in the sink as he made a beeline for the door.

She snapped her mouth shut as he opened it and headed out without his shirt. It had taken far too long to get him out of it. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage him to put it on again.

Relaxing back into the cushion, she smiled. That had been a very pleasant surprise. Not only did she help him out, but she discovered that her mountain man was hot. He was the kind of eye-candy that could give her a toothache…if it wasn’t for those scars. She had to find out what had happened to him.