Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN

Unaccustomed to having someone living in the house with him, Raven blinked at the sight of Julie sitting at the kitchen table. She was indeed a beautiful young woman and reminded him of a Nordic ice maiden. Her long blonde hair hung past her shoulders like a silk scarf. It never seemed to be untidy and it framed a face that could have been made from porcelain. The look was accentuated by the high color in her cheeks and her remarkable gray eyes. He'd never seen anyone with large expressive gray eyes like that before. She's too young for you. He gave himself a mental shake. The high color in her cheeks might be a fever. Infection in her injured leg could be fatal. He noticed she'd dressed and frowned. The jeans must be uncomfortable pressed against her leg. "You should be resting. Moving around all the time on that leg won't help."

"First you tell me to move to avoid blood clots and then you tell me not to move." Julie waved a slice of toast at him. "I woke up and you were gone. Your bed hasn't been slept in and Ben was missing. I figured you might have fallen and went to make sure you were okay." She stood and poured him a cup of coffee and dropped more bread in the toaster. "Did you find a way of contacting my dad? Or anyone to tell them where I am?"

Rubbing freezing hands together, he shook his head. "I tried a few more trails but they're either blocked or too narrow for the dogsled. I'm trying, Julie, but the weather is making it impossible."

"Okay, but I need to let my dad know I'm okay. He'll be going nuts. You don't know him. He'll never stop searching for me." Julie eased into a chair and her eyes resembled a trapped animal. "I have a family out there. Friends who care about me. I need to get them word. You need to keep trying."

Raven moved into the kitchen, washed his hands, and then went to the fridge. "I'm going out every day, Julie, and that's good your dad will never give up. Maybe he'll see the smoke from my chimney and head this way. If he has a snowmobile, it would be easier to find a way through the deep snow." He sighed. "Try not to worry too much. You need to recover and then we can both go out and search for a way back to civilization. Right now, I'll make us some eggs. I collected them yesterday. I have my chicken pen split up for winter. One half gets light from six until six; the other pen gets natural winter light. Halfway through winter I switch. It means I get eggs all through winter and the chickens get a rest from laying."

"You have chickens?" Julie's gaze followed him. "I didn't see any chickens."

Breaking eggs into a bowl, Raven looked at her over one shoulder. "You went outside?"

"Yeah, to see if you were lying in the snow." Julie shrugged. "I saw the kennels. You sure take care of the dogs. Do they all like living together like that? I figured they'd be locked in pens like horses."

Shaking his head, Raven poured eggs into a pan with a dollop of butter. "They're all neutered and social, so they have a nice area to run around and places where they can sleep. They are all rescue dogs. I only took social breeds that are strong and willing to work. My dogs enjoy pulling the sled. They're not hunters, so when the snow melts they'll spend most of their time lying around. They don't venture too far and understand that bears are best left alone." He divided the eggs onto two plates and pushed one toward her followed by a fork.

The walking outside would account for the flushed cheeks, but he needed to be sure. "Do you feel okay?"

"Apart from the pain, yeah." Julie buttered the toast, pushed a plate in his direction, and sucked the butter from her fingers.

He took the toast and pushed a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "No shivers, hot and cold feelings? Does your leg hurt or does it burn?"

"You sound like my dad." She leaned back in her chair. "I don't have a fever, but I'd sure like to take a shower. You have hot water, don't you?"

Nodding, Raven sipped his coffee. "Yeah, the furnace heats the water and the house. It keeps the pipes from freezing as well. When I set this place up for long term, I made sure it covered all my needs." He frowned. "Are you sure? I'll need to remove the splint from your leg. I don't have anything to replace it with if it gets wet."

"There are handrails all over the bathroom and in the shower." Julie gave him a direct stare. "Why is that?"

Not wanting to reveal his secrets, Raven shrugged. "I was injured at one time and it was necessary."

"Which brings me to where you go all night." Julie ate slowly. "You said there was no way out of this place and no other cabins close by. So where did you go?"

He looked down at his plate and chuckled. "Did you miss me?"

"No, I figured you were dead." Julie glared at him. "It's not funny. It hurt like heck, going to the barn looking for your sorry ass."

Raven finished his eggs. "I went out just before five. I always make my bed. It's a leftover from the Army, and I like being neat and tidy. I checked the traps, collected the critters, and then went along a few trails to search for a way through to the fire road. Unfortunately, avalanches have blocked the trails. I could have tried a few tracks unknown to me but staying out in the cold is limited and I can't expect my dogs to keep going for hours at a time." He met her gaze. "Right now, we're stuck here." He sighed. "I can't even get back to the crash site. I had planned on leaving a message that you were safe here with me. I should have thought of leaving a message before, but getting you to safety was my priority."

"So you haven't been away all night?" Julie nibbled on a slice of toast, her gray eyes examining his face as if seeing right through him.

He shook his head. "No and when I plan on leaving for an extended time to find a way out of here, I'll tell you."

"I can't stay here. If you're planning on leaving, I'm going with you." Julie's stare remained fixed on him. "Promise me you won't disappear again without telling me and you'll get me back to my family." She hadn't as much as blinked.

Stroking his short beard, Raven leaned back in his chair. He didn't trust people, not now. Making promises had never been an option he'd considered. His word was good enough—well, it had been when there was anyone left who had actually known him. The problem was a small part of him deep down didn't want him to return her to her family. Had this intelligent woman picked up on that? He sighed. What the heck? She'd be a nice memory soon enough, a passing ship in the night to haunt his dreams. He shrugged. "Sure. I promise."