“One of the reasons. Maybe I feel like I have amends to make. I couldn’t do anything to help my family. Maybe I can help you.” He brought my hand up, kissed my fingertips. Warmth sluiced through me.
“What are you doing?” My voice sounded like air leaking from a balloon.
He glanced over his shoulder at me and gave me a crooked grin. “Changing the subject.”
Irritated that he wasn’t willing to share more, I worked my hand free of his and settled back in my chair. “So what are you going to do for the rest of the day?”
“Depends what you do.”
“I plan to just sit here and enjoy the peace. Until about midafternoon, when I’ll head to the shop to prepare for the late-afternoon/early-evening crowd.”
“Sounds exciting. I’ll probably join you for that.”
Because he didn’t trust me not to skip out on him. I was still planning to find a way.
“And what sort of description does Lisa give Friday night?” he asked. “Because I can think of a couple of words that start with F.”
His eyes were twinkling. I thought if it weren’t for the whole harvester situation and my approaching full moon, I might actually enjoy hanging around with Daniel.
“Fantastic Friday,” I told him. “We’re going to the slopes tonight.”
“To do what?”
I shrugged. “Maybe ski. Sit on top of a mountain. Whatever. Lisa has connections.”
“I’ll definitely be joining you for that.”
“Who said you were invited?”
He didn’t respond with words. He simply gave me a feral smile, and I realized he’d never let me escape him. But if I wanted to survive, I would have to find a way to.
When the hot chocolate was gone and the cold air had chilled our bones, we went inside. One of the channels was having a big bug marathon, so Daniel settled in front of the TV and watched as ants, then grasshoppers, then ants again terrorized the countryside. I curled up in a chair with a novel. Although mostly I found myself studying him instead of reading about uppity New York socialites at the end of the nineteenth century.
I couldn’t deny that Daniel was sexy, strong, and seemingly unafraid of anything—including the havoc that a harvester might cause. I didn’t want to be morbid, but my own life expectancy was likely to fall way below the national average. If I went through my first full moon alone, I could die. If I managed to survive, the harvester could be waiting for me—and I’d die. I increased my chances of surviving if I had a mate, but then he risked death if we weren’t able to avoid the harvester.
Basically I was feeling screwed, confused, and wishing there was a simple answer.
I had a crazy idea: Why not spend what little time I might have left enjoying life to the fullest, preferably with a guy? And here I had one sitting on the couch, not more than five feet from me.
I was still bothered by the fact that I couldn’t feel his emotions. It also bothered me that he had been out on patrol the night Justin died. I was taking Daniel’s word that the elders had sent him. What if he was an emissary for the harvester?
My stomach dropped as though I’d just reached the apex of a roller coaster and was careening down at the speed of light. I didn’t think I’d be safe at Wolford. But I wasn’t certain I was safe here anymore either.
SIX
Later that afternoon a light snowstorm hit, and I blinked as the snowflakes landed on my lashes while Daniel walked with me to the Hot Brew Café. I prepared him a double-chocolate hot chocolate, which he took to the sitting area by the fireplace. Again he turned so he was watching me. I must have been growing accustomed to his presence, because it didn’t irritate me.
Then the rush started, and I didn’t have time to think about Daniel, full moons, or harvesters. It was a little weird that working hard was so relaxing, but it actually relieved some of my stress.
It must have shown on my face because when we began closing up, Daniel walked over to me and said, “You actually enjoyed that.”
“Yeah, I did.” I liked being around people—human people. I wished I could experience the same sort of connection with my own kind.
When we were finished closing for the night, Spike let Lisa, Daniel, and me out the front door. A guy in a silver Range Rover was waiting for us. His name was Chip, and he was apparently Lisa’s main squeeze for the night. He was husky and had a beard that made him look like an authentic mountain man. After introductions were made, Daniel and I climbed into the backseat and Lisa buckled up in the passenger seat.
“This is going to be so much fun,” Lisa said. “Chip packed a picnic basket for us. We’ll take it to the top of Devil’s Grin.”
“What’s Devil’s Grin?” Daniel asked.
“The tallest slope,” Lisa explained. “Skiing down it is for the more experienced skiers. You can decide when we get there if you want to give it a try.”
“So we can ski?” I asked.
“If we want. My friend Jake is a ski patroller. He’s sorta throwing an unauthorized party on the slopes tonight. Lights will be lit but only on the lower slopes. His girlfriend, Trish, has access to the rental equipment. No charge for us.”
“I can’t believe how many people you know,” I admitted, in awe that one person could have so many friends. Or how much they were willing to do for her.
“Oh, you know. I’m the party girl. Can’t party alone.”
But when we arrived, we discovered the party had been canceled. The ski patrollers were out in force, and they were far from relaxed. Some were pulling toboggans.
“Sorry, Lisa,” Jake said. He was tall and slender. Like all the other patrollers, he wore a red jacket to identify himself. “Just before we closed the slopes, we learned that a nine-year-old boy got separated from his dad up on the mountain. We had the dogs out searching, but they’ve had no luck. We’re pulling everyone in to regroup.”
“That’s awful,” Lisa said. “What can we do?”
He gave her a tired grin. “Go home so I don’t have to worry about you getting lost.”
I exchanged a glance with Daniel, and while I couldn’t read his mind or sense his emotions, I knew what he was thinking. But if the dogs hadn’t had any luck, how could he?
I saw a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye and glanced back. A couple was sitting on a bench. The man had his arm around the woman, who was staring blankly at the snow and turning in her hands what looked to be a blue knitted cap.