“Yes, ma’am.” Liana gave her a playful salute. “Just help me put on my boots and coat, and I won’t need you for anything else.”
Eddie sighed. She had a funny feeling she was going to regret this. How was she a strong alpha bear who ruled an entire clan, but when it came to this woman, she became a cuddly teddy bear?
Chapter Five
The cold air was crisp and sharp. Liana breathed in, shivering slightly. She leaned against the door while she watched Eddie clear the deck off. The woman was making light work of the mountains of snow that had accumulated there. Had Eddie not told her there was a deck out back, she never would have known. The amount of snow that had fallen was incredible.
The snow glittered like crushed diamonds across the mountains off in the distance. The sunlight caught the frost-heavy branches and sparkled brightly. The storm had passed, leaving the world bleached white and so quiet she could hear her own breaths.
“It’s so beautiful.” Her exhalations fogged theair in white swirls. To think that just yesterday she’d thought she was going to freeze to death, and now she was admiring the wonder in what Mother Nature had created.
Maybe being stranded wasn’t the end of the world.
Her gaze landed on Eddie who quietly shoveled along the edge of the deck, clearing heavy drifts away. Even bundled in a thick jacket, the woman appeared to be the epitome of strength. Her shoulders were solid, her movements efficient and focused. Every time she exhaled, it fogged the air like a dragon in the cold.
But Eddie wasn’t a dragon, she was a bear.
Liana wondered what Eddie’s beast looked like. Was she a brown bear? A black bear? How tall did she get? Was she ferocious? A cuddly bear? Liana snorted at that thought. It amazed her that a shifter’s body could literally change into something else completely. Would Eddie allow her to meet her bear?
“You’re enjoying the view.” Eddie’s voice broke through Liana’s thoughts.
She blinked and focused on the woman who had paused what she was doing to stare at her. Liana smiled and took an easy step down on tothe deck. She pulled the door closed behind her. She took another careful step. So far, so good.
“I am, and how could I not?” Liana made her way to the railing and paused. She celebrated on the inside that she hadn’t slipped and the pain was only slight now. She motioned to the snow-covered grounds. “It looks picture-perfect. Like it should be on a postcard or something.”
“It looks like hypothermia waiting to happen,” Eddie muttered. She turned and faced the endless amounts of snow that covered the yard. She jammed the shovel into a pile. “Stay up on the deck while I check the generator. I need to make sure she isn’t going to choke tonight. I smell another storm brewing.”
Liana nodded, then watched Eddie disappear around the side of the cabin.
The fresh winter air felt good. Even though it was cold, she felt a little freedom now that she wasn’t secured away inside the cabin. A girl could only be locked up so long. She sighed. If Eddie sensed there was going to be a part two of the storm, that wasn’t good. How the heck would she get to town? How would she be able to get her car towed to a shop?
There was so much that she would need to take care of. She didn’t want to think about notifying the rental company of the accident. Thankfully, she had good insurance that should cover things.
She wasn’t going to think of that now. She was safe and secure, and that was what really mattered. She stood on the top stair and balanced her weight carefully, testing her ankle. The wrap held. It pinched a little, but nothing crazy. This was definitely manageable compared to when she’d had nothing to help secure the joint.
Liana’s gaze drifted beyond the tree line. The storm had blown down a chunk of foliage, which opened up a view she hadn’t noticed before.
And faintly, she heard water.
A steady trickle through the quietness.
Was that a creek? Or a river? How was it not frozen over in these temperatures?
Her pulse fluttered. A peek wouldn’t hurt. A short walk would help her stretch out her aching muscles, and she could test out her ankle more. She couldn’t stay laid up all day, every day. That wouldn’t be good for her. She may not be a nurse or a physician, but she knew that much.
Eddie must have cleared more of the snow before she had come outside. There was a small path that led to the tree line.
“Just a short walk. I need this fresh air,” she murmured. She zipped up her coat all the way and tugged her hat down on her head.
She stepped off the deck.
She paused and glanced around, half expecting Eddie to come charging around the corner to yell at her. When there was no bossy bear coming to bark orders, she continued. Her boots crunched through the light snow on the path. Pine trees towered overhead. A slight breeze created a slight snow flurry from the snow being shaken loose from the limbs. The cold nipped at her nose and cheeks, but something in the air had her pulse racing.
She breathed in the frosty air and smiled.
The farther she walked, the louder the creek sounded.
“There you are.” The water came into view. Icy water rippled along the bank of white edges crusted with thin sheets of ice. She crouched carefully and marveled at the beauty of the scene before her. Back home when she couldn’t sleep, she played soothing sounds and usually chosecreeks or ocean waves. There was something about the sounds of water that helped her relax and sleep.