Rainn awakened to warmth, solid and
comforting—the feel of hip to thigh, her nose buried in a thick
ebony-dark mass of fragrant hair and her arm encircling his softly
furred chest. Sleeping like spoons definitely had its advantages she
discovered as she shifted slightly to press herself closer against
the broad muscular back. A voice still gritty from sleep rumbled
gently, "Are you cold?” She smiled into his neck as a large
hand clasped hers and hugged it against the slow beating of his
heart. Refusing to rouse herself into full waking status, she sent
him a drowsy wave of contentment and allowed herself the extra
twenty minutes of rest before the alarm went off and demanded
attention. Gerran crawled out from beneath the
quilts first, casting her a loving look as he pulled on a thick
patched sweater and a pair of well-worn breeches. He went to light
the small brazier in the corner of the room to help warm the place.
The January cold had seeped through the cabin’s tightly packed and
mortared logs as it brought its bitter chill to the woods, if not
its fourteen inches of snow and ice. As he prepared to brew them a
pot of coffee and a bite of breakfast from the kitchen area, Rainn
watched his back, giving herself five more minutes to snuggle in the
cocoon of body heat before reluctantly leaving the bed to face
another day. “How’d you sleep last night? You
stayed up pretty late.” He glanced over his shoulder, knowing she
was looking at him. The pale gray light coming through the windows
cast a sheen over his shoulder-length hair. Rainn flashed him a tired smile.
“Fricking deadline, but I got it done and emailed.” She started to
yawn, when a shiver went through her. “Let’s hope
that was the last big storm of the season,” Gerran commented with a
chuckle. “Having any regrets yet about leaving the city? It can get
pretty hairy up here in the Alleghanys until spring arrives. And
once the snow starts to melt, the bears start coming out of
hibernation and all.” She chuckled
at the mention of bears. “No, thanks. That’s one of the perks of my
job that I love and plan to put to full use.” The clatter
of coffee mugs and the sound of something sizzling on the propane
stove were comforting sounds. Familiar and homey. Taking a deep
breath, Rainn caught a whiff of bacon frying. Her stomach responded
with a low growl. Sitting up, she glanced out the glazed front
window, then at her husband. “What about you? Any regrets having to
settle here?” His answering
smile filled her with a heat no fire could match. “No. Never. You
know how much I love this part of the country. As long as I’m amid
my beloved forest, I’m content.” He paused, his gaze softening as he
stared at her. “And having you with me has completed my life,” he
added with undisguised love. With some reluctance, she finally
crawled out from under the covers and hurried into the bathroom.
When she returned, he was zipping up his knee boots when he came
over to the bed, bearing a tray, and placed it on the mattress
between them. “If I’m not here when you get home, I may still be at
Benton’s,” he said. He handed her a mug of coffee as she grabbed a
slice of bacon. “Claude
Benton? From the general store?” He uncovered
the last of last night’s biscuits, now warmed from their brief
freshening by the fire. They both sat on the edge of the bed to
enjoy their repast. She warmed her hands around her cup as he spread
honey on one biscuit before handing it to her. “He’s giving us some potatoes from
the crop he’s grown in an abandoned lot. I thought I’d finish
cleaning out that storage cellar and put them down there. I don’t
know how long it’ll take for me to go over there and get them, but
I’ll try to be back before too late.” “Why is he giving us his potatoes?” “He says my good word on his behalf
garnered him some extra clients. He’s offering the potatoes as a way
of saying thanks.” “Are you taking the ATV?” “Since I don’t know how many pounds
he’s giving us, I thought I would, rather than trying to carry them
on foot.” “Mmm. Well,
that’s nice of him. The potatoes will be welcomed, now that the
berries are long gone. I don’t suppose you’ll take your bow with you
when you leave.” Gerran gave
her a lopsided grin. “I’d planned to. Hopefully I’ll be able to
return with a little meat to go with your wonderful potato soup.” He
drained his mug and got to his feet. “I don’t know how long it’ll
take but I’ll try to be back before long. With a little luck, I
should return late tonight.” “Take care,
my love,” she replied. Getting to her feet, she shrugged on her
coat. “I’ll go by the market to see if I can wrangle a loaf of bread
from Mr. Haymar. Then, when I get back, I’m going to check out that
grove of maple trees. If we’re lucky, I’ll be able to milk enough
sap from them to boil down into a couple bottles of syrup. If we’re
really
lucky, I’ll be able to make enough to sell
a few extra bottles to Talbot’s market.” “Thus sayeth the transplanted farm
girl from Vermont,” he teased. Standing on tiptoe, she gave her
husband a tender kiss. “Please be careful.” “No,
you
be careful. Even in the middle of winter,
the woods have all sorts of creatures crawling around.” “I promise, if I see anything bigger
than a breadbox, I’m hightailing it in the opposite direction.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and
gave her a loving smile before she placed her empty mug back on the
tray, grabbed another slice of bacon, and scooted out the door. |