Snow Place Like Home

Chapter Ten

Shonna

Shonna had no idea where the hell she was going.

She couldn't go to the inn, and she couldn't go back to the cabin. She felt betrayed.

How could her grandmother try to set her up with a man she'd never met? Was that the real reason her grandmother wanted her to come here? Did she think Shonna would move into that tiny house and stay here and marry some lumberjack?

YoYo had known Shonna her entire life. She knew a small life in this toy story village would never be enough to keep Shonna satisfied. Maybe it had been enough for YoYo, but Shonna needed more. She needed a career, a purpose-driven life that didn't center around a relationship but was about what she wanted. That was just the way it was. Sure, companionship was nice, amazing sex even better, but she wasn't going to pretend to be someone she wasn't because her grandmother thought she worked too much.

Shonna was lost in thought and hadn't noticed when she wandered into the thick of the wilderness. The snow was coming down hard. As the wind kicked up the flurries around her and with the gray haze of dusk settling over the horizon, it was nearly impossible to see. There were no buildings, no lights, and no sign that civilization was nearby.

A large animal approached, and she was rooted to the spot. She relaxed as its silhouette came into focus.

Rocky.

Never in a million years did she think the sight of the kooky moose would be a relief.

As suddenly as Rocky appeared, he sprinted away. She didn't have to wonder for long what spooked the cowardly moose when a hair-raising roar sounded behind her. She was not alone. Slowly, she turned toward the massive grizzly bear that was climbing out of its snow-made cave and trudging her way.

She considered running, but what was that they say about never trying to outrun a bear? Didn't she read that somewhere?

"Hey," a deep voice called, and the bear's attention was captured by another beast.

Jason walked carefully, methodically to Shonna's side, wrapping an arm around her before moving her safely behind his back, inserting himself between her and the bear.

He stood tall, staring up at the ferocious creature.

"Get out of here," he growled.

In response, the bear roared in his face, but Jason didn't even flinch. He tightened his grip around Shonna as she clung to him for dear life.

The bear sniffed his face before swiping its claw across his chest. Jason grunted at that, and Shonna covered her mouth to stifle a yelp. She didn't understand the soft words he whispered to her in another language, but the sound of his soothing voice and the feeling of his arms wrapped around her was enough to keep her calm until the bear lost interest in them and sauntered back to its sleepaway den.

As soon as it was out of sight, Jason fell to his knees.

"Jason," she cried. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he insisted, but his tattered, blood-tinged shirt revealing the torn flesh on his chest was hard to ignore.

She lifted his arm over her shoulder and helped him stand, and they walked back to the cabin. When they got there, she guided him to the couch. Penny came to sniff Jason and licked his face before curling up at his feet.

She searched the cabinets for a first aid kit and found some rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, and a bandage.

"Take off your shirt," she ordered.

He chuckled.

"Bet you didn't think you'd get me out of my shirt on the first date," he joked.

He removed his shirt, and she did her best not to notice every flexing muscle, from his bulging biceps to his washboard abs. The man looked like he lived in a gym.

She shook her head. "I can't believe you're making light of this. You could have been killed."

As she studied the deep gashes in his chest, she nearly fell apart.

"It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. If I didn't run off like that...."

"Shh... ax shaawádi," he whispered, placing a giant mitt on her cheek. He brushed a thumb gently over her face and said, "I could never forgive myself if I let something happen to you."

"I'm sorry, Jason."

"You don't have to keep apologizing. Better me than you."

"No, I mean for this," she said as she dabbed his wound with alcohol.

He winced in response before he grinned at her. The man was too macho for his own good.

"Does this mean you're not mad about the letter anymore?" he asked as she continued to clean him up.

"I didn't say that."

Shonna gasped as the house began to shake hard against the vicious wind.

"The storm is picking up. I planned to be back to the inn by now."

"I can drive us back," she offered.

"We're better off staying here."

Shonna glanced out the window, and worry set in. She wasn't sure spending the night with him was a good idea, especially since the beast looked as if he were ready to rip her clothes off, and she might let him.