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W orrying they might be stuck there for several days, Monica and Andy finished their cocoa, and then she began checking the stockpile of food in the cupboards, fridge, and freezer. “We have enough food here to eat for a while. The blizzard should end soon.”

“And then what?” Helen’s eyes filled with tears again.

Monica didn’t buy that Helen was truly repentant.

The tears were more likely to be shed for getting caught or for show.

She thought about Helen’s comment that Pierre felt like Monica was perfect.

He had often been annoyed that her job always came first. They’d had a couple of dozen dates over six weeks.

No way had Pierre thought she was a perfect girlfriend.

That would have been someone who ignored her work to be with him when he wanted her to. Instead, she’d often had to say no or cancel on a scheduled date. Besides, it was supposed to have been a fun excursion with him, nothing permanent. She certainly hadn’t wanted to turn him into one of her kind.

Monica took a pillow from the couch and elevated Andy’s foot on the coffee table. Then she removed the plastic bag and began unwrapping her scarf from his foot. She carefully pulled off one sock after another and then the ace bandage until his foot was bare.

His ankle was bruised and swollen, but luckily, he didn’t appear to have frostbite.

She told Andy, “I’ll warm some water and apply it to your feet with a cloth."

“Thanks. I’ll do the same for you.”

“What about us?” Helen asked as if she needed pampering when she’d been curled up in a blanket by the fireplace without a care in the world while Monica and Andy, both injured, had been trekking through miles of snow.

“You can’t be serious.” Monica applied a warm, wet cloth to Andy’s foot, warming it up and being careful not to hurt him. She couldn’t believe he’d made that trek in the snow on a sprained ankle.

He removed his boot and sock from his other foot.

She was proud of him for his fortitude in being there for her, aiding her, and protecting her.

“Your foot looks good. Your ankle is a bit swollen, but being out in the snow may have helped keep it from swelling as much as it might have. There’s bruising around the ankle.

But it’s turning black and blue in the next bruising stage—not from frostbite. ”

“That’s good. Once we were inside the cabin and not walking through deep snow, I could step on it lightly. It should be good by tomorrow.”

She pressed another warm cloth on his foot, and he moaned. She looked up at him and stopped, worried he was in a lot of pain. “Are you okay?”

“That feels heavenly.”

She smiled with relief. “Your feet are cold. Thankfully, there are no signs of frostbite.” After she had applied the warm, wet cloth, she dried his feet, then massaged them gently.

He sighed. She pulled his dry socks on so his feet would stay warm.

“Okay, it’s your turn. Lie on the couch, put your feet on my lap, and I’ll check yours for frostbite.” He removed her boots and socks and felt how cold and wet her feet were.

As soon as she lay down on the couch, she groaned. “Sorry, my back hurts.”

“Yeah, you’ve been doing too much work.”

“As if we had a choice—either of us.”

“True.” He tossed her wet socks near the fireplace to let them dry. Her feet were burning and ice cold at the same time. He turned and placed her feet between his legs, warming them. “Man, are your poor feet cold.”

“That feels so much better. I didn’t realize how cold they were.” Changing into her bear would have probably helped warm her feet up a few times, but getting naked and standing in the snow hadn’t helped.

Now, her feet felt heavenly between his legs. And then his erection swelled up against her toes. The tips of his ears turned a little red, and she wanted to laugh. She smiled instead, and he smiled back. Man, he was hot.

Then her thoughts turned to other matters.

After the snowstorm had stopped, they could be stuck there for a long time and run out of food.

They had water and enough logs for the fire for a couple of weeks, but the food would only last a few days.

They would have to ration it. At least Helen and her ex-boyfriend couldn’t “sneak” food while they were cuffed.

Monica closed her eyes and stretched out on her back on the couch while keeping her feet warm between Andy’s legs. He hadn’t expected his cock to respond to her pressing against his groin. He was glad she wasn’t bothered by it.

He couldn’t help that any little bit of intimacy between them aroused him into wanting more. Glad she could finally relax and rest after all they had been through, he must have drifted off himself when Denny suddenly spoke.

“Hell,” Denny said, “a polar bear nearly killed me.”

Monica opened her eyes, glanced in Denny’s direction, and raised her brows. Andy had hoped that Monica could rest from her injuries longer, so he was annoyed that Denny had woken her.

“A polar bear? Get real.” Monica’s tone said it all—the guy had to have been delusional.

Helen looked at Denny to see what he had to say. Denny was a blond-haired man, his hair cut short and butch. He had a stern look, bullish, his brown eyes narrowed and angry most of the time. He never softened his expression, even when he looked at Helen.

“You brought me into the cabin and saved me, didn’t you?” Denny asked Andy.

Andy massaged Monica’s feet. “We both did. You should be damned grateful.”

Monica moaned. “That feels so good.”

He was glad he could make her feel better.

“You had to have seen him. Unless he was gone when you found me lying in the snow. I was by the woodpile when I saw a trail in the snow. I thought a ton of people had been walking through there. I tried to loosen the log but couldn’t.

Then hell, I saw the bear. I thought it was looking for food. I had left my guns in the house.”

A good thing for everyone concerned, Andy thought.

“Then the polar bear reared up and struck me.”

“If there was one, he might have eaten parts of you,” Helen said.

“You don’t believe me? I thought at least you would.” Denny sounded pissed off at her. “Maybe he’d just killed something nearby and thought I might want to steal his food.” Then he glowered at Andy. “You can’t keep us locked up like this forever. Who knows how long we’ll have to be here?”

“Yeah, I gotta pee.” Helen wiggled around as if she was a kid who couldn’t hold it in for another second.

“Okay, I got you,” Monica said.

“Are you okay with taking her? I can do it.” Andy wanted Monica to rest from her injuries.

“I would let you, but you can take him when he needs to go.” Monica groaned as she left the couch, and Andy walked over to release one of Helen’s handcuffs from the metal post.

“Don’t pull anything,” Andy warned her.

“Like I can go anywhere.” Helen stalked toward the bathroom.

Monica stayed with her.

When she was done, Monica told Andy, “Can you lock her up again? You can give her a couple of floor pillows she can sit on.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Helen whined.

“You aren’t. But you are in custody for the false kidnapping charges, and you can’t be allowed to roam the house freely,” Monica said.

Monica was right, even if Helen wasn’t as much of a threat as Denny. Who knew how she might react if she were free of restraints? She might try to free Denny when they weren’t watching.

Andy locked Helen back up and gave her a couple of large floor pillows to help her feel more comfortable.

“What about me?” Denny patted the hard wooden floor.

“What about you?” Andy suspected he wanted a more comfortable situation, too, but he might need to use the bathroom.

Monica flushed the toilet in the bathroom.

“I want some pillows, too, and I need a bathroom break,” Denny said.

“I’ll give you one in a minute.” After Andy took one! When he returned to the living room, he saw that Monica had given Denny a pillow.

“I want two pillows like Helen got.”

“Be lucky that you get one.” After all he’d put them through, Andy felt that he barely deserved a blanket for the night.

“I’ll make us some dinner,” Monica said.

“After I take Denny for a bathroom break.”

Monica got her gun out.

“Hell, what do you think I’m going to try and do?” Denny eyed her with the gun.

“Nothing. Not with a gun on you.”

Andy removed his cuff from the bar pole, placed his hands in front of him, and cuffed them. He grabbed his arm and led him to the bathroom.

“What are you going to fix for us for lunch?” Helen asked.

“Soup and crackers.” Andy stayed by the bathroom door while Monica stayed nearby.

“That’s all?” Denny did his business, then came out of the bathroom, and Andy took him back to his post and handcuffed him.

“We’re on rations until we get picked up,” Monica said.

“I want one of the steaks I brought here,” Denny said.

Monica smiled. “Andy and I should eat them to celebrate taking the two of you into custody.”

“That would be theft.” Denny raised a brow.

Monica shook her head. “Truthfully, we’ll save them for later just in case it takes us a while to get out of here.”

Denny frowned at her. “Where did you come from? You couldn’t have driven here. I would have seen a car when I went to get firewood. And we’re snowed in.”

“We hiked in.”

“Is that how you got your injuries?” Denny asked.

Monica didn’t respond. Andy didn’t either. It was none of Denny and Helen’s business.

Then Denny said, “You’re damn lucky no polar bear attacked the two of you.” Then he sank down on the pillow. “I guess you can’t call anyone from here.”

“We both have satellite phones, but there's no reception in the blizzard and forest.” Andy felt frustrated over that as well.

“Figures.”

“How did you think you would get the ransom money from Pierre?” Monica asked.

“We didn’t expect the blizzard to hit this hard.” Helen squirmed to get comfortable.

“You didn’t expect anyone to come looking for you? Here? When we know Denny’s grandparents owned the cabin?” Monica asked.

Helen cast a hard look at Denny. “You said this was a friend’s cabin, and no one knew you were friends with him. No wonder they’re here. Jeez, Denny. You’re such an idiot.”

Monica frowned at Denny, then searched through a drawer in a desk in the living room.

No more honey this or that, Andy noticed. He joined Monica at the desk. “What are you looking for?”

“If his grandparents don’t own this place, anyone who might come to help us will look at the wrong location.”

“But you had the description of the place, and you went straight to it.” However, Andy was beginning to think she had valid concerns.

She pulled out some mail. “Yeah, but the cabins look so similar, and the terrain features covered in snow do too. The address they sent these to is someone other than Denny’s grandparents.” Her face was a little flushed.

Andy rubbed her back. “Hey, I’m surprised we made it to any cabin in this blizzard.” Then he smiled. “Besides, it worked out in the end because we came to the right one anyway.”

“True, but if my fellow agents come to assist us when my boss doesn’t hear back from me, they will look for Denny and Helen at the wrong location. They won’t know we’re all here. They might think the tip was wrong or that Denny took Helen elsewhere and never intended to come out here.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Which wasn’t good news.

“I’ll go make dinner.” She headed into the kitchen and brought a couple of cans of chicken and rice soup. She searched through the drawers and pulled out a handheld can opener.

Andy followed her into the kitchen and opened the soup cans for her. “Why don’t you lie down? I have two good hands and can manage a lot better.”

He could walk on his injured ankle much better now, and she needed to rest her strained back.

“All right. Thanks.”

He rummaged through the freezer and found an ice pack. “Here, use this on your back.”

She carried it into the living room, lay down on her stomach, and put the ice pack on her back.

Once he had prepared the dinner, he released one of Helen’s hands so she could eat. Then he sat down with Monica at the dining room table.

“What about me?” Denny said angrily.

“After we eat.” Andy didn’t trust him not to cause trouble, so he released only one of the perps at a time.

“Do you think your boss will send out more troopers to look for you?” Monica asked Andy.

“Yeah, once I don’t check in or return home. My family and friends could also be. We might get lucky, and your fellow agents could end up at this cabin by mistake.” Andy bit into a soda cracker.

“That would sure be welcome.”

“At least the agents in your office would know where Denny’s grandparents’ cabin is and that it’s probably fairly close to this one.

With my officers, they won’t have any idea.

They could assume we had trekked through the woods to search for a cabin to wait out the weather.

Because of the blizzard, our tracks will be gone when anyone begins searching for us. ”

“And our scents will be gone too.”