enough to make me stop.
That was some grade-A Lassie bullshit if ever I’d seen it. I just hoped he wasn’t about to take me to see some kid stuck down a well because I didn’t need the drama of that in my life right now.
I frowned down at him and scrubbed a hand over the soft fur of his head as I gave in and turned the way he wanted me to go.
Tyson yapped excitedly and bounded off through the snow. I followed him, carving a path through it as fast as I could to keep up.
He raced between trees and rounded a huge oak where he started barking again.
I moved as fast as I could, hurrying towards him as he barked anxiously and I stepped around the enormous trunk to get a look at what had him so worked up.
I’d expected the remains of a mountain lion kill or maybe a huge stick he’d been trying to drag home, but even in my wildest imaginings I wouldn’t have expected to find a beautiful girl half dead in the snow.
She was leaning up against a tree, dark red hair falling lank around her pale face and her body curled in on herself as she shivered. She was unconscious and barely dressed, wearing only a thin shirt and torn leggings. The snow was settling on her and her breath didn’t even fog as it escaped her parted lips.
“Shit.” I dropped my rifle and ripped my coat off as I fell to my knees before her.
Her skin was icy to the touch as I reached out to cup her cheek, but the shivers which wracked her body let me know she was alive. I dragged her into my lap and wrapped the thick coat around her, zipping it up without even putting her arms through the sleeves. She was tiny, a fragile, skinny little thing, nowhere near dressed for this weather and way too close to death. I had no idea how the hell she’d ended up here, but I needed to get her out of this storm and back to my cabin before she lost the battle for her life.
I yanked the hat off of my head and shoved it onto hers as her head lolled against my chest.
Her feet were bare and half blue already. It would be a damn miracle if she kept all of her toes. I ripped my sweater off and pushed her feet into the thick material, wrapping it around them tightly and tying it in place.
As soon as it was done, I tossed my rifle over my shoulder and hoisted her into my arms.
A soft, pained groan escaped her and she leaned into my chest, seeking out the warmth of my flesh on instinct.
Tyson yipped excitedly before setting off through the trees, heading straight for the cabin we called home.
I moved after him quickly, as close to running as I could manage in the deep snow while carrying her in my arms. If I didn’t get her back soon, she was going to die and I refused to let that happen. Whatever had led to her being out here in this storm, it couldn’t be good. She needed my help and I wasn’t going to let her down.
She was so light in my arms that it made my chest ache. What was this poor, fragile creature doing way out here? We were a hundred miles from the closest town. It didn’t make any sense, but that wasn’t what mattered now. I’d get her out of this storm and then figure out the rest later.
Tyson ran back and forth, urging me to move faster as I pounded through the snow as quickly as I could, grunting curses at myself for not going more swiftly.
The cabin finally appeared ahead of me, nothing more than a dark blur between the falling snow at first but quickly forming into the shape of the squat wooden building I’d made into my home this past year. My feet thumped up the stairs onto the porch and I yanked the door open.
The warmth of the fire washed over me the second we made it inside and Tyson raced forwards to dive onto my favourite armchair. I was too caught up in the girl to even bother reprimanding him for it as I kicked the door closed and made a beeline for the fire.
It had burned a little low while I was out so I gently placed the girl down on the thick