“I have to go this way.” Shawn pointed in the opposite direction to Martha’s house. “I’ll talk to you soon. And good luck on the journey back. Drop me a text when you get there, although I don’t know if I’ll receive it if the snow’s started again.”
“I will. Give Jane a hug from me,” Martha told Shawn as he walked down the middle of the street where the snow had been flattened by vehicles.
“I will. See you soon.” They watched Shawn for a couple of minutes before they turned away and trekked down the middle of the road, carefully moving to one side as a truck approached.
“When we get inside, I’ll light the fire while you get some food and coffee on,” Hex said.
“Why? Don’t you think I’m capable of lighting a fire?” Martha teased.
He smiled, his expression more relaxed now that they had made it to Cougar Ridge. “No, I was thinking that you know where everything is in the kitchen and you’re probably a better cook than me.”
“Good point.” Martha removed her glove and pushed her hand into her jacket pocket. Fishing around for the key, she had a horrible moment when she thought she’d left it behind, but then her fingers closed around the cold metal.
“We can’t stay too long,” Hex warned as he looked into the distance.
Martha inhaled. “We’ll be okay.” Her senses told her the next belt of snow wouldn’t reach them for several hours. But it was there, lingering on the peripheral of her senses. “I’m glad we came today. We might not get back here for a few days after the next snowfall.”
“Just make sure we remember to pick up your mom’s antibiotics.” Hex ignored the look she flashed his way.
“That’s the whole reason we came. Why would I forget?” Martha asked as she unlocked the front door and stepped inside the hallway.
“Because that’s what people do. I forget stuff all the time.” Air puffed out of his mouth as he spoke. “It’s as cold in here as it is outside.”
“Then you’d better not forget to light the fire.” She headed for the kitchen while Hex went to the living room. Taking Hex’s advice, as soon as she had the stove lit and the coffee on, Martha fetched her mom’s meds and tucked them safely into her backpack.
“The fire’s lit, it’s going to take a while for it to take the chill off the house,” Hex told her as he came into the kitchen. “Even with the boiler on it’s still cold in here.”
“This will help warm you up.” Martha poured two steaming mugs of coffee.
“Good idea.” Mac looked at the stovetop where eggs and bacon were sizzling in the pan. “Something smells good.”
“I figured we should eat up anything in the fridge that might go bad. I’ve sliced up the bread, too.” She looked around the kitchen. “I have so many memories of eating at this table with my mom and dad.”
“It’s tough, isn’t it?” Hex asked. “I know it took me a long time to go to certain places or do some of the chores I used to do with my dad. The one thing I think my mom misses is not having any memories of my dad at the sawmill.”
“Or maybe it’s easier?” Martha suggested. “No ghosts sitting across the table as you eat your meal. No voices on the wind.”
“Has that happened before?” Hex asked. “With your mom?”
“No,” Martha replied as she dished up the food. “Unless she keeps it to herself. I don’t know if it was the fever or what. That’s why I wanted to come and get her antibiotics so that she doesn’t get sick again.”
“She looks really well. And maybe having my mom as company for a few days will help, too. They get along really well.” He grabbed the two mugs of coffee as Martha dished up the food. “Shall we go and sit in front of the fire?”
“Yes, that would be wonderful.” She followed him out of the kitchen and into the living room. “It’s romantic, sitting by a nice warm fire with my mate.”
“I promise we’ll go on a proper date as soon as the weather clears.” Hex set the coffee down on the small table next to the sofa before he grabbed the blanket her mom used to keep warm and spread it on the rug. “There, it’s like a picnic.”
“I like it.” She set the plates down and then knelt on the blanket while Hex sat to her left. The heat from the fire soon made her cheeks flush red.
Your red cheeks have nothing to do with the nearness of our mate? her cougar asked.
Maybe a little, Martha replied. It is romantic to be sitting next to him. And it’s so hot this close to the fire we might have to remove our clothes.
Eat first, her cougar replied. And don’t get sidetracked, we have to get back before the snow comes.
Sidetracked? Martha asked before her eyes widened as she realized her cougar’s meaning.
“What’s wrong?” Hex asked as he placed his bacon and eggs between two slices of bread and took a large bite.
“Nothing,” Martha lied, aware of the rising color in her cheeks. “The fire is hot, that’s all.”
And so is Hex, her cougar said, not helping matters at all.
“I’m warming up nicely,” Hex agreed. “I’ll make sure the fire is safely out before we leave.” She looked around the tired looking living room as she ate her sandwich. “Mom’s been reluctant to do anything around the house. It’s like a shrine to her life with my dad.”
“She must miss him a lot. But living in the past doesn’t help.” He followed her gaze around the room. “Shall I offer to come and help with renovating the house? I’m good at painting and fixing stuff.”
“I’ll work on it.” She sighed as warmth spread through her body. After being out in the cold air, her eyes were heavy with sleep, a full stomach didn’t help. All she wanted to do was lie down on the blanket with Hex and take a nap with his strong, protective arms around her.
“You know, since she gets along so well with my mom, maybe she’ll come live with us if we build a house near the sawmill.” Hex watched her expression carefully.
Martha placed her plate down on the table and picked up her coffee. “A change of scenery would do her good. No more ghosts to haunt her. But I honestly don’t know if she’d move. She’s so attached to her memories of her life here with me and my dad.”
“People change.” He swapped his plate for a coffee cup and slid closer to her. “And maybe once we have children, she might decide she wants to live with us. Help us raise them.”
“Them.” Martha nodded. “Children might just be the thing to persuade my mom to move.”
“I can’t wait. I know my mom and my brothers would love to have a couple of kids running around the place.” He laughed to himself. “I just hope our kids don’t get into the amount of trouble me and my brothers used to.”
“Kids do have a habit of getting themselves into scrapes. My dad used to say that’s how kids learn. By making their own mistakes.” She smiled wistfully and leaned on his shoulder. “I made enough of them. But he never got angry, he would always explain things to me in a calm way. I miss that. I miss him.”
Hex kissed the top of her head. “My dad wasn’t so calm, but then he had three boys to deal with. We exasperated him, mainly when we used to fight amongst ourselves. We each thought we had something to prove. It was only when he passed away that we truly learned to work together.”
“You know I love you,” Martha said sleepily. “But I also love your family. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
“Does that mean you’ll marry me?” Hex asked sleepily as they snuggled together by the fire.
“Is that a proposal?” Martha turned her head into his chest as her eyes drooped.
“I need to get a ring. Then it will be a proposal.” Hex’s chin dropped onto the top of her head as the heat of the fire and his warm embrace pulled Martha into the world of dreams.
Chapter Twenty-One – Hex
Cold. As the ice-cold water closed in around him, the air was forced out of his lungs as if he’d been punched in the gut. He fought to reach the surface, kicking his legs, but something caught hold of his ankle and pulled
him back down.
He couldn’t die here. Not when he had so much to live for. Not when he’d just met his mate.
But there was no fighting fate.
However, Hex was going to damn well try.
Reaching for the surface, his fingers closed around something cold and hard. Ice. It cracked and shattered, and he slipped back under the water, his eyes fixed on the snowy mountain peaks in the distance as he fell deeper into the dark depths of the creek.
This couldn’t be it. He wouldn’t let this be the end.
Inside his head, his bear roared. Wake up! Wake up!
Hex’s eyes flickered open as he fought against…not water, but something else, something altogether more silent and sinister.
His head ached as he lifted it and looked down at his mate who lay by his side. She didn’t stir and for a moment he thought she was dead, taken not by water…but what?
“Martha!” He shook her and she stirred. Relief flooded his veins, but it was short-lived when she didn’t open her eyes.
Hex shifted his weight, pulling himself out from under her. Pressing his hand to his head, he tried to hold in his brains which felt as if they were trying to burst out of his skull in the same way he’d tried to burst out of the water in his dream.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
With a head full of fog, he lifted his mate into his arms and carried her to the sofa where he lay her down gently.
“Martha.” He tapped her face lightly, and she stirred again, her eyelids flickering as if she were in a deep sleep.
Cold, his bear told him. The shock of the cold might wake her.
Or it might kill her, Hex replied. But instinct told him to get her out of there. Something sinister lurked in this house. To protect his mate, he needed to take her outside.
Slipping his arms under her, he lifted her and cradled her against his chest. On leaden legs he carried her out of the living room, pausing to take a breath as his knees felt weak beneath him.
Adjusting her weight in his arms, he turned the door handle and opened the front door. The rush of cold air hit him like a slap around the face and took his breath away. Forcing himself to take a breath, the inside of his lungs prickled as if a thousand tiny icicles pierced his lungs. Like a punch in the gut, the cold brought him to his knees, but he clung onto his mate, so she didn’t fall into the snow.
Slowly, his breathing calmed, and his head cleared, the fog ebbing away just a little.
“Martha,” he croaked as he looked down on her beautiful face. “Martha.”
He dug his fingertips into the flesh of her arms, and she jumped, her eyes opening for a second. They focused on his face but there was no hint of recognition. Only a blankness before they slid shut once more.
“Martha.” He pressed his lips to hers. “Martha.”
She gasped, her fingers clutching at his clothes as she fought against him. “Let me go.”
“Martha, it’s me.” Pain wrenched his gut.
“I don’t know you.” Martha pulled away from him, but he held onto her tightly as she placed her hand down in the snow. “What the…” She yanked her hand upward as the cold white flakes touched her skin.
“Martha. Look at me. It’s Hex. Your mate.” He placed his hand tenderly on her cheek. “Look at me.”
She didn’t fight him as her eyes locked with his. “Do I know you?”
Hex swallowed down his panic as he nodded. “We’re mates. Think. We met a couple of days ago. You stayed at my house last night and we came back here for your mom’s meds.”
“My mom.” Her forehead creased as she tried to recall her mom and her mate. “Hex.”
He nodded, unsure if she actually remembered him or not. “We were inside your house. We fell asleep by the fire…” His voice trailed off.
“My head hurts.” She put her fingers to her head and tears sprang to her eyes as her face paled. “I don’t feel so good.”
“No, me neither.” He held her close as he looked around. “Do you know where the doc lives?” He wasn’t sure what she knew, but he needed to get her to Shawn.
“Dr. Bradford?” she asked.
“Shawn. Remember, he came back here with us. He has a daughter, Jane.” He wanted to reach inside her head and pull out her memories and show them to her so she would remember the doctor. So that she would remember her mate.
Her phone, his bear said quickly. Shawn’s number is on her phone.
Hex stood up and Martha slid down his body, her boots sinking into the snow as she stood on her own two feet. He hated losing the close contact with her, but he needed to find her cell phone. He patted her pockets and she pulled away.
“What are you doing?” she challenged.
“I need your phone.” Hex pressed his lips together as he tried to figure out how to get through to his mate. “Then I can call Shawn, the doctor, and he can help you.”
Martha tilted her head to one side, her frown deepening. “I remember you. We met in the grocery store.”
The air left his lungs as surely as if he’d been drowning in the creek. As his head continued to pound at his temples, he nodded. “That’s right. We met at the grocery store. We’re mates.”
Tears misted her eyes. “Hex.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him so tightly he could barely breathe. Or maybe it was the sudden shock of thinking he’d lost his mate, not by drowning but because she’d lost her memories of him, that made it hard for him to take a breath.
“It’s okay. I’m here.” He held her closer, inhaling her scent, which mingled with woodsmoke. “And I think I know what’s wrong with us. What was wrong with your mom.”
“My mom.” Martha’s head jerked up. “We need to get back to the sawmill before the snow comes.”
“First we need to see the doc,” Hex insisted. He ran back into the house and grabbed the packs and Hilda’s medication.
“This way.” Martha still looked sick and pale as she checked her pocket for her keys, pulled the front door closed and led him along the road.
“Don’t you want a coat?” Hex asked as stray flakes of snow drifted down from the menacing clouds.
“No, I’m warm enough.” She shivered despite her words. “The cold makes me feel alive. As if it will sweep away the fog in my head.”
Hex inhaled deeply. “You might be right.”
They made their way along the street, following a trail of compacted snow made by other people’s feet. Martha and Hex fought to keep their balance on the slippery surface, but it was far easier than walking across the deep snow without their snowshoes.
“This is Shawn’s house.” Martha pointed to a small house on the corner of a side street. With so much snow covering the front yard and the house itself, Hex couldn’t make out much detail other than there was a fire lit producing smoke from the chimney. “Are you sure we need to bother him?”
“I want him to check you over,” Hex insisted. “And I know he’d rather we bothered him than you get sick.”
“I feel much better now,” Martha insisted. “And we need to get going if we’re going to make it back to the sawmill before the weather turns.” Her expression grew more serious. “You want to make sure I’m okay to make the journey back.”
Hex nodded, there was no way he could lie to her, she was his mate. “How would your mom feel if you got sick because of her?”
“It wouldn’t be because of her,” Martha insisted.
“Do you really think that’s how she would see it?” Hex asked. “We came back for her meds, we fell asleep in front of her fire and we’re making the journey back for her.”
“You mean you’ll blame her,” Martha accused hotly.
Hex placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. “You know that’s not what I’m saying. And if Shawn doesn’t think you are fit to make the journey back, then I’ll go alone and leave you here with him.”
Her expression softened. “So after being jealous of my relationship with Shawn, you
are now inviting me over to his house whether he likes it or not.”
“Something like that.” Hex looked up as the front door of the doctor’s house opened and Shawn stood looking down on them with a confused expression on his face.
“What are you two doing standing outside my house? I thought you’d be on your way back to Bear Creek by now.” He beckoned to them. “Come in. It’s freezing out there.”
“We’re really sorry to bother you, Shawn.” Hex walked up to the front door, with a reluctant Martha following in his footsteps through the snow. Unlike the snow on the street, Shawn’s front yard was not hard-packed, only Shawn’s footsteps leading to the house were visible.
“You’re no bother.” Shawn cast a quizzical look at Martha. “Is your mom okay?”
“Yes. At least as far as I know. I called her when we arrived. She’s fine.” Martha breathed heavily as she trudged through the deep snow and Hex’s concern for her grew.
“But you’re not okay.” Shawn’s eyes narrowed as he looked closely at Martha. “Are you coming down with the flu?”
“No,” Hex answered or his mate. “I’m almost certain we were exposed to carbon monoxide. Probably from the open fire in Hilda’s living room, since that’s where were when we got sick. But the boiler should be checked too, just to be on the safe side.”
“Oh. Carbon monoxide.” Shawn’s eyes widened. “That would also explain some of Hilda’s symptoms and why they wore off and came back.”
Shawn stepped back inside his house and Hex ushered Martha into the warmth of his hallway. Martha looked pale as she stamped her feet on the doormat to get rid of the excess snow from her boots, but some of the color had returned to her cheeks. Maybe he was overreacting coming here to see the doc, but Hex had to be sure Martha was okay before he allowed her to make the journey back to the sawmill.
Allow her? his bear asked.
You know if she’s sick I’d do anything to stop her from getting hurt. Even if that means making her do something she doesn’t want to. Hex sure hoped it didn’t come to that. He didn’t want Martha to think he was an overbearing bossy boots at this stage of their relationship.
Hex Winter Shifter Seasons Page 15
