by K. L. Donn
Ace seemed happiest when he was making others feel good. She loved his quirky sense of humor; she loved his dark humor. Most of all she adored the sound of his laughter. It was rumbly, right from the belly and made her insides tingle. The sound always had her laughing with him.
Despite all his light, there was a dark sadness lurking within Ace. She just had to listen to the inflections in his voice to gauge his moods. He didn’t frighten her; quite the opposite, he intrigued her. He was a mysterious puzzle she was trying to figure out.
Both men had lost important people in their lives at very young ages, and she couldn’t help wondering how that affected them. They didn’t speak much about their past and always appeared to be looking towards the future. For most, that was a good thing; however, for her, it sucked. She needed to know about her past before she could determine her future.
Which brought her back to her current state. She’d awoken in the middle of the night sweating and possibly crying if the tears on her pillow were any indication. The only clear picture in her mind when she became lucid enough to think was of snow and fire. The two elements were at war with each other, yet in her mind, they were unmistakable and crucial to her recovery.
Snow shuffled out of bed and quietly started a fire, crossing her fingers for snowfall as she and Roxie sat in front of the window. When the white flakes finally began to fall just before daybreak, she’d internally cheered as her new canine friend whined to be let out.
Standing outside with the crisp wind-chill freezing her cheeks and snowflakes landing on her face, she’d experienced her first moment of peace. There was something relaxing about being in nature, feeling it’s calm even as it stormed.
Watching the joyful dog bounce through the snow brought a burst of happiness bubbling forth from deep inside her heart. The pure, unadulterated glee in each of her leaps was priceless. Something for her to hold on to in the dark days she was sure were to come.
The fire crackling behind her added an ominous presence to her turbulent mind. With so many questions and no answers, it was hard to determine what she should do. Having been with Nick and Ace for four days now, she was restless. No matter how much they checked missing persons’ reports, someone should have reported her by now.
Unless…
Holidays!
Christ, how could she be so stupid?
Maybe she was supposed to be vacationing with whomever had done this to her. What if no one was searching because they thought she was fine.
Getting up from the floor, she went racing down the hall. “Ace!” she called pounding on his door, quickly followed by “Nick!” as she beat on his harder. “Wake up!”
Roxie started howling along with her high-pitched screams.
Both men came bursting out of their rooms… Nearly naked.
“Have mercy,” she whispered, she hoped. Sculpted muscles, chiseled chests, tattoos making them each the perfect works of art.
“What’s wrong?” Nick called, his voice frantic as he shook her shoulders. Apparently having asked already.
Shaking off her lustful thoughts, she explained her excitement. “What if no one’s looking for me because I’m not missing!”
Turning to each other, then to her, and back to each other, they were obviously confused.
“Explain that one,” Ace asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Distracted momentarily by rippling muscles again, she reiterated, “What if I’m not missing?”
“Dumb it down for us, Snow,” Nick’s voice was puzzled.
“I mean, it’s the holidays. What if I were here on vacation? What if no one is expecting me back home yet? What if they don’t know I’m missing?” Her excitement was bubbling over as it took both men a few seconds to catch onto her reasoning.
“Son of a bi–scuit!” Nick shouted. She laughed at his goof up.
“So, you think you were here on vacation with your assailant?” Ace clarified.
“Yes.” She smiled. “I mean it has to be better than the alternative, right?” Doubt was suddenly creeping back in at the idea that she was alone in the world.
“Hey.” Nick traced his hand along her cheek soothingly. “Let’s give this idea some hope. Sound good? Don’t go there if we don’t have to.”
Grabbing his wrist with both of her hands, she nodded her head, praying she was right. His strength gave her optimism. The warmth from his hand calmed some of her nerves.
“Thank you,” she whispered, looking to both men.
Her eyes burned a trail of want down Nick’s body as she devoured his nearly nude form.
“Shoot,” he whispered, realizing they were still in their boxers. “Uh, maybe we should get dressed,” he suggested to Ace.
The blush that consumed Snow’s neck and cheeks was fucking adorable. He hadn’t seen a woman do that in longer than he cared to think about.
“Oh, uh, yes,” she murmured, her voice sounding slightly regretful, “I’ll uh…go.” Tearing herself away from them, she kept glancing behind her, stealing looks between them both. A little extra flexing of muscle had her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red until she was out of sight.
“Damn,” Ace whistled.
Nick couldn’t agree more.
Snow’s eyes were like fire branding them. He had to fight back his own lust. Not giving in was getting harder, especially when she looked at them like they were her last meal, and she was starving.
“You think she’s on to something?” Ace asked before going to get dressed.
Looking at his cousin, he told him honestly, “For her sake, I fucking hope so.” He was quiet for a moment then continued. “Otherwise, she’s alone in the world. And that’s a hard pill to swallow.”
Parting ways to get dressed, Nick went for a shower. He needed time to think about how to proceed in their search of who their guest was. How to find her family.
As the water heated up, he figured his easiest, or possibly hardest, option might be to go to the Kicking Horse Lodge to see if someone recognized her. The main problem with that was if her attacker chose to stay there after assaulting her.
Was it worth the risk?
He had to hope it was. Their options were limited, and as much as he and Ace might like it, she couldn’t stay with them forever. She deserved to have answers to her questions. To know who she was.
Rushing through his shower, Nick tried not to think about the way she’d looked staring at him. Her green eyes had been hooded, trying to hide her lustful thoughts. Her breathing had picked up with every inhale. It was the first time in the four days she’d been with them that there’d been any indication she felt what he and Ace did. The connection they all shared was magnetic—a force of its own. Completely unlike what he had imagined it would be.
His father had told stories of the draw he felt towards Nick’s mother for as long as he could remember. They’d clicked from the start. He always said Nick would know when the right girl came along, and that he and Ace would both be enthralled with her. They wouldn’t be captured by her beauty or smarts; it was going to be her soul.
His dad confided that when the right souls collided, they fit together like a puzzle, and as soon as they did, he would feel it. There were no limitations as to how many pieces it would take to fit, either. With Snow, even before she opened her eyes or spoke, he knew, Ace knew, they would be bound together for life.
Their work was cut out for them if they all planned to make it work. Hell, who knows if she even wanted it to.
“Fuck,” he cursed, stepping from the shower. A move couldn’t be made with Snow until they knew, at the very least, who she was. And even then, when she got her memory back, she may not want to stay with them. She may want to go back to wherever it was she lived.
Son of a bitch.
There went his cheerful mood.
Dressing in his uniform, he decided he’d go into town on his own and speak to the employees at Kicking Horse. Ace could stay with her while he did. He had to get out of the hou
se. Clear his mind.
Snatching his keys and coat, he walked out to the kitchen to see Snow making breakfast in a pair of his boxers and a sweater.
Son of a bitch.
He got the feeling he’d be thinking that a lot.
She fit. In his clothes, her voluptuous curves made them look good. Having her in his kitchen was messing with his mind. He had to leave.
Now.
“I’m going to town,” he announced.
Ace looked back from his slouched position on a stool. “Why?” His eyes roamed searchingly up and down Nick’s uniform as if the answers would be there.
Unable to look at their gorgeous guest yet, he explained in a clipped voice. “Might as well see if anyone recognizes her from the Kicking Horse Lodge.” Which reminded him. “I need a picture,” he snapped at Snow as she turned to him. His phone captured her startled image, and he was out the door, not leaving room for questions he couldn’t, or maybe didn’t, want to answer.
As Nick sped down to the highway, all he could picture in his mind was the hurt in Snow’s eyes as he’d barked at her. He was an ass. It couldn’t be helped. If she decided to leave, he didn’t want be attached to her. Having his heart broken wasn’t an option. He knew he was jumping the gun on everything. Judging her before she had the chance to decide. Thinking about a future when he didn’t even know what was in store for any of them.
Hell, maybe they’d all hate each other.
“Fuck!” he cursed again, slamming both hands down on the steering wheel. Being so indecisive wasn’t him. He made decisions and stuck by them. With this, them, her, everything was out of control, and he could barely stand it.
His father. He needed to talk to his old man. He would help Nick work through his chaotic thoughts.
He hoped.
For the amount of snow that had accumulated over the course of four days, it was unseasonably warm. Thankfully, the plows had been through, or he wouldn’t be going anywhere. Rolling down his window, the fresh air felt good, helped him clear his mind a bit. Focus on what he was currently doing.
Grateful there weren’t any cars in ditches, he enjoyed the warm glow of the sun and the shine from the fresh snow. The trees covered in the fluffy white stuff were what postcards were made of. The view he had now was the reason he loved a precipitous Canadian winter.
Natural beauty. Mother Nature’s child. There wasn’t a more beautiful sight than snow-capped mountains.
Except her.
Fuck.
Son of a bitch!
His mind was pissing himself off, now. He had a rule that his mother beat—not literally—into him throughout his young life: No swearing in front of women.
It was out of respect. Nothing more. Women were delicate creatures and should be treated as such. Yet, his barbaric caveman kept creeping forward whenever thoughts of Snow surfaced.
He wasn’t some masochistic bastard when it came to women. They should all have the same rights and freedoms as men, but he had this image of his woman specifically.
Barefoot.
Pregnant.
It was all he wanted. Nick couldn’t care less if she cooked or cleaned or broke the damn dishes when they got dirty. It wasn’t about domestication or him being in control. He didn’t even know if he could explain it if someone asked. What he wanted was a woman who was strong. Someone who could enjoy the simpler things in life. If she could handle both him and Ace on their worst days, then that was icing on the cake.
Seeing the lodge coming into view, he shook off any personal thoughts and went to full-on sheriff mode. The townspeople saw him as a fair but strict man. He didn’t put up with anyone’s shit, and if you fucked up, he called you on it—made everyone own their mistakes. He also helped where and when he could.
The streets were reasonably clear, which he was grateful for. He wasn’t in much of a conversational mood. Parking his SUV, he slowly stepped out and looked around, making sure nothing was amiss.
Walking up to the three-story log building, he wasn’t surprised to see the lobby full of guests. People milling around talking, drinking coffee, reading, and even the buffet was full already.
“People must be getting restless,” he commented to himself and was shocked when someone answered behind him.
“We’ve got some folks here that have never been around snow and some who had hoped for skiing.”
Turning towards the voice, he recognized just the man he was looking for, John, the lodge’s manager. “How you doing, John?” Reaching out he shook the other man’s hand in greeting.
“Good, Sheriff. What brings you by?” Worry was etched in the man’s eyes.
“Well, before the storm, I was doing my normal rounds, getting hikers and tourists off the mountains. Found something interesting.”
“Oh, yeah?” His curiosity was piqued.
“You missing any guests?” No point in beating around the bush. He had known John since they were teens, so Nick wasn’t worried that he had done something to Snow. Like her, he highly suspected she was a guest here, and whoever her companion was, they had done something to her.
“Not that’s been reported.” He was confused now. “What’s going on?”
Gazing around them, he noticed a few faces he’d never seen before paying them a bit too much attention. “Can we talk in your office?” The last thing they needed was for her attacker to find out she was alive before they knew who he or she was.
“Sure, follow me.”
Nick trailed him down a long hall and behind a door that said, employees only, before they entered John’s office on the other side.
“Would you like something to drink, Nick?” he offered.
“I’m good, thanks.” Nick was hesitating. He trusted this person, but sharing Snow? What if he was opening a bigger can of worms than she or they were ready for? “Fuck,” he cursed again.
“Okay. What’s going on? You don’t swear, and you don’t hesitate.” John called him on his own bullshit.
“This stays between us, you understand?” His friend nodded. “Ace and I found a woman.” The shock on his face couldn’t be faked. “She was beaten and left for dead. Tossed out like trash.” The anger was surfacing again.
“Holy shit. Is she from here? Do we know her?”
“No. Even with the bruises disguising her features, I can tell she’s not from around here. But this morning we had a thought. Maybe she was a guest here at the Kicking Horse.”
“Do you have a picture of her?” John’s excitement was evident, but he didn’t think the man appreciated the gravity of the situation.
“I need you to understand that this woman is in danger, John. Someone tried to kill her. This can’t leave this office,” he implored the other man.
“I understand, Sheriff. I would never intentionally harm anyone; you now that.” He seemed almost hurt that Nick would think such a thing.
Pulling his phone from the clip on his belt, he opened it to the photo he’d taken of her before coming. “You recognize her?” Handing the phone over, he waited.
Studying the picture with a fine-toothed comb, John finally shook his head saying, “No, I don’t think so. One of the receptionist might, though. When did you say you found her?”
“Four days ago, just before the storm hit.”
Flipping through his desk calendar, he informed Nick, “Jessica and Anita would have been on their five-day rotation then. One of them might recognize her.” His suggestion made Nick nervous. The fewer people that knew about her, the better.
“Is Jess here now?” He’d grown up with the woman. Didn’t know her extremely well, but she’d always seemed like a decent person. Helping others, keeping out of trouble.
Nodding, John said, “I’ll call her in.”
As they waited for the woman to come back, he stared at Snow’s photo, afraid of what was to come. If they found out who she was and no one was looking for her, she would be torn apart. If they found out it was someone she knew that tried to kill her,
he had the feeling she would be just as upset. It was a no-win situation.
A knock on the door followed by Jess popping her head in had him on edge. “Hey, John, what’s up?” As she fully entered the room, her eyes widened upon seeing Nick. “Sheriff, I didn’t realize you were here, too.”
“How you doing, Jess?” He didn’t want her to think she was in trouble.
“I guess that depends on whether I’m in trouble or not.” She nervously chuckled.
Wanting her to feel at ease, he told her, “Not at all. I need some help.”
“Sure, how can I help?”
“Have any guests gone missing? They were here one day, and not the next? Anyone acting suspiciously?” She was shocked by his questions. Clearly not expecting to be talking about missing guests.
Thinking about it for a minute, she answered. “Off the top of my head? No. There have been a few couples where I’ll see them one day and not the next. But there’s been nothing to make me think they’re missing.”
“All right, one last thing.” She nodded. “Do you recognize this woman?” Handing her his phone, he waited as Jess turned it a few ways, probably trying to determine if she did with the bruising.
Finally, a look of recognition crossed her features. “Yes!”
Relief and fear slammed into him like an eighteen-wheeler.
“Who is she?” A mix of disappointment and excitement colored his words.
Her nose scrunched up in concentration. “Pepper something. She was here with a man. It’s been so busy, I just can’t remember. They checked in under his name, though.”
“Is he still here? You’d know him if you saw him?”
“I saw him yesterday. Not since, though. He hasn’t checked out as far as I’ve seen.”
“You’ll call me if you run across him or remember his name, won’t you? What about surveillance cameras?” he asked. Not wanting to push too hard right now. He needed more information first.
“Yes, of course. I can look through the day they checked in and call you when I find him?” she offered, and he was grateful since he hadn’t thought to ask.