The Protector (Game of Chance, #1)(11)

He hadn’t moved. His eyes were still closed and, if she wasn’t mistaken, his cheeks were flushed. She took off her coat, hung it up on the rack next to his, and hesitatingly walked toward the couch.

She needed to get warm but remembered that he’d mentioned being sick. She felt a pang of remorse that he’d been out in the storm because of her.

Carlise looked around. She hadn’t missed the fact that his cabin was essentially just one room. It was a relief that it had a bathroom, at least, so she wouldn’t have to go back into the storm to find an outhouse. There were no lights on in the cabin, but the light from the fire was enough to illuminate the space.

It was . . . cozy. Carlise liked it a lot. This was no tourist destination. No bear or moose motifs decorated the comforter on the bed, and from what she could see, the kitchen looked sparse but functional. There were no light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. In fact, she doubted the place even had electricity, as she couldn’t see any appliances or lamps that would need to be plugged in.

The warmth from the fire drew her closer, and Carlise sat on the floor in front of the dancing flames, holding her hands out gratefully. She’d get up in a bit and see about finding something dry and warm to put on.

She’d almost died out there.

She knew that. Riggs probably knew it as well.

If he hadn’t found her, she wouldn’t have been able to walk for much longer. She had no idea what he’d been doing out in the storm, but she was grateful.

Carlise spared a thought for the dog. He had appeared out of nowhere. The longer she’d failed to find any sort of shelter, the more frustrated, depressed, and terrified she had become. At one point, nearly delirious from the cold, she’d even considered stopping. Just lying down, letting herself fall asleep and die. That’s when she’d spotted the dog.

She was scared to death at first, thinking maybe he’d attack. But instead, he simply joined her, walking slowly several feet away. Every time she stopped, too tired and cold to take another step, he was there. Encouraging her. She didn’t know where she was going, but she followed the dog because she had no other choice, really.

He was extremely skinny, with a few small scars on his face, but he wouldn’t come closer to her no matter how much she cajoled and sweet-talked the thing. And now that she was alive and warming up, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Where was he? Was he okay? Was he cold?

That was a stupid question. Of course he was cold. There was a freaking blizzard outside.

Carlise looked over at Riggs. His mouth was open a little, and he was snoring lightly. He’d fallen asleep.

Standing, she looked around and picked up two of what looked like the oldest blankets she could find. She really hoped Riggs wouldn’t be mad when he woke up and realized what she’d done.

She walked back to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it.

Once again, the cold seemed to blow right through her, but she couldn’t in good conscience leave the dog to fend for himself. He’d saved her life. The least she could do was try to help him.

Looking around, she didn’t see any sign of the dog. Of course, she couldn’t see more than a few feet from the door because of the dark and the snow.

A noise to her right caught her attention. Carlise turned and saw a dark shape at the end of the porch. The dog had wedged himself behind a tall stack of wood. Her heart nearly broke as she took a step toward him, and he whimpered.

“Thank goodness you’re here. I’m not going to hurt you. I’d invite you in, but I don’t think you’d come inside anyway, even though it’s much warmer. But I brought you some blankets. They’ll help keep you warm.”

She kept her voice low and even as she went to her knees. She moved slowly, shivering as she pushed the blankets toward the dog. He backed up as far as he could get and trembled as he stared at her.

Carlise wanted to kill whoever had owned this dog. He’d obviously been abused. She felt an affinity with the creature. She continued to murmur, reassuring him that she wasn’t going to hurt him, that he was safe, thanking him for rescuing her, for bringing her to this cabin.

Eventually, she got the blankets close enough to the dog that he could reach them. Then she backed up. “I’ll be right back,” she told him before heading into the cabin.

She was still shivering, but she couldn’t rest until she’d taken care of the dog.

She went into the small kitchen and began to open cabinets. Thrilled with how much food she found—and relieved that she likely wouldn’t be putting a burden on Riggs with her presence—she found a large plastic bowl and emptied two cans of shredded chicken, a can of carrots, a can of green beans, and a can of chickpeas inside before stirring it all together. Then she got another bowl and filled it with water before heading back to the front door.

Carlise looked over at Riggs, who was still sleeping. She frowned. She didn’t know the man, but it seemed odd to her that he’d fallen asleep so easily after inviting a stranger into his home, sick or not.

Shrugging, she headed back outside and kneeled once more on the wood planks of the porch. She put the bowls down and scooted them as close as she could to the dog. She was pleased to see he’d dragged the blankets behind the logs and had obviously scrunched them around himself as best he could while she was inside.

“Good boy,” she said softly. “I bet it feels much better to have some warm blankets around you, huh? I brought you some food. And water, although I’m guessing the water will freeze pretty quickly, so you should drink it soon. And don’t eat too fast, as it’ll make you throw up. I’ll be back in the morning to bring you more. You look like you need all the calories you can get. I promise to look after you, since you looked after me when I needed it most.”