“Never,” he told her with a small smile.
She watched from across the room as he emptied two cans of shredded chicken into a bowl, along with a can of green beans. “You’re spoiling him,” she called out.
“Hey, this is the first time you won’t be there feeding him. I need to give him incentive not to bolt,” Riggs said. “I’ll scoop in some of the cheesy pasta when I get out there and get it from the icebox. I’ll be right back.”
Carlise had to smile at that. Where else was he going to go?
Fifteen minutes or so passed while Carlise dozed, waiting for Riggs to return. When she heard the creak of the door, she opened her eyes and saw Riggs enter with a huge smile on his face and an empty bowl.
“He ate?” she asked unnecessarily.
“Yeah. He’s coming around,” Riggs said. “It’s only a matter of time before we’ll be able to get him inside. He’s going to love sleeping in front of the fire. I got the generator started too. It’s kind of loud, but as soon as we’re done doing what we need to do with the electricity, I’ll shut it off.”
Now that she was more aware, Carlise could indeed hear the hum of the generator outside. After the silence of the forest, it did sound a little out of place.
“You can shower first,” he said. “It’ll take another ten minutes or so for the water to heat, but I’ll get the coffee started and plug in your laptop so it’ll be fully charged. You want me to charge your phone too?”
Carlise forced herself to sit up. The air in the cabin wasn’t nearly as cold as it had been when Riggs got up. She thought about his question for a moment, then shook her head.
“You sure?”
“Can I even get service?”
Riggs shrugged. “Probably not.”
Carlise shook her head again. “My mom will be okay for a few more days. The last time I talked to her, I told her I was going offline for a while.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” Carlise told him. She wasn’t ready for real life to intrude. She wanted to pretend she was simply on vacation.
Well . . . the truth was, she was scared to death that when she turned on her phone, she’d have dozens of scary messages and texts from her stalker. She wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. Wanted to live in a fantasyland with Riggs for a little longer.
“Okay. Whenever you’re ready, just let me know. I thought maybe we could take a walk today.”
Carlise stared at him with a frown. “Um, there’s, like, two feet or more of snow out there, Riggs.”
“I know,” he said with a smile. “But I’d like to check out the area, see if there are any trees down that I need to deal with. And the sun is out. It’s probably at least twenty degrees warmer without the wind blowing. It’ll be fun.”
“So says the man used to Maine winters,” Carlise muttered.
“Yup,” Riggs said without any hint of embarrassment. “I’m thinking Baxter will like the chance to stretch his legs too.”
“You think he’ll follow us?”
“I think anywhere you go, he’ll go,” he said with a nod.
“I don’t know about that. He’s used to being on his own,” Carlise said, although pleasure bloomed at the thought of Baxter liking her enough to want to follow her around.
“There’s an old saying that goes something like, ‘If you save a life, you’re then responsible for it.’ He saved you, so he feels as if you’re his now. Besides, you gave him food when he was starving, blankets when he was freezing, and you’ve talked to him in a soothing, loving tone. I have a feeling that dog would do anything for you.”
The pleasure at the thought of Baxter liking her faded as she thought about what would happen once she left.
“What? What’s wrong?” Riggs asked, stepping closer to the bed.
“I just . . . I’ve never had a dog. I don’t know what to do with one. He’d be better off attaching himself to you.”
“Too late, sweetheart. Don’t borrow trouble. Things will work out.”
He sounded so sure. Carlise had a million questions but didn’t want to be a pest, not after all the nice things he’d said about her the night before. “Okay.”
“Okay. If you get up and get me the things you want washed, I’ll get a load ready for after our showers. By the time you brush your teeth and stuff, the water should be ready for you.”
For the first time, Carlise realized that she’d be naked behind the bathroom door. And she didn’t remember seeing a lock on it. Riggs could burst in while she was in the shower and—