Angels In Red (3 page)

In a matter of minutes, the dogs were hooked up and they flew across the snow toward the log cabin he called home.

Jack paused; his hands trembled as he quickly assessed how to go about undressing this woman with as much decorum as possible.

Get to it! You need to get her in dry clothes, now.

With a definitive nod, he proceeded to exchange her wet clothing for a new pair of flannel pajamas, wool socks, and heavy down comforter.

The bleeding came from a nasty gash at the back of her head. Fortunately for her, he kept a first aid case filled with supplies for every possible scenario, and he applied liquid stitches, securing the gash closed before bandaging her head.  As far as he could tell, she’d broken three fingers and had a badly sprained wrist, so he made a splint for her hand. An ugly patch of bruising spread across her ribs, making him fear she’d broken them, too. He wasn’t a doctor, but he could find nothing more to validate this fear. Still, to be safe, he wrapped a tensor bandage around her battered ribcage.

Once satisfied he’d done all he could, Jack stepped away and added wood to the fire. He rubbed down and fed the dogs before settling in a worn armchair next to the warmth emitted from the cast iron insert he’d salvaged from an old farmhouse along the way.

Rubbing his stubbled jaw, he drank in the sight of his unexpected guest. It had been quite some time since he’d been this close to a woman, or any other human for that matter. After the skiing tragedy, he’d brought his breeding business out to this uninhabited land between the Lutsen Mountains and the Canadian border. Far enough from the popular ski resort and any main roads that he didn’t worry about unwanted visitors. The only contact with the outside world over the past five years came when
he
wanted it and made the trip to Grand Marias for supplies.

She lay there so calm and peaceful; he shuddered to think what might have happened if the Huskies hadn’t found her
. 
He settled back in his chair and crossed his long legs. All of his hard work training them had definitely paid off tonight. Sasha and Tito now lay in front of the crackling fire, their heads resting on their front paws, completely sated after finishing off a bowl of venison stew given as a reward.

There was a variety of pain and antibiotic medicines he could give his unexpected patient, but not knowing her medical history, and the fact she didn’t seem to be in any immediate discomfort, persuaded him to wait until she came to. The lady had enough strikes against her without giving cause for an allergic reaction.

Jack usually didn’t keep the fire so big, but she needed the warmth.  Albeit fortuitously, they’d found her in time to eliminate any fear of hypothermia or frost bite. From what he could tell, the impact of her fall let loose a shelf of snow, burying her. But the way the snow was blowing and accumulating...

Jack left his sleeping beauty and set about rinsing her wet clothes in the sink. He checked her pockets, but found no clue to her identity
.

The book
.

His vest hung on a hook by the door where he fished the sodden book from the pocket.  It appeared to be some kind of diary, but he found no names on the inside cover. He could have read further to find answers, but from what was legible of the neatly written scroll gave the impression the entries were private. For now, he parted the pages as best he could and set it on a shelf above the stove to dry. As long as she didn’t worsen, he felt no sense of urgency to try and decipher the badly stained pages. Anything else she had in the car was gone. No doubt someone would be looking for her, but he didn’t want to leave her alone in order to alert the authorities, at least not until she regained consciousness. True to form, his two-way radio proved to be useless in the storm.

What the hell was she doing up there to begin with?

Nobody drove those roads this time of year. Especially not in some fancy sports car. The winding road only led to more of the same, and forest land mostly inhabited by deer, which drew a crowd of hunters each season.

She certainly didn’t fit the bill of a hunter, not with diamonds that size in her ears and an expensive watch on her wrist. The pink bra and lacy thong he couldn’t bring himself to take off her didn’t come from any low-end department store.

A faint murmur from his patient brought him to his knees beside her. He cupped the side of her face and waited for any sign of her coming to. Her flawless features remained expressionless, her breathing slow and steady. The corners of his mouth twitched with the threat of a smile as he gently smoothed down the red hair framing her face.

Jack snatched his hand away as if scorched by fire.

No way, don’t even think of going there.
Quickly reminded of the pain caring could inflict, he’d best keep his distance. Out here in the middle of no-man’s-land was no place for some upscale princess from the big city.

As he started to leave the room, Sasha and Tito raised their heads expectantly.

“Sasha, stay.”

The silver and white dog relaxed back to her former position, while Tito stretched and padded behind him to the bedroom. Sasha would alert him if their mystery woman awoke.

“What do you mean you don’t know where she is?” Kenneth Blackburn the Third paced back and forth across a one hundred year old Persian carpet. He puffed out smoke from a big, fat cigar he periodically wedged in the corner of his thin lips.

Charles sat at the edge of his chair, rubbing his hands together. “Jenna left here the night of the party, madder than a wet hen. She tore off in that Jaguar and I haven’t heard nor seen her since.”

Kenneth paused. “She took the Jaguar in this weather? Is she crazy?” His face reddened as he continued to pace. “You’d think that kid would be grateful for all she has.” He waved his hands at the space in front of him. “Not our Jenna. She gets all bent out of shape when one of the richest men in Devon Falls wants to marry her…who, by the way, she
will
marry!”

Charles followed his boss’s tirade in silence, as he often did. He didn’t blame Jenna one bit for taking off. Harold Meed was at least fifteen years older than her, and a far cry from the GQ model type she dated. In fact, some might call his pocked face and bulbous nose repulsive. Not to mention, he never once saw the man without a drink in his hand. He shuddered, completely repulsed by the thought of the oaf’s filthy hands roaming Jenna’s slender body.

“Where could she have gone? Have you tried to track her down?” Kenneth cocked his head and looked down his nose at him.

“Of course. Nobody knows where she is. It’s like she vanished.” Charles scowled.
She’s been gone two days and
now
you’re suddenly concerned?
  He’d known Jenna all her life, and had come to love her like a daughter. Sure she was a little hot-headed, but he’d yet to meet a redhead who wasn’t.

“Call Chief Swanson and have him put out an APD, or ACF, whatever it is, on her.” He clasped the banister and lowered his head. “Jenna didn’t just vanish. Somebody had to have seen her somewhere.” His employer drew in a ragged breath.

“Are you okay?” He readied himself in case the man passed out.

Kenneth raised his head, his cheeks stained red. “What are you doing just sitting there? Get on with it!”

Charles left the room.
Of course he’s okay, idiot. Only the good die young.
He shook his head.
It’s Jenna who needs you now.
He’d already talked to the chief earlier that morning and sent in a recent photo of Jenna. A search of her credit cards only revealed they hadn’t been used in over a week.

He gazed out the window at the falling snow covering the meticulously manicured grounds of the estate in a blanket of white. It hadn’t stopped accumulating over the past couple of days.

A knot tightened in his stomach.
The Jag certainly isn’t the best car to be driving in this mess.

Charles ran a hand over his smooth head.
Come on Jenna, pick up the phone and call like you promised me.

Radiating warmth told she no longer lay beneath the snow.

Jenna blinked rapidly until her eyes adjusted to the dim light. She tentatively wiggled her toes and exhaled shakily. Her eyes burned as they welled up with tears of relief.

I’m alive...but where am I?

The second she tried to shift her weight, searing pain shot through her body like a bolt of lightning. She gently laid her head back onto a soft, puffy pillow and remained perfectly still until the pain faded to a dull roar. It took a few minutes to realize her hand was confined somehow. The back of her head throbbed from under some kind of band pulled taut around her head, and her ribs felt like someone used her as a punching bag.

She appeared to be alone, but a crackling fire made it clear someone lived here.

Jenna didn’t sense any danger, but had no idea where she was. Out the window, snow, white and pure, floated down from a light, cloud-filled sky.

Something so beautiful almost buried me alive.

From where she lie, she saw a small kitchen and two doors slightly ajar. The creak of a door opening set her pulse zipping. She took a deep, steadying breath and closed her eyes.

“Come on you two, get in here. You’re letting all the heat out. Do you want to sleep in the barn tonight?” A man’s voice accompanied a bevy of clips and clicks on a wood floor.

Jenna dared to open her eyes a sliver and found two beautiful dogs, one with a silver and white coat, and the other black and white. Both danced at the feet of their master. They looked like those Husky sled dogs she’d seen in movies.

The man disappeared from her line of sight. She strained to decipher the sounds of a zipper, followed by the rustle of clothing and a thump like something hit the floor.
Probably his coat and boots.
She focused on keeping her breath slow and even, not exactly sure why she feigned still being out of it; she didn’t get a bad vibe like he was a serial killer or worse. It was more apprehension about dealing with a stranger.

A dark shadow blocked the light over her eyelids. She wanted to take another peek, but didn’t dare, sensing he was very close
.

Is he looking down on me?

Her blood pumped so loud in her ears, she feared he’d hear it.

Suddenly, a cool hand touched her warm forehead. Jenna pressed her lips firmly together to stifle the gasp rising up in her. Fingers, still cold from being outside, pressed against the pulse at her wrist. Then her hair was smoothed back from her face—a touch so gentle it caught her off guard, and drew a moan under her breath.

“Hey, little lady, can you hear me?” His warm breath whispered across her face. “You have nothing to be afraid of. I’m here to help you.”

The man remained close to her in silence for several minutes. Cool air brought bumps to her skin as the man heaved a sigh and shuffled away from her side.

“Well, kids, I think I’ll make a nice pot of chicken soup for when our guest wakes up. She’ll probably be mighty hungry after being out of it for so long.”

* * * *

Sasha’s head shot up and her ears twitched. She stood and padded over to the couch where their guest lay, and licked her face.

Jack lunged forward to grab the collar.“Sasha, get out of there.”