him.
At the door, he set her down so he could use the key. She limped in without a word and Kon went to fetch the bags. When he let himself into the room, Eliana hadn’t moved. She stood there, dripping and shivering and leaking terror from the journey through the snow.
Kon dumped the bags to the side. “Eliana?”
Eliana shook her head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you drive.”
“Never mind. We’re safe and warm, which is all that matters for now.” When she made no effort to move, he shed his boots and jacket, then delicately gripped the zipper of her coat and slid it down. She didn’t protest as he hung the coat on the back of the chair to dry, then settled her on the love seat and knelt to take off her boots.
He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and a spare blanket from the closet. She still trembled, staring vacantly ahead as he wrapped the blanket around her and toweled the melted snow from her hair. So he’d found the girl’s weakness—she panicked when control was taken from her. No wonder she fought so hard to maintain it.
A rush of cold air heralded Dane’s arrival. He stomped the snow from his boots and shook his wet head. “Damn. That’s some storm.” Then he fixed his gaze on Eliana and frowned. “Is she all right?”
“The drive wore her out.”
He set the plastic bags on the table, then shucked his boots and coat. “Got all kinds of stuff at the gas station. Popcorn, licorice, milk, coffee…”
Kon watched in amazement as Dane unloaded a pile of goodies. Since this room had a small kitchen with dishes included, they’d be able to make whatever they needed. Dane had ensured they would be full of food and… “Beer?”
“Thought it might pass the time.” He popped the top of a can. The beer fizzed.
Eliana jerked at the sound. A trigger; Kon caught an image of a middle-aged man, her stepfather most likely, guzzling beer as he groped her. She pulled away from Kon and lurched unsteadily to her feet. “I’m going to my room.”
“I’ll get the door,” Kon said. He went outside and through Eliana’s room. As soon as he unlocked the adjoining door, she brushed past him.
“Thank you.”
He moved out of the way just as she slammed the door shut.
* * * *
Eliana shivered, reluctant to admit she was cold because Kon’s arms were no longer around her.
Stupid. I don’t need him . Except he’d been so warm and comfortable, she wouldn’t have minded staying there awhile longer.
A hot shower—not nearly as nice as the one in her previous room—warmed her up. When she came out, a pile of food had been left on the table: coffee, tea, a carton of milk, a roll of chocolate-covered doughnuts, three kinds of candy bars, and a bag of sunflower seeds. A foam container held a Monte Cristo sandwich and a plastic tub of jelly. Suddenly hungry, she put the sandwich on a plate and in the microwave to heat.
The most amusing item on the table was a plastic snow globe stamped WYOMING on the bottom. When she turned it upside down and then righted it, plastic snow fell around a picture of a cowboy riding a bucking horse. She was touched by the gift, loathe as she was to admit it. No one had gotten her anything for the sake of being silly before.
She changed into her flannel nightclothes, glad to have pajamas rather than a nightgown—another one of Kon’s eerily correct guesses about her preferences. Settling in bed with her dinner, she flipped through the TV channels, avoiding any and all mentions of the weather, until she landed on the local public station—and Kon.
The station was in the middle of their spring pledge drive, evidenced by the phone numbers scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Kon held a microphone and strode across a small stage before a studio audience, giving a lecture about energy healing.
Eliana paid less attention to Kon’s words than to the faces of the audience. The women—and several of the men—seemed as entranced by his appearance as she was.
At the door, he set her down so he could use the key. She limped in without a word and Kon went to fetch the bags. When he let himself into the room, Eliana hadn’t moved. She stood there, dripping and shivering and leaking terror from the journey through the snow.
Kon dumped the bags to the side. “Eliana?”
Eliana shook her head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you drive.”
“Never mind. We’re safe and warm, which is all that matters for now.” When she made no effort to move, he shed his boots and jacket, then delicately gripped the zipper of her coat and slid it down. She didn’t protest as he hung the coat on the back of the chair to dry, then settled her on the love seat and knelt to take off her boots.
He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and a spare blanket from the closet. She still trembled, staring vacantly ahead as he wrapped the blanket around her and toweled the melted snow from her hair. So he’d found the girl’s weakness—she panicked when control was taken from her. No wonder she fought so hard to maintain it.
A rush of cold air heralded Dane’s arrival. He stomped the snow from his boots and shook his wet head. “Damn. That’s some storm.” Then he fixed his gaze on Eliana and frowned. “Is she all right?”
“The drive wore her out.”
He set the plastic bags on the table, then shucked his boots and coat. “Got all kinds of stuff at the gas station. Popcorn, licorice, milk, coffee…”
Kon watched in amazement as Dane unloaded a pile of goodies. Since this room had a small kitchen with dishes included, they’d be able to make whatever they needed. Dane had ensured they would be full of food and… “Beer?”
“Thought it might pass the time.” He popped the top of a can. The beer fizzed.
Eliana jerked at the sound. A trigger; Kon caught an image of a middle-aged man, her stepfather most likely, guzzling beer as he groped her. She pulled away from Kon and lurched unsteadily to her feet. “I’m going to my room.”
“I’ll get the door,” Kon said. He went outside and through Eliana’s room. As soon as he unlocked the adjoining door, she brushed past him.
“Thank you.”
He moved out of the way just as she slammed the door shut.
* * * *
Eliana shivered, reluctant to admit she was cold because Kon’s arms were no longer around her.
Stupid. I don’t need him . Except he’d been so warm and comfortable, she wouldn’t have minded staying there awhile longer.
A hot shower—not nearly as nice as the one in her previous room—warmed her up. When she came out, a pile of food had been left on the table: coffee, tea, a carton of milk, a roll of chocolate-covered doughnuts, three kinds of candy bars, and a bag of sunflower seeds. A foam container held a Monte Cristo sandwich and a plastic tub of jelly. Suddenly hungry, she put the sandwich on a plate and in the microwave to heat.
The most amusing item on the table was a plastic snow globe stamped WYOMING on the bottom. When she turned it upside down and then righted it, plastic snow fell around a picture of a cowboy riding a bucking horse. She was touched by the gift, loathe as she was to admit it. No one had gotten her anything for the sake of being silly before.
She changed into her flannel nightclothes, glad to have pajamas rather than a nightgown—another one of Kon’s eerily correct guesses about her preferences. Settling in bed with her dinner, she flipped through the TV channels, avoiding any and all mentions of the weather, until she landed on the local public station—and Kon.
The station was in the middle of their spring pledge drive, evidenced by the phone numbers scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Kon held a microphone and strode across a small stage before a studio audience, giving a lecture about energy healing.
Eliana paid less attention to Kon’s words than to the faces of the audience. The women—and several of the men—seemed as entranced by his appearance as she was.
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