Chapter 3

The snowstorm was very bad. This Christmas is just turning out to be a disaster at every turn.

I looked at the wood pile beside the fireplace and it was not enough to last through a storm this fierce and by the looks of things it's probably going to get a lot worse.

"I need to get more wood," I told Leon, my six-year-old son.

He was drawing near the fire but he immediately stood up and ran to me. "I'll come with you, Daddy"  he said looking at me with his identical ocean blue eyes

I shook my head, already putting on my thickest coat. "No way, Leon. The storm is too dangerous. You stay right here and don't open the door for anyone. I'll be back within a couple of minutes" My voice was firm. The wind outside was bad and I usually take him whenever we do something but not today. Luckily, he just sighed and went back to his drawing.

I took a deep breath and pulled the door open. The cold air hit me hard in the face, stealing my breath. Snow instantly covered my eyes. I pulled my hood tight over my head and walked into the white mess.

Finding wood is usually easy, but not today. The snow was deep, up to my knees, and I could barely see anything. I fought my way toward the edge of the trees where we keep the larger wood pile.

Just as I reached for it I saw something move through the  snow. A shadow.

It was faint, almost completely hidden by the blizzard, but it was there. A human shape. A woman.

My heart started beating fast. Who could possibly be out here?

She was stumbling, moving slowly, like a sleepwalker. And then I saw it, a dark, gaping hole in the snow just a few feet in front of her. It was one of the dangerous sinkholes that fill these mountains. One wrong step, and she’d disappear forever.

My body moved before I could think. "Hey!" I yelled, but the wind tore my voice away. She didn't hear me. She just kept drifting closer to the hole.

I started running hard. My legs burned with effort through the deep snow. "Stop!" I roared. Finally, just as her foot hovered over the edge, I reached her. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back with all my strength and we both fell backward, narrowly missing the hole.

She gasped. She spun around to face me. Her hood, heavy with snow, fell back, and I saw her face. Even covered with snow and pale with cold, she was beautiful. Her eyes, a bright and green, met mine. They were wide with shock and a strange, deep distrust.

She was honestly the most beautiful woman I've ever met but also stubborn because I just offered her warm fire and a place to recuperate but I could tell that she was about to say no until her legs gave out. She fell, and her eyes rolled back and she was out cold.

"Great," I muttered. There was no time to wait. Her body was impossibly cold and rigid. I scooped her up. She was surprisingly light, even with the heavy, soaked clothes. Carrying her through the blizzard back to the cabin felt like it took forever.

I kicked the door open, nearly falling inside. Leon gasped, dropping his pencil.

"She needs help," I managed, my own teeth chattering. I laid her gently on the couch in front of the roaring fire. Her lips were blue, her skin felt like ice. I touched her forehead and it was burning hot. Hypothermia and fever. A bad mix.

"She's freezing," I told Leon, who was staring, wide-eyed. "Put more wood on the fire, quickly."

My mind raced. Warmth. She needed warmth that the blankets couldn't fix alone. 

I lifted her again and carried her to the small bathroom. I turned the shower on very hot, making the room fill with steam. I set her down on the small wooden bench inside the shower stall. The hot water immediately hit her fully clothed body. She shivered, even though she was unconscious, but I could feel a slow, slow warmth start to reach her skin. I stayed there, just watching her, making sure she didn't collapse.

After what felt like ages, I helped her out. Her clothes were soaked through and heavy, doing more harm than good. I had no choice.

I started to unbutton her coat, then her shirt. I tried hard not to look, focusing only on the job, on keeping her alive. But as each layer came off, her body was revealed. Despite the cold and the danger, l felt an unexpected heat spread through me. I have to stop being a pervert because I was turned on because f**k she's a beautiful lady.

I quickly dried her hair and skin and dressed her in my clean, warm clothes—a thick flannel shirt and soft wool jersey and some tracks. They hung loosely on her, but they were dry and warm.

I carried her to the room and gently tucked her into the bed, piling every blanket I could find on top of her.

When I returned to the living room, Leon was practically bouncing. "Who is she, Daddy? Is she... is she the Ice Queen?" I think he's think convinced that she is Elsa from one of the kid movies that he enjoys because I know there is an ice Queen there.

I stoked the fire, a small smile touching my lips. "She might as well be, kiddo." I said trying not to ruin his childhood and to be fair she looks no less than a queen.

I had to go back and get the firewood and get extra because I'd rather be safe than sorry especially when it comes to my son.

When l got back l started preparing simple and hearty thick stew and strong coffee. The smell slowly filled the cabin, a comforting smell.

Three hours later, just as the sky turned completely dark and the stew was simmering perfectly, a soft groan came from my room.

"Daddy" Leon whispered, very excited.

I went to the doorway. She was stirring. Her blue eyes fluttered open, confused and lost. She pushed herself up, looking around the strange room, then at herself in my oversized clothes, then at me standing in the doorway.

"Where am I?" Her voice was rough but still sharp. "Who are you? And who... who took my clothes off?" The last question was full of accusation, and it instantly annoyed me. This was not the grateful woman I expected.

I walked over, holding out a steaming mug of coffee. "You are in my cabin. You nearly fell into a sinkhole in the storm. I changed your clothes because they were soaked through, and you had a fever. It was a matter of survival, nothing more."

She eyed the coffee suspiciously, then me. "A matter of survival," she repeated, sounding dismissive. "Right. And your name?" She took the coffee but didn't drink it, just held it to warm her hands.

I'm really trying to be patient with her but she is turning out to be the rudest person I've ever met.

"I'm Luca."

She huffed, her eyes still narrowed in distrust. "Ava." The name was clipped, offered quickly, like she was too good to be sharing Her Name with me and I came to the conclusion that she must be some kind of spoiled rich princess who got lost in the snow. 

She looked around again, arms crossed over her chest. "So, Luca. What exactly do you want from me for this-- rescue?"

The Ice Queen indeed. She wasn't just cold from the snow, she was radiating it from within. And something told me, saving her had caused me more trouble than the worst blizzard.