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just laugh at me for even trying.”
    Andrew moved closer,
dramatically looking over and around her. Spotting the fireplace
tools, he bounded over and grabbed the set.
     “ I think I will just
move these out of the way for my own piece of mind.”
      He set the rack and
tools near the front door before turning his attention back to
Destiny.
    “ What about my razor from
the bathroom? Are you planning on making me bleed to death from a
thousand tiny nicks or a severe case of razor burn?”
    Reaching her, he placed his
hands on each ankle, mindful of the bruised one. His hands roamed
thoroughly up her legs, around her hips, and up her sides, frisking
her for hidden weapons.
    The firm yet brisk touch
tickled, causing giggles to erupt from Destiny.
    “ Some knight you are!
Since when do knights frisk their princesses?”
    “ Okay, fair maiden, I
think you’re clean. Not even a paperclip to poke my eyes out with.
Are you ready to feast now, milady?”
    He helped ease her to the
makeshift pad, placing her swollen ankle on a pillow to keep it
from bumping on the wood floor. Fluffing the pillow behind her, he
looked into her clear green eyes. Her head did not seem to be
aching as badly as it had been and she was not as dizzy either.
Those were good signs as far as he was concerned.
    He served her soup and a
sandwich along with a warm mug of tea sweetened with milk and
sugar.
    “ So why do you live out
here in the middle of nowhere?” Destiny asked between spoonfuls of
the tasty stew.
    “ Actually, I live most of
the year in California. I built this place so I could get away from
the city to relax and fish during the summer and ski in the
winter.”
    “ Why did you pick this
place? I’m sure you could have found something a lot closer to
home.”
    “ I work as a property
developer. My company determined this part of the country is
growing in popularity. People would want to come here for vacations
or summer homes. We bought most of the mountain, developed the
small lake into a large activity center, built cabins and
campgrounds. I liked it so much that I took first pick of the
cabins and had it outfitted for my own needs.”
    Destiny licked cheese from
her fingers and used the last bit of bread crust to soak up the
remaining soup in her bowl.
    “ So what did you have
done? I would have made it bigger with lots of windows or
something.”
    Her eyes traveled over the
small area, imagining it larger.
    “ More windows mean more
areas for heat to leak in or out. Larger spaces are also more
costly to heat and keep cool. Besides, it’s just me. I never bring
anyone up here. This is my retreat. I usually only sleep and shower
here because Shadow and I spend the rest of our stay out communing
with nature.
    “ I had a cellar put in
under the kitchen area to keep most of my supplies indoors. I
installed top of the line thermal plumbing and electrical, extra
insulation. That kind of thing. I try to get up here at least once
during the winter months and I wouldn’t be able to survive here
without those little extras.”
    Destiny nodded her
approval, seeing the small space with a new outlook.
    After dinner, Destiny sat
on the floor playing solitaire, while Shadow watched intently.
Andrew washed the dinner dishes and then got out the first aid kit
so he could clean Destiny’s wounds.
    Sitting next to her on the
floor, facing her with his thigh against hers, he gently removed
the bloody bandage covering the lump on her forehead.
     “ Sorry, honey. Guess
I should have warned you this might sting a little.”
    He replaced the cap on the
antiseptic before placing a clean bandage over the abrasion. She
sat before him, a fragile waif wrapped up in his thickest blanket,
feet propped on a pillow, bandage on her head. She seemed cold no
matter how many logs he put on the fire and how warm the cabin was
to him.
    He never needed more than
three blankets before. She used two of them while he slept with
only one. An extra blanket would come in