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clasped her cloak together, but still the wind yanked it away from her.   He sighed. They couldn’t stay out in this. She’d die for sure.  
    Keiran looked through the quick-falling snow for a hint of a cave, of anything, to get them out of the wind for a while. He squinted and turned his head to the side when he caught sight of something. It almost looked like the glow of a fire through a window. But that couldn’t be. No one lived this far up the mountain. At least none whom he knew of.  
    However, it was worth checking out, especially if they found shelter for the night since it had begun to grow dark in the past hour. Keiran took them toward the trees. Senga followed with nary a sound. As soon as he reached the first tree, he put his back to it and pulled Senga in his arms.  
    “I think I found us shelter,” he shouted over the wind.  
    She nodded her head in answer.  
    He wasted not another second out in the storm but hurried to the cottage, one arm still around Senga, guiding her toward their shelter. Smoke poured from the chimney, urging Keiran faster. If they could just have time to dry out their clothing and warm up, it would be enough. There had been no sign of the Tnarg, and with the storm, there was little chance the beast would find them soon.  
    By the time they reached the small cottage, he all but held Senga up. Keiran pounded on the door, sending a violent ache down his frozen arm.  
    A moment later, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with kind blue eyes. “Oh, goodness,” she said when she spotted them. “Come in out of that storm.”  
    Keiran didn’t hesitate as he pulled Senga into the cottage. Immediately, warmth surrounded them.  
    “Both of you are frozen,” the woman exclaimed. “Get by the fire and remove those wet clothes before you freeze to death. I’ll get some blankets.”  
    “Keiran?” Senga whispered.  
    “It’s all right. Come warm yourself,” he said as he settled her near the fire and began to remove her boots and cloak.  
    He glanced at her face to find her eyes closed and her hands stretched towards the roaring fire. He knew exactly how she felt. He could cheerfully dive into the fire he was so cold.   Instead, he pulled off his own boots and set them near the hearth beside Senga’s to dry.  
    “Here, dear, let me help you,” the woman said as she began to help Senga remove her gown.  
    Keiran turned his back to the women and hurriedly got out of his wet clothing before wrapping a blanket around himself and turning back to the fire. Senga was already nestled in a blanket on the floor, her bare toes near the fire.  
    “I don’t think either of you has frostbite,” the woman said. “No one in their right mind comes up on this mountain in winter.”  
    Senga’s gray eyes met Keiran’s before he looked at the woman. “The storm caught us by surprise. We appreciate you sharing your blankets and fire with us.”  
    The woman smiled and touched her dark hair streaked with a few gray hairs. “Think nothing of it. I rarely get visitors, so this is a treat. I’ve made some soup. Are you hungry?”  
    “Aye, please,” Senga whispered.  
    Keiran’s own stomach had been growling for hours. There hadn’t been time for them to eat since they had left the village.   “That would be wonderful.”  
    “Good,” the woman said. “Call me Molly. My husband and I settled here years ago to get away from everyone. I’ve been without my Fergus for nearly five years now.”  
    Keiran watched as she stirred the soup over the fire. “I’m sorry for your loss. I’m Keiran and this is my wife, Senga.”  
    Molly shrugged. “Such is life, I suppose.   It’s nice to meet you both.”  
    “You live up here alone then?”  
    “I do,” she said with a smile.  
    Keiran wondered how she did it all, but she looked as though she had everything she needed. Some women could hunt, and he guessed Molly had learned from her husband to keep food