Chapter 3 (Revised Version)

"I think this is the last of it," Jess said as she backed through the swinging kitchen door, her arms laden with a stack of dirty dishes.

"Thank the gods. Just put them on the counter," Alice said and gestured with her chin, since she was busy at the sink.

Jess carefully set the plates and silverware in the only empty spot.

"You ready for me to take over yet?" Jess offered.

Alice smiled as she finished rinsing off a soapy cup and gingerly placed it on top of the other dishes.

"Nah, but I'd appreciate a hand with drying. I'm running out of room."

Jess nodded. The pile on top of the dish rack looked like it might topple over at any second. She grabbed a towel and got to work.

"So, how goes the war?" Alice asked.

"Pretty quickly. Last time I checked, they'd already reached level four."

"I still can't believe that was all he wanted for his sixteenth birthday, just a couple new games and that drawing software."

"Well, it wasn't all he wanted."

Alice smiled in triumph.

"I knew it. I knew you were hiding something. You got him a car, didn't you?"

"You did not know. And no, I didn't." Jess set a newly dried plate in the cabinet and grabbed another. "I was going to let Jason tell you when you came over, but I don't think he'll mind. You know how he's been working off and on at the Winston farm for the past few years. Well, it's been almost a year since old Mr. Winston passed and with Barbara inheriting, it's all kind of gone to hell. You've been out there, you've seen."

Alice nodded and replied over her shoulder.

"Poor woman doesn't know the first thing about horse breeding or running a farm, and in this economy, she's been having a hell of a time selling off the horses to liquidate the estate..."Alice paused as her jaw dropped open. "You didn't."

Jess grinned.

"Actually, I didn't. Not completely. Jason's using most of his savings to pay outright for those abandoned horses Winston took in and I've promised to cover the costs of their upkeep for one year in return for twenty percent of the profits from that trail riding business Jason started up last summer. What he doesn't know is that I've already closed the deal and also negotiated the price down another twenty-five hundred, so all told, it's only going to cost my boy roughly twelve thousand for four registered quarter horses worth five times that."

Alice shook her head and made a tsking sound.

"You little swindler, you," she said with a smile.

Jess rolled her eyes.

"Not hardly. Barbara knows what the horses are worth, but she also knows she's not going to get that amount unless she holds on to them for a few more years, and even that's a crapshoot at best. And with what the whole place is costing her in upkeep, it's just not worth it to her." Jess turned her back to put away a cup. "She's, um, she's also agreed to let me lease the land for a small rental fee."

Alice paused in mid-wash.

"You went ahead with that? I know you were talking about wanting to buy the place, but you said you didn't think you could do it. I take it you're leasing to own?"

Jess turned back around and nodded her head as she held her best friend's gaze.

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

Alice went back to washing to get some space to think.

"It's a lot of land. Are you sure you can afford it? I mean with Jason practically out the door on his way to college... Oh, I meant to ask you how that was going. Did you make any more headway with Principal Holden? I know you were supposed to talk with him yesterday."

Jess snorted.

"The man's an idiot. It doesn't matter to him that Jason tests at college level in every academic area they can measure. Apparently, my son is too young to handle the rigors of college life. And when I pointed out that he only planned to take online courses this first year, all he said was that Jason could do that while he was still attending high school, so what was my problem?"

"And you told him..."

"Jason has gotten all he's going to get out of high school. If I can't get him into an academic program that challenges him, he's going to drop out."

Alice glanced at Jess.

"He's that frustrated?"

"He already knows all the material. Can you imagine if you had to participate in a kindergarten class, how boring that would be?"

"I don't know, I might enjoy the rest. A little nap-time, some finger-painting..." Alice caught the glare and smiled. "But I know what you mean. And you said the college won't take him without a diploma?"

"Or at least a GED. He's too young to enroll as an adult."

"What if you—"

The kitchen door swung open and the father of one of Jason's friends poked his head inside.

"Hey, we just heard on the radio. You know that weather advisory? Well, it just became an alert."

"How bad?" Alice asked.

"Bad. They're saying it could be another Valentine's Day."

"Shit," Jess swore under her breath.

They'd received three and a half feet of snow during that blizzard and hadn't been plowed out for over a week.

As the man left, Jess turned to Alice, but the woman was already turning off the water and taking the towel from Jess's hands to dry her own.

"Go. I'm guessing we don't have much time before we get thoroughly dumped on."

Jess nodded and went out into the living room where the other parents were with their kids, gathering their things and pulling on coats. She smiled and offered her thanks for their attendance at her son's birthday party, but kept moving. Alice stopped to make sure everyone was taken care of, while Jess headed down to the finished basement. She found her son still playing Call of Honor: Space Wars VII with his best friend, Carson, Alice's son.

"All right, guys, time to pack it up," Jess said and received a chorus of groans.

"But it's still early."

"We need to get home, Jase. We've got a storm bearing down on us and we don't have much time."

Jason continued to shoot at his attackers where they were projected onto one entire blank wall. The gaming console read the movements of his gloved hands, chest vest, and the plastic rifle he was holding as he aimed and took out another enemy soldier.

"I know, but do we have to go right this second? We've almost made it to the aliens' outpost where they're holding the rest of our team captive. If we can get them all out alive, we'll get like a million bonus points and then we can upgrade our equipment so we can storm the stronghold. It'll only take a few minutes."

Jess grabbed her boots from where she'd left them earlier and barely took the time to sit down and zip them up.

"We don't have a few minutes. If this storm gets as bad as they think it might, we could be stuck here for days."

"Come on, it won't be that bad. The truck's got four-wheel-drive."

"Four-wheel-drive won't help us much if the snow's over our heads. Now save your game and turn it off, Jase. We don't have time for this."

Carson had already stopped playing, acquiescing to the adult authority in the room, for which Jess was grateful. She stood up and waited.

"Jase?"

"All right, all right," Jason sighed dramatically and paused the game, entering the save menu and then shutting it down. "Happy now?"

"Deliriously. Now get your stuff and come on."

She jogged up the stairs just in time to see Alice helping one of the mothers get her coat on.

Alice noticed Jess and came over to her. She kept her voice low as she spoke.

"Why don't you go say goodbye to Anna," she said, bumping Jess's hip and nodding towards the woman in question who was doing up the buttons on her daughter's coat. "You know, I caught her watching you a few times earlier. I think she's definitely interested."

Jess snuck a quick glance over Alice's shoulder, then ducked back and sighed.

"I don't think so. You know my rules. No one in town and certainly not the mother of one of Jason's friends. Do you have any idea what kind of gossip that would kick off? He has enough to deal with without opening him up to that kind of teasing."

Alice frowned.

"I don't think it's Jason you're trying to protect here."

Jess didn't answer as she busied herself with looking through her bag for something, though she had no idea what and hoped Alice wouldn't ask.

"Come on. Anna's great. She's really nice and it would be good for you to get out there. And like you said earlier, Jason's going to be out of high school and into college before you know it. Then what will your excuse be?"

"Probably that I'm too busy with working on the farm," Jess muttered and then looked up to see Alice smiling and shaking her head. "Look, I'm just... I really don't want the complication right now. I've got enough on my plate without adding something like that into the mix."

"Fine, but I still say you're missing out. That woman has sexy librarian down to a T," Alice said and then walked away to help the rest of her guests.

Jess snorted. Alice was straight as an arrow, but had no problem commenting on her fellow women, which had made Jess feel more at ease in the first few seconds she'd met her than in her entire life up to then.

Jess finally found what she'd originally been looking for, which were the keys to her truck, and headed for the coat closet. She saw Alice usher the last family out the door. By the porch light, Jess could see it was already coming down pretty hard, with half-dollar-sized snowflakes racing each other to the ground.

"Damn."

Alice turned around and winced as she pulled her knit shawl closer around her shoulders.

"Maybe you should stay here tonight."

Jess shook her head.

"I don't want to chance getting snowed in. I made sure the animals were taken care of for tonight before we came over, but I need to be there to check on them in the morning."

Alice nodded. As one of the area's large animal vets, she was fully aware of the bond between the farmers and their livestock and couldn't really argue. She felt the same way.

"Well, let's get you going then. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll get home safe," Alice said as she busied herself with locating Jess and Jason's things in the living room.

Jess turned to go check on Jason's progress just as he and Carson came up the stairs. She paused to watch them as they joked around with each other.

Every now and then, she couldn't help thinking how much Jason had taken after his father. While Carson was the spitting image of his mother, with curly, light brown hair and deep brown eyes, Jason didn't even look like he was related to Jess. His hair was dark blond, while Jess's was black, and his hazel-green eyes were a far cry from Jess's ice blue ones. The only place he made up for it was in the height department, where he was fast catching up to Jess, who was just shy of six feet.

Jess suppressed a grin as she caught some of their conversation. Both boys had begun shaving several months ago and were constantly playing with the designs of their facial hair. At the moment, Jason was sticking with an outline of his jaw and no mustache, since his last date had told him she didn't like kissing him with the extra hair on his upper lip. Carson was advocating for his own preference, which was a scruffy five o'clock shadow. Then again, as she heard Jason point out, Carson hadn't had a date in over a month. Regardless of their shaving habits, both boys looked like they were in their twenties, which left Jess a little worried, memories of her own misspent youth not encouraging her in the slightest.

Alice came up next to her and put her hand on Jess's shoulder.

"They grow up way too fast, don't they," Alice commented quietly.

Jess came back from her musings and smiled at the knowing look. Alice was ten years her senior, but they'd gone through their pregnancies at the same time. That shared experience had bonded them and Alice had become something of a big sister to her over the years.

"Where the hell did the time go?" Jess asked rhetorically, but the question reminded her they were in a bit of a hurry.

"You ready?" Jess called out to her son and he nodded.

"I'll be there in a sec."

Jess rolled her eyes, but decided to cut him some slack and give him the few minutes it would take her to pack up the truck to say goodbye to his friend. Alice helped her carry out the few gift bags, and by the time they returned, Jason was putting on his shoes and Carson had disappeared, probably back down into the basement to play more games.

Jason grabbed his jacket and joined his mom by the front door.

"Thanks for the party, Aunt Alice. It was fun."

"Don't mention it."

She hugged him and then turned to Jess.

"You drive safely, ya hear?"

"I will."

Jess smiled and hugged her friend and then turned to go.

"And call me when you get home, so I won't worry."

"Yes, mother," Jess threw over her shoulder and Alice blew a raspberry at her back.

Jess checked her rear view mirror, not surprised to see Alice waiting in her doorway and waving. Jess stuck her arm out the window to wave back and then quickly closed it again to keep out the snow.

She turned on the radio and tuned it to the local news station. The newscaster was issuing the standard guidelines to stay home and stay off the roads if at all possible.

The trip from Alice's house to her own usually only took twenty-five to thirty minutes, but the snow was coming down so thick and heavy Jess could barely see twenty feet ahead of her. Every time the tires slipped on the icy road, a bolt of electricity shot up her spine, making her hands tingle and her thighs ache with tension. Coupled with the many curves in the road as it cut around the outside of the mountain, Jess was forced to keep her old pickup truck at a crawl.

Jess darted a glance at her watch and calculated twenty minutes had passed and they were hardly halfway home. She grimaced and rolled her neck a few times as she consciously tried to loosen her white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. She glanced over at her son where he was gazing out at the snow falling past his window.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" she asked.

"Hmm?" he said as he turned to look at her. "Nothing much. Just watching the snow."

"I need you to talk to me, Jase, help pass the time. So start talking."

"Um..." He scowled as he tried to think of something, then his face lit up. "Oh, well, Aunt Alice mentioned the vernal equinox is coming up in March and I was wondering if you might come this year." Even as Jess was frowning, Jason continued. "It's a lot of fun and it's hardly even religious, Mom. It's mostly just people eating and hanging out around the bonfire, I swear."

"I'm sorry, Jase. I'm glad you're investigating your spirituality, and I'll support you in whatever you decide, but I've kind of 'been there, done that' and it's just not for me."

"Because of Grandma?"

Jess looked over at him, his expression of sad understanding only making her feel worse. As her eyes came back to face front again, she was in the middle of trying to think of a gentle way to explain it to him once again, when she suddenly caught a glimpse of someone falling by the side of the road into a deep snow drift. For a moment, she thought she'd imagined it as the afterimage finally registered as a naked woman in her mind's eye. But as Jess pulled the truck to a stop, she could clearly see the silhouette of a body in the snow.

"What's going on? Why'd we stop?" Jason asked, having missed the action while he was watching his mother for her response.

"Someone's in the snow out there. Come on."

Jess unclipped her seat belt and popped the lock so she could open her door, Jason right behind her.

Jess pulled her hood up and moved as quickly as she could against the wind-driven snow. She knelt down next to the woman and performed a quick visual inspection, confirming not only that the woman really was naked, but was also covered in cuts and scrapes. She was also extremely thin. Jess could just about count the woman's individual ribs, though she seemed to have maintained quite a bit of muscle. Jess wondered if she was one of those survivalists they got up in the mountains sometimes, hunting for their food and building their own shelters back in the deep woods, though that wouldn't explain the lack of clothing.

"Whoa!" Jason exclaimed and instantly turned his eyes away, though he just as quickly tried to sneak another peek.

"Get the emergency blanket from the truck. It's under the front seat, passenger side."

"Right," Jason said and took off.

The woman groaned and turned her head towards Jess. Jess reached out to touch her shoulder, but didn't shake it.

"Hey! Can you hear me? What's your name? Come on, talk to me. Are you all right? What happened to you?"

The woman opened her eyes for a moment, but they just as quickly rolled back in her head and fluttered closed again.

"Damn it."

Jason ran up with a bright orange and silver blanket and snapped it open, letting the wind do the work for him, and Jess helped him drape it reflective side down over the woman's body.

Jess pulled out her cell phone and handed it to her son.

"Here. Call 911."

As Jason walked away to try to find a hint of a signal, Jess pulled off one of her gloves and checked for a pulse at the woman's neck just to be sure. It was a little weak, but the woman seemed to be breathing well enough, so unless that changed, Jess wouldn't need to worry about trying to perform CPR.

Jess brushed the woman's snow-encrusted blonde hair back from her face. She pressed down slightly on her cheeks and forehead, and then checked the woman's hands and feet. The flesh was soft and sprang back after she pressed on it, so no frostbite.

"At least nothing's going to fall off if we move you," she muttered.

Jess considered her options. She needed to get the woman off the cold ice, but if she'd suffered any kind of spinal injury, moving her could be fatal. Jess shook her head. She hadn't technically seen the woman walking, but she had been standing before she'd fallen, so unless she'd done some kind of freak damage in that minor fall into the snow, she probably wasn't injured in that way. The more immediate danger was the cold.

Jason came up behind her and knelt down next to her.

"I can't get any bars. I've tried up and down along here, but it's not working."

"Forget it. We're probably in a dead zone."

Jess also realized even if Jason could've gotten hold of someone, they'd probably all be buried by the time anyone could get to them.

"So what are we gonna do? We can't just leave her here," Jason said.

"Help me get her in the truck."

They wrapped her securely in the emergency blanket and used a two-person seat carry to get the woman into the cab. Once Jason was in on the passenger side, Jess repositioned the woman so she was half-lying in Jason's lap across the bench seat and then climbed in on the driver's side.

"We taking her to the hospital?" Jason asked.

"In this storm? We'd be lucky to make it down in one piece. Besides, the house is much closer and I'd rather be trapped there than in town."

Jess put the truck in gear and started off as Jason began rubbing the woman's upper arms through the blanket.

"Stop. Just hold her still."

"I was just trying to warm her up."

"I know, but we need to be gentle with her right now. That sort of thing could cause her heart to fibrillate, meaning she could go into cardiac arrest."

Jason looked a little ill and immediately stopped moving. Jess darted a glance at him and tried to smile reassuringly.

"It's okay. We'll be home soon."

Jess cranked up the heat until she was sweating. It was another half-hour before Jess's headlights swept over an old wooden sign with the words 'Taylor Mountain Farm' painted on it as they turned onto the dirt road that led to their house. The light Jess had left on in the kitchen was still lit and Jess breathed a sigh of relief that they still had power, at least for the time being.

Between the two of them, they carried the woman as gently as they could to the side door. They heard scrabbling and then a couple sharp yips from behind the door.

"Hush, Sienna," Jess called as she fumbled with the keys and finally got the door open.

As soon as there was enough room, a large reddish-brown and white Siberian Husky charged past them and out the door to one of her favorite spots to relieve herself. Jess and Jason continued on inside, carrying the woman to the couch in the living room. The dog quickly returned from her business, excitedly sniffing at the new person as her wagging hind quarters caused her whole body to wiggle back and forth.

"See-See, calm down," Jason admonished. "Go to your bed." He pointed at the object on the other side of the room. "Bed. Go."

The dog obediently ducked her head and trotted to her padded bed in the corner, though she immediately turned around as she sat to watch the excitement.

"I need you to bring me one of the sleeping bags. It should be with the camping gear," Jess said as she quickly slid off her jacket and hung it on the back of the nearby recliner. "And as many blankets as you can carry. Oh, and some towels. Hurry."

"I'm on it," Jason said as he ran up the stairs to fetch everything.

Jess headed over to the wood stove in the corner and opened the vents, adding a few pieces of wood to bring the smoldering embers back to life. She grabbed the folded quilt rack from where it was leaning against the wall and set it up in front of the stove. For good measure, she also started a fire in the fireplace, making sure to keep a watchful eye on the woman from across the room as she worked to get a good blaze going. Jason returned with the first load and dumped everything on the floor before taking off again.

Jess picked up two of the blankets and hung them up in front of the stove to warm. Then she grabbed one of the towels. Getting the woman completely dry was an absolute necessity. She replaced the wet emergency blanket with a fresh dry quilt and raised it up just enough to run the towel over the woman's body. She was still damp from the snow that had stuck to her and then melted from the heat in the car. The couch was a little damp as well, so Jess carefully raised first the woman's legs and then her upper body so she could slide another dry blanket beneath her. It was unnerving how cold the woman's skin was, but it only spurred Jess to work faster.

Jason returned with the last of the items and moved the coffee table out of the way so Jess could unroll and unzip the sleeping bag and spread it out on the floor in front of the couch.

"Help me get her into the sleeping bag."

They used the blanket Jess had previously slid under the woman as a hammock to lift her off the couch and onto the open sleeping bag, then used the sleeping bag in the same way to lift her back onto the couch. Jess pulled the now warm blankets off the rack and simply piled them on top of the first quilt. Then she folded the sleeping bag over the woman and Jason helped her pile several more blankets on top of that.

"Now what? Do we just wait for her to warm up?" Jason asked.

"Something like that. Now that we've gotten the preliminaries over with, see if you can get your Uncle Rob on the phone. Tell him what happened and what we've done so far and ask him if he can make a house call."

Jason nodded and headed back into the kitchen to make the call as Jess pulled the coffee table back into position and sat down with a heavy sigh. In the middle of a crisis, she was usually pretty good at keeping calm and focused, but once the immediate danger had passed or there was nothing left to do about it, the whole situation hit her at once and it was all she could do not to break down into tears.

Not that she had anything against crying, it was just a release of tension, but she knew it would scare the crap out of her son if he saw her, so she tried to take deep breaths to calm her nerves as she watched over the nearly motionless woman. She looked carefully for each of the woman's slow breaths to reassure herself that the woman was still alive.

After a few minutes and no change, Jess finally let herself relax a little and turned her gaze to the fireplace. Her hastily made fire looked like it could use another log, so Jess started to stand up to go get more wood. A cold hand grabbed her wrist and Jess looked down into frightened green eyes. Jess covered the woman's hand with her own as she knelt down next to the couch.

"Hey there. Can you tell me your name?"

The woman looked at her in obvious confusion and fear, so Jess tried again.

"You're safe. My name's Jess. Can you tell me what happened to you?"

The woman frowned.

"Keemah sheh hoydeh? Shtopray sahn?" The woman's voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

Jess bit her lip.

"Um, I have no idea what language that is. I don't suppose you speak any English?" She raised her eyebrows for emphasis. "English?"

"Een-glesh?"

"Yeah, English. Do you speak any?"

"Speek-ehny?"

"Guess not. Great," she muttered just as Jason came back from the kitchen still on the phone.

"Uncle Rob wants to know if she's conscious and alert." He glanced at the woman and stopped when he saw her looking at him. "Oh. Yeah, she's awake," he spoke into the phone. He listened and then pulled the phone away again. "Has she said anything about what happened to her?"

Jess was helping the woman sit up a little, making sure the blankets stayed firmly wrapped around the woman's naked upper body in her son's presence.

"No, at least not that I know of. She's talking, but she doesn't seem to speak English."

"Really?" Jason came over and sat down on the coffee table. "Hablas español?" Jason tried.

The woman looked at him in confusion.

"Parlez-vous français?" he tried again.

The woman shook her head and spoke.

"Keemah soo sheh shtahvee dih etvoo konay. Keemah hoydeh do dih?"

"Guess not," Jason said, unintentionally imitating his mother perfectly. "What's that?" he spoke into the phone again. "I have no idea. Might've been Russian or something. ... Okay. ... Yeah, I'll tell her. See ya in a bit." He hung up the phone and turned to his mom. "He said he'll be over as soon as he can, probably in about an hour. He was already getting his kit together when I called."

"I figured he'd be on call with this storm."

"Yeah. He said to keep her warm, try some hot tea or maybe some soup as long as she's alert. He also said you should probably notify the state troopers in case someone's reported her missing."

Jess snorted.

"Like that would do any good. I'll call Harold."

There was no way in hell she was going to call the state troopers, not after the mess they'd made of a search and rescue the previous month. In order to 'control the scene,' they hadn't notified a single person in town—the people who knew the trails the best—and a kid had died because of it.

She took the phone and dialed the local sheriff's number. After a few rings, a man answered.

"Unless this is an emergency, I don't have any news regarding the storm. Watch the weather channel or turn on your radio."

"Hey, Harold, it's me, Jess. I know you're crazy busy, but..."

Jess told him how she'd found the woman and what she looked like, but so far there were no reports of anyone missing who fit her description.

"But I'll keep an eye out," Harold promised. "You safe?"

"Yeah, we're good. Doc Sheridan's on his way over to check her out."

"Good. Stay home and keep warm. I gotta go. Gotta keep the lines free."

"Understood. Be safe," Jess told him.

"As always, sweetie."

She hung up and started entering a new number. At Jason's questioning look, she pulled the phone away.

"I'm calling Alice to let her know we're okay before I forget."

Jason nodded as she spoke into the phone.

"Hey, it's me... Yeah, we made it home just fine, but you're never gonna believe what happened." Jess waited for Alice's response, but she received only silence. "You still there? Hello? Alice?"

Jess ended the call and tried to get the dial tone back, but the line remained dead.

"Guess the phone lines finally went down," she said as she set the cordless on the end table.

Jess didn't even bother checking her cell phone for a signal. It had never worked at the house and trying to use their wi-fi had always been a joke. The last time she'd tested it, even holding the cell phone right next to the router hadn't given her enough of a signal to make a call, which was why she'd kept the landline all these years, despite its lack of reliability during storms.

"Uh, Mom? Is she okay?" Jason asked as he noticed the woman shivering.

Jess turned to look and nodded.

"Yeah, she's just starting to warm up. Shivering is a good sign. It means her body is starting to work properly again," Jess explained as she returned to the couch and brushed a gentle hand over the woman's forehead.

"Do you think I should make her some hot chocolate?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. And when you're done with that, I need you to check around and make sure we're all set for the storm. Look in on the animals, check the water jugs and the generator, make sure we have enough wood and if not—"

"Bring some more in, I know the drill," Jason finished for her as he stood up to get to work.

"And don't forget to check to see if we've got enough juice in the solar batteries," she called after him.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it all under control, Mom," he called back from the kitchen.

Jess smiled and shook her head as she got up to add another log to the fire. With that taken care of she turned back to retake her seat on the coffee table. Then she saw the woman staring at her, her eyes wide with fear as her body shook and shuddered every few seconds. Jess reached under the covers and found the woman's hand. She squeezed it gently in a gesture of comfort and just sat with her as the woman shivered uncontrollably.

"You're gonna be okay," Jess said, hoping her soothing tone might break through the language barrier.

They remained like that for a while, the woman's shivering coming in smaller and smaller waves as her body slowly warmed up. Then Jason came in with a tray of three mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. He set the tray on the coffee table next to Jess and picked up one of the cups to hand to the woman.

"Hello, my name is Jason, and I'll be your waiter for this evening," he offered with a big smile.

The woman struggled to release one of her trembling hands from beneath the tightly tucked blankets to take the mug, but Jess intercepted it.

"I'd rather she not wear it, Jason."

Jess scooted to the edge of the coffee table and waited for the woman to lean forward.

"Here ya go. This should help warm you up, and the sugar should definitely give your body a nice energy boost," Jess said as she helped the woman bring the mug to her lips.

The woman seemed uncertain at first, tentatively sniffing at the contents before allowing Jess to slowly tip it forward so she could take a sip. It took a moment, but it was clear when the taste registered. The woman's eyes grew big and she hummed in delight.

"Oh shah! Keemah sheh seno? Lo'shih tay." The woman looked back and forth between Jess and Jason. "Konay dih soo etvoo, voo soo. Menata," she added, shaking her head in what appeared to be disappointment, though she seemed eager for the next mouthful.

Jason turned to his mother expectantly, as if waiting for a translation.

"Don't look at me," Jess protested. "You're the linguist in the family. Besides, it was your hot chocolate," she said as she helped the woman take another sip. "At least she seems to like it."

"It's liquid chocolate. What's not to like?" Jason quipped as he practically gulped down his own mug. "Well, back to the grindstone," he said with a heavy sigh as he set his mug on the tray and headed back out to finish his rounds.

After a while, the woman's trembling had calmed enough for her to hold her mug herself, so Jess picked up her own cup and took a sip. She made similar sounds of contentment and grinned at the knowing smile on the woman's face. She pointed at the mug.

"Good."

The woman nodded.

"Say tah," she said in obvious agreement.

Jess frowned slightly and shook her head.

"I really wish I knew what you were saying. Or even what language you're—"

A loud meow sounded from the hallway leading to the stairs and Jess smiled as the woman's eyes became big again, this time in alarm. A shorter mew heralded the arrival of a tan and black striped tabby as he jumped up onto the arm of the couch at the woman's feet. He nonchalantly walked along the back of the couch towards the woman and Jess did her best to muffle her laughs as the woman tried to back up without spilling her drink.

"It's okay. He won't hurt you... Unless you're allergic. Is that it? Are you allergic?"

The woman looked back and forth between Jess and the cat, but Jess couldn't read her expression. Jess set her mug down and stood so she could reach over and grab the cat. She held him against her shoulder and turned so the woman could see his face.

"This is Max. He thinks he owns the place." Max rubbed against Jess's ear and purred loudly. She scratched him on the back of the neck and sat down again, so he could lounge in her lap. She moved nearer to the woman so the cat was within reach, but not so close that the woman would feel threatened by his presence if she didn't want to touch him. "He's really a sweet cat. He's never bitten or scratched anyone."

The woman's shivering had almost completely subsided and she stretched out a tentative hand towards the cat. As soon as Max felt the hand on his head, he pushed right into it and sighed a low vocalized purr with a slight squeak at the end.

"Oh, I think you hit the right spot. That's what we call a 'cricket' purr around here and it means he's in love."

Jess grinned at the woman and received a sweet smile in return.

It wasn't until several thudding heartbeats later that Jess realized she'd actually stopped breathing in response to that smile. Jess covered her gasp with a cough as her body's need for oxygen reasserted itself. The move finally caused her to tear her eyes away from the woman's face, but only for a moment as she was magnetically drawn back time and time again.

Now that her awareness of the woman had become conscious, Jess couldn't stop looking at her.

Jess hadn't realized just how beautiful the other woman was. She hadn't really been paying attention before, what with the woman being unconscious and on the verge of death. Then she'd been panicky, sending Jess into mother mode to calm her. But now, the woman was noticeably relaxed and smiling freely, her whole face lighting up with the simple expression of pleasure.

As Jess continued to dart glances her way, she couldn't help thinking there was something undeniably sexy about her, too. The proximity of their bodies as the woman pet the cat in Jess's lap, her hand brushing across Jess's jeans-clad thigh with each stroke, suddenly had Jess feeling far too warm. She wanted to blame it on the roaring fire in the large fireplace behind them, but the knowledge that the woman was still naked under all those blankets seemed a much more likely culprit.

The thought gave her a thrill of anticipation in the pit of her stomach, a sensation she hadn't allowed herself to experience for far too long. The last time had been a one night stand several years ago at an industry convention for boutique farms like hers that had ended with the other woman scrambling for her clothes and literally running from the hotel room after Jess had let slip she had a teenage son.

Jess had laughed the whole thing off, telling herself the woman was an insensitive nitwit, neither worthy of Jess's time nor her hurt feelings, but the sense of abandonment had still cut her deeply, bringing with it bitter memories she was unable to dismiss as easily as the woman. The disgust she'd felt for herself and for her poor judgment had been even worse and more than enough to keep her celibate ever since.

Of course, none of that had stopped Alice from continually trying to hook Jess up with one of her friends no matter how many times Jess refused to get involved with anyone in town. It was bad enough she'd been an unwed teen mother, but at least the rumors had died down by the time Jason had been old enough to understand any of it. She didn't even want to think about the sort of crude gossip that might find its way back to her child's ears if she ended up in a messy affair with a local.

It was habit now to tell herself maybe someday, when Jason was old enough, when the farm was more financially stable, when she didn't have a million and one things to do every day... 'Someday' was her refuge and she fell into it without much more than a second thought.

But that didn't stop her body from reminding her of how it could be and it was a little while before Jess suddenly realized she'd been caught staring. The woman was watching her with a puzzled look, as if waiting for an explanation, and Jess feared her expression had somehow given away some of her less than pure thoughts.

Damn you, Alice. This is all your fault.

Jess cleared her throat and looked away, hoping the warmth in her cheeks wasn't noticeable. The cat made a good distraction, so she scratched him behind the ears for a while before allowing herself to risk a glance at the woman again. The woman was still watching her, but then seemed to recognize Jess's discomfort. She followed Jess's lead and refocused on the cat, running her slim fingers through his short fur in a slow, soothing rhythm. Jess's hand soon went slack as she got lost in watching the woman again. It never occurred to her she could move away.

After a few minutes, the one-handed petting was apparently not enough and Max got up so he could climb onto the couch to be closer to the more consistent source of his pleasure. Jess just barely managed to catch the woman's mug before it was knocked from her hand as Max burrowed under the top covers and curled up into the crook of the woman's arm. He twisted onto his back to expose his stomach in invitation. The movement caused the blankets to slide down, revealing the woman's breasts, though she didn't seem to notice as she ran her hand over Max's incredibly soft belly fur and looked up at Jess in surprise.

"Feto gava ay sheh dih etbahk neeva lo," she said as she continued to rub the cat's stomach. "Siya gava."

Jess did her best to ignore the tingles running south, going against every instinct in her body as she quickly moved forward to pull the blankets back up.

"How about we get you into some clothes... Before my son comes back in here and gets an eyeful," Jess suggested, desperately needing the reminder that her son could return any minute.

Jess made what she hoped was a universal gesture for the woman to stay put, praying that she would also stay covered, and then dashed up the stairs two at a time to her bedroom. She grabbed an old T-shirt and a pair of shorts and headed back downstairs. She handed the clothes to the woman and then picked up the top-most blanket to hold it up as a screen between herself and the woman.

"You can put those on. They'll probably be a little big on you, but they should be fine for tonight."

The woman looked back and forth between the clothing in her hand and Jess. She slowly unfolded the garments, holding the shirt up first and then the shorts. After a few moments, she seemed to understand what was expected of her and gently moved the cat off of her so she could stand.

Jess turned her gaze away, but the woman seemed oblivious as she fumbled with the clothing. When she was finally done, Jess looked back and found the woman had put the shirt on backwards. She motioned with her hands for the woman to turn it around, but that only seemed to confuse her.

"Never mind," Jess said as she shook her head, deciding it wasn't that important.

The woman sat back down and Max staked a new claim in her lap, purring even louder as the woman used one hand to scratch his stomach and the other to rub his head.

"I think you've made a friend for life," Jess commented.

The woman looked up and then smiled as if she understood as Max continued to wriggle around until he'd pinned one of the woman's hands under his head and arched his back to make it even easier for the woman to pet his stomach with her other hand. Jess shook her head and smirked at his wanton display.

Lucky little shit. What I wouldn't give to trade places with you. Jess almost smacked herself in the forehead when she realized what she'd been thinking. Damn it. Really gotta stop that.

Before Jess could berate herself any further, a soft whine came from across the room. Jess looked over to find Sienna half off her bed, chin on the hardwood floor between her paws, evidently trying to obey the last command she'd been given while also trying to find a way over to the humans who were neglecting her in favor of the cat.

"Oh, what the hell? The more, the merrier, right?" She patted her thigh. "Come here, Sienna."

She turned to the woman, who was now aware that there was another animal in the room and was eying the large dog with obvious trepidation.

Sienna jumped up from her bed, but still managed to trot over at a subdued pace. She came to a stop at Jess's knee and sat down patiently, though her tail was enthusiastically sweeping the floor behind her. Jess turned to the woman.

"This is Sienna." Jess held out her hand to the dog. "Say 'hi,' Sienna."

Sienna obediently lifted her paw and placed it in Jess's hand with an open-mouthed grin, her tongue lolling to one side. Jess dutifully shook Sienna's paw and then let it drop back to the floor. She faced the woman again, who seemed a little less uncertain now, but still wary.

"Do you want to say hi to Sienna?"

Even as Jess realized her mistake, that the woman couldn't possibly understand her, Sienna lifted her paw and scraped it across the blankets. The woman reached out her free hand and grasped the proffered paw just as Jess had. She shook it twice and let it go.

"Guess that one's universal."

Sienna got up and walked around the coffee table to sit on the other side of Jess, which was closer to the woman's hand. The woman smiled as she went back and forth between petting first the cat and then the dog. Sienna started to try to climb up onto the couch, but Jess grabbed her collar and pulled her back down.

"Silly thing. When are you going to realize you're not small enough to be a lapdog?"

Jess took over petting Sienna to keep her off the woman and they sat quietly for a while. Just as Jess was about to go in search of her son, she heard a knock on the side door.

"I've got it!" Jason yelled from the kitchen.

A few moments later, Dr. Sheridan came in with Jason right behind him. Sienna immediately hopped up and scrambled over to the silver-haired man, jumping up to place her paws on his shoulders so he could scratch her ears without having to bend over.

"Hey there!" He let the dog back down to the floor and came over to Jess. "So, how's the patient?"

"Better," Jess said as she stood up to get out of his way.

"Well, aren't you a pretty little thing. You don't look too worse for wear," the man said jovially as he took Jess's place on the coffee table. "Looks like you've got a nice cup of hot cocoa and you're all tucked up with that little furball. I'd say you've done pretty well for yourself."

He paused for a moment to let the woman size him up, while he made his own visual inspection. Then he put his hand on his chest.

"My name's Rob Sheridan, but folks around here just call me Doc. What's your name?" he asked as he held out his hand.

The woman drew back from his outstretched hand, then turned to look at Jess in confusion.

"We're pretty sure she doesn't understand English," Jess supplied.

"I tried French and Spanish, too, but she didn't get those either," Jason added from where he stood next to his mother.

"Right." Dr. Sheridan pointed to himself. "Doc." He repeated the name and finger-pointing, then gestured to her. "And you are..." he said and then waited.

The woman continued to look at him in confusion, then her expression cleared.

"Oh eteh. Konata benoo sahn soo etvoo, voo soo."

Jess had no idea what the woman had just said, but the sound of devastation in her voice and the look of complete hopelessness on her face tore at Jess's heart.

"I seriously doubt that was her name," Jason said unnecessarily as a few tears escaped down the woman's cheeks.

Jess moved forward and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and rubbed it gently.

Sienna took that as her cue to join in and tried to nuzzle into the woman's hand with a few puppy-like whines. The sudden intrusion surprised the cat and in an instant, Max's sleeping form metamorphosed into a hissing and spitting ball of fluffed up fur. He swatted at Sienna's nose in rapid succession before springing up out of the woman's arms and onto the back of the couch to get some distance, maintaining a prolonged growl the whole time. Sienna yipped and whined at the unexpected attack, and then barked outright, startling the woman, who tried to climb off the couch to get away from all the commotion.

"Sienna, stop that!" Jason said in his most authoritative voice as he grabbed the dog's collar and pulled her away.

Jess caught the woman and kept her from going any further over the arm of the couch.

"It's okay, you're okay," Jess repeated until the woman settled back into her seat.

Dr. Sheridan tried not to laugh, but a few chuckles escaped as he patted the woman's hand.

"You're okay, sweetie. No one's going to hurt you."

The woman continued looking nervously between the dog and cat, as if waiting for some further outburst.

"How about we just give you a moment to settle down, shall we?" he said in a soothing tone and then turned to Jess. "So, Jason here said you found her bare-assed naked in the snow?" he asked with only a hint of a smirk.

Jess coughed and sent a narrowed glance to her blushing son before answering.

"Yeah. I have no idea what she was doing out there in the middle of the storm. She looks like she hasn't eaten a solid meal in weeks, but she's wiry as hell. And she's got these cuts all over her."

Dr. Sheridan nodded, having already noticed a rather deep cut on the woman's exposed forearm that appeared to have debris in it. Once he gained the woman's confidence, he'd take care of it, but until then he moved slowly, aware of the watchful eyes of his patient.

He carefully reached out his hand to take hold of the woman's wrist to begin his routine examination. He hid his smile as the young woman looked to Jess for some kind of approval and Jess automatically squeezed the woman's shoulder in reassurance.

"It's all right. He's just going to check you over to make sure you're okay."

The woman still looked a little scared, but she didn't pull away while Dr. Sheridan checked her pulse. It took a little more work to get her to accept the digital thermometer into her mouth. He was about to settle for a forehead strip when Jess took the thermometer and put it in her own mouth to show the woman what was expected of her. He frowned at that lack of understanding, but didn't say anything, though he did continue to watch her reactions as he went on with his examination. By the time he was finished, he'd come to several conclusions.

"Well, I can tell you this much. You found her just in time. That whole naked thing? It's called paradoxical undressing. If you went back, I'd be willing to bet you'd find a trail of clothing leading up to where you found her."

"Paradoxical undressing?" Jess questioned as Dr. Sheridan put his equipment away and began pulling out bandages and antiseptic ointment from his bag.

"Yep. See, when the body gets cold, your blood vessels contract to conserve body heat, just like they expand when you're hot to release excess heat. Well, when you're too cold for too long, what happens is, your blood vessels get tired and open back up, so suddenly you have all this warm blood flowing through you, making you think you're hot, when really you're on your way to a coma. Since you're probably already delusional anyway, you start flinging off your clothes and there you go."

"Damn."

"Yep. Another few minutes out there and she probably wouldn't have been found until the spring thaw." He turned to the woman. "You're one lucky little lady," he said as he slid a plastic dish under the woman's arm and began carefully rinsing it with saline solution.

The woman winced, but didn't pull away, and Dr. Sheridan smiled, glad the woman finally seemed to trust him somewhat. He used a pair of tweezers to remove the last few bits of what appeared to be wood lodged in the wound on the woman's arm, and then gently patted it dry before applying a dab of ointment and a loose gauze bandage. He pulled the blanket off the woman's legs and tended to another deep gash on her thigh he'd seen earlier during the exam.

"There's another thing."

"What's that?"

"I think she may be suffering from a slight case of amnesia."

Jess frowned.

"How could you possibly figure that out? She doesn't even speak English to ask her anything."

"Well, for one thing, she might not know English, but I'm pretty sure she knew what I meant when I asked for her name. Most people don't have such a dismal reaction to that question. Now maybe she's an illegal alien and she's afraid we're going to report her, but that look seemed more like she was upset because she was hoping we knew the answer to that particular question because she doesn't.

"There's also the fact that I've treated patients who couldn't understand me before and none of them acted quite like she does."

Jess nodded. Dr. Sheridan had been part of a group that offered free medical aid to populations in need all over the world. He'd donated his services for at least one month-long assignment every year for as long as she'd known him, until he'd retired and become a volunteer with the local fire department. He continued.

"With those people, as long as they'd had some previous experience with medical personnel, it wasn't too difficult to get across what I needed from them. With this one, everything seems to be a foreign concept. So, either she's never been seen by a doctor before or she has no memory of it. Not that I'm an expert in that area. I leave that to the neurologists. But you did say you thought she'd spent a while out there, fending for herself."

"Yeah. You don't build up that kind of muscle on a day hike and she doesn't have a single extra ounce of fat on her."

Dr. Sheridan paused and Jess blushed as she realized exactly what she'd said. She refused to look at Jason to see if he'd caught the slip as Dr. Sheridan continued with his assessment.

"Well, I suppose it's possible she was raised away from modern society without access to medical attention, but she's not showing the level of wildness I'd expect from someone who was feral. Even though she's been apprehensive about me, it's clear she's socially adapted, and as far as I can tell, she's speaking in normal sentences, no grunting and pointing at least," he said with a smile, but then frowned. "I was really hoping I'd be able to pick out her language, but I'm pretty sure I've never heard any of those words before. I would've recognized them if I had. They're quite distinct."

Dr. Sheridan finished bandaging the woman's thigh and looked up to see Max using her shoulder as a stepping stone to get back into her lap. The woman seemed to have realized the animal meant her no harm and was helpfully leaning back so Max could walk down her torso. Dr. Sheridan waited for the cat to settle and then ruffled its fur before pulling the covers back over the woman and a contentedly purring Max. Not to be outdone, Sienna inched her way forward and rested her head on the woman's uninjured thigh. Dr. Sheridan smiled.

"The animals sure do seem to like her," he commented.

He patted the dog's head and then turned to face Jess as he continued.

"Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't hear any slurred speech when she spoke, which is a good indicator she's not cognitively impaired, nor did I see any signs of recent head trauma. If we were at the hospital, I'd order an MRI and CT scan to be sure, but her pupils are normal, she has consistent strength on both sides, and she hasn't displayed any tremors or sudden or repeated loss of recognition of her surroundings, which would indicate a probable TBI or ongoing—"

"TBI?" Jason interrupted.

"Traumatic brain injury. But like I said, I can't find any evidence for it."

"So what do you think happened to her?" Jason asked.

"My guess? She's an experienced backpacker from abroad who had some kind of an accident, got lost in the woods, and has been out there ever since. I'd say at least a few weeks, judging by her physical condition. She's probably been subsisting on tree bark and whatever else she could find to eat. On top of all that, she gets caught in this mother of a storm..." He shook his head. "I think her mind just retreated from all the trauma, and if that's all it is, her memory should return once she's feeling safe enough. That's assuming I'm right and she's not some wild child," he said with a grin.

"What about the hypothermia? I checked for frostbite, but—"

"Hypothermia and frostbite are two separate conditions. Hypothermia is when the body's core temperature drops below what's necessary for it to be able to perform normal functions. Frostbite is what happens when bits of you freeze. It's not uncommon to have one without the other." He put a hand on Jess's shoulder. "You did good, Jess. All her vitals are within normal limits, though her temperature is still a little on the low side, so make sure you keep those blankets on her. And you might want to stay close for tonight in case anything changes. But I think she's going to be just fine. All right?"

Jess nodded at the reassurance.

"Anything else I should keep in mind?" she asked.

"Well, like I said, keep her warm, get some food in her, though I'd start off with soft stuff like soup at first. If she really hasn't been eating much, we don't want to make her sick. And once this storm clears, you should probably take her down to the hospital for a full workup, just to be on the safe side. They can run those scans and they might even be able to figure out what language she's speaking and find an interpreter for her. Other than that..." He frowned. "You called the police, right?"

"Not on your life. I called Harold."

Dr. Sheridan laughed and was about to respond when the radio clipped to his belt went off.

"Sheriff's Dispatch to Moose Ridge D1."

Dr. Sheridan pulled the radio from his belt and held it up.

"Moose Ridge D1. Go ahead Dispatch."

"We have a report of a pregnant female in labor at 27 Pine Mountain Road. We have dispatched an ambulance, but they are saying it will be some time before they can reach her."

Jess rolled her eyes.

"Try next week," she mumbled and Dr. Sheridan smiled.

"That's the Patterson baby. I heard she was due to pop last week. Figures the kid would choose tonight of all nights to enter the world."

He pressed the button on the radio and spoke louder.

"Copy that Dispatch. I'm about five miles from her location and I've got a snowmobile. Tell the ambulance I'm en route."

"Copy that D1."

Dr. Sheridan slipped the radio back into its holster.

"Looks like I gotta go." He frowned. "Now if I can just remember the fastest way over there from here..."

Leaving Jason to watch over their guest, Jess retrieved a map from her office and spread it out on the kitchen table so they could find the best route that didn't necessarily involve roads. Within a few minutes, Dr. Sheridan was packed up and ready to go. Jess saw him to the door and watched him zoom away into the dark.

Just as she was closing the side door, Jason entered the kitchen with the mugs from the living room and deposited them in the sink before going over to the refrigerator to pull out items for a snack. She glanced at the clock on the wall and winced. It was nearly midnight. She walked over to her son where he was making a sandwich at the counter and put a hand on his shoulder.

"How ya doin', kiddo? Long night, huh?"

Jason yawned and then grinned.

"It was definitely one of my more exciting birthdays." He nodded towards the closed swinging kitchen door. "So, should we take turns watching her tonight?"

Jess shook her head.

"Nah. No sense in both of us being crabby tomorrow. You go on up to bed. I'll bunk on the recliner. That way if she needs anything, I'll be right there, but Doc said she should be fine."

"You sure?" he asked as he put the finishing touches on his sandwich and waited.

"Yeah. Go on."

She kissed him on the forehead and gave him a light swat on the butt as she followed him out of the kitchen. As Jason continued up the stairs to his bedroom, Jess turned to enter the living room, wondering how she was going to communicate the question of what kind of soup the woman might like. She supposed she could just bring out a few cans and let the woman look at the pictures and decide from there, since if she didn't speak English, it was doubtful she could read it. Then Jess noticed the total silence in the living room, save the crackling of the fire, and paused.

The woman had fallen asleep, her cheek pressed into one of the couch's cushions. Max had maneuvered his way out of the woman's lap and back into the crook of her arm, where he was stretched out on his back, his legs haphazardly splayed in the air. And Sienna had apparently decided the woman's feet were still cold and was trying to help by lying on top of the woman's legs. The dog lifted her head at Jess's entrance and then contentedly rested her chin back down on her paws, while continuing to watch Jess with the most innocent expression.

Jess couldn't help smirking and shook her head.

"You guys are incorrigible," she whispered.

Jess walked over and ran a hand over Sienna's head, and then gave Max a final tickle on his belly before she gently pulled the blankets up enough to cover the woman's shoulder.

With the possibility of cooking for the woman postponed, Jess realized she was completely exhausted and left to change into some sleep clothes. She returned with the blanket from her bed and made sure to close the vents on the wood stove and bank the fire in the fireplace before settling into the recliner. It wasn't the most comfortable place in the world, and after the stressful events of the evening, Jess really would have preferred her own bed, but as she looked over at the woman in the dimming light from the smoldering fire, snuggled up so protectively with her family's four-legged members, Jess found she was strangely content.

She fell asleep with a soft smile on her lips.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Agent Cross checked his watch again as he waited for his call to be put through. It was nearly two in the morning. As soon as the Director came on the line, he stood a little straighter.

"Good evening, Sir. I hope I didn't disturb you."

"Are you there yet?"

Cross scowled.

"No, Sir. We made it into Albany all right and requested several cars as you suggested, but once we turned off the main highway, we, uh..." Cross cleared his throat and quickly continued. "We ran into that storm and had to get off the roads, Sir. We're currently just north of Warrensburg."

"I see. Are you and your men all right?"

Cross glanced around the hotel room. It was one of the last three rooms in the complex, the rest having been taken by earlier travelers smart enough not to get caught by the storm, so he was being forced to share with two other agents while the remainder of his team sorted themselves out between the other two rooms. There were only two double beds, so one of them was going to end up on the floor, which was covered in old shag carpet that appeared greasy.

At least they had extra blankets, but that was only because the heat was broken. The manager had grudgingly scrounged up an old space heater so they wouldn't freeze to death, but now the place smelled like a wet dog. One of the other agents had attempted to turn on the TV, only to find the batteries were missing from the remote. It turned out it didn't matter much, since the TV couldn't seem to catch a clear signal anyway.

"We're fine, Sir. As soon as the roads are cleared, we'll be on our way again."

"Understood. Check in every twenty-four hours or sooner if you have something new to report. Goodnight."

"Yes, Sir. Goodnight, Sir," Cross said, but the Director had already hung up.

Agent Cross set the old-fashioned receiver back in its cradle as he considered his situation. If he could surprise the Director with good news the next time he called, it would go a long way towards getting him the promotion he'd put in for. All he had to do was light a fire under his team and they'd do most of the work for him.

He turned around to face his team who were watching him expectantly.

"We need to be at the crash site in less than twenty-four hours."

Agent Barlow laughed, while Agent Harrison looked shocked.

"Is the Director out of his mind?" Harrison spluttered. "How does he expect—"

"It doesn't matter how. We just need to get our asses up there and fast."

"Yeah, but nothing is moving in this blizzard," Barlow pointed out. "It's not like we can make it stop snowing."

"Fine," Cross said and shrugged his shoulders as he turned away. "You call him tomorrow and explain why his supposedly best agents are cowering in some dingy hotel room because of a little snowstorm."

"But this is insane. It's dropped a foot of snow in just the last hour," Harrison protested.

Cross rounded on the man and jabbed a finger into his chest.

"I don't care if you have to rent a goddamn snow plow and clear the roads yourself! Find me a vehicle that can get us into those mountains by tomorrow night, or so help me, I'll leave both of you here and replace you with agents who can get the job done right. Understood?"

Harrison swallowed and Barlow nodded briskly.

"Yes, Sir," they both said in muted tones.

Cross smiled as the two men got to work.