Her arms lifted and wrapped around my neck. I picked her up, still buried inside her and carried her into the shower.
The warm water rushed over us and we took turns lathering up and gently washing each other. I grabbed the towels and wrapped her up in one before wrapping one around my waist. I lazily ran a towel over her damp skin, nuzzling her shoulder. She giggled softly and padded ahead of me into the bedroom. I watched her as she pulled on a pair of her pants, but grabbed my grey hoodie, pulling it over her head. “I’m going to have to charge you rent on that.” I grinned, coming up behind her. “I never get to wear it anymore.” She wrinkled her nose at me in the mirror as she struggled to get the comb through her hair. Leaning over, I plucked the comb from her hand and carefully worked it through the snarls. “I’ll get you some conditioner as soon as I can get a delivery to us,” I said, frowning. “This must hurt, Rabbit.” I met her eyes in the mirror. She was smiling sweetly at me.
“What?”
“You never hurt me, Joshua.” Her voice was confident.
I smiled and continued to work the knots out of her hair. Once I was satisfied, I put down the comb and grabbed some clothes. I sat on the side of the bed and pulled some socks on my feet. Lifting my head, I saw Rabbit was in front of me. She held up the comb. “My turn.”
I snorted. “Knock yourself out. It won’t help much.” But I let her run the comb then her hands through my hair, enjoying the feeling of being cared for.
Holding her hand, I escorted her to the sofa, making sure she was comfortable before sitting beside her.
The sound of Bear’s giant paws descending from upstairs made me turn my head. He walked over to the fireplace and stood looking at us. There was no mistaking the expression on his furry face. “Uh oh,” Rabbit giggled, the sound muffled behind her hand. “I don’t think he approved of the kitchen … forking.”
I laughed as he turned his back to both of us with a huff and lay down, ignoring us. I pulled her to me, settling her into my side. “Too bad, because that is definitely gonna happen again.”
Her eyes looked up at me. “Is that a fact?”
I leaned down and grazed my lips on hers. “Trust me, I have many, many plans of things I want to do to you, Rabbit,” I growled roughly.
She giggled. “All this because of apple pie?”
“No,” I shook my head, stroking her cheek with my hand. “All of this, because of you.”
With a contented sigh she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to mine. I pulled her close and leaned back on the sofa, nestling her into my chest. We sat gazing at the fire, our bodies close, limbs entwined, and happy to just be close and quiet.
Chapter Sixteen
Joshua
I sat behind the wheel with the engine rumbling and looked at the gate which seemed to loom large and ominously at me. I drew in a breath and hit the remote, watching as the gate swung open. I glanced up and met Rabbit’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. She had determined it was better for her to be behind me so I could see her easily. She nodded, not saying anything.
Still, I hesitated.
Slowly, I felt arms encircle my shoulders from behind, and Rabbit’s head rested against my neck. “I’m right here, Joshua,” her tender voice whispered into my ear. “It’s still your property. You’re still safe.”
I sighed and shifted into drive. I lowered the plow and began clearing a path further from the gate. The entire time Rabbit’s arms stayed around me, her voice in my ear as the distance from the gate lengthened. Every day we had gone farther and we were almost to the road now. When she felt the tenseness and shaking start, she leaned forward, laying her hand over mine at the wheel. “Just stop, Joshua.”
I did as she said. “Breathe. Just breathe with me.” I nodded silently and concentrated on pulling the air into my lungs. “Good, that’s good,” she encouraged gently after a few minutes. “Why don’t you just clear a wider path for now? We’ve gone quite far today.”
I shifted and slowly worked my way back up the drive, cutting another swath through the deep snow. Over and over, I repeated the pattern until a large clear area was in front of me. Then I raised the plow and drove back up the road, through the gate, hitting the button to shut it behind me, even though I knew no one could get as far as the gate since the last stretch of the road was still impassable.
I pulled the truck up to the front of the house so I could clean it off before pulling it inside the barn later. I jumped out of the truck and, opening the back door, reached in for Rabbit, dragging her across the seat and out of the truck. I stood holding her closely, feeling the panic finally beginning to subdue and my body ease. Her arms were wound around me tightly as she stood locked in my embrace, wordlessly offering me the comfort I needed.
“You did so well,” she praised, pulling back slightly, her head tilted up. I shrugged self-consciously. “What?” she questioned.