On Ice *Experiencing a complete overhaul*

Chapter 3

My body was on fire. Every single nerve was lighting up with pain like a Martha Stewart Christmas tree. It was hard to think, hard to breathe. My feet ached and throbbed all the way to the bone. My shoulders and side contained their own internal flame. My head pounded to the steady rhythm of my heart beat and my mouth felt as if it was filled with cotton. Slowly I began to sense my surroundings. I could feel something soft that must be fabric underneath me as well as the heavy weight of something maybe blankets above me. Through my inferno I could feel a comforting cool next to me. I fought for consciousness.

'Where am I?' I fought my ringing ears and pounding head and cracked my eyes open a slit.

The first thing I noticed was the dim lighting in the room. I turned my head slowly and painfully to see there was a couple logs burning in the fireplace next to me. They must have been burning for a while because they were mostly coals. I stared at the ceiling for a moment to let my eyes adjust. When my ears finally stopped ringing I could hear the steady breathing of someone beside me.

'WTF?!' I'm sure if i had been my usual awesome self my head would have whipped to the other side but as it was I couldn't help but groan as my head slowly creaked towards the muted sound.

There was a woman lying next to me, her face almost completely covered by deep auburn hair. she smelled like vanilla and raspberries and the thought almost made my mouth water.'Could be worse. It could be coyote ugly. I'm so glad I don't have to gnaw off an arm or something to escape. How the hell did I get here? What the hell happened?'

It felt worse than the morning after a long night of drinking. I had no idea why I was in a cabin. Go figure. Haven't had a night I didn't remember in a while. I must have dipped into Banes home brew again. That shit does terrible things to you. 'Maybe that's why I feel so weak...Wait a minute!!! Am I naked?! Oh hell...' I groaned out loud.

She stirred slightly brushing her hair out of her face sleepily. 'Had she been crying?'she sat up slowly blankets falling from her to land at her waist, revealing a dark red Victoria's secret bra, and yawned while stretching. 'I think I'm starting to feel better.' I couldn't help but look...okay stare.

Her eyes followed my line of sight and she blushed delicately before grabbing the blanket back to cover her. "Hey..."she looked up at me cheeks flaming.

"Um hi. So um... what happened? Did we...?" I barely recognized my voice it came out hoarse and barely recognizable. I mentally kicked myself for the slip. Now it was going to turn into an awkward morning after.

"No! I mean no we didn't sleep together. I found you erm...naked in the snow." She blushed even more. It was kinda cute.

"So you rescued me?" I raised an eyebrow at her. she probably weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. I wasn't exactly small. "How on earth did you manage that and why to I feel like I've been run over by a convoy?"

"I was hoping you'd be able to tell me. I found you naked in the snow about ten minutes ride from here. You must have been passed out in the snow for a bit before the coyotes got you. lf it wasn't for those damn animals I never would have found you. They tore a chunk out of your shoulder and your side, but you had the gunshot when I found you." She looked tired I could see the dark purple bags under her silver eyes.

"Gunshot?" Memories from yesterday were hazy at best. I remembered I was supposed to meet Aiden but something just felt wrong...something was screaming at me to remember.

"The bullet went through your shoulder. I bandaged it for you," Her eyes watched me carefully and suddenly I was curious to what she was thinking. Hell I couldn't remember why I had ended up the way I did. I think I'd be nervous around me too. She probably thought I was dangerous.

"So how did you get me here and um why are you in your underwear?" She blushed again a stain of pink flooding her cheeks.

"I put you in my sleeping bag and pulled you behind my horse. If it wasn't for the soft snow we might have been in trouble. It took me twenty minutes to get you here and by that time you were developing severe hypothermia. I burried you in blankets and started to unthaw your feet. they probably don''t feel that great but I managed to save your toes from too much damage," I grimaced at the thought and she continued, " by the time i had finished you had stopped shivering."

Her voice trembled at the end and I looked up at her, "Thats a bad thing?"

"You aren't from around here are you?" she looked at me like I had just grown a third eye, "Just where are you from?"

"Rome," I rasped.

"As in Italy?" she raised an eyebrow at me, "you're a long way from home cowboy"

"where am i?" I asked suddenly curious.

"You don't know?" She looked at me incredulously.

"No."

"Hun, you're in northern Alberta,"

I must have had a blank expression so she continued, "that's Canada..."

"Right..."