Fate and Destiny by Claire Collins

fire.”
    Shadow softly snored. He
was out of danger for the moment and should be okay as long as he
didn’t get an infection. Turning off the light in the kitchen that
he had turned on when gunfire erupted from under the bed, Andrew
grabbed the bottle of Jim Beam from the cabinet. After what they
had just been through, neither of them needed to dilute the drink
with tea. Soon after, they fell into an exhausted sleep although
they both snapped awake anytime Shadow made the slightest
noise.
    Waking to a soft whine from
Shadow, Andrew glanced over at the dogs shape outlined by
firelight. The dog still slept so Andrew settled back down. Ready
to drift back into the embrace of sleep, he realized in all of the
commotion, he forgot to tell Destiny about the tracks near the
woods. Someone wearing boots had walked down the driveway and into
the trees.

12.
    Destiny woke to sunlight
streaming through the window and something wet against her hand.
Blinking against the bright morning, she lifted her
head.
    Shadow sat at the side of
the bed, licking the fingers dangling over the edge of the
mattress. Tears sprung and her heart caught in her chest. He was so
beautiful sitting in front of her, lopsided grin, tongue hanging
out and big brown eyes. He bumped his head against her hand.
Instead of simply giving him the obligatory petting he sought,
Destiny detangled herself from Andrew's arms and slid to the floor.
Hugging and rubbing the dog, she was careful to avoid the white
patch of bandage over his shoulder and around the side of his
neck.
    “ Shadow, you are the best
thing I’ve seen in a long time. I am so sorry. I promise I will
never shoot you again.”
    Shadow shifted his weight
around without using his front leg. Rolling over to his back, he
presented his belly to her in a sign of submission.
    “ Does that mean you aren’t
worried about me shooting you again? Or that you will forgive me if
I do?”
    Shadow lay on his back,
leaning to the uninjured side, gazing at her with adoring eyes.
Hearing movement from the bed, the dog and woman both looked at
Andrew who sat up in the bed, watching them.
    “ Glad to see you both up
and doing well.”
    He smiled at Destiny,
wiping sleep from his eyes and yawning. The rings under his eyes
suggesting he had a long night.
    “ Better than you from the
looks of it. Go back to sleep Andrew. I can open the door and let
him out. I’ll even see what I can do to make an edible
breakfast.”
    Remembering the tracks in
the snow, Andrew was hesitant to let her anywhere near the front
door, and he didn’t want Shadow out without supervision.
    “ I’ll make a deal with
both of you. If Shadow can wait just a few minutes, I want to jump
in the shower and wash away the sleepiness. Then I will take him
outside so I can keep an eye on him. While I’m doing that, you can
start cooking.”
    Thinking on her history, he
added, “You can cook can’t you?”
    “ Who do you think cooked
for my aunt and uncle? I got tired of eating
sandwiches.”
    Leaving the bed, Andrew
kissed the top of Destiny’s head as he limped to the bathroom.
Watching him move past her, Destiny laughed.
    “ Aren’t the three of us
quite a sight? All of us limping around on bum legs!”
    Andrew didn’t reply. He
couldn’t see the amusement in the situation, however he was the
only one who knew about the boot prints in the snow. Someone was
looking for Destiny. When they failed to find a body, they would
certainly begin looking through the cabins on the mountain.
Hopefully, they would start with the empty ones before knocking on
the doors of the occupied ones. That would buy him some time to get
everything together and leave the mountain.
    There must be some clearing
in the storms for the kidnappers to get up the mountain. If they
could get up here, then he could get down there, and soon be on the
highway taking Destiny back to California with him since she
wouldn’t go to the police. That idea brought up another issue. What
if