Melting the Ice by Loreth Anne White Read Free Book Online Page A

space. She ran through a mental bear encounter checklist as she backed off.
    She was so tightly wound she almost screamed when two little cubs scampered out of the trees in front of her, across the trail and into the brush on the other side. The big sow dropped to all fours, chomped her mouth and huffed at Hannah in warning before lumbering into the brush after her cubs.
    She could feel the blood thudding through the arteries at her neck with each rapid pound of her heart. Filled with exhilaration and the adrenaline of fear, Hannah laughed out loud in release.
    She waited until she could no longer hear the undergrowth crushing under the clumsy weight of the bruins before she again broke into a run.
    But she was uneasy now. She couldn’t regain her stride. She kept glancing over her shoulder and hearing sounds in the trees, in the shadows.
    She thought she could hear the thud of feet in the soft ground behind her. She felt like the hunted must feel, her senses heightened, nerves strung like a bow.
    She heard the thud of feet again. And she felt a presence.
    She stopped, swiped her damp brow with the back of her hand. Listening. Silence. Nothing.
    Then a sharp crack in the brush.
    Hannah uncoiled into a sprint, cut onto a trail that led to the suspension bridge, a lifeline over White River that would lead her to the village, people. Fear burned with cold air in her chest as she sprinted through the trees. Sweat dripped into her eyes, blurring her vision. She ran onto the bridge. Slats of wood bounced under her weight throwing her momentarily off balance. Water raged below. She stumbled, grabbed the cable railing, and made her way across to the wooden ramp that led off the bridge. She hit solid land, sprinted over a mound and turned sharply to her right. And ran straight into him.
    He reeled back under the force of the collision, grabbing her shoulders in an effort to steady them both.
    “Hannah. What is it?”
    She pulled away from him and bent over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath, the nausea of exertion rising in her stomach. “Rex…you…startled…me.” Her words came out in rasping gasps.
    “Talk to me. What spooked you?”
    Still bent over, panting, she looked up at him. He was also in workout gear. His dark hair hung tousled and damp over his brow. Was he chasing her?
    “Nothing…bear and her cubs. I lost my head.”
    He raised a brow. He didn’t believe her.
    “Someone was following you.” He said it so matter-of-factly. As if he already knew. He scanned the trees on the far side of the river. “How long do you think he’s been watching you?”
    “What?” She stood upright, hand pressed tight into the pain of the stitch at her waist. “What do you mean ‘how long’? Why would someone be ‘watching’ me?”
    “Keep it down.”
    She glanced back into the woods, following his gaze. He was making her really uneasy.
    He put a hand on each shoulder. “You’re not safe, Hannah, not until I get to the bottom of this.” He looked into her eyes. She felt suddenly self-conscious. She caught the wild strand escaping from her ponytail and brushed it behind her ear.
    “Listen to me, you need protection.”
    She attempted a laugh. It came out hollow. “And who’s going to protect me? You? The guy who breaks into apartments?”
    “Damn right I am.”
    She pulled away from him. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
    “Hannah, someone followed you when you left Amy’s apartment last night.”
    She closed her eyes and drew in a deep, steadying breath. Her brain could no longer cope. It was in total overload.
    “Hannah, we have to talk.” He looked around, then into her eyes. “But not here. Come, let me buy you breakfast.”
    Coffee, she needed coffee. She needed space. He was crowding her, invading her life.
    “Let’s go.” He took her arm and started to lead her down the path. She struggled to match his long gait as he ushered her along the trail toward the village. She was losing control, he was