Into the Cold

By the time she reached her suite, Amelia felt as if she’d been put through a meat grinder. She was so tired she wanted nothing more than to fall in bed, but she really needed a shower first.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Amelia was shocked at the changes in her appearance. It had been months since she'd seen her reflection in anything clearer than the surface of the lake.

The roots of her blonde hair had grown out over three inches, revealing her natural deep brown color. The skin of her face and arms had browned deeply in the Alaskan sunlight, a stark contrast to the paleness of the rest of her body.

Her once slim figure had a muscular roundness to it, especially her upper arms and thighs.

‘So much for my personal trainer,’ she thought, examining the rippling play of muscles under the skin.

Standing under the spray of hot water coming from the shower-head in her suite, Amelia finally allowed herself to break down and cry. She cried everything out. Being brought back to civilization, wanting desperately to hear Dale’s voice and worst of all, leaving Caleb.

The six months she’d spent with him were some of the happiest months she’d had in years, and the last three being the best. Their lovemaking had filled her heart with so much joy. A joy she was now emptying into the shower drain.

Wrapped in a soft robe, Amelia looked out at the Anchorage skyline wondering what she would do now. Of course she’d go back to Houston, back to Dale, but what then? She wasn’t sure she would ever feel the happiness there the way she’d felt it before.

In her heart, she knew she’d found a new happiness, greater than anything she’d ever know could exist. How was she supposed to push down those feelings and return to a relationship that had become prosaic?

As these thoughts and many others tumbled through her brain, the phone rang. With a trembling hand, Amelia reached for it.

“Amelia? Amelia darling, is that you?” Dale asked, his deep voice breaking.

“Yes Dale, it’s me,” Amelia sobbed, tears of joy mingling with tears of sorrow and regret as she collapsed onto the sofa. “Oh, Dale…I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Dale sobbed. “When the troopers called me to tell me you’d been found I couldn’t believe it. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, “just really tired.”

“My darling,” Dale said, another tremor in his voice. “We can talk more tomorrow. I’m in Winnipeg right now. There are no more commercial flights out tonight, but I’ve hired a jet to fly me the rest of the way, the pilot said it will be about two hours before we can take off. I’ll be in Anchorage by tomorrow morning. You take a long hot bath and get a good night’s sleep, okay?”

“I’ll be waiting,” Amelia replied. “Hurry Dale.”

Dropping the phone back in its cradle, Amelia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. How would she be able to face him? Adultery was such an ugly word to describe the absolute ecstasy she’d shared with Caleb.

Shaking her head, Amelia vowed that from that moment forward, she would never think or speak of how intimate she and Caleb had really become. As far as the world, and most importantly Dale would know, Caleb was just the man who’d saved her life and kept her alive until his resupply plane arrived.