I woke up a little while later, curled up against Mikhail as he lay on his back, his arm still wrapped protectively around me. I blushed as I remembered our lovemaking, then blanched as I recalled the events that had precipitated it. I groaned inwardly and nestled against him, not wanting to think about it any more than possible. He stirred and opened his eyes, looking confused for a moment. Then his arm tightened around my shoulders, and he turned to look at me, a tender, contented look in his eyes.

"Hi there, beautiful lady," he said with a smile as he brushed a strand of hair from my face. "Come here often?" I giggled at the cheesiness of his line, and even he grinned, a little sheepishly. Just then my stomach growled loudly. "Hungry?" he asked, with a faintly amused look.

I nodded, blushing a little. "My appetite seems to have grown lately. I used to be able to skip meals fairly regularly without it bothering me, but now...."

"Well, of course you need to eat—you're growing a little one in there, and he needs to eat, too."

"She," I automatically corrected him. He raised an eyebrow, so I explained. "I don't know why, but I just have a strong feeling the baby's a girl. It doesn't make sense, I know, but there it is. Whenever I think of her or talk about her, she's always a 'she'. And right now, I think she's telling me that she really, really wants a slice of apple pie with cheese."

Mikhail laughed, then gently rubbed my belly, saying, "Do you have the means to satisfy her craving, or do I need to see if Laney can help her out?"

I nodded. "I do. I baked a pie this morning—can't you smell the spices? Anyway, I think I'll make some vegetable soup for dinner, and then have pie afterwards. Does that sound good to you?"

"Whatever you like is fine. You're the one eating for two, not me," he said as he sat up and stretched, smiling at me. "You know, I can feel a tiny bump already when I touch your tummy, although it doesn't show yet. It's pretty incredible to think that there's a person growing in there, isn't it?"

I scooted out of bed and pulled my pajamas back on. "Yeah... it is. I just... I just wish things weren't such a mess with her father." I sighed and headed out to the kitchen, Mikhail following as soon as he'd dressed. I got the soup started, then pinched off some dough from a batch of sourdough I had on a slow rise in the fridge and shaped it into rolls. While the soup simmered and the rolls baked, I sliced a little cheese. Looking at Mikhail where he leaned against the counter, watching me work, I said, "Dr. Ayame warned me not to drink very much alcohol—preferably none at all. But if you'd like some wine, I'd be happy to open a bottle for you."

He shook his head, "No, thank you. I'll just have whatever you're having."

"That would be water—the good doctor tells me I need to drink a lot more water. I've never been very good about that. Usually I drink tea, but now I'm supposed to limit that, too, unless it's mint or chamomile."

"Do you have very many restrictions now?" he asked me, curiously.

"Not as many as I'd feared. Avoid or cut back on alcohol and caffeine, no medicines without her approval, no raw or undercooked fish, meat, or eggs, and she wants me to avoid anything too strenuous, like lifting sacks of feed or bales of hay. But I just saw her a few days ago, and she said I was in perfect health, and as long as I maintain a balanced diet, to go ahead and eat anything that appeals to me—within those restrictions, of course."

After our meal, I returned to the kitchen to wash up. Mikhail offered to wash up, since I'd cooked the meal, so I dried the dishes and put them away. When we were done, he turned to me, and asked, "So do you have any other restrictions?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, she did say I should avoid soaking in hot water, like long baths. Otherwise...."

"What about..." he said, then hesitated.

I looked up at him. "What about what?"

He reached down and stroked my cheek, then leaned down and kissed me, pulling me close to him. The light dawned, then, as he slid his hands down my back to the waist of my pajamas. He loosened the drawstring and slipped them down off of me as he kissed my neck, breathing hard. He lifted me up and seated me on the edge of the counter, then pulled my camisole off. He hungrily kissed and nibbled my shoulders and breasts, teasing the nipples with his tongue, until I pushed him back and started to undo his buttons. I grew impatient after the first few, though, and tugged his shirt over his head. Caressing his chest and his stomach, I worked my way down to his button and zipper, then undid them and slid his trousers and boxers down until they fell to the floor.

He pressed up against me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, eager to feel his body joined to mine. I scraped his back with my nails as he guided himself into me, crying out as I felt him thrust deep within. He grabbed me by my hips and continued thrusting, firmly and rapidly, every bit as eager as I was. All too soon I felt swept up in a whirlwind of pleasure, crying out and gasping as I rode out my climax. As I reached the peak, he joined me, pulling me hard up against him and groaning as he emptied himself into me.

Afterwards, as we leaned into each other, shaky and breathless from our brief but intense liaison, I murmured, "She didn't mention any such restrictions." He chuckled, still gasping, and rested his forehead against mine for a moment before kissing me.

"Good," he replied, grinning as he kissed me again. He lifted me down from the counter, and we gathered up our discarded clothing and climbed into bed, naked and exhausted, falling asleep within a few minutes.

I awoke early the next morning, and managed to slip out of bed without waking Mikhail. The forecast yesterday had said a blizzard was on its way and should arrive sometime today or tomorrow, so I thought I'd better tend to my animals as soon as possible, before the storm hit.

He woke briefly while I was dressing, but I kissed him and explained I was just going out to do my chores and would be back shortly. He kissed me back drowsily, then rolled over and fell back asleep almost instantly. I put the kettle on a low flame, intending to make something hot to drink when I returned. Then I pulled on my boots and barn coat and headed outside.

It was bitterly cold, and although no snow was falling at the moment, the horizon was dark with foreboding clouds. I hurried to the barn first, putting out generous portions of hay and milking the cows before heading over to the chicken coop. I filled the feeder full of grain for my hens and gathered the day's eggs, then I returned to the house. The breeze was freshening, and I thought to myself that a blizzard was definitely possible, or at the very least a snowstorm—probably sometime that afternoon, though one could never be sure. The wind could change and delay or deflect it all together—I'd have to wait and watch the sky.

I made two cups of tea, then I undressed again and slipped back into bed, sitting next to Mikhail. He woke up this time, and sat up next to me. I handed him one of the cups, and we sat and sipped the hot tea as I snuggled up to him to warm up again. He put an arm around me and kissed the top of my head, then feeling how chilled I was, he scooted up against me and pulled the blanket up over me a little higher. He leaned across me to set his cup down, then wrapped his arms around me as I gulped my tea down while it was still hot, finishing it in just a few swallows.

That seemed to help, and my shivering soon stopped. He reached across again to pick up his tea, but when he was halfway there, I put my arms around him and drew him closer for a kiss. He stopped, his arm still outstretched, as our kiss heated up, then he reached down to me and began to caress me. After a few minutes, he slid back over and sat next to me again, then he pulled me over to him so that I sat straddling his lap. He buried his face in my breasts, kissing my soft skin as he lightly stroked his hands along my spine and down to my thighs. I arched my back into him, pressing my belly against him as he took a nipple into his mouth and began to gently nip and suck on it. After a minute, he moved to the other side, then he began to kiss all over my neck and chest and arms and face.

I grabbed the headboard and curved my back, pressing my pelvis against him as I leaned in to kiss him. I could feel him growing bigger and harder beneath me, and soon he was lifting me up and sliding me down his length as I trembled and gasped. He held me by my hips, helping me to slide up and down as I pressed my chest and belly against him, still gripping the headboard. We started slowly, enjoying the full-body contact, but soon I grew impatient as the urgency grew in the pit of my stomach and I picked up speed of my own accord.

He made a perfunctory attempt to get me to slow down a little, but quickly gave up when I persisted. As he got closer and closer to his peak, he gripped me even more tightly, digging his strong fingertips into my hips as I bucked against him. Soon he matched my rhythm, thrusting up to meet me until he cried out, pounding into me as he pulled me down hard against him. The feeling of him climaxing deep inside me drove me to the edge and over, and I moaned and cried out as I ground against him, caught in the throes of another powerful climax.

I slumped down against him as we caught our breath, sliding my hands down behind him in a light embrace. Although we were slick with sweat, neither of us felt chilled by the cool air in the house as we sat entwined in each others' embrace. Soon we began to doze again, me with my head on his shoulder, he with his arms around my waist.

Then the front door banged open, and Cam was standing in the doorway, glaring at us. "What the hell is going on here?" he snarled.

Startled awake, I jumped and twisted around to stare at him, speechless. Mikhail tightened his arms around me, replying drily, "I would have thought that you'd know the answer to that by now."

"So I was right! You have been sleeping with him! I knew it!" he snapped, glaring at me and ignoring Mikhail as he slammed the door shut behind him and took a few steps into the room.

I climbed out of bed and glared back at Cam. Stalking past him to my wardrobe, I pulled out clothes and began to dress. "You're a fine one to talk, aren't you? Last night was the first time I'd ever been with him, and even then I wouldn't have if... if you...." I slammed the wardrobe door shut and turned to face him.

"If I what?" he said, folding his arms over his chest as he scowled at me.

"Just how stupid do you think I am? Did you really think I wouldn't hear about it? That you could keep it a secret?"

"What are you even talking about?"

"I'm talking about that... that girl you had in your bed Sunday night!" Cam blanched, and I tore into him, seeing confirmation in his ashen face. "You accuse me of being unfaithful—you, who not only had numerous women before me and kept it from me, but who also had someone else for a grand old romp in the sack all while accusing me of lying and cheating. Oh, yes, I heard all about it—how loud she was, how late you two were at it, how energetic you were. You took my virginity from me and threw it back in my face. You made up all sorts of fantastic lies about me and convinced yourself they were true no matter what I said. Now I wonder why you were so determined to believe that I was unfaithful—if it was because you'd been lying to me and had kept up your sordid affairs all this time, even though you claimed you hadn't."

"I certainly did not! I only slept with her because you were so damned determined to leave me for... for him!" he shouted, gesturing at Mikhail, who was pulling his own clothes on as we fought, remaining silent but with anger glittering coldly in his eyes. "Oh, and by the way, she was a much better lay than you ever were!" he added spitefully, with a vindictive look in his eyes.

Stunned, I stared at him, tears gathering in my eyes. Then I shoved him out of my way with all my might and fled, bolting out the front door without even bothering to close it behind me. Sobbing, led Nimbus out of her stall, slipped on her bridle, and quickly led her outside. I could hear shouts coming from the house, but I ignored them as I mounted her bareback and rode off at a gallop towards the mountain path, utterly heedless of the snow just starting to fall or of the increasing winds.

I rode clear over the peak and down towards the waterfall—one of my favorite spots on the entire mountain, a place I thought of as a private refuge. However, just past the mountaintop, my mare hit a slick spot on the path and lost her footing. I was thrown from her back, and tumbled down the hill towards the frozen river. The last thing I remember was the sound of muffled hoofbeats and terrible, sharp pains in my head, back, and stomach. Then everything went black.