Slipping, but catching herself from an all-out fall on her butt, she sucked in a cold breath and managed to recover from the fright. She did drop several pieces of wood, though. “Dammit.” Juggling the armful of wood, she nudged the back door open wide enough to get in, nearly tripped over Snowball, recovered and, with a gusty sigh, dropped her armload next to the wood-burning stove and straightened her aching back. God, her back hurt. Being immortal, one would think back pain would be non-existent. Snowball rubbed against her leg. The small cat was content to sit in front of the stove all day until it came time to bring the wood in, then the infuriating kitten liked to weave between her feet. Death by cat stalking. Interesting idea. She picked the cat up and rubbed her little white head, loving the way she immediately purred as if the world revolved around her. She petted the cat once more and set her on the back of the couch. The small bundle of fur had made her grandfather’s last days full of laughter—for that, she’d love Snowball like he had.
