My phone shows no signal, and it’s already getting dark, the storm eating what little daylight December offers.
I sit for a moment, hands shaking. Do I stay here? The car could be buried in snow by morning. But walking down to town means miles in a blizzard. Walking up the mountain… I have no idea what's up there.
I grab my coat and camera bag, then step out into the storm. The cold makes me suck in my breath. The snow is already covering the car's tracks, erasing evidence I was ever here. I need to get my travel case out of the trunk.
Walking forward, I stumble, going down hard on my ankle. I use the side of the car to pick myself up, tears pricking atmy eyes. That's when headlights cut through the white, growing larger. A massive truck materializes from the storm, rumbling to a stop behind my pathetic rental. The door opens with a creak, and someone steps out.
He's enormous, a giant of a man moving easily through the snow. A thick beard covers half his face, dark with silver threads that catch in the truck's headlights. He wears heavy boots and a thick jacket that does nothing to disguise his impressive muscles.
Then a chocolate Lab bounds through the snow toward me, tail wagging furiously despite the storm.
“Comet, heel,” the man commands, his voice a low rumble that carries through the wind. The dog ignores him, jumping at me with enthusiastic kisses.
“Hell, what were you thinking driving up here in this weather?” The man reaches me, and I have to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. They're dark, almost black in the fading light.
“I need to get to the overlook,” I manage through chattering teeth, trying to sound professional while the dog tries to knock me over with pure love. “For photos. It's important.”
He stares at me like I've announced plans to do a risqué photoshoot with Santa himself. Those dark eyes travel from my soaked boots to my flimsy coat to my camera bag, taking inventory of exactly how unprepared I am for this situation.
“Let me guess, you’re from the city…” But even as he says it, his hands are reaching toward me to steady me as I start to slip backwards. “You hurt?”
“No, I’m fine. Just cold. And stuck.”
“Yeah, I can see that. This car isn't moving until spring, the way this storm's shaping up.”
“Spring? It's December twenty-first!”
He gives me the ghost of a grim, already examining my car's position in the snow. “I need to get you somewhere warm before you freeze. Can you walk?”
I take a step to prove I can and immediately slip again on the ice. His hand shoots out, catching my elbow, steadying me with an ease that makes me feel even more incompetent.
“These boots weren't made for deep snow,” I admit, heat flooding my cheeks despite the cold.
“No kidding.” He looks from me to his truck, then back again, and I see the moment he makes a decision. “Guess I'm carrying you then.”
“That's really not?—”
But he's already scooping me up like I weigh nothing, one arm under my knees, the other around my back. I should be scared, should protest more. Instead, pressed against his flannel-covered chest, I’m safe. Warm.
He smells like woodsmoke and musk, and it makes my brain go fuzzy. His beard brushes my forehead as he adjusts his grip, all hard muscles and solid strength.
“This is completely unnecessary,” I squeak.
“You want to try walking again?” His breath is warm against my temple.
“Not really.”
He carries me toward the truck with steady steps, Comet bounces alongside us, barking joyfully. Opening the door, he places me gently on the passenger seat and looks down at me. His eyes are dark and intense, and my heart thuds faster despite the circumstances.
“I'm Clara Berry,” my voice is breathy.
“Beau Northwood,” he says, not breaking eye contact as snow swirls around the truck. “Welcome to Snowflake Falls, Clara Berry. Hope you're ready for a real mountain Christmas.”
Chapter Two
BEAU
The truck's heater blasts full force, but Clara's still shivering, her teeth making little clicking sounds she's trying to hide. Comet's in the back, fogging up the window with his breath.
