At this point, I’m willing to take my chances.
As I get closer, it turns into a cabin. My actual, honest-to-God salvation. I break out into a run, mud flying, as I rush up the rickety wooden steps, fists pounding on the door.
“Hello? Is anyone…please, I’m lost!”
The door swings open. So hard, I think it’s about to fly off the hinges. “What is going on out here?” A large figure comes barreling out, nearly knocking me out of the way. In two strides, he’s at the edge of the porch, looking right then left, up and down the yard.
Spinning back around, he pins me with his intense gaze. “Who the hell are you?”
Holy. Shit.
It was at that exact moment that everything…the rain, my fear and panic, the way my lungs are burning…all of it, completely goes away.
He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. A mountain in a flannel shirt, broad shoulders, muscles straining against the fabric, dirty boots, standing with his fists clenched at his sides like he’s ready for a fight…dirty blond hair, a jaw sharp with stubble.
He says nothing. Just stares, looking back at me with a set of blue eyes that are stormy and dangerous, taking me in from head to toe. I know I look like a drowned rat, with blonde hair plastered to my face, mascara streaked down my cheeks. Every ounce of dignity gone.
“You lost, princess?” This time, his voice sounds low and gravelly, with just a hint of threat.
The nickname isn’t endearing at all; it’s a test. I square my shoulders, but my voice betrays me, coming out as a squeak. “Yeah. The trail went away. Or I did. Sorry, I just…the rain, I couldn’t…”
He leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, biceps bulging, mouth set in a line that says I’m barely worth his time. “You got a death wish, wandering out here alone? Or just a bit crazy?”
“Both, apparently,” I shoot back. The sass is weak, but it’s all I’ve got at the moment. “I was doing fine until the sky opened andtried to drown me.”
“Women,” he grunts, and I swear it sounds almost like a laugh.Is he mocking me?Stepping aside, he motions toward the door. “Get your ass in the house before you freeze to death, and I’ve got a bigger situation to deal with.”
I’m not sure whether to be offended or grateful. So, I brush past him, stepping inside.
“Wow.”
The words come out of my mouth before I have time to think about anything else. His cabin is absolutely gorgeous.
No, I take that back…it’s primal.
There’s a floor-to-ceiling, stone fireplace sitting directly in the middle of the house, burning real wood…not those gas logs most people have, worn rustic beams run across the structure of the high ceilings, and a leather sectional sits along the perimeter of the living area. On the far wall are antlers hanging above a bookshelf packed with old, worn paperback books, and yep…there’s a bottle of whiskey that looks like it could get me drunk in one sip.
The whole place smells like cedar and spice, but there’s also a hint of something darker.
Him.
I catch his eye, and my heart does this little flip thing.
He huffs and stalks toward the kitchen.Is he angry that I’m here?He comes back almost immediately with a towel, tossing it at me. “You know these woods eat idiots for breakfast, right?”
I wrap the towel around my shoulders, unable to hide the irritation in my voice. “Well, then, consider me chewed.”
He’s not amused. “Next time, check the weather. Or don’t. Less work for me.”
“What’s with the attitude? You sound like you’d rather the woods just swallow me up than me be here.”
He shrugs, not denying it. “People don’t belong out here unless they know what the hell they’re doing. Which, from the looks of it, you have no clue.”
I glare at him, my hands shaking with anger. “Thanks for the warm welcome, Grizzly Adams.”
His mouth twitches, but he doesn’t give in to it. “You want tea or something stronger?”
“Tea is fine.”
