Fuck this fucking outdoors bullshit. Chloe can’t believe her luck. Falling in a puddle, ruining her skirt, and making her cold. She lost her luggage, not that she packed anything wearable for this environment, and now her foot and heel are lodged in the mud, making her even colder. Fuck this.
She can feel the tears running down her face in frustration and embarrassment. This is humiliating. Their driver, Levi, had given her a once-over with a frown, and she was sure he thought she was an idiot wearing this outfit to the middle of nowhere, Montana. Now she’s standing here pulling on her leg as the owner of the lodge stands and looks at her. She has yet to meet his eyes, too embarrassed to look at him and see what he thinks of her.
Danielle finally notices and rushes back to her side.
“Oh my gosh, Chloe. What happened?”
“My heel is stuck,” she grinds out through her teeth.
“Here, let me help.” Danielle bends forward and begins to yank on Chloe’s leg, too. Chloe almost topples backwards when she feels a warm hand on her arm. She looks to the owner of the hand and is met with the most gorgeous eyes, golden brown, warm like the sun. Her eyes flit around his face, taking in dark, soft hair and a strong jaw. A short beard covers the lower part of his face, and she wants to reach out and touch it. He’s the most beautiful man she’s ever seen.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” he asks her, his voice deep and gravelly. It makes her shiver, and she can’t do anything but nod yes.
“I’m going to pick you up, ok?” His hand releases her arm and slides along her back. She can feel the warmth of his hand there and leans back into it. It has been too long since a man touched her.
He’s waiting patiently, eyes locked on hers, when she realizes he wants a verbal answer from her.
“Yes, yes. That’s fine.” He scoops her up in his arms immediately, and she lets out a little yelp. She wraps her arms around his neck as he starts to walk and feels herself snuggling a little deeper into his hold. He carries her like she weighs nothing, and that is a bit of a turn on because she knows she isn’t a petite little thing. She has curves, and although she would never call herself fat, she’s still self-conscious about her size.
“Levi, can you please take Ms. Wilkshire to the front? We’ll be there in a moment.”
Chloe realizes he’s taking her to the side of the lodge, and not the front, and she wonders where theyare going. When he stops and gently sets her down, she is unbalanced in the grass. No man has made her feel this thrown off in a long time, if ever. She doesn’t like it.
He bends down slowly and slips the muddy heel off her foot. Instinctively, she reaches down and settles her hand on his shoulder for balance and swears she hears him growl. He turns on the spigot on the side of the wall and gently washes off her foot and heel.
“I’m afraid your heel’s broken, ma’am.”
“What?” That snaps her out of her daze. They are two-hundred-dollar shoes and are currently the only pair she has. Her irritation bubbles up again at her circumstances. And she shivers with the chill of the cold water and fall air.
“Let’s get you warmed up.” He turns the water off and helps her to remove her other heel. No sense in wearing just one of them. He stands up, her hand falling from his shoulder, and she takes in his full height. He’s well over six feet with shoulders twice as wide as hers. A big man, and she doesn’t even remember his name. What had he introduced himself with?
“I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name,” she says softly while flitting her eyes over his face.
He smiles at her, and she melts a little, wishing his hands were still on her so she could lean into them. The sides of his eyes crinkle up a little, and the little laugh lines make him even more beautiful.
“Axel, Axel Henderson.” He sticks out his hand and she takes it in hers. It’s warm and soft, she wonders how a mountain man like him can have such soft skin.
“I’m Chloe, Chloe Barker.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chloe.” The warm smile stays on his face, and she realizes they’ve just been holding hands. She pulls her hand away and looks down as she feels her face heat in a blush.
“I’m going to carry you into the lodge, if you don’t mind. There’s dirt along the path, and I don’t want you to get those pretty feet dirty.”
His comment feels sweet, not overly flirtatious, but she can’t help the butterflies that bloom in her stomach. She nods yes, and in a second, she’s swept up in his arms. Chloe wraps her arms around his neck again and savors the heat of where their bodies touch. Too soon, he’s setting her down on a soft leather sofa in front of a fireplace.
He moves quickly, pulling a blanket out of a woven basket, laying it on her, and tucking it around her feet. He turns back then to the fireplace and begins loading wood into it. She opens her mouth to stop him, to tell him she’s fine and is already warming up, but it’s been so long since anyone took care of her, she wants it for just a little longer. Soon, he has a fire going, and he turns to look at her with a look of pride on his face. She offers him a small smile in thanks and burrows deeper in the blanket.
Danielle plops down next to her.
“Cold?” she asks.
“Getting warmer. This hasn’t been the best start to our vacation.” Chloe admits.
She doesn’t want to make her friend feel bad, but she wishes she had been given a heads-up about where they were going. She would have had sneakers, sweaters, and, for goodness' sake, pants! How is she going to survive two weeks here with no clothes?She’d only packed heels and skirts. She’d even packed a formal dress. Groaning, she rests her head on the back of the couch and closes her eyes. Handsome man aside, she isn’t looking forward to the next two weeks.
Chapter Five
Axel
