Unbreak the Woodsman

by M. S. Parker

  I was in pretty good shape, but I generally didn’t go hiking through snow.

  It was exhausting, and by the time we crested the ridge, I was about ready to pass out. I was sweating under the clothes. Well, all except my feet, which were once more back in my damp socks since I couldn’t fit my boots on while wearing Ryder’s.

  “We’re almost there,” Ryder said, shooting a quick look at me as he gazed down the hill in front of us. “Look.”

  I glanced down, then did a doubletake as I caught sight of his ‘cabin.’ “That is your cabin?” I asked, gawking.

  It was probably ten times the size of my little city apartment, a rustic creation of wood and glass that seemed to scream money.

  “Yeah. Come on. You need to get into some warmer clothes.” He gave me a critical scrutiny before starting down the hill.

  “If you have a place like this, why are you sleeping in a little tent?”

  “Testing out possible products for my family’s stores to sell,” he answered honestly. “No better way to test a tent developed for cold weather than to camp in it…in cold weather.”

  He was moving faster now, and I had to hurry to keep up with him.

  “Your family sells camping equipment?”

  “Among other things,” he offered, still focused on the building ahead of him.

  We finally reached it, and I all but staggered inside after he unlocked the door.

  Blissful heat wrapped around me.

  “Come on. You should sit by the fire and warm up, then go take a warm shower.”

  I shuddered at the thought of getting wet, but a fire sounded divine.

  We sat down, and I stiffened in surprise when he grasped one of my feet and hauled it into his lap.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded.

  He didn’t even look up. “Checking to make sure you didn’t get frostbite. We weren’t out there long, but those boots of yours are designed to look pretty, not for actual hiking.”

  I made a face at him. “Maybe I should buy a pair from your store then.”

  He flashed a grin at me. “Wouldn’t hurt.”

  I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop a smile from curving my lips too. It didn’t last long though. I groaned, torn between misery and relief as he wrapped his big hands around my feet. His skin felt scalding hot, although I knew it wasn’t.

  He rubbed one foot, then the other, and I bit my lip as the pins and needles sensation started.

  Even though I tried to be quiet, he heard me and looked up from his task. “Feeling coming back?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  He kept rubbing my feet for a few more minutes, then left, returning with a blanket which he tucked around me. “Get a little warmer, then I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”

  “I don’t need–”

  “You don’t need to go outside until you’re warmer and wearing more adequate clothes,” he said, cutting me off.

  “I need to let my friends know I’m okay.”

  “I’ve got a radio. I’ll get a hold of whoever is at Lukas’s cabin.”

  “It’s his fiancée.” I shivered, the chill inside me just now starting to thaw.

  His brows shot up over his eyes. “You know Stella?”

  “She’s my best friend. We were supposed to be having a girl’s weekend.” I made a face. “Hope their night went better than mine.” I caught sight of his expression and hurriedly added, “I mean, I appreciate you helping me, but you’ve got to admit, being warm by a fire beats freezing in a tent.”

  “I wasn’t all that cold,” he said, then he turned away.

  I sat there, puzzling over his comment.

  Ten minutes later, he led me to a bedroom, then through it, pointing to the enclosed shower. “Go ahead and shower. There are clothes in the closet and the dresser in the bedroom that should fit you. Get something warm.”

  He left me alone, and I peeled out of the clothes. I had to admit, it felt good to be out of the ones I’d slept and sweated in, although I couldn’t help but wonder about the offer of clothes.

  Did he frequently have strange women up here?

  This place was kind of out of the way for a quickie sort of tryst.

  Of course, thinking about a quickie or a tryst or anything along those lines with Ryder at the head was enough to heat my chilled body a fair amount. Just like having his hands on me earlier, even though he’d been totally impersonal as he rubbed warmth back into my feet.

  “Stop,” I muttered to myself as I turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature. Faint shivers came back over me, and I realized how lucky I’d been.

  The heat felt amazing, and I probably spent more time inside that steamy glass enclosure than I should have, but I loathed the idea of leaving the warmth.

  Finally, though, I forced myself to turn off the water and grab a towel from the bar just outside the door.

  I sighed in deep pleasure as warmth surrounded me. It almost made getting out of the shower worth it. A quick look at the bar showed me that it was heated, and I mused to myself how nice it must be to have those simple little luxuries around.

  I grabbed a second towel to dry my hair, although I hadn’t washed it. The heavy mass just took too long to dry, and I needed to get to the cabin before Stella worried herself sick.

  I ducked into the bedroom and hurried over to the dresser.

  I found jeans and t-shirts, bras and panties.

  I wasn’t using somebody else’s underthings, so I put my bra back on and made a mental note to grab my panties before I left the bathroom. Going commando for a little while wouldn’t kill me.

  I didn’t know how much time I took, but when I emerged from the bathroom, I found Ryder standing by the window and staring outside. He must have showered too. His hair was neatly combed and looked vaguely damp, the ends of it curling just faintly.

  He wore a different color flannel today, and it hung open over another thermal undershirt.

  I’d never been a fan of thermal anything, but when I’d pulled on a pale pink thermal I’d found in the dresser, I’d decided maybe it had its appeal. Not terribly sexy, but so much warmer than just a regular t-shirt.

  I’d even been able to pair it with a pink and black flannel, which I’d paired with warm, lined jeans. I moved over to the gas fireplace and shivered at the warmth, letting it seep further into my bones before I had to go outside and freeze again.

  “I still don’t understand how you can stand to camp outside when it’s this cold,” I said, arms crossed over my middle.

  “If you’re prepared for the weather – dressed for it – it’s not so bad.” He gave my feet a pointed look. “You weren’t in good shoes for the snow, and you didn’t even have a hat.”

  I made a face at him. “Please don’t give me the lecture about how much of your body heat is lost through your head. I heard that enough from my mother.”

  “Apparently it didn’t sink in,” he commented dryly.

  “If I’d known I’d end up having a breakdown, I would have dressed more warmly.”

  He shrugged and skimmed a hand back over his hair. “I’m going to have a cup of coffee, then we can go,” he told me. “Would you like some?”

  I never said no to coffee, so I followed him into a brightly lit kitchen, one that was sleekly modern despite the rustic chic design the entire cabin had.

  He pulled two cups down and moved to a coffee machine that already had a pot ready. He’d been busy while I was up reveling in that warm shower.

  He poured me a cup. “Milk or sugar? I don’t ever use cream, so I don’t have any here.”

  I nodded, and he pulled out a jug of milk, then grabbed sugar from a cabinet overhead.

  As I doctored my coffee, I tried not to look at him from the corner of my eye.

  I was having a hard time believing this guy was the player Lukas had made him out to be. He was freaking hot and sharing that sleeping bag with him had definitely gotten to me.

  I’d noticed his physic
al arousal, but he’d done nothing to act on it, treating it like it was a normal occurrence.

  Well, I guess it wasn’t an unheard of normal occurrence, getting turned on when you were pressed together in close, proximity like that.

  It had certainly gotten to me, and I hadn’t let myself react to it.

  He cradled his coffee cup in big, capable looking hands. I found myself wondering about feeling those hands on me, and in a much more intimate fashion than what he’d used earlier.

  I darted a look at his face, then flushed as I found him staring at me.

  I was sitting there ogling him over coffee.

  My belly chose that minute to rumble demandingly, and Ryder cocked a brow at me. “Do I need to feed you again?”

  “Ah, no.” I shook my head, self-consciousness settling in. “I’d like to just get to the cabin if that’s okay with you.”

  He nodded and drained the rest of his coffee.

  I did the same, and just a few short minutes later, I was re-lacing my still damp boots.

  “I’m never going to buy this brand again,” I muttered. Granted, they would have been fine just for a trek from the SUV to the cabin, but I had no doubt in the future, when I was shopping for cold weather gear, I’d positively go for function over fashion.

  Once I was ready, I stood and looked around. I hadn’t brought anything with me, save for the clothes I’d been wearing, and Ryder had given me a bag to put everything in. I hadn’t forgotten the panties, either. Hard to, when I felt the denim of the skinny jeans I wore rubbing against me. The bag sat by the floor just inside the door, and I scooped it up.

  “I’ll get these clothes washed and find out a way to get them back to you,” I told him.

  He shrugged, looking unconcerned. “You ready?”

  I nodded, and we slipped out of the big, beautiful cabin into a bright blue morning. The sun shone overhead, just a few clouds dotting the sky. I looked around curiously. Earlier, I’d been too cold to take much in, but now it was hard not to see how beautiful this place was.

  “It’s gorgeous up here,” I said softly.

  “Thanks.” He jogged down the steps and gestured to a large Jeep I hadn’t noticed earlier. “I got it out of the garage while you were showering. It’s all heated up and ready to go.”

  There was already a clear path to where the Jeep sat in the driveway and my toes, already chilly, were grateful for the fact that I wasn’t tramping through snow.

  My butt connected with a seat already warmed, and I sighed in bliss. Heated towels. Heated seats. I loved it.

  “Thanks again for helping me out,” I told Ryder as he pulled the Jeep around in the driveway.

  He gave a short nod. “No problem.”

  “Have you lived up here long?”

  He barely glanced at me from the corner of his eye as he drove the Jeep down the long drive. “A while.”

  Wow. That was a vague answer.

  “I bet it’s beautiful in the fall,” I commented as we came around a bend. A small clearing, complete with an iced over pond sat to my right while trees staggered high into the sky on the opposite bank.

  He made a noncommittal sound.

  Clearly, Ryder wasn’t up to small talk.

  I settled more comfortably into my seat and lapsed into silence myself. I could talk for hours but it wasn’t much fun when the person you’re talking to doesn’t make much back in the way of responses.

  It took longer to get to Lukas’s cabin than I would have thought. Judging from the turns he took, their properties weren’t far apart, but the mountainous terrain and the narrow roads kept us driving for some time.

  When the familiar road leading to Lukas’s cabin finally appeared up ahead, I heaved out a sigh of relief.

  “Didn’t think you’d make it?” Ryder asked as he swung the Jeep off the road and headed up the incline to Lukas’s property.

  “No.” It was the truth. I hadn’t once felt unsafe in his presence. “Just glad to see the place, that’s all.”

  He pulled up in front and glanced at me. “There you go. I got a hold of a wrecking service for your SUV. The wrecker has your number so once you’re back in cell phone range, you can make arrangements for your car.”

  “My arrangements probably involve a funeral for the piece of shit and a new car,” I said glumly. Reaching for the handle on the door, I gave him one last look. “Thanks again for your help.”

  He shrugged, and after I slid out of the Jeep, he pulled away without so much as looking back.

  4

  Breanna

  I hadn’t even made my way halfway to the cabin when the door opened, and three women rushed onto the small porch. Stella jumped down onto the path and rushed toward me. She wore a heavy sweater, but it wasn’t enough to combat the brittle cold, and I fussed at her.

  “Oh, hush,” she said and pulled me in for a quick hug. “Man, I was so worried about you! You know the cell phone reception out here is terrible, so I couldn’t even try to call. I radioed Lukas, and he tried to call you on your cell for me, but you didn’t answer.”

  Hooking my arm with hers, I urged her back up to the cabin. “My stupid SUV finally died on me,” I said sourly. My toes had turned to ice again already, and assuming I could afford a pair after the car mess, my next purchase was going to be a decent pair of boots. “I was probably only twenty minutes away – drive time – but I wasn’t about to hike that in the dark.”

  Stella made a face at me. “Good call.”

  She’d been stranded in these mountains before, and the only thing that had kept her from being wolf-chow had been the sudden appearance of Lukas.

  Once inside the cabin, I sighed in satisfaction and stripped out of my coat.

  Stella sat down across from me, her hands folded between her knees as she studied me closely. “Ryder got on the radio a few hours ago and got in touch, letting me know you were okay. How did you end up with him?”

  “Pure dumb luck.” I tugged my boots off and peeled away the damp socks, curling my toes in before flexing them out as I tried to warm them back up.

  Stella noticed and stood, returning a minute later with a thick, heavy pair of wool socks. I gave her a grateful smile.

  “I’d gotten out of the SUV to pull a branch out of the road,” I told them, explaining what happened the night before. “Once I got back inside, the stupid thing wouldn’t start.” I shrugged and drew my legs up to my chest, still shivering a little, even though I wasn’t really cold. “I was prepared to just spend the night in the SUV and try to hike here in the morning. But I got out of the car and popped the hood to look under it.” I rolled my eyes as I added, “Not that it was much help. I could tell I was looking at an engine, but that was it.”

  Gracie laughed as she settled on the chair across from me. “You’re in about the same boat as me.”

  “I don’t know if I’d even recognize it as an engine,” Tabitha commented as she curled up on the couch next to me. “I know there is an engine, but I’m an idiot when it comes to cars.”

  “That makes four of us then,” Stella said. “I had to get Lukas to show me how to add fluid for the windshield wipers.”

  I grinned at her. “I know how to do that.”

  “Well, so do I…now,” she retorted.

  We all shared a moment of amusement, then I continued. “While I was out of the SUV, I smelled wood smoke. I guess I was hoping there was a cabin nearby. Hopefully, somebody with a radio so I could at least call you.”

  “I would have been terrified I’d get lost,” Tabitha said softly. She brushed her hair back from her face as she glanced over at Stella. “I don’t even like to think about having to drive up here.”

  “It’s not bad,” Stella told her. “But I’d recommend learning in the summer as opposed to the dead of winter.” She shifted her attention back to me. “I guess you found Ryder’s cabin?”

  “No.” I made a face at her. “I found his tent. The crazy man was camping outside in a tent. He says his
family sells outdoor equipment and he likes to try the stuff out. He was camping – outside. Last night. As cold as it was.”

  “So, he let you share his tent,” Gracie said, lifting an elegant black brow in my direction.

  My face heated. “Um…well, yeah. His tent. And his sleeping bag. He only had the one.”

  Tabitha’s mouth parted in surprise.

  Gracie gave me a wicked grin.

  Only Stella didn’t offer much of a reaction.

  “Nothing happened,” I said, squirming under their attention. “I mean, we slept. But that was it.”

  Eager to get that part of the story behind me, I went on. “We woke up pretty early. After he broke camp, we walked back to his place – he said it would be quicker to get here if we went to his place and got his ride. He took me to his cabin, and I showered, borrowed some clothes…voila. Here I am.”

  “It’s a good thing he was out there – and not, you know, a crazy person,” Gracie fake shivered, her arms crossed over her chest.

  Tabitha’s eyes were wide and watchful. “I would have been too afraid he was a crazy person – I wouldn’t have left the SUV. And what if you got lost?”

  “I was watching my tracks in the snow.” I shook my head as I met her eyes. “I had my phone with me and only planned to give it about ten minutes. If I didn’t find or see anything, I’d go back. It would have sucked, but I had a blanket and some clothes in the SUV – I would have stayed warm enough.”

  They all nodded, looking thoughtful, but I could tell they were all considering how many things could have gone wrong last night.

  So was I.

  I’d been lucky. Very lucky.

  They hadn’t eaten yet, so we all pitched in together and worked on breakfast.

  I handled cooking the bacon while Gracie and Stella prepared French toast and Tabitha set the table and brewed another pot of coffee. I had myself a cup while we worked, the heat of the cabin seeping into my pores.

  Once everything was ready, we all sat down to eat. I had two helpings of the toast before my belly finally felt satisfied. Leaning back in the chair, I rubbed my stomach and groaned. “I feel like I’m going to pop now.”