After what seemed like hours Luke stopped to take a stretch break. “We’ll get going again in a few minutes. My neck was starting to hurt, I hope it’s okay.” His eyes never met mine when he spoke almost like our moment of connection in the barn was too much for him.
“It’s fine with me,” I shrugged.
He nodded and walked off into the woods. It was only about ten feet from me and I could still see him pulling his arms above his head and shaking out his legs. I took a moment to look at the massive trees around me. Gorgeous limbs covered in new fallen snow. I could hear the soft song of birds chirping nearby possibly calling to their mates to return home. As I looked through the trees I noticed it certainly wasn’t as sunny as it had been before. The foreboding feeling I had earlier in the day crept up into my mind again. Perhaps Linda had been right in that a storm was brewing. I shocked myself when I realized my first thought was of Luke’s safety. I would be fine in the hunting cabin and I would have Collin to keep me safe, but Luke was alone. And he would be traveling back over this same path which later today may be much more treacherous than it was now.
“Luke!” I called, “We should get going. I feel like the temperature’s dropping. I don’t want to get stuck out here.”
He trudged back to the snow, “I’ll make sure you get there safe, don’t worry. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” He met my eyes this time and we lingered for a moment. I watched our breath rise in front of us before I turned back to the machine. What he didn’t realize was that I wasn’t worried about myself, I was worried about him.
Only another hour later we arrived at the cabin. Luke insisted in going first to check for any disturbances. I allowed him his moment of chivalry and waited outside anxious for Collin to arrive. I took off my helmet and shook out my blonde hair, the wind whipping it close around my face. Linda had been right there was definitely a storm approaching and some small snowflakes had started to fall. Luke waved me in and said that the coast was clear. I crossed the snow covered path and entered the small cabin with one of my bags. Luke walked past me to retrieve the rest of my things brushing my shoulder slightly as he made his way back to the door.
“Sorry,” he said, his eyes not meeting mine.
I dipped my head down so that our eyes would reunite. “You don’t have to apologize you know. I know an accident when I feel it.” I attempted to speak gently almost as if I would scare him off had I been harsh. Luke was such a mystery to me. I didn’t know him well on the ranch but out here in the wilderness they was something curious about him. It was like he was watching, all the time. Something happened to this man. I found myself yearning to find out just what was so different about him from everyone else I had ever met.
I had gone to college and dated my fair share of boys but I knew that after graduating I would be moving back home to be with Daddy, Fred, and Linda. That was just the way things were and I accepted it long ago. I went to school for business hoping that one day I would take over the ranch, I wanted to keep a piece of my independence. While at school I guess you could call me a serial dater, but it was only because I knew that my fate had already been determined. Collin and I had met middle school and from then on our families had become close. When families became close, in our world that meant somehow they would be joined together eventually. Two children around the same age were pretty easy target for an arranged marriage. We don’t call them that of course because it’s too old school, but that’s really what it is. Collin was a great guy and he knew what type of person I was. He accepted the fact that I wanted to be a business owner one day and I didn’t think he would stop me. Collin wasn’t necessarily interested in a trophy wife, but I did get the feeling that he liked control. His mother was extremely poised and demur, just the way his father liked her and I expected to act similarly. When I married Collin I would lose my independence. But I would take this long weekend to convince him to allow me keep some of it.
Luke finally spoke, breaking into my private train of thought about Collin and I. “I just don’t want to upset you,” he said.
“Upset me?” I laughed, “Hardly, it’s more like I’m worried I’m upsetting you.”
He smiled, “Not at all Miss. I’ll get the rest of your bags and leave you to your weekend.”
He went back out to the snowmobile and as I watched him I noticed the snow was falling at a much more rapid pace. He brought back my supplies and put everything on the dining room table for me to go through.
“Would you like me to put these things away for you?”
“No Luke, I’ve got it thanks.”
He nodded and walked to the door. I turned back to look at him when I didn’t hear the door open and close. He was staring straight at me.
“There something I can help you with Luke?”
He looked down at his shoes and took a deep breath. “I was just really hoping that your friends would be arriving before I left. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone.”
I bit my lower lip feeling his honest concern for my well-being, it was sweet. “I promise you Luke I’m fine. You go before the snow gets too deep and you can’t get back. Thank you though, for your concern. I do appreciate it.”
He nodded and turned to leave. I felt the cold wind reach me as he shut the door and I realized that I was entirely alone.
I began to unpack some of the food that we had brought with us, just some basics like milk and bread. We brought eggs for breakfast and champagne for late nights.
I worked diligently unpacking the saddlebags as I heard the snowmobile rev and take off. I looked out the window and watched Luke’s silhouette fade into the trees. I secretly wished he hadn’t left but I didn’t want to worry about him in the weather. The snow was really picking up, there was already an inch or more of fresh snow on the six inches we already had.
After unpacking some first aid supplies and wishing that I had asked Luke to start a fire I realized that the only way to warm up would be to take a nice hot shower. Turning on the hot water created steam in the small bathroom so that I could hardly see myself in the mirror as I stepped into the glass box. Being alone was starting to scare me and I hummed a tune while I washed my body allowing the warm water to cleanse me.
I had just put on some sweatpants and was just about to blow dry my hair when I heard a knock at the door. Collin is way early, I thought to myself as I crossed through the living room and made my way to the door. When I opened it I was shocked to see who was leaning on the door frame. Luke was standing shivering in the cold covered in snow, his lips blue and icicles on his eyebrows.
Chapter 2
“Luke! What are you doing out here? What am I saying? Get in here!”
I pulled him in by the arms my fingers burned with cold where I touched his frost-covered coat, “Oh my God you must be freezing. What happened?”
“The... the snowmobile ran out of gas,” he said through chattering teeth. “I’m ssssorry, I had to walk back.”
“You don’t apologize! Of course you had to come back. Here you need to get out of those clothes.”
I started to remove his jacket and take off his hat, trying to see if some of the color was returning to his lips. I had only ever seen one other person this cold before and they got hypothermia. If that happened to Luke now in this weather, no one would be able to come save him.
He attempted to pull off his gloves but his hands were shaking so badly that I had to assist him. I grabbed a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around him.
He pulled the blanket tightly around him and sat down one of the kitchen chairs rocking back and forth. I grabbed a teakettle and filled it up with water. I turned on the stove, hoping that some warm tea would help him regain some of his body heat. As soon as I turned on the stove the phone started to ring.
“Hold on Luke, I’ll be right back okay?”
He nodded slowly still huddling in the blanket.
When I answered the phone it was the person I least expected it to be.
<
br /> “Cheyenne, it’s Collin. I’m sorry sweetheart but I can’t get out there. The snow is way too thick, the snowmobile’s just sinking through it. Is there someone you can call at the ranch who can come get you?”
I didn’t get it, he wouldn’t come get me but he wanted someone at the ranch to risk their life for me? What the hell was his problem? This was not the Collin I knew.
“No Collin there’s no one who can come get me. Why didn’t you call me earlier? Before the storm got so bad?”
I heard the wind howling outside and noticed that there was hardly any light coming in from the windows anymore. This wasn’t just a storm, this was a blizzard. Luke and I were stuck here together.
“Listen Collin I gotta go. When you figure out what you’re doing, let me know, until then have a nice weekend.”
I slammed down the phone and went back to the living room to see how Luke was doing. His chin was tipped onto his chest and he looked as though he was sleeping. I knew that could be a bad sign. I couldn’t let him become unconscious.
“Luke, hey wake up. No sleeping right now okay?” I shook his shoulder and he lifted his head slightly. “Good no more falling asleep on me,” I said as I checked on the tea on the stove. It would still be a couple more minutes before it would be hot enough to warm him up. I turned back to examine him again and I realized that his boots were soaking wet from the snow. I bent down on the floor and began untying them as his eyes fluttered open.
“What are you doing?” He asked groggily.
“Taking your boots off, Luke you’re in trouble. We’ve got to get you warmed up.”
While I removed both of his shoes the teakettle started to whistle. I filled a mug and put a black tea bag inside. I allowed it a moment to cool down and steep while looking over my shoulder and assessing Luke. He was my responsibility now and in this storm it was just the two of us. But as I watched him carefully for a moment it crossed my mind that if I was going to be stuck here Luke was the person I wanted to be stuck with.
Luke drank the tea slowly regaining full consciousness as he did so. He shook his head as he watched me sitting in the chair next to him anxiously awaiting his recovery.
“I’m not usually this dumb. This certainly isn’t my first rodeo. I don’t know what I was thinking. Thank you, for everything.”
“What are you talking about?” I squinted my eyes at him trying to decide if he was back with me or if he was still in a daze.
He bit his lower lip before meeting my eyes; I could see something was plaguing his mind. “I got lost in woods once before. Actually I was hiking and I wasn’t lost until a Mountain lion dragged me back to her den. When I woke up I had no idea where I was.”
“You were attacked by a Mountain lion? Oh my God! How did you survive?” I had read about people in the newspapers dying from lion attacks. We were encroaching on their territory and there had been a number of attacks in the past few years.
He shrugged, “I’d like to say I knew my stuff but really it was just dumb luck. The Mountain lion got scared off by something before she decided to make me dinner. I crawled out of the den and ran the best I could to safety. That’s actually how I ended up on your ranch. Fred found me, Linda took care of me. Then they offered me a job. Getting attacked by that lion was the best thing that happened to me.” He took another slow sip of tea.
“Wow, I had no idea.”
“Well you wouldn’t would you? You don’t really ask many questions of the staff.” He eyed me carefully trying to determine my reaction. “I mean.... Not that you should, it’s not like we’re friends or anything.”
“That’s not true, I do care about my staff. But you’re right, I’ve been raised to not ask questions. I just assumed you were hired for your skills. As all the other ranch hands are.”
He raised his chin up, “I do have skills. I’m an expert rider, your father is even going to let me train some of the yearlings this spring. I’m not totally useless.”
“I never said that you were. Someone of your stature couldn’t be useless.” I blushed as I realized what I had said. I tried to backtrack, “And the calluses on your hands, they show hard labor.”
“You’ve been looking at my hands?” He grinned slyly.
Dammit. Totally caught.
“Whatever,” I said rising from my chair. “Clearly you’re feeling better. Maybe should take a shower and totally warm up, bathroom’s just through there.” I pointed at the back of the cabin.
He nodded and stood up slowly crossing the room. I noticed as he entered the bathroom he forgot to completely close the door. But could I dare to sneak a peek? No. Even though Collin was being a complete asshole, he was still who I wanted to be with. I wouldn’t risk that for a weekend fling with one of my ranch hands. Totally not worth it.
But as I passed by the open door to sit on the sofa it was hard not to notice Luke’s beautifully tanned back. His delicious muscles marred by four large scars. So the Mountain lion attack wasn’t just a story, it was something he carried with him. No wonder he always seemed so jumpy. He turned around and I ogled his gloriously defined pecs and biceps. I had to tear myself away before I saw anything more.
I sat on the couch and stared at the empty fireplace. When I heard the shower turn off I made myself stay put. Luke came out in jeans and a hoodie looking much more comfortable than he had in his snow pants.
“I always carry change of clothes with me,” he said. “Guess it’s the survival instinct.” He followed my eyes to the fireplace, “Ugh, I left you here without a fire? Jesus I’m a terrible man servant.”
“You’re not my servant.” If you were I’d have other things for you to do.
“Well okay then let’s be friends. Tell me something about you.” He knelt down in front of the fireplace and ignited a small blaze. He turned around and sat cross-legged with his back to the fire and all of his attention on me. Suddenly I felt like I was being scrutinized and I pulled up long strand around my finger and twirled it absentmindedly.
“What do you want to know?”
He shrugged, “I don’t know. What do you like to do for fun?”
That was an easy answer. “I love to ride. I’m a rancher’s daughter, there’s nothing I love to do more than take a horse out of the stables and go out into the world. It’s the only time I’m free.”
“Free? Cheyenne, you’re part of the richest family I have ever come across. You have more financial freedom than anyone I’ve ever known, how is that not free?”
I looked down at the hair around my finger, no one ever took an interest in me like this. Luke made me feel exposed but in a natural sort of way. I wanted to tell him how I really felt about my life. For some reason I knew he would understand.
“Just because you have financial freedom doesn’t mean you’re free. It means you’re held to a higher standard, you don’t get to make your own choices. My life has been planned out for me ever since I can remember. No Luke, I’m not free. To be honest this is the freest I’ve ever been, out here with you.”
He nodded, “I guess I never really thought about it like that. I just always assumed that all you rich folk could do whatever you wanted. I’ve always had to work to stay afloat. My family didn’t really take care of me like yours does.”
“Depends on who you ask,” I countered.
We sat there in silence for a moment perhaps in reflection of our discussion when suddenly we were plunged into darkness. The only light remaining was that from the small fire which Luke had created.
“Luke!” I screamed. I could handle a lot but the one thing I was afraid of, was the dark. As he came over to the couch I could already feel some of the heat leaving the room from the lack of electricity. The wind was really blowing outside and there was a draft coming in.
He sat down on the sofa and gingerly put his arm around me. “Shhh, it’s alright. You’re fine, it’s just the power. I’m sure it will be back on soon.”
His words were comforting but I knew they weren’
t truthful. If we had lost power we weren’t getting it back on. I sat cradled in his arms realizing in the short time that I’d known him, Luke had become huge comfort to me. As I started to fall asleep to the rhythm of his heart I prayed that he wouldn’t unlatch his arms around my shoulders.
Chapter 3
When I awoke the next morning Luke had a frying pan over the fire and had managed to make some scrambled eggs and bacon. My stomach gurgled in anticipation of the great smelling food. I stood up and stretched from the couch and Luke turned to look at me. It was then that I realized he was only in pajama bottoms. I didn’t know whether to avert my eyes or react at all, but instead I just stared at his well-formed muscles raising my eyes slowly to meet his. When our eyes locked Luke didn’t turn away, instead he stood and walked towards me. He stopped just a foot short of me and said, “Good morning. Ready for some breakfast?”
I sighed deeply, “Smells amazing. Where did you get the pajamas?”
He winked, “Another survival trick,” he laughed, “they were my pack.”
He turned around to pick up the frying pan with an oven mitt and walked over to the kitchen table which was set for two.
Luke picked up a bottle out of the sink. “How about some champagne to go with our meal?”
“Sounds great.” I said. He poured me a generous glass and I knew our conversation would flow easily with some alcohol pumping through my blood.
The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories Page 308