The Cabin

by Alice Ward

  Bracing my elbow on the passenger seat beside me, I slowly reached for my seatbelt and pushed the button to be freed from the restraint. As I expected, my weight shifted, but I hadn’t expected the Jeep to shift too.

  This was it.

  The branch in front of me cracked, straining from the weight, and when I looked down this time, the chasm below me appeared to loom closer.

  Crack.

  The Jeep shifted again, the front end sliding several more inches. Knowing I had so very little time to spare, I squirmed under the branch until my boots were on the seat beside me before pushing my hands and shoulder against the door, heaving with all my might. It moved. Only a few inches, but the snow blew in on my face as I adjusted my feet for better leverage, refusing to give up.

  Crack.

  The Jeep shifted again, but I didn’t stop pushing, straining, screaming with the effort. Ten inches. Twelve. Then, as if it were a miracle, the weight of the door was lifted off me.

  “Here, take my hand.”

  I didn’t question, just locked my hand around the one extended toward me. Strong fingers circled my wrist as the Jeep shifted even more.

  Crack.

  “Please, don’t let go!”

  Two hands were on me now, the bite of the man’s grip cutting nearly to the bone. He pulled, but the tangle of the branch was snagging at my clothes like demons trying to pull me into hell.

  “I’ve got you,” he roared, and the tree appeared to respond with a roar of its own. I felt myself sliding, my hand slipping through his as my glove tried to come off in his grip.

  Then I was free, the Jeep falling from beneath me to crash to the mountain’s floor. Legs and arms surrounded me, pulling me higher onto the man’s body. Shock and adrenaline battled through my system, causing me to shake more from their symptoms than the cold, and I buried my face into his chest.

  “I’ve got you,” he said, his hand stroking my back, his breath warm through the woolen hat. I tried to respond, but the harsh chattering of my teeth prevented me from voicing any words. He sat up, still holding me tightly against him. “We’ve got to get out of this.”

  I nodded, the violent shivering making even that gesture disjointed, and I felt him wrap something around my waist. A rope. He finished the knot then looped it between my legs, making a harness of sorts, adding a carabiner to keep it together.

  “Can you walk?”

  I wasn’t sure, but I was damn well going to try. I’d lost my glove, and the warmth of his palm felt wonderful as he took my hand. He pulled me to my feet, and I forced my quaking legs to stand, proud that they did as I bid. I looked up at him, trying to get a glimpse of my savior, but he was all hat, goggles, and ice-encrusted beard.

  Grizzly Adams in the flesh.

  “You first,” he said, yelling over the wind. “Grab the rope. I’ll help from behind.”

  I nodded, still unable to speak as he guided me in front of him before forcing my numb hands to take hold of the rope. There was a harness around him too, and between the two of us, we started up the steep incline, his hand on my back to keep me going.

  “Almost there.”

  At the top, the man quickly untied the rope from around me, then pulled a blanket from a four-wheeler, draping it over my head and shoulders before untying himself. My stomach heaved and the world went sideways. “I’m sorry,” I said before turning and emptying the contents of my stomach on the snow.

  He held my shoulders, pulling my hair back as I heaved. Tears and snot were pouring from my face, but I didn’t care. Couldn’t care, as it took every last bit of energy I had to stay on my feet as the world spun crazily around me.

  Very gently, he wiped my face with something before guiding me over to the four-wheeler and helping me climb on.

  “Thank you.” At least I tried to say the words, but they could have just been lost inside my head. I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure of anything any longer.

  Between the hat and dark googles, and the beard that covered the lower half of his face, I still couldn’t see him. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I couldn’t tell what kind of man he was. All I knew at the moment was that he had saved me. He had risked his own life to save a stranger. That was good enough for me.

  “We need to get out of the weather. It’s about to get worse.”

  I was incredulous. Worse than this? Was this mountain about to turn into an iceberg?

  The off-road vehicle dipped as he sat down behind me, my ass nestled between his strong thighs. I tried to move away, but he hit the gas, and I didn’t have the energy or strength to do anything but settle back against his chest and huddle deeper into the blanket to keep the worst of the snow from smacking my already frozen face.

  How he knew which way to go was beyond me, but when I peeked out, I noticed a set of tracks that were quickly filling in with additional snow. He pulled something from his pocket and held it up. A blue light flashed. A GPS, I realized. I needed to get me one of those.

  Some time passed before I noticed a twinkling of lights in front of us, and in those minutes the adrenaline faded, causing all the aches and pains to reintroduce themselves. Every muscle in my body sang, but it was my head that was causing the most trouble. When we hit a hole and were jarred sideways, I reached up and pressed my skull with my hands, hoping to keep my brain from jostling around too much.

  “Almost there,” he promised, one arm tightening around me. And even with all that had happened, and all the uncertainty still to come, I’d never felt so safe. Ever.

  When he turned off the ATV in front of the cabin, the blessed silence nearly made me groan, and before I could attempt to climb off myself, I was swooped up in his arms. Six steps later, we were on a porch then… warmth. The sudden change of temperature caused me to shudder.

  “Let’s get you warmed up,” he soothed, his voice a deep rumble as he sat me down on a long sofa in front of a roaring fire. A beautiful brown dog with a wide head and calm chocolate-colored eyes came forward, tail wagging as she inspected me. Her fur was soft under my fingers as I stroked her pretty head and scratched behind her ears. Within ten seconds, I was in love.

  “That’s Maggie.”

  His words brought my attention back to my savior, and as I watched, he kicked off his boots and shrugged out of his jacket, his gloves and wool hat landing on the hearth. The goggles came next, revealing eyes that were the bluest I’d ever seen.

  I remembered watching Beauty and the Beast as a girl and had always loved the moment when Belle saw past the monster and looked into the beast’s eyes. Not that this man was a monster. Hairy yes, but that was where the resemblance ended. The beard and long hair gave him a rugged look, but beneath them were fine bones that I wanted to trace with my fingers.

  Stop it.

  It must have been the brush with death and the happiness to be alive that had me thinking so sensually, so vividly. So wildly. Because of my mother and the world she lived in, I avoided sex at all costs. I’d never met a man who’d so much as stirred enough curiosity to tempt me over to that dark side. To me, sex wasn’t a beautiful thing. It wasn’t a natural thing between two people. It represented greed and power and control.

  I’ll make you feel good, honey.

  I shivered at the memory of those words, but refused to let my thoughts go there. I turned my gaze back to the dog, who’d plopped her broad head on my thigh, looking up at me with instant adoration.

  Even though my vision was still blurred, I could see my savior unbutton a thick flannel shirt in my periphery, shrugging it from his shoulders to reveal a — good heavens — light gray t-shirt that clung to his muscular chest.

  My fingers began to tremble in Maggie’s fur, and I couldn’t make them stop. And although I was getting warm, my teeth continued to chatter. I had no control over my muscles and felt like an earthquake was going off inside me.

  My savior dropped to his knees in front of me, concern in his blue eyes. He untied my boots and dragged them off along with my sock
s, warming my toes with his hands.

  “You’re going into shock, but you’ll be okay, I promise,” he soothed, his voice a low rumble. “Look at me.”

  I did, and he clamped his long fingers on either side of my face to keep me steady. Nausea churned in my stomach and I swallowed hard, willing myself to keep it down. It had been humiliating enough to vomit in front of him outside. I’d be mortified to do the same inside his home. On the lovely rug in front of me. On him.

  “Your pupils are uneven but are reacting to the change in light. Is your vision blurry?”

  I nodded. The edges of my vision were worse than what was immediately in front of me. It made me feel claustrophobic, like I was trapped when I clearly wasn’t.

  Still frowning, he unzipped my jacket and pulled it down my arms. The hat came next, and he frowned at the blood on the t-shirt I’d wrapped around my head, but he didn’t remove it. “Let’s get you out of all these wet clothes first.”

  I wanted to protest but found I couldn’t as he undid the button of my jeans, then lifted me so he could pull them over my bottom and down my legs. I was still shaking uncontrollably as his fingers touched the sides of my plain cotton panties. He frowned and looked up at me. “These are wet too. We need to get them off.”

  He tossed a blanket over my legs, then waited as I tried to remove them myself, but for some reason, my hands wouldn’t do what my mind was telling them to. When it was clear I couldn’t complete the simplest of tasks, he removed my underwear for me. The actions were almost clinical in their speedy precision, and he didn’t look at the white cotton as he tossed them closer to the fire.

  My cheeks flamed. “Th-th-thank y-y-ou.”

  He nodded, his face grim as he clenched his teeth. Pushing to his feet, he was gone then back a moment later. “Let’s get the sweater off.”

  I tried to tell him I’d do it myself, but I couldn’t seem to find the hem. My head swam, and I grew hot from the effort of moving. Sweat popped out on my upper lip, and I tried to swipe it away. I missed, and my hand got tangled in my hair instead.

  “I f-feel like I’m d-d-drunk,” I confessed, trying again. “But I s-swear I’ve n-not had a d-drop of alcohol.”

  The sides of his mouth quirked up a little bit. “You have a concussion.” He blew out a breath. “Here. Lift your arms.”

  “O-o-kay.”

  I did as he told me, and soon, my sweater was over my head. The lines on his forehead only got deeper. “Your tank is soaked too.”

  I didn’t know how. Surely my thick sweater and parka had kept it dry. Looking down, I saw the red staining the white cotton, realizing it was blood. My blood. I blinked as the red circled around my vision. “Is th-that all f-from m-me?”

  “Yeah. Head wounds bleed like a mother. Arms back up.”

  My arms felt like lead weights as I lifted them over my head. Seconds later, the tank was gone, and the heat of the fire and his eyes warmed my skin. Through a distant realization, I understood I was naked in front of a complete stranger. But it was so hard to care. The only thing that mattered was how heavy my eyelids were, and how, if only I could sleep, my head wouldn’t hurt so much. And maybe all of this was a dream, and when I woke, I’d be in my little cabin, safe and warm.

  He pulled a t-shirt over my head, stuffing my arms through the arm holes like I was a child. “There.” His voice was deep and gravelly, comforting. “We’ll get you in something better later. My clothes will swallow you, but they’ll be dry. When you warm up and the shock and adrenaline fades, I’ll tend your wounds, but I think they can wait for now.” He unwrapped the bloody t-shirt and pressed a thick towel to my head. Pain exploded once again.

  “Sorry,” he said, and seemed like he really meant it.

  Maggie plopped down on my feet, and her warmth and weight were instantly soothing. “Sh-sh-she’s a g-good d-d-dog.”

  He piled some pillows next to me, and I gratefully laid down, then snuggled under the additional blankets he placed over me. Maggie moved from her position and hopped onto the sofa, lending her warmth to my feet again. It was so sweet. Like she knew what I needed.

  He patted her broad head. “She’s the best. I’m going to get you something warm to drink. Coffee okay? Sorry, but I don’t have any tea.”

  I actually did prefer tea, but I’d take anything hot. “Y-yes. Th-ank you.”

  But even as he walked away, his wet jeans clinging to his legs, my eyes refused to stay open. I tried to look around at the room, but the effort was too much, and soon, I was lost in the abyss once again.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Gray

  The snow continued to come down outside, the wind howling like we were in some type of nightmare. Or like some reverse hell that was made of ice instead of fire.

  Checking the goddess’s pulse and respiration, my fingers lingered on her throat for too long. I forced them away, refusing to touch her inappropriately while she was asleep. She groaned, her face pinching as if she was in great pain, but she didn’t wake. Soon, her breathing was steady again.

  While she was out, I cleaned and inspected the wound on her head. It was nasty and needed stitches, but I wasn’t equipped for them. For now, I just replaced the towel with a bandage until the bleeding completely stopped, worried but simultaneously grateful that my probing didn’t wake her. She had other wounds too. Places where the limb had punctured or scraped. One was very near her right eye. A half inch higher and she might have lost her ability to see.

  She was damn lucky.

  Hell, I was damn lucky. I’d never have been able to forgive myself if I hadn’t been able to save her.

  Flashes from two years ago hit me as they always did. Jessica on the floor. Blood everywhere. The man hovering over her limp body, a gun dangling from his fingers. Through the slits of the grotesque clown mask he wore, his eyes were lifeless and blank as he raised the gun, pointed it at me. No questions. No demands. Just bang.

  Only ten minutes earlier, I’d gone out for more Halloween candy at my wife’s request. “I can’t bear the thought of turning any of their sweet faces away,” she’d said, giving me the pleading look she knew I could never resist. Kissing the tip of her nose, I left, driving the few blocks to the store, being careful of the swarm of trick-or-treaters on the sidewalk. But when I got back…

  The goddess moaned again, her hand coming up to cover her eyes, and I pulled my mind from the past that haunted me incessantly. Reaching over, I snapped off the lamp on the table beside her. Gently, I tried to wake her, but she only mumbled incoherent words. Lifting her lids, I watched her eyes dilate in the light of the fire. Her pupils were still a bit uneven, but I thought she’d be okay. She had to be.

  A few years ago, it would have been more concerning for her to not wake up, but studies now found it safe for concussion victims to sleep. Still, it wasn’t like I could do anything either way. We were stuck here for days, or possibly weeks. We couldn’t get out, and no one could get in. We were completely on our own, and we’d just have to deal with whatever medical or other emergencies we faced.

  Heaving out a breath, I stood to pace the cabin. At least eighteen inches had fallen so far, the snow combining with layers of ice to make everything even more treacherous. The power flickered, and I knew it wouldn’t stay on much longer, not with so much ice on the lines.

  Sitting at my computer, I tapped the mouse to wake it up. I wasn’t surprised to see that the internet was down, even with the signal booster I’d installed. My eyes went to the folder. Her folder. I still couldn’t believe the chain of events that had brought the woman I’d been watching over, worrying over, into my cabin.

  It had been close. Too damn close.

  The moment I’d found the spot where she’d gone over the side, I could hear the tree cracking under the weight of the Jeep, the loud pops sounding like gunshots over the noise of the storm. With zero time, I’d abandoned the repelling gear, going for the faster but less safe rope. As I climbed down, I could see her pushing at the driver doo
r, but the weight of gravity and the limb puncturing the vehicle was making the task difficult.

  I was still pulling her out as the vehicle tried to suck her down. For a horrible moment, her glove came off in my hand. I’d always remember the way she cried out, begging me to not let her go, her pale green eyes looking up at me in complete terror.

  Somehow, I managed to hold on. Managed to get her out. Managed to save her. Finally managed to do something right.

  Clicking on the folder, I knew I needed to do another thing right. Dragging her images to the little trash can, I let it go, watching it disappear. I should have done that weeks ago. Hell, I shouldn’t have ever taken them in the first place. I wouldn’t disrespect her like that again.

  The goddess moaned, and I shut down the computer and walked back to the sofa. Just looking at her was a punch in the gut. Even after all she’d just gone through, there was something so incredibly breathtaking about her. Not for the first time, I wondered who she was.

  And who was missing her right now.

  Her family? A man? The thought caused my teeth to grit together, especially if it was the same man who made her cry with such desperation when she first arrived next door.

  She wore no jewelry, so there was no telltale sign that she was in a relationship. She also wore no makeup or even nail polish. No fancy style to her hair. Her clothes were simple. Jeans, boots, sweater. Cotton underwear. Nothing fancy there either.

  Why did someone so lovely do her best to play down the way she looked? Hide out in the remote wilderness of the mountains? She was fascinating. From the first moment I glimpsed her on her deck, I’d been drawn to her. Even in her current state, my curiosity and attraction hadn’t waned. Neither had the intense urge to protect her.

  The lights flickered again, then were gone completely, leaving only the fire to light the room.

  I wasn’t worried. I had the generator out back if I needed it. Two fireplaces and plenty of wood. We’d be alright.

  We.

  For the past two years, I’d only thought of “we” as Maggie and me. It was odd to have another person added into that simple word.