Chapter 2

Ellie

I stumble through the bramble, rain now falling freely, cursing and muttering at how stupid I’ve been.

I should have known better. My knee started aching halfway up, but I was so set on finding the hot springs, I ignored it, and managed to somehow leave the main track.

Thunder cracks above me, increasing my panic and the need to seek shelter before the heavens really open and I get hit by lightning. “Stupid,” I mutter to myself as I limp.

It’s my own fault. I kept hoping to see the track, but by the time I realized I was truly lost, I was past the point of no return, my knee was so swollen it was impossible to hike all the way back down the mountain to my car.

I wasted ten minutes looking for a hut that was on the map, only to arrive and find it had been demolished.

Water dripping down my face, I lean against a fence paling and wince at the third reminder I’m on someone’s private property.

Maggie’s warning ringing in my ears, I look around and try to see past the bushes obscuring my view.

I push up on my toes, pain shooting through my knee as I see a luxury lodge of some kind.

There’s a very high possibility no one is home, but if there is, I might be able to figure out where I am exactly, and hopefully wait out the rain.

I push my hair back from my forehead, and hobble forwards, dodging thorns, and head towards the house.

I take a step onto the lawn and pause at the sound of activity coming from beside me.

I turn slowly, expecting to see the owner, but find myself eyeballing a large black bear plucking berries from the bushes beside me.

My heart jumps to my throat and heat floods my body as I scramble to think.

Every possible scenario runs through my head as I try to remember what I’m supposed to do.

Am I supposed to curl up in a ball and play dead? Or is that with Grizzlies? In my panic, I can’t for the life of me recall which one it is, let alone figure out if the bear in front of me is a small grizzly cub or a fully grown black bear.

I stare, rendered mute as the bear slowly lifts its head, seems to blink, then rears up on its hind legs.

Convinced the bear is about to attack me, I let out a cross between a yelp and a scream and start to back away.

The bear growls and all the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.

I’m so fixated on the bear I jump when I hear someone speaking. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” a masculine voice says.

I’m so terrified I can’t speak, but in my peripheral vision, I see a man easing towards me, his eyes locked on the bear.

As I fight to keep calm he keeps speaking in a soothing voice as the bear cranes its neck forward.

I’m trembling all over, adrenaline flowing through me as the man raises his hands and steps to my side. “Do the same as me,” he says.

Since the bear doesn’t seem to be priming to maul us, I manage to raise my shaking hands over my head.

“Nice and slow, no sudden moves. He’s just curious,” he says calmly.

I can’t even manage to acknowledge him, I’m fixated on the beast a few feet away from me.

But the bear seems to lose interest, and with a grunt drops to all fours and lazily walks in the opposite direction.

I turn, ready with a ‘thank you’ out, but the sight of an incredibly gorgeous man peering at me, dark eyes, hair, stubbled chin, tanned skin, and muscle hidden beneath his plaid shirt is enough to make me stare slack-jawed.

When he smiles, my stomach backflips and it takes some effort to breathe.

“You’re in shock,” he says.

I nod weakly, still shaking, and growing increasingly cold as my thermal gear traps the water.

He gestures to my strapped knee. “I take it you were looking for some help?”

I try for a smile but my lips are so frozen they won’t cooperate.

Whoever this guy is, he’s gorgeous. Water is streaming down his face, and despite feeling like I’m about to have a nervous breakdown it’s impossible not to mentally start undressing him.

I groan as I realize how long it’s been since I lusted after a man.

It’s beyond inappropriate considering the circumstances and probably an indication that I’m out of my head with shock.

He looks at me, forehead wrinkled in concern, and eyes locked on me like I’m a target.

“Let’s get you inside so you can call someone to come get you.”

My throat gets thick as I fight the desire to tell him there is no one. Instead, my head starts to spin, and I’m in danger of losing the contents of my stomach.

Another soft groan escapes as I sway, legs no longer capable of supporting my weight.

I have no warning before he sweeps me into his arms with a grunt. “I got you,” he says.

Dizzy and now completely saturated by the rain, my teeth have started to chatter and it’s a struggle to communicate as he starts to walk back towards the house I saw.

I still have no idea of where I am, or who he is, just that my breasts are now wedged against the solid muscle of his chest.

For a brief moment, I stiffen in his arms, sure I’ve stumbled onto some weirdo who hides in the woods when he looks down at me and grins. “Do you make a habit of ignoring private property signs? Or is this just my lucky day?”

When I’m rendered mute, unsure of whether he’s joking, he just confounds me further when he winks at me.

Despite how rotten I feel, I’m far too aware of him, and how my body seems to be reacting to his.

I’m ninety-nine percent sure his intentions aren’t nefarious, so I wrap my frozen hands around his neck. “Ggguess ittt’s yyyour lucky day,” I reply.

He starts to chuckle, and despite my predicament, I find myself smiling all the way up the path to the back door.

***

Cooper

I set her on her feet just inside the door and frown at the state of her. She’s shaking, her lips are blue and she’s leaning all her weight on her left leg as she slips her backpack off her shoulders.

I grab a blanket the decorator called a ‘throw’ and hand it to her. “You need a shower. The bathroom is at the end of the hall. I can go light the fire while you warm up.”

Her eyebrows rise and I know I need to do something to reassure her. “If you want to call someone to let them know where you are, you can tell them you’re up at Cooper’s on Pineview ridge.”

She hugs herself tighter, shivers visible even with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

I’d ask her a few more questions about why she’s up here, but she’s decidedly uneasy as she looks around the entranceway to the cabin.

Rather than stay gawking, I retreat to the living area and busy myself lighting a fire in the hearth.

While I wait for her, I check the alarms are all reset, pour her a finger of whiskey and go take a seat on the soft leather couch opposite the stone fireplace.

For some reason, I can’t seem to relax. And when I hear her light footsteps I realize why.

I haven’t had a woman up here before.

I watch her limp across the living area, and given she’s now wearing a pair of shorts she must have had in her pack, and a tight t-shirt, it’s impossible not to notice the way the fabric grazes over the swell of her breasts and emphasizes her toned legs.

Her feet are bare, and her hair damp as she stands in front of the fireplace, blanket still over her shoulders as she looks around the room. “I called Maggie,” she says.

Now that she’s not cold, her voice comes out stronger, with a deep timbre that tickles my ears pleasantly.

“And? Did I pass?”

She smiles and takes a seat at the end of the sofa. “She confirmed you’re harmless.”

I chuckle and lean forward to pass her drink. “Good to know.”

Her fingers brush mine, still carrying a trace of cold, as she sits back. “She said you haven’t been here long?”

I nod. “Around six months. I found the land while I was scoping the area for a client.”

She takes a sip and frowns. “Client?”

Since this part always causes a lot of interest, I skim over what I really do and give her the Pg-13 version. “I design safe houses and panic rooms.”

She nearly snorts her whiskey out her nose. “And there’s a lot of call for that all the way up here?”

I chuckle and grab my own glass, swiftly changing the subject. “Since you know about me, maybe you’d oblige me by providing your name?”

She slaps a hand to her forehead and grimaces. “Sorry. I’m not usually this dense. I’m Elinore. But most people call me Ellie. I’m just here for the next few days then I’m back in Chicago.”

It’s enough information, but my curiosity gets the better of me. “What do you do in Chicago?”

She grips the glass a little tighter, lips pressing together before she answers in a clipped voice. “I’m a pediatric nurse. I work in the PICU.”

Since she’s obviously uncomfortable, I just sit back a little and I take a sip of my drink and assess her. “That’s intensive care for kids, right?”

She gives me a weak nod, but her leg starts to jiggle, and her face has set rigid.

While I try to figure out why she looks so tense, her eyes are on the painting above the fireplace. “You like abstract art? There’s a lot of it on the walls.”

It’s such an obvious attempt for me to drop the subject, I just follow her gaze and shrug. “My decorator chose everything. I’m not really here enough to have a preference.”

She smiles. “No. Can’t say I spend much time at home staring at the walls either.”

I chuckle. “Since you don’t stare at the walls for entertainment, what do you do in your spare time?”

She shrugs and seems relieved we’re talking about a lightweight topic. “Work out. Read. Stream shows. Anything that keeps my mind busy I guess.”

I sip my drink and keep my tone light. “How long have you been nursing?”

When her posture switches I can almost see the wheels spinning as she tries to find a way to answer. “Six years.”

I’m more than curious as to why she’s so guarded about her job since most people love talking about themselves, but if she just wants space that’s an easy fix.

To keep the atmosphere light, I gesture to her knee. “Do you want some ice for that?”

I can almost feel the tension leave her body at the change of subject.

I get a glimpse of her sense of humor at the slight tease in her voice. “The drink or my knee?”

I keep my voice deadpan as I narrow my eyes. “Whatever you want.”

Heat tracks across her cheeks as she shakes her head. “What I want is to have not gotten lost and to have been introduced to a bear.”

I ask the question that I should have before. “Why were you hiking with a bad knee?”

Her lips purse as she scowls at her knee. “I knew I was pushing it, but I just…”

I sip my drink and watch her as a raft of emotions cross her face. “Just what?”

She shrugs her shoulders and downs the rest of her drink. “It sounds stupid saying it, but I need to keep moving.”

I cock my head at her. “Why? What happens if you stop?”

She sighs heavily. “I start thinking.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

She frowns at me. “Let’s just say I’d rather not think.”

At the way she won’t meet my eye, I decide to see if I can find a way to get her to relax around me.

Given we just met, it’s probably going to take more than a couple whiskeys to get her to.

Even with Maggie’s endorsement, it’s clear she’s a private person, and she has no reason to talk to me about anything, let alone her life back in Chicago.

Rather than pry into areas I don’t need to, I rise to my feet and take the glass from her hands. “You’re going to have to find another way to occupy yourself then. Because I’m pretty sure you need to rest that for a few hours at least.”

She looks up at me, and I’m sure I catch a hint of a challenge in her voice. “Are you offering to occupy my time?”

“Guess I am. Not every day I save a beautiful nurse from a bear.”

She snorts a laugh. “Really, you don’t need to go to any trouble. I think I’ve put you out enough.”

I shake my head. “Not at all. And you’d be doing me a favor by staying for a bit. You aren’t the only one trying not to think.”

Surprise lights her face as a tentative smile forms. “But seriously, I can’t just gate crash like this. You must have a million better things to do.”

I smile and hope I’m not wrong about her. “Nothing more important than taking care of you.”

I don’t wait for her to answer, or to tell me not to bother. Now she’s put the thought in my head, I know I could find numerous ways to take care of her and to occupy her time.

All of them lead to places I shouldn’t take her.