Chapter 1
One
Snow was just starting to gently fall, the air was crisp and cold, and all the sounds of the city and civilization had disappeared. Feeling like a giddy child getting a snow day, Jess Winston spun around and tried to catch some snowflakes on her tongue.
It wasn’t nearly as exciting as it had been when she was a kid.
Facing the cozy cabin that was going to be her home for the next two weeks, she smiled.
House sitting up in the mountains was the perfect way to spend Thanksgiving since she wasn’t going home for the holiday.
Her best friend’s family asked if she could help them out and she’d jumped at the chance.
The main cabin had suffered some extensive water damage after a pipe had burst and apparently the work was getting ready to begin.
They wanted someone to be on site to make sure things actually got done, and since she was going to be alone for the holidays, it just made sense.
Plus, she could work remotely and always looked for any excuse to get away.
“It’s a win-win for everyone!” she said as she carried her suitcase into the cabin.
When Holly had said the cabin was cozy, Jess hadn’t realized just how cozy.
Oh, it was adorable and beautifully furnished a chic rustic way, but…
it was essentially just one big room that had the living room, kitchen, and bedroom.
At least the bed was a real one and she had a feeling the sofa pulled out to be a sleeper—not that she’d need it since it was just her, but she enjoyed figuring out how more than a person or two would use this space.
But the biggest selling point for her had been the hot tub. Yes, this tiny place had a hot tub out back and she knew she would use it every day.
Even in the snow.
Putting her suitcase down beside the bed, Jess ran back out to her car and began carrying in the groceries.
She was going to cook and eat all her favorite things and maybe go out to eat by herself once or twice, but mainly she was psyched about making big pots of soup, eating in front of the fire in her jammies, and just unwinding.
Life had her burned out right now. Her job as a digital marketing manager was fine, but it wasn’t her dream job.
Writing a book was her dream, and this time house sitting was going to be her chance to finally sit down and try to do it.
There were no distractions, no commitments, just her, the tiny cabin, and the beautiful scenery.
Sighing, she walked over to the window and stared out.
There were no leaves on the trees, but they were being dusted in snow and it was all starting to look a little magical.
Winter was her favorite season and coming up to the mountains to ski had been something she and her ex used to love to do together.
Just thinking about Ryan made her heart ache. They’d dated for two years and she thought they were going to start talking about getting married. Instead, he’d dropped an emotional anvil on her and told her they needed to take a break.
Oh, he still loved her, but he was trying to get his construction business off the ground and needed to put all his focus on making that happen.
It stung.
That was two months ago, and she’d refused to take any of his calls since.
“So maybe this little retreat will help me feel better on that front too,” she murmured as she walked to the kitchen and began prepping for today’s soup: Chicken Tortilla.
It was her absolute favorite and she was determined to make the next two weeks all about doing the things that make her happy.
“If no one else is going to love and appreciate me, I’m going to appreciate myself. ”
And with that, she started cooking.
Once the soup was simmering, Jess lowered the heat and stared at the fireplace across the room. There was a stack of wood sitting there just waiting for her to use it, but that was normally something Ryan always did for her.
“How hard could it be?”
As it turned out, not very, but only because there was an instruction list framed next to the fireplace. It still took a little longer than she would have liked, but she didn’t want to mess anything up. When the first spark flew to life and a tiny flame took hold, she felt like Wonder Woman.
“Yay, me!”
Standing back, she admired her handiwork until the fire was in full swing, and then decided she was ready for her jammies. It didn’t matter that it was only four in the afternoon, her bra had to go, and it was time to get comfortable and really settle in.
With every minute that passed, she felt more and more tension leave her body. By the time she sat down on the sofa with her laptop, the sun had gone down, and she was ready to tackle writing that first sentence in her book.
Only…her mind was a complete blank.
It felt like she had lost all grasp of the English language and had no idea what she was supposed to write or what would be a compelling opening line.
“Ugh…what are words?” she huffed with annoyance.
Rather than give into the frustration, she read through her notes and tried to find inspiration.
A smile tugged at her lips as she read because…
she totally wanted to read this book. Like if another author wrote it, she’d definitely buy it.
The story was a supernatural romance and at some point the hero was going to come crashing through the door, scaring the heroine.
Can I start with that scene or do I have to write in order?
That scene was pretty clear in her head, so whether or not it was wrong, that’s where she decided to start. And after that, the words slowly began to flow.
“Stupid snow. Why didn’t I get on the road earlier?”
Ryan Griffin continued to mentally curse his bad luck as he drove up the mountain.
Poor planning had him getting on the road late, and after battling the crowds at the local grocery store, he was finally heading up to Holly’s family cabin.
When she had presented him with the opportunity to do all the work on the cabin—to finally get his construction business going—he knew he had to do it.
Even if it meant missing Thanksgiving.
Still, it was a small sacrifice that he was willing to make.
Working on the cabin—getting it rebuilt from the studs out on the interior—was exactly the kind of thing he loved to do.
This was the first major job he was doing on his own.
Everything else for the last few months had been relatively small—a kitchen remodel here, a new bathroom there—it was paying his bills, but not very fulfilling.
But this was going to be the start of something big, he just knew it.
Turning the last bend on the single lane road, he saw the big cabin off in the distance.
Holly told him there was a small guest cabin he could stay in since there was no heat or electricity on in the main house yet.
His plan was to take tonight to just settle in and then get up early tomorrow to get started.
He had two weeks to get things done, and with no interruptions—no family or friends or distractions—he was certain to make great strides in getting the walls up and the floors down.
“I’ll sleep in the new year,” he murmured as he slowly came to a stop in front of the guest cabin.
It was hard to see where the driveway ended, so he stopped close to the front stairs.
There was a light on inside and smoke coming from the chimney.
It seemed odd, but he figured maybe Holly had sent a neighbor or someone over to get the cabin ready for him.
Climbing from the truck, Ryan stretched and then instantly shivered.
The temperature was dropping fast, and the snow was coming down harder.
Muttering another string of curses, he contemplated what to bring in first and figured it needed to be the food.
He’d get all the groceries into the cabin and then come out for his suitcase and personal belongings.
The tools could stay in the truck; he’d deal with them tomorrow.
Tonight was simply about getting settled in and relaxing.
With his arms full of bags, he slowly and carefully made his way up the front steps, careful not to slip on the now slick surface.
By the time he reached the top, he was practically sweating. Ice was coming down with the snow and he had a feeling tomorrow was going to be treacherous for him to get over to the main house.
“A problem for the morning,” he murmured, balancing the bags and entering the front door code. Opening the door, a few of the bags began to slip. “Dammit!” Stepping inside, he noticed the fire roaring and smelled something cooking. “What the…?”
Was it possible that somebody was still here setting up for him?
The place wasn’t particularly large, but big enough for one person.
Putting the bags down, he paused to look around.
It was an open floor plan, and very rustic and cozy.
That’s when he noticed the open laptop and coffee cup.
Turning, he spotted a pot on the stove and the flame under it.
Yeah, somebody was still here.
“Hello?” he called out. “Um…hi! I appreciate you coming and getting the house opened for me and the food, but…”
In the distance, he heard a door open and forced himself to smile so he could thank whoever was here and send them on their way.
“Hello?” he called out again as footsteps came closer and then…
A scream.
A really, really loud scream.
As startling as it was, it took all of three seconds for him to realize who was doing all that screaming.
Jess.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, suddenly recoiling from him.
“Um…I’m working on the main house. What are you doing here?”
For a moment, she simply stared at him before groaning and storming toward the kitchen, mumbling about strangling her best friend.