Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
CONFRONTATIONS
AVERY
Avery woke to sunlight streaming through the cabin windows and the smell of coffee.
For a moment, she couldn't remember where she was. Then it all came rushing back, the kiss, Logan's hands in her hair, the way he'd pulled back after what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, his voice rough when he'd said, "We need to stop."
She'd wanted to argue. Wanted to pull him back down and make him forget every reason why stopping was a good idea.
But she'd seen the war in his eyes. The want fighting with the guilt. The need battling with the fear.
So she'd let him go.
He'd walked her back to the cot, his hand lingering on her shoulder for just a moment before he'd moved away. She'd fallen asleep listening to him moving around the cabin, restless, unable to settle.
Now she sat up, pushing hair out of her face, and found him standing by the stove.
He looked like he hadn't slept at all. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair a mess, shadows under his eyes that hadn't been there yesterday.
But when he turned and saw her awake, something in his expression softened.
"Morning," he said.
"Morning." Her voice came out rougher than she'd intended. "Coffee smells good."
"Made extra." He poured two cups, bringing one to her. "How'd you sleep?"
"Better than you, I think."
Logan's mouth twitched. Almost a smile. "Probably."
Avery took the cup, wrapping her hands around the warmth. "What time is it?"
"Almost eight. Sun's been up for over an hour."
She looked toward the windows. The light was different today, brighter, sharper. Less oppressive.
"Storm's over," she said quietly.
"Yeah." Logan moved to the window, staring out at the snow-covered landscape. "Trail's still buried in places, but it's clearing. Should be passable by tomorrow."
Avery's chest tightened. "Oh."
He didn't turn around. "I'll need to assess the conditions. Make sure it's actually safe before…”
He stopped.
"Before what?"
Logan's shoulders tensed. "Before we head down."
"We?"
"You think I'm letting you hike down alone?" He finally looked at her. "After three days of drilling safety protocols into your head?"
Despite everything, Avery almost smiled. "No, I guess not."
They stood there in awkward silence, coffee cooling in their hands, the memory of last night's kiss hanging between them like smoke.
"About last night…” Logan started.
"Don't." Avery set her cup down. "Don't apologize for it. Don't tell me it was a mistake. Just, don't."
"I wasn't going to apologize."
"No?"
"No." His voice was rough. "I was going to say that I can't stop thinking about it. And that terrifies me."
Avery's breath caught. "Logan…”
A sound outside made them both freeze.
Voices. Male voices. Getting closer.
Logan's expression went cold. "Stay here."
"What? Why…”
But he was already moving to the door, pulling it open.
Avery followed, her stomach dropping when she saw two men trudging through the snow toward the cabin. One was tall and lean with dark hair, holding what looked like a radio. The other was broader, older, wearing a sheriff's department jacket.
"Shit," she whispered.
Logan stepped onto the porch, positioning himself between her and the approaching men. "Can I help you?"
"Logan Maddox?" The deputy's voice was professional but cold. "I'm Deputy Chen. This is Marcus from SAR. Sheriff Grayson sent us to check on his daughter."
"She's fine." Logan's voice was flat. "Storm trapped us here. We're waiting for the trail to clear."
"We can see that." Deputy Chen's eyes moved past Logan to where Avery stood in the doorway. "Miss Grayson. Your father's been worried."
Avery stepped forward, anger flaring. "My father knew where I was."
"He knew you were supposed to be training. Not trapped alone with…” The deputy stopped himself.
"With what?" Avery's voice was ice. "Say it."
"Avery…” Logan's voice held a warning.
"No." She moved past him, off the porch. "He sent you up here to what? Make sure the big bad mountain man didn't touch his precious daughter?"
Deputy Chen shifted uncomfortably. "Your father was concerned…”
"My father," Avery interrupted, voice shaking with fury, "treats me like I'm twelve years old. I'm twenty-two. I came up here for field training. The storm hit. Logan kept me safe, taught me more in three days than I learned in three months at the hospital, and never once made me uncomfortable."
"That's not…”
"And you can tell my father," she continued, "that his paranoid overprotectiveness is exactly why I'm moving out as soon as I get back."
Logan made a sound behind her, half warning, half something else.
Marcus, the SAR guy, cleared his throat. "Look, we're just here to make sure everyone's okay. Sheriff asked us to check the trail conditions and offer an escort down if needed."
"I don't need an escort," Avery said.
"Miss Grayson…”
"I said I don't need an escort." Her voice was firm. "Logan and I will come down when the trail is safe. Not before."
Deputy Chen's expression tightened. "Your father was pretty specific about his concerns."
"I don't care what my father's concerns are."
“Your father trusts Maddox,” Deputy Chen said carefully. “That’s not the issue.”
Avery’s brows pulled together. “Then what is the issue?”
“He was worried about you,” Chen continued. “Young, and caught in a storm with no radio contact. He thought you might make a reckless decision out of panic, or stubbornness.”
The silence that followed was damning.
Avery's stomach turned. She looked at Logan, saw the carefully blank expression on his face, the tension in his shoulders.
"Oh my god," she said quietly. "He told you Logan was dangerous."
“He told us,” Deputy Chen added, “that he needed someone experienced to confirm you weren’t stranded… or making choices you’d regret once the storm cleared.”
"The situation." Avery's laugh was bitter. "That's what I am. A situation."
“Avery.” Logan’s voice was low. “Let it go.”
“I’m not upset that he sent them,” she snapped. She turned to him fully, voice trembling. “Did you know what my father was thinking when he sent me here? Did you know he thought I couldn’t handle myself?”
Logan's silence was answer enough.
“You weren’t just protecting me,” she whispered. “You were agreeing with him.”
"Jesus Christ." She stepped back. "That's why. That's why you tried so hard to refuse. That's why you kept talking about his trust."
"Avery…”
“He sent me to you because he trusted you to keep me alive,” Avery said, voice cracking. “He didn’t trust me. He thought I’d do something impulsive. Or need rescuing.”
"I am safe," Logan said quietly.
"That's not the point!" Tears stung her eyes. "The point is, he doesn't trust me. He doesn't trust my judgment. He treats me like I can't make my own decisions, and you…” She stopped, swallowing hard. "You went along with it."
"I didn't have a choice."
"Everyone has a choice."
Deputy Chen cleared his throat again. "Miss Grayson, we should probably…”
"Give us a minute," Logan said, his voice hard. "Please."
The deputy and Marcus exchanged glances, then moved a discreet distance away.
Logan turned to Avery. "I'm sorry."
"For what? For not telling me? For letting me think…” She stopped. "God, I'm so stupid."
"You're not stupid."
"Yes, I am." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I thought, never mind what I thought. It doesn't matter."
"It does matter." Logan moved closer, lowering his voice. "Everything that happened between us, that was real. Not because your father sent you here. Not because I was following orders. It was real."
"Was it?" Avery looked up at him. "Because from where I'm standing, it feels like you've been trying to do the 'right thing' this whole time. Keep the sheriff's daughter safe. Don't cross any lines. Be the good, trustworthy mountain man."
"That's not…”
"And the second you slipped?" Her voice shook. "The second you kissed me? You couldn't get away fast enough."
Logan's jaw tightened. "I pulled away because I was trying to protect you."
"From what?"
"From me. From the gossip you'll face when we get back to town. From your father's anger." His voice dropped. "From getting hurt."
"Too late for that," Avery said quietly.
She saw something crack in his expression. Saw him reach for her, then stop himself.
"I never meant to hurt you," he said.
"I know." And she did. That was the worst part. "But you did anyway."
They stood there in the bright, cold morning, the sun glinting off the snow, two strangers watching from a distance.
"Miss Grayson," Deputy Chen called. "We should really head back. Give your father an update."
Avery didn't look away from Logan. "Go ahead. Tell him I'm fine. Tell him I'll be down tomorrow when the trail is fully clear."
"Your father wanted us to bring you back today…”
"I don't care what my father wanted." Her voice was firm. "I came here for training. I'm finishing my training. Then I'm leaving."
Deputy Chen looked at Logan. "You okay with this?"
Logan's expression was carefully neutral. "She's an adult. She can make her own choices."
"Fine." The deputy's tone suggested it was anything but fine. "But if you're not down by tomorrow afternoon, we're coming back with a full team."
"We'll be down," Logan said.
The two men turned and started back down the trail, their voices carrying as they disappeared into the trees.
Avery stood there, breathing hard, anger and hurt and confusion churning in her chest.
"You should eat something," Logan said finally, his voice carefully neutral. "Then we can continue your training."
"Training." Avery's laugh was hollow. "Right. Because that's what this is."
"Avery…”
"Don't." She held up a hand. "Just, don't. Not right now."
She walked past him into the cabin, her throat tight, her eyes burning.
Behind her, she heard Logan exhale, long, slow, like a man who'd just lost something he hadn't known he wanted to keep.
The rest of the morning was painfully professional.
Logan drilled her on advanced wound care, winter survival protocols, and emergency triage in remote locations. His teaching was flawless, patient, thorough, exactly what she needed.
But he wouldn't look at her. Not really.
And he definitely wouldn't touch her.
Even when demonstrating a pressure bandage technique, he kept six inches between them. When checking her work, he stood back instead of leaning in like he had before.
Like she was contaminated. Like one touch would break whatever fragile control he was maintaining.
By noon, Avery's patience had run out.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked, wrapping up the practice supplies.
"Doing what?"
"Acting like I'm going to shatter if you get too close."
Logan's jaw tightened. "I'm trying to be professional."
"You were professional before. This is different."
"Everything's different now."
"Because my father sent people to check on me?” She stood, facing him. "Or because you're looking for an excuse to push me away?"
"That's not what I'm doing."
"Isn't it?" Avery crossed her arms. "The second things got complicated, you pulled back. The second there was a consequence to wanting me, you decided it wasn't worth it."
"There are consequences, Avery. Real ones." Logan's voice was tight. "Your father will never forgive me. Everyone in town will think I took advantage of you. Your reputation…”
"My reputation is mine to manage," she interrupted. "Not yours. Not my father's. Mine."
"You don't understand what you're asking."
"Then explain it to me." She moved closer. "Tell me why you're so convinced this can't work. Tell me why you're already giving up when we haven't even tried."
Logan stared at her for a long moment. Then he said, "Because I don't know how to do this."
"Do what?"
"Care about someone." His voice was raw. "Let someone in. Trust that they won't…” He stopped.
"Won't what?"
"Won't leave." The admission seemed to cost him. "Won't get hurt. Won't realize I'm not worth the trouble."
Avery's anger softened. "Logan…”
"Everyone I've ever cared about either leaves or gets hurt." He looked away. "My parents, my team, the people I was supposed to protect. I came to this mountain to be alone because alone is safer."
"Safer for who?"
"For everyone." He finally looked at her again. "Especially you."
"That's bullshit." Her voice was gentle but firm. "You're not dangerous, Logan. You're scared. And you're using my father and the age gap and every other excuse you can find to justify pushing me away before I can hurt you first."
Logan's hands curled into fists. "Maybe I am. But that doesn't change reality."
"What reality?"
"That you'll be back in town soon. Back to your life. And I'll still be here." His voice dropped. "Alone. Like I should be."
"What if I don't want you to be alone?"
"What you want and what's good for you aren't the same thing."
"Stop deciding what's good for me!" Avery's voice rose. "I'm not a child. I'm not your responsibility. I'm a grown woman who's capable of making my own choices, and I'm choosing you."
"You don't know what you're choosing."
"Yes, I do." She stepped closer, and he went rigid.
"I'm choosing the man who teaches with patience and care.
The man who kissed me like I was the only thing that mattered and then pulled away because he was trying to do the right thing.
" Her voice shook. "I'm choosing you, Logan. All of you. Even the broken parts."
For a moment, she thought she'd gotten through to him. Thought she saw something crack in his carefully controlled expression.
Then he stepped back.
"The trail should be clear by tomorrow morning," he said, his voice flat. "We'll head down after breakfast."
"Logan…”
"I need to check the perimeter. Make sure there's no structural damage from the storm." He grabbed his jacket. "Stay inside where it's warm."
Then he walked out, leaving her standing alone in the cabin.
Avery sank onto the cot, her chest aching.
She'd laid herself bare. Told him exactly how she felt. And he'd walked away anyway.
Because he was scared.
Because he didn't believe he deserved to be chosen.
Because he'd rather be alone than risk getting hurt.
Outside, she could hear the sound of Logan chopping wood, sharp, rhythmic, violent.
And Avery sat in the cabin they'd shared for three days, wondering how something that had felt so right could hurt so much.