Chapter 7
HAYDEN
The cabin was ensconced by pines; a cozy little getaway that felt both wide open to the wilderness yet tucked away and totally remote.
As we pulled up, I noticed the owner had already set it up nicely for us.
The lights were on; the windows glowing a soft gold against the deepening blue shadows of dusk.
“Home sweet home,” declared Carter.
The driveway was cleared of snow. A curl of smoke wafted up from the top of the stone chimney, which meant they’d even left us a fire. I couldn’t wait to stand before it, close my eyes, and let the heat soak into my tired body.
“And I still say that was pretty messed up,” muttered Bodie. “As soon as we saw you go down Nitro, we thought you were doomed.”
He shot me a dirty look as he dragged his gear to the front door. I smiled and poked my tongue out at him.
“I already told you, my parents put me on skis as soon as I could stand. Killington, Stowe, Okemo — we practically lived in Vermont. I skied for years, until I finally took up snowboarding.”
“Why’d you switch?”
“A cute boy,” I shrugged, coyly. “Met him on the bunny hill, teaching beginners.”
“It’s always a boy,” Carter chuckled.
“I took a few lessons, pretended to fall a lot so he’d have to pick me up. Once I started snowboarding though, that was it. I never looked back.”
They were bitter. That was okay. I’d thrashed more than one past boyfriend on the slopes, so I knew the best ways to handle the delicate male ego.
“I still don’t understand how you beat us every run,” muttered Sawyer.
“I’ll rent a snowboard tomorrow,” I said cheerily. “You can beat me then.”
“Aren’t you even better at snowboarding?”
“Oh, shit yes.”
“Then how the hell are we going to—”
“Because skis are faster,” Bodie jumped in. His ice blue eyes lingered on me in an adversarial way. “In general, anyway.”
Ah, so he was the competitive one. I made a mental note of that little piece of information, as Carter produced a key and unlocked the thick pine door.
A blast of warmth washed over us, bringing with it the crisp, sweet scent of burning logs.
After a long day on the side of a windswept mountain, it felt and smelled absolutely amazing.
“What’d you do to get them to light a fire for us?” I sighed happily.
“We’ve stayed here a couple times already,” explained Sawyer. “The owner grants us some fringe benefits.”
The inside of the cabin was all pine walls and exposed beams, with wide floorboards worn smooth by a thousand feet.
Brown leather sofas dominated the living area; so old they were cracked with use.
The cushions looked soft as marshmallows, though.
The knotted wool rug that sprawled between them, clean and inviting.
“We have television,” Sawyer pointed to a sleek black rectangle, “but no reception. There’s no internet on this side of the mountain either. There is a DVD collection, though.”
I followed his gaze to the corner, where a rotating black turnstile stood sentinel. Up and down, it was pregnant with dozens of plastic DVD cases.
“Shit,” I whistled. “I haven’t seen one of those in ages.”
“Yeah, well the guy who owns the place hasn’t messed with it in a long while either,” said Carter.
“How do you know?”
Strangely, all three of the guys stopped what they were doing and laughed.
“Because every time we come here we swipe one,” explained Bodie. “And we replace it with a… well…”
He looked at a loss for words, but only until the others rolled his eyes at him.
“He means we replace it with a porno,” smirked Sawyer. “The filthier the better.”
My mouth dropped open in half amusement, half shock.
“Holy shit, that’s hysterical.”
“It is,” confirmed Sawyer. “Last year it was The Sperminator. The year before that, On Golden Blonde.”
“And this year?”
Grinning like a maniac, he reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a jewel case. I read the title; and broke out laughing.
“Romancing the Bone?”
“Fuck yeah,” he snorted. “It’s a beautiful love story between a horny woman and, well…”
“She gets it,” Bodie cut him off.
I wandered further in, marveling at what I saw.
The cabin was traditional in its construction, but modern in the sense of its basic amenities.
The kitchen was warm, with slabbed oak countertops sporting a cute exposed edge.
Dotted between them however were stainless steel appliances; all state of the art.
“Angel, you’re with me.”
A tap on my shoulder caused me to spin. I found Carter standing there, holding my bag.
“Angel, huh?”
He smiled, and extended a hand. “You’re the only woman who’s walked into The Refuge and ordered an angel shot. Or rather, the only one who did it correctly. So yeah. You’re Angel.”
I slipped my hand into his, without even thinking. It was warm, and strong, and a little bit rough. I definitely didn’t hate it.
“What do you mean, correctly?”
“Well, there was this brunette who thought it would be funny to try it out,” he frowned. “Maybe she saw it on the internet or something, but I wasn’t amused.”
“Damn. What did you do?”
“I made her a hideous concoction of about ten different ingredients, in the largest glass I had. Then I charged her thirty dollars.”
I cracked up, picturing the whole thing in my mind’s eye. I could even see the brunette’s face.
“Another woman ordered one on a dare from her stupid circle of friends,” Carter went on. “She had no idea what it was, though. So I let it slide.”
He led me to the bedroom at the end of the hall, which was bigger than all the other rooms we’d passed.
Two frosted windows looked out over the beautiful snowcapped forest. A door on the third wall led into a small, but adorable bath.
The bed was covered in navy blue linens, and at least eight or ten pillows. It looked large and comfortable.
“There,” he said with a chuckle, as he tossed my bag into the dead center of the mattress. “Let your fuckwad boyfriend find you all the way up here!”
I couldn’t help but laugh too. “Ex-boyfriend,” I corrected him. “Or rather, not even an ex. More like ancient history. Or maybe—”
“Whatever he is,” he said, giving my palm a gentle squeeze, “you’re safe from him here.”
Carter let go of my hand. Almost immediately, I missed the warmth of his touch.
“This is the master bedroom,” I balked. “I don’t need—”
“You’re a girl,” Carter smiled, pointing to the little bathroom. “You could use the privacy.”
“I am a girl,” I confirmed. “Still…”
“Besides, this was supposed to be Trevor’s room anyway, before he bailed,” Carter went on. “He took the master because he planned to bring his girlfriend, Sam. We dodged a bullet, too, because Sam would’ve killed the vibe.”
“Why?” I asked. “Because she’s a girl?”
“No, because she’s a total asshole.”
Sounds of unpacking floated in from the other room. Also, the distinct hiss of someone — Sawyer maybe —adding logs to the fire.
“Carter…”
“Yes?”
“I need to thank you,” I murmured softly. “Not just for rescuing me, but also for taking me here. For getting me out of harm’s way. I owe you one.”
His jaw tightened, as he shook his head slowly. “You don’t owe us a thing,” he whispered. “Got it?”
Maybe it was those liquid brown eyes that made me feel so warm and fuzzy, all of a sudden. That, or the way those thick biceps and triceps stood flexed, crisscrossing his deliciously broad chest.
“You sure it’s okay that I’m here?” I pressed. “I’m not killing the vibe?”
His resulting smile made me feel safe and secure and completely at ease.
“Angel, you are the vibe.”