Chapter 4
BARRETT
This is a bad idea. Taking a woman I stumbled on in the forest to my cabin isn't something I ever expected to be doing when I chose to settle on the mountain. Mostly because I just wanted to be left alone.
But leaving her there wasn't an option. And we sure weren't going to make it to the resort with this storm going on. My jeans are soaked through, and even through the flannel I gave her, Sage is shivering. I can feel it where she's pressed close against my chest.
Taking her with me seemed like the only choice available. Even if I might regret it in the end.
The trees thin and I step through the gap, into the clearing and my home appears.
Sturdy, made with my own hands. It won't win any prizes for architectural design, but it's mine.
Building it was the escape I needed when I first arrived.
The steady work, the focus and energy it required, kept the darker thoughts away when they threatened to pull me down completely.
Inviting anyone here to what has become my true shelter from the outside world is rare.
My friend, Hunt, who works at the resort is one, and Porter, a nearby lumberjack, are two of the very few, but they understand how healing this place has been for me.
Because it worked the same magic on them when they found there way here.
But I've never brought a woman here. Even though necessity requires it now, it still feels important. Such a divergence from my normal that I can't help but mark the moment.
"We're here," I say, and Sage blinks up at me before looking around. The fact that she's dozed off in my arms says something about how comfortable she feels. Or maybe she's just so exhausted she can't fight it.
But I can't help but notice how perfectly she fits against me. How soft her curves are or the way she gives a contented sigh every few minutes and tries to snuggle in closer.
"This is beautiful." Sage's statement brings my focus down to her and the way she's looking at my home with amazement causes a bubble of pride to swell in my chest, especially when she adds, "It's perfect."
"It does the job." I can't admit the way her open admiration makes me feel, but it still feels good to hear her say it.
"Trust me, this is what everyone pictures when they hear a story involving a cabin in the woods. A happy story, I mean. Not a scary one."
"Heard a lot of scary stories about cabins in the woods?" I ask as I carry her up the steps to the porch and open the door.
Sage grins up at me and I swear there's a twinkle in her pretty eyes. "You'd be amazed how many of those stories there are."
"Hmm. Any happy endings?" She chuckles as I cross the front room and bend down to set her carefully onto the couch.
Her hands tighten around my neck like she's reluctant to let me go and her gaze searches mine.
It hits me that our mouths are only inches apart and it would be easy to eliminate the space between us. To press my lips to hers.
A flush spreads across Sage's cheeks and I pull back, positioning her on the cushions with her legs out. "I'll get a pillow so we can elevate your foot."
She whispers something I can't quite make out, and I force myself to walk away. No matter how beautiful she is, Sage is hurt. She's on her own. And she's not staying.
In my bedroom, I lean against the wall and take deep breaths, trying to regain some control over my body's reaction to her. It's not like I haven't seen a woman since I came to the mountain. But this is the first time I've had this instant attraction to one.
My feelings, though, aren't the most important thing. What should be is the fact that I need to do all I can to help her injury continue to heal and making sure Hunt knows she's safe. The resort keeps track of their guests as best they can and someone will have noticed she went missing.
I grab a pillow off my bed and take it back out to where Sage is waiting.
"Everything okay?" she asks, laying her hand on my arm. My eyes snag on the way her fingers look against my bare skin and yearning shoots through me.
"Yeah," I answer with a nod, my voice rough. "I'm going to get you a dry shirt to wear, though, and a blanket. Then I'll call the resort and make sure they know you're safe. Otherwise, they'll send out a search team for you."
Having things to do is what I need to keep me moving, giving me a reason to stay at a distance from her.
Especially when she shrugs out of my wet flannel and bundles herself into the new one I've set aside for her.
Seeing her in my clothes does something primal to me and it feels like I've got some claim on her.
The satellite phone has Hunt's number programmed into it and I hit the call button. His voice is tense when he answers.
"All okay for you, Barrett?" I don't call him often, and he knows that the only reason I'm likely to contact him is when something has gone wrong.
"I'm good, man. But I found one of your guests while I was hiking today. Just before the storm hit."
He lets out a relieved sigh, and I hear his wife, Jade, in the background asking what happened. "Barrett found her," is Hunt's response and then his attention returns to me.
"She's got a sprained ankle and the path back to the resort was flooded so I carried her to my cabin. I've got her ankle wrapped and elevated, and she's warming up now. We can wait it out here and then I'll bring her over when the roads are clear."
"That sounds like a smart plan to me. Thank you for calling." Jade speaks again, and Hunt adds before I hang up, "Jade wants to talk to her."
It's not really a request and my regard for Hunt's wife goes up even higher. From all I've heard about her, she's the kind of woman who takes people under her wing and defends them with all her energy. I carry the phone over to Sage and hand it to her. She quirks a brow at me in silent question.
"It's the resort. Hunt is the guy who fixes everything and his wife Jade wants to talk to you. Likely to make sure I haven't kidnapped you." Jade's laugh emerges from the speaker, and Sage gives me a grin.
"Hello." She listens and nods, then says, "He rescued me from my own clumsiness and I'm fine for now. His cabin really is beautiful. And Barrett's been a little grumpy, but nice. So totally not kidnapped."
They say their goodbyes and Sage hands the phone back to me. I point to the kitchen counter. "That's where it'll be if you need to make a call. Or if you need to call Hunt back for some reason."
Sage leans back against the couch, giving me an assessing look. "Any reason I'll need to call him?"
I shrug. "Maybe you'll want him to rescue you from my grumpiness."
That makes her laugh and the tension in my shoulders eases a little bit.
"I need to check your ankle. Get it properly wrapped. With an actual bandage." I give her a once over, and she blushes a little. "Are you comfortable with that?"
She looks down and clears her throat, almost as if she's embarrassed by something.
"I actually, well," she coughs into her hand, and then takes a deep breath.
"My pants are pretty wet. From the rain.
Any chance you might have something that I could wear while mine dry?
I don't want to get your couch cushions all gross. "
I nod, kicking myself for not thinking of this. My jeans are wet, too, but I'm fairly used to that happening when I go hiking. Sometimes I wade through streams and creeks to get where I need to be. But she's a novice. Sitting in wet clothes won't help her in the long term.
"Sure," I nod, frowning and then stopping her when she opens her mouth for what I'm sure is going to be an apology. "I should've thought of that when I brought you a new shirt. I've got a pair of sweats you can wear. And we'll hang up your pants to dry."
I head back into my room, pull two sets of my gray fleece from the chest of drawers I built, and replace my wet jeans for a dry pair and take the other out to her.
And then wonder how she'll wiggle out of the wet pants she's wearing when she can't even stand on her own.
"I hate to admit this, but I'm afraid I'm going to need some help." She bites her full bottom lip and the sight sends an electric shot straight through me. "I can already tell the material is sticking to my legs."
I nod and sit down beside her, lifting her legs to rest on my lap, relieved she anticipated the same problem I did. "Keep the blanket over you and slip the waist band down over your hips. I'll pull from this end."
Sage lifts her hips up and wiggles beneath the blanket as she follows my instructions.
I have to look away, the sight both adorable and erotic, and once I feel her weight settle back onto the couch, I grab the cuffs of her pants and pull them over her feet, taking special care as I maneuver it over her sprained ankle.
There's a flash of something lacy wrapped up in the bundle of material, which I recognize must be her panties.
Probably so soaked that they stuck to the fabric when she pushed them down. The sight makes my heart pound.
Even so, I don't miss her pained intake of breath as I guide her foot into the sweatpants.
"Sorry about that, sweetheart," I grumble.
"Just a little bit more, and we'll have you settled again.
" I try to focus on working. Getting her beautiful smooth legs covered with my pants is making my chest go tight and I feel suspiciously hot sitting beside her.
Knowing that under the quilt she's bare from the waist down is about to make me combust.
"Do you call all the women you rescue and bring to your mountain hide-away sweetheart?" Sage asks, her fingers brushing mine under the blanket as she takes the waistband from me.
I stare at her, dumbfounded for a moment until it hits me that I did in fact call her that. There's a cute smile on her face as she watches me. Shaking my head, I look away. "Sorry about that. I've never actually brought a woman here. So you're the only one subjected to my inappropriate comment."
"Barrett." She says my name with all seriousness, no hint of teasing on her face and her fingers tighten on mine. "I didn't mind. Just wondered is all. You're sitting there, all heroic and kind, like you do this sort of stuff all the time. Seems like it comes naturally to you."
"It was my job. Taking care of people. Medics help whoever needs help." I let myself enjoy the feeling of her touch a little longer before I pull away. "Now I'll grab a bandage and we'll rewrap your ankle."
I push up, gently holding her feet in the air while I slide out from beneath them, then resettle them propped up on the pillow once more.
Gathering up her wet pants and underwear, I step into the bathroom and hang them over the shower curtain, then dig into the first aid supplies I keep in the closet.
Living out here means being prepared for just about anything, so I have plenty of bandages on hand.
When I walk back into the front room, I'm struck by how perfect Sage seems to fit into this place. Tucked under a quilt on my couch, looking like she's perfectly comfortable. Like this is where she wants to be.
It hits me then that the one thing I couldn't prepare myself for is her.