Chapter Three
Kelly
What’s taking him so long?
The fire in the hearth crackles, casting dancing shadows across the surprisingly cozy little cabin, but its warmth does little to soothe the chill buried deep in my bones.
It’s been an hour since Walker brought me here, iced my ankle, and wrapped it despite my insistence that it could wait.
He spent nearly half an hour tending to me before building a fire when he noticed me trembling.
Only after making sure I was settled in did he head back out into the storm to check on the wolves.
It’s been a long, stressful hour, and each tick of the grandfather clock in the corner only sharpens my anxiety.
Outside, heavy snow falls in thick waves, rattling against the windows as the wind howls through the trees.
I already tried calling the ranger’s station twice, but there’s no signal out here. I’m trapped.
Where is he?
Christ, what if something happened to him out there?
Then it would be all my fault for practically forcing him to go check on the wolves this late.
The trappers are long gone by now. No one in their right mind would still be out in weather like this.
Except, apparently, the man I begged to head straight into it.
Please be safe.
My breath fogs the cold glass as I peer outside, straining to see through the snowfall when movement catches my attention near the tree line.
A figure emerges from the woods.
My heart lodges in my throat as the dark shape moves toward the cabin, broad and imposing against the storm. For one horrible second, I think it’s one of the men from the den. The height. The size.
Oh God. They found me .
Fear slices through me so sharply that I freeze. But then the figure moves closer, and I recognize the familiar jacket.
Him. Walker.
Relief should come instantly, but it doesn’t. Something about him unsettles me. Maybe it’s the sheer size of him. Maybe it’s the beard that gives him a rough, intimidating edge. Or maybe it’s how easily he could be mistaken for one of the men who chased me through the forest.
The heavy wooden door creaks open, and he steps inside with a blast of icy wind and swirling snow. A dusting of white clings to his dark hair and broad shoulders as he kicks the door shut behind him. He looks exhausted, rugged in a way that makes the small cabin suddenly feel even smaller.
Then his eyes find mine, and my lungs forget how to work properly.
I hadn’t taken him in clearly earlier. Not while terrified from running for my life. But now, with him standing only a few feet away beneath the glow of the firelight, it’s impossible not to.
Broad shoulders. Thick arms. A beard that somehow makes him look even rougher.
Dangerous.
“Are you okay?” he asks, shrugging out of his wet jacket and tossing it onto the rack beside the door.
I don’t realize he’s speaking to me until those golden-brown eyes settle on mine again.
Warm and sharp all at once. They are stunning.
Something warm unfurls low in my stomach, completely at odds with the fear still clawing at the edges of my mind.
“I…um. What?”
One dark brow lifts slightly. “I asked if you were alright.”
He runs a hand through his damp hair, and my gaze stupidly follows the movement.
Rich brown strands with faint copper undertones catch the firelight, and the movement only draws more attention to the rough beard framing his jaw.
It makes him look even more rugged, like he’s just as wild and dangerous as the mountain itself.
Right.
Danger. The trappers. How could I forget?
This man could be one of them. He’s built enough like the others that my nerves immediately return, twisting tight in my stomach. And yet when he steps closer, the scent of pine, snow, and earth clinging to him, my thoughts scatter in completely the wrong direction.
Focus, Kelly.
“I’m fine,” I manage, though my pulse is racing for reasons I don’t entirely trust. Christ, I need to get away from this man and think.
The more I look at him, the more conflicted I feel.
He’s attractive in this rough, intimidating way, and his closeness leaves me slightly lightheaded even while every instinct warns me to be careful.
Besides, what kind of park ranger wears red plaid shirts and faded jeans stretched over a body built like that?
I’ve never met one who looked anything like this man, all broad shoulders, rough beard, and golden-brown eyes that seem to glow in the firelight.
He smells like pine, earth, and cold winter air, and every time he steps closer, awareness prickles beneath my skin in a way that makes absolutely no sense right now.
I have to focus.
“You were gone so long,” I force out, trying to ignore both his size and my body’s ridiculous reaction to him. “D-did you find the trappers?”
“There was no one at the den,” he tells me. “And I didn’t find any traps set anywhere.”
“You didn’t? But I saw those men setting up the traps. I saw them,” I insist, even as my suspicion continues to coil tighter in my chest.
“I’m not doubting you. Maybe the men you saw went back and took care of the traps.”
Or maybe you are covering for them , but I don’t say that part out loud. Not if I want to make it out of here alive.
“Maybe,” I say instead.
“Right. We’ll worry about that when the storm passes.”
I yelp when he suddenly drops to one knee in front of me and reaches for my injured leg. His grip is firm enough to stop me from pulling away, but gentle enough not to hurt.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Checking your ankle. Does it still hurt?”
“It’s fine,” I say too quickly, trying to tug my foot away. “It hardly hurts anymore. In fact, I think I can walk by myself now.”
He releases me this time, and I force myself upright using the edge of the table for support. “If you could just show me to the bathroom,” I say tightly, “I need a shower after the day I’ve had.” And maybe a few minutes away from you.
“I’m not sure—”
“I’m fine,” I repeat stubbornly. “In fact, I’ll prove it.”
Bracing one hand against the table, I lower my good foot carefully onto the floor before testing the injured one.
“See? I’m fi—ouch!”
Agony explodes through my ankle the second I put weight on it. I cry out and grab the table harder as tears sting my eyes.
“I’m fine,” I whisper weakly when Walker immediately reaches for me again. “I just need a second to catch my breath.”
“Let me help you.”
His voice is unfairly deep and warm, stirring something inside me that has nothing to do with fear. Heat curls low in my stomach the second his hand wraps gently around my arm. Panic tangles with awareness so quickly it leaves me dizzy.
I look up at him, and for one reckless second, I wonder if he could really be involved with the men from the forest at all. But then reality crashes back in.
How can I be sure he wasn’t one of the men out there?
I only got a clear view of two of them. The third had his back turned most of the time, making it impossible to see his face properly.
I think of the name I saw on his badge earlier.
Walker.
It sounds as rugged as he looks, and I hate that even his name feels like it belongs here.
“Okay,” I whisper, feeling strangely resigned. “I…I guess I could use help getting to the bathroom. I can handle the rest from there.”
Assuming I don’t face plant in the shower and die of embarrassment first.
***
He carries me like he did before, but this time feels different somehow. I’m hyperaware of him in a way I definitely shouldn’t be about either my rescuer or my possible kidnapper—I still haven’t decided which one he is.
He smells so good too. For a moment, I let myself believe he actually belongs here. That he isn’t the kind of man who would hurt innocent animals.
I shake the thought away and let my head rest briefly against his shoulder before forcing myself to sit straighter again.
The bathroom is small, clearly designed for one person, and with a man built like Walker inside it, the space suddenly feels even tighter.
He carefully sets me down on the counter, but the look in his eyes immediately tells me I am not going to like whatever comes next.
“I don’t think it’s safe for you to shower alone. ”
Yeah, definitely don’t like that.
“I have to shower,” I argue. “You have no idea how long I was running, and who knows what kind of disgusting things I picked up rolling down the ravine or hiding under those bushes.”
“If you slip and fall, you could seriously hurt yourself,” he says evenly. “We can’t leave the cabin until the storm passes, and there’s no way to get you to a hospital tonight if something happens.”
He’s right. I know he’s right.
“Maybe I could just…”
My gaze sweeps around the bathroom desperately, searching for another option, but there’s no bathtub. No chair. Nothing.
Which leaves only one horrifying possibility.
“What if I just sit down while I shower?” I ask quickly. “Do you have a stool or something I could use?”
Walker glances toward the shower before shaking his head. “Nothing that would hold up in there. The kitchen chairs are upholstered.”
My stomach sinks. “Then maybe I could just…” I trail off, staring toward the tiny shower stall and realizing exactly how impossible this situation is.
“Kelly,” Walker says carefully.
“No!” I blurt out immediately, heat rushing to my face at the thought of being trapped in that tiny shower with him. Naked. I’ve never showered with anyone before. Never even seen a man naked. Certainly not one who looks like Walker.
“I’ll stay dressed,” he says quickly. “And you can keep some of your clothes on if that makes you more comfortable—”
“No,” I say again, rubbing my arms as nerves crash back over me. “There has to be another way.”
“Kelly—”
“We barely know each other,” I whisper. “And now you want me to get naked in front of you?”