Emma woke in a haze of disorientation. Warmth. She blinked and saw that she lay in front of a blazing fireplace. There was a blanket covering her. And she was snuggled against… someone. Someone with strong arms holding her with her back against his chest. And his legs were tangled with hers.

She was at the Silver Creek Lodge. And had gone hiking. But when she set out hiking that morning, she hadn’t expected to encounter a snow storm. It had been pleasantly cool and sunny.

She hadn’t bothered to turn on the television to check the weather, and her phone service was spotty.

Then she remembered the snow storm and being carried down the trail by… a man...

Flashes of memory followed. A bear. A fall. Pain in her ankle.

But where was she now? She tried to move, but the man’s arms held her. It was then that she realized she was wearing nothing more than a shirt. Her legs were bare.

What had happened?

She tried to pull away.

“Hey.” He said soothingly. “It’s me, Aiden. You’re okay now.”

Aiden. Yes. “Where am I?”

“You’re safe. We’re in my cabin.”

“Can I sit up now?”

“Oh. Sorry.” He loosened his arms and helped her sit up. “Of course.”

She ran a hand down a green t-shirt and what looked to be boxer shorts. “My clothes…”

“You were soaked. From the snow. I had to get you out of your wet clothes.”

“Oh.” She strained to remember. She’d been cold coming down the trail, and he’d carried her.

She lifted her right foot and examined her ankle, puffy with fluid.

“My cabin was closer than the lodge, and I didn’t know which cabin you were in.”

“There was a bear.” She said.

He didn’t respond.

“I think you may have saved my life.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Nonsense. Either I would have been eaten by a bear or died from hypothermia. There was no way I would have gotten back without you.”

“You’re safe now. I’ve called the doctor, and he’s on his way.”

“I don’t think I need a doctor.”

“I want to be safe.”

“You have a doctor that makes house calls?”

“He lives nearby and is on call for the lodge.”

She nodded.

He sat up next to her and peered at her face. “You look much better.”

“Thank you.”

“Would you like some hot soup?”

“Sure.”

As Aiden worked in the kitchen, Emma stared into the blazing fire and snuggled beneath the blanket. It was dark outside now, and the land was quiet beneath the blanket of snow.

Emma Miller was not a one-night-stand kind of girl. In fact, she’d only had two boyfriends – one in high school and one as an undergrad. Her best friend Henry had never been a boyfriend and never would be. Henry tended to like different men than Emma did, but men nonetheless.

This guy, Aiden, seemed like a nice guy, if he wasn’t a serial killer. She shook her head. Maybe she watched too much television.

He brought her a tray with a bowl of tomato soup on it. “You aren’t eating?”

“I hadn’t planned on it.”

“I’d feel better if you ate, too.”

He shrugged and went to get another bowl of soup. He sat down next to her and ate a spoonful.

“Trade with me.” She slid the tray toward him.

“Why?”

“Just in case you’re poisoning me.”

He chuckled. “Okay.” He switched their bowls and shared the tray with her. As they ate their soup in silence, he wore an amused expression. Emma scraped the bottom of her bowl. This was the best tomato soup she’d ever tasted. As he gathered up their bowls, he looked toward the window. “Doc is here.”

She then heard a vehicle making its way toward the cabin.

Aiden opened the door. “Doctor Hart. Thank you for coming out in this weather.”

Doctor Hart shook off the snow before coming inside. “I had to bring the snowmobile. We’re having a blizzard out there.” Doctor Hart was a young man with a pleasant demeanor who appeared to be in his thirties. Emma smiled when she saw that he carried a little black bag.

An attractive woman followed him inside, carrying two shopping bags.

“Skylar.” Aiden rushed forward, took the bags, and wrapped his arms around her.

The bottom sank out of Emma’s stomach. Of course, this super hunky guy she was crushing on would have a girlfriend; he was too handsome not to. Emma recognized the girl from when she had checked in at the lodge. She’d been friendly as she’d filled Emma in on everything they had to offer at the lodge – the restaurant, horseback rides, snowmobile rides, and evening marshmallow roasts.

“Emma.” Aiden dragged the girl behind him. “This is my sister, Skylar.”

“Sister.” Emma’s thoughts readjusted and settled. Sister – not girlfriend.

“It’s good to see you again.” Skylar held out her hand. “We’re having a blizzard out there.”

Emma shook her hand as the doctor came around and knelt in front of her. “I heard you had quite a fall off a boulder.”

“I did. There was a bear.”

“A bear, huh?” Doc Hart glanced at Aiden. “Let me take a look at your eyes.”

He looked at one eye, then the other. “Do you remember hitting your head?”

“No. I don’t think so. Why? Is something wrong?”

Doc Hart chuckled. “No. No. I just like to cover all the possibilities.”

Aiden picked up the soup tray and carried it to the kitchen. Skylar followed, leaving Emma alone with the doctor.

“So you twisted your ankle. Can I take a look?”

“Sure.” Emma said, pulling the blanket up to show him her ankle.

He gently pressed on the swollen area. It was already showing signs of red streaks.

“You’re gonna need to stay off of it for a few days.”

“A few days.”

“You could injure it further if you don’t let it heal. Do you mind if I put a bandage on it?”

She shook her head. “Is it that bad?”

“Nothing is broken, but wrapping it and staying off of it will help keep the swelling down. If you don’t take care of it now, it could make the ankle weak in the future.”

He wrapped the bandage around the ball of her foot, then circled around the arch of her foot, around the bottom of her toes, then circled it around her ankle and secured it with a clip. “I’m gonna leave a few of these here for Aiden to change out.”

“I have a cabin,” she said.

“We could take you back to the lodge, but I’ve got to be honest with you. Your wisest option is to stay here with Aiden. He can keep you off your feet. With this storm out there, everyone else is taxed with taking care of the stranded guests. You’d end up walking too much on it just to take care of yourself.”

Emma sighed. “I hate imposing.”

Doc Hart glanced over at Aiden who was in a conversation with his sister. He patted her knee. “I don’t think you need to worry about that. Aiden’s a good guy. You’re safe here with him.” He took a business card out of his bag and handed it to her. “Here’s my cell phone number. If you need anything while you’re staying here, you call me. That’s my snowmobile and I’m not afraid to get out in the weather.” He winked. “It’s an excuse for my wife to let me go out and ride my snowmobile.”

Emma laughed.

“Skylar brought the key to your cabin. It’s totally up to you, but if you want her to, I’ll drive her over to your cabin to get your things.”

Emma thought about her computer sitting on the little desk overlooking the window. She’d set up her work area, but she hadn’t unpacked her clothes. She’d only stayed in the cabin one night, then she’d gotten up early to go hiking. She’d planned to be back early. She definitely needed her cell phone charger if she was going to stay here. “You really think I need I need to stay here?”

“It’s my doctor’s recommendation.”

“I think we should ask Aiden first.”

“Fair enough.” He turned. “Aiden.”

Aiden hurried over and sat on the sofa. “How does it look?”

“It’s a bad sprain. I wrapped it up, but it’ll need to be changed now and then. Also, she needs to stay off of it and to keep her feet up.”

He looked at Emma. “You’ll stay here.”