When she walked away up the track, two thoughts struck me at once. The first was that I'd love to lift that skirt of hers, yank down those panties and spank her little ass for speaking to me like that. The other was that she was going to freeze if she didn't turn around and head back down soon.

She looked furious with me as if it was my fault that the tree had been struck by lightning. She'd have been the first to complain if her darling Jocasta or Sebastian got hit by a falling branch. I knew her sort all right. They visit at the weekends usually, leaving their rubbish all over my beautiful mountain, they complain about getting lost but never thought to bring a map, they grumble about the mud and suggest without humour that we should tarmac a path up to the summit. I knew all about women like her.

It didn't used to be this way. I inherited this land from my father and back in his day all we did was farm. Now I'm more of a park ranger than a worker, pointing people in the right direction, getting the brambles cleared away from the picnic areas, all the stuff I never thought I'd need to do.

Chopping down a dead tree is just part of the job. What I didn't need was her coming yelling at me like she owned the damned place.

I liked the look of her though. Standing there with that pout on her lips, expecting me to grovel before her. She'd be waiting a long time before that happened.

I leaned back against my Land Rover and watched her heading up the hill, tempted to call her back just to see if she'd come. She had nice legs and I could stare at them all I wanted, picturing myself shoving them apart, plunging my fingers into her so I could taste her sweetness, burying myself inside her, rolling around on the damp grass, taking away that temper of hers.

"Do you have to make so much noise?" she asked, like I was doing it just to irritate her.

"Got a better way?" I ask and she just glares at me. "I mean, if you want to do it, be my guest." I hold the chainsaw out towards her but she still doesn't answer. "What's your name?"

"Huh?"

"Your name. You have a name, right?"

"Carrie, not that I see why-"

"I'm Jack and I've got a job to do. So, Carrie, why don't you head on up that hill and think about maybe being a bit more polite to people on your way down."

She looks hurt and I think I've gone too far. Then she just turns and walks away. She seems on the verge of tears. I fight the urge to run after her and instead get back to work. By the time I'm done she's vanished from sight and my phone is ringing in the car.

I walk over to pick it up, my mind filled with thoughts of Carrie, of how she'd look bent over the bonnet with me grabbing hold of her hips as I thrust into her, taking away all her tension.

I shake the thought and hit the answer button. It's Alison and she's got news.

"You haven't forgotten about this afternoon, have you?"

She's a great assistant. I had forgotten, not that I admit it.

"Of course not."

"You wanted to run through the plans before they go for final submission. We've only got until four if they're going to be get back to us today."

We had submitted proposals for a clump of holiday cabins up in the woods on the mountain. It had gone back and forth for months but today was the last chance to get permission secured before the deadline expired and we'd have to start again from scratch. I had the best people working for me but I had final say on what was sent over to the planning guys. I look at the time. Should be easy enough.

"And don't forget we're going to need a spec putting out if we get a yes."

"I'll work on it tonight for you. You think we'll get it?"

"I've got a good feeling about this, Jack. No one's put more work in than you."

"Bullshit. It was a team effort as you know."

"Well, this team member is going for a drink if it goes through. Care to join me?"

"I'll think about it."

She's a great assistant but she's not my type. Plus I knew for a fact she was part of the pool that was seeing who could get me into bed. They were all going to lose their money. I don't mix work and pleasure. Or so I thought.

"When do you think you'll be here, I'll get them all in ready?"

"Give me a couple of hours."

I ended the call and then began piling my stuff into the back of the car. As I pick up the chainsaw, I hear a rumble in the sky. Looking up I see the black clouds already coming in. The weather was due to turn. I'd just miss the storm if I headed downhill then.

But as the first spots of rain hit my face, I think about Carrie. She was up on the summit and if it was spitting where I was, it would be hammering it down on her. She hadn't a rucksack or a jacket. She'd freeze up there.

I did a mental calculation. The car couldn't go any higher. How long would it take her to get back down? As I thought, the rain grew heavier. She'd not make it, the clouds were becoming thick, fog growing around me. Another few minutes and the trails would vanish. It would be all too easy to get lost in such conditions.

I'd had to help mountain rescue a few times in the past when people had gone missing. It all looked so safe from the sunshine in the car park. But I knew from experience how fickle my mountain could be. It was a dangerous place if you didn't know what you were doing and she didn't know what she was doing.

I grabbed the overcoat off the passenger seat before slamming the boot closed. Leaving the car there, I turn to face the ascent, narrow my eyes against the rain, and begin to climb.

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