CHAPTER 4
MELANIE
The snow was falling so hard I could no longer see where I was going. The roads were a blur and the path was no longer clear. I was slowly winding up a mountain whose edges I could no longer keep in my vision. A downed tree lay across the main road that led to my house and I swore. I knew there was another way, a back way, but I hadn’t traveled it in ages. Right now, though, it didn’t look like I had any choice but to try. I took a right turn off the main road and started traveling through some thick forestry, but then my car started to slide.
It slid and it weaved and I slammed on my breaks. My tires refused to grip the ground and I felt myself losing control. My hands gripped the steering wheel while I tried to dodge the trees, but I fell over an embankment and into a ditch.
I was stuck and the snow was coming down even harder than before.
“Shit!” I swore and hit my steering wheel with the palm of my hand.
My hands were trembling as I reached for my purse. I gathered up my stuff and checked my phone, pulling it out just in time to watch it die. I scrounged around, hoping I had another charger in my car, but no luck. I was stuck in the woods with snow falling in bucket loads and no one knew I was out here.
Kicking my door open, I finally got myself out of the car. I scrambled up the embankment and looked around as I pulled my coat tight around my body. The ground was already covered in so much snow that I couldn’t even discern the road from the woods, and tears of fear streamed down my face.
Why the fuck did I forget to charge my damn phone?
The wind began to blow and it kicked up a dust of snow. I braced myself and walked through it, following the upward slope of the mountain. I was hoping I could get to a clearing soon and figure out where in the world I was.
But, the longer I walked, the colder I got, and still there was nothing in sight.
Off in the distance, I saw chimney smoke rising. Hope swelled in my chest as I started running, my numb legs taking me as fast as they could go. I tripped through the trees and got snagged on branches, but the closer I got to the smoke the less afraid I was becoming.
I got to the top of the hill and found myself staring at a beautiful log cabin. There was a truck off to the side and the chimney was still billowing smoke into the sky. My body was trembling, bouncing between being petrified and being relieved. My mind automatically recalled my past ordeal, but I tried to push it away before the panic could take hold. I was a much stronger person than I had been back then. Not to mention, I didn’t have much choice. It was either take my chances with the stranger in the cabin or freeze to death out here in the cold. I thought of my dad alone at home and pushed myself forward.
I drew in a deep breath and walked up to the front door. I knocked on it with my shaking fist, then crossed my arms back over my chest. The door opened in front of me and I froze immediately, taking in the massive man that was standing in the doorframe.
His close-trimmed beard was black and his hair was thick. His brown eyes peeked out from a suspicious face as his body loomed over mine. I took a step back and studied him, taking in the way his six-foot frame was covered with muscle.
Muscle that could overpower me in a heartbeat.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
His voice was low and gravelly, a stark contrast to the chilling nature of the weather swirling around me. My jaw quivered and my hands clutched my coat tightly.
“Yes. I’m sorry. Um—my car skidded and got stuck in a ditch. My phone is dead, too. Do you, uh, have a phone I might be able to borrow?”
I felt helpless. Like that day so many years ago. I stood up tall and tried not to show any fear I might be feeling. Though I’d done a lot of healing in the past four years, I was still leery.
“Why don’t you come inside?” he said.
I stood rooted to the porch for a moment, again mentally weighing my options. I could stand here and freeze, or I could follow this giant stranger into his secluded cabin and hope he didn’t murder and eat me.
“Um, yes, thank you,” I said as I made my way inside.
I stood just inside the door in case I needed to run and took in my surroundings. The furnishings were nice and looked to be somewhat expensive, right down to the massive flat screen TV mounted above the gigantic stone fireplace. I inched my way toward the roaring flames, trying to get myself warm.
“I live just on the other side of the trees but I couldn’t get there before the weather got too bad. My father is probably worried sick about me,” I said, wanting to let this large and incredibly handsome stranger know I would be missed if something were to happen to me. Not that my father could do a damn thing to help me if I needed him.
The man nodded. “So, there is someone living in that house,” he said as his eyes roamed over me.
I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of trepidation and interest as he scanned my body with his dark eyes.
“Yep, lived there my whole life,” I said. “I don’t usually come back this way though, not since I was a kid at least.”
“Uncle Ev?”
I whipped around at the small sound and was shocked to find two children sitting in a playpen. The little boy couldn’t have been more than three years old, and the little girl looked less than a year. She was crawling around and trying to climb up the little boy’s back as he giggled, and my heart melted. They both had bright green eyes and rosy red cheeks, and the little girl had drool dripping down her face while she chewed on a stuffed animal.
“Yes, Liam?” the man asked.
“Who’s that?” he asked.
His little finger pointed to me before the little girl began to giggle at something. My love for children was strong, and it was what had driven me to want to become a preschool teacher. I lifted my hand and waved my fingers at them, giving them a wide smile.
The man cleared his throat.
“This is—”
“Melanie,” I said. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“I’m Liam! And that’s Uncle Ev.”
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you and your—Uncle Ev,” I said. “Does the beautiful little girl have a name?”
“Hawy,” Liam said.
“Hailey?” I asked.
“Hadley,” the man said. “And I’m Evan.”
I looked up at him and found him studying me even closer. Though I still had my guard up and was a little intimidated by his size, a man with two obviously well cared for children couldn’t be a psycho serial killer. Could he?
“Sit and warm yourself up,” Evan said.
“Thank you.”
I walked over and sat down on the couch as my eyes continued to watch the little ones. Liam was helping the little girl—who I assumed was his sister—try to do something, and she was getting frustrated with him for taking her toy. She was swatting at him and he was asking her to stop, and all the while I was trying to hold back my giggles.
They were perfect.
I settled back into the couch cushions and sighed as the fire warmed my body. I watched the snow continue to fall outside and started to become concerned for my father. I knew there was plenty of food in the house and that he was capable of making a few things for himself, but he often forgot to take all of his medicine if he wasn’t reminded. Since it was beginning to look like I was going to be stuck here for the foreseeable future, I needed to at least be able to call and remind him. Hopefully, Evan had a phone I could use or a charger to charge my own.
Though my body was still tense, I began to relax in his presence. I just hoped I wasn’t making a mistake by letting my guard down.