Chapter Two

Lorn

How the hell did I get into this mess?

The petite blonde woman walks on, not paying attention to her surroundings. She’s lucky to stay on the trail at all, given her obvious lack of any form of sense.

Why me?

We haven’t been introduced. In my old world, that would have been the first part of the conversation.

Hi, how are you? I’m Lorn. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

Blah, blah blah. Words. Meaningless. So often lies. I don’t need to know this woman’s name. I need her gone, so I can have my solitude back.

My gaze bores into the back of Miss Independent’s head.

Her hair is swept up in a stylish ponytail. Her eyes are the color of leaves in the deep summer—probably the deepest shade of green I’ve ever seen. Her ass is perfectly curved, her figure petite and nicely displayed through her well-fitted clothing.

My groin tingles, and I glower. Nothing will happen between me and this woman, or any woman. I’ve made my bed, and now I lie in it, alone. The fact that her body turns me on at all is enough to piss me off even more. Her mere presence here is throwing off the essence of peace I have worked so hard to find.

I want her gone.

I need to clear my mind.

One of the guests mentioned losing a watch before they left and gave me their number and address if I find it. There’s a reward attached, but I don’t care about it. I don’t need the money. I’ll have to search for it another time—it wasn’t up on the common hiking trail folks use around here.

My gaze scans the ground as we walk, and I focus my thoughts on the watch while also trying to ensure that the woman doesn’t get us lost again.

A snowflake lands on my nose, and I look up. The sky is a dark, cloudy gray. A flurry of snowflakes joins the first, all of them thick and heavy as they drop on us one by one.

“Great. Just great,” the woman grumbles.

I grin. Maybe the more uncomfortable she is, the faster she’ll leave. Hope springs eternal. Maybe I’ll take her on a longer walk than necessary, play up the dangers of getting lost around here. The sooner she’s back in her little limo or whatever, back to wherever she came from, the better.

Something glints in the corner of my eye, and I look to the left to see the watch dotted with snowflakes on the side of the trail.

Bingo.

I scoop it up and continue walking. The snow increases around us, and visibility becomes a bigger issue. The woman picks up her pace, presumably hoping to get to the cabin before the snow gets too bad, and I watch as she slips and stumbles forward, landing on her face.

“Ugh!”

I can tell by her tone that she’s more annoyed than hurt, but I can’t help myself. No matter what I’ve been through, this woman needs my help. I step forward and kneel, reach around her waist, and lift her up. She goes still in my arms, and when she steadies, she looks up at me with those big, beautiful eyes.

I hate eyes like those.

My body hums as we stare at one another, frozen as snow envelops us. She blinks, then pulls back, and I drop my hands.

What the hell was that about? Get it together, Lorn.

“I said I don’t need your help,” she says.

What is this woman’s deal?

“I believe the correct phrase is ‘thank you.’ Would you like to practice saying it together? You’ve been missing out on some great opportunities to use those words since I found you.”

“I’m not going to thank you for manhandling me. I can stand up on my own. I’m not a child.”

I nod. “Yes, I am aware. Now are you going to continue quarreling with me, or can we speak civilly?”

“Those are some pretty big words for a country bumpkin. Do you spend your free time reading the dictionary?”

She’s trying to belittle me, get a rise out of me. What pisses me off the most is it’s working. She has no idea who I am, nor where I was educated. If she did, she’d change her attitude, fast.

“Have you always been a terrible person?”

“Me? You’re the one directly ignoring my wishes. I told you to leave me alone!”

“And I told you it’s not safe to let a greenhorn wander around in the woods solo.”

“That was the entire point of coming here!” Her voice ricochets off the trees around us, and I step back and cross my arms. Perhaps it’s best to let her have her fit and be done with it, then we can move on. Will that tactic work?

I might not have the patience for it.

I stare at her until she huffs at me in frustration. It’s kind of nice knowing she’s as aggravated as I am. Maybe if I keep annoying her, she’ll leave.

Something has to work, and fast. I want to be left alone.

“Listen, I know this resort is the only place up here where anyone stays, and I purposefully rented out every single cabin around this lake for the next month. You shouldn’t be here!”

I quirk an eyebrow as I take in that little piece of information. I was expecting a full party today, and only in the evening. Definitely, not one lost woman in the afternoon. “There is one cabin about twenty feet from here that is not for rent, because it belongs to me. I’m the owner of this land.”

Her eyes widen at this piece of news, then she crosses her arms at me and glares again. Even when she glares, she’s beautiful.

Did I mention she needs to go?

“Some host you’ve been.”

“I’ve done nothing but try to help you, and you have been rude at every possible chance. I am not in the wrong here, Miss…”

I draw a blank. I should probably know the name, since I approved the rentals. But at this point, I usually sign the dotted line at the bottom and walk back out. I’ve been busy with the storm on its way. Everything about this past week has been a blur.

She hesitates, like she’s thinking about whether to give me a fake name or not. She has to know that I have access to the paperwork, now that she knows who I am. Her shoulders lower.

“It’s Rayne.”

I step forward and stand a foot away from her. In the cold, I can feel her warmth, and I know I’m standing uncomfortably close, but I want her to be uncomfortable. I want her to want to leave, but I don’t want to go about it the wrong way. There’s a businessman and a gentleman deep down in me somewhere. Time has hidden them, thankfully, but they are there.

I stick out my hand for her to shake. “Rayne. I am Lorn. Welcome to my establishment. Because of the nature of your arrival and the nature of this storm, I have no choice but to bring you to my cabin for safety until it passes, likely for the night.” I’ve been prepping for the winter for weeks, but my cabin is the closest, and it’s by far the most secure.

She steps back and ignores my hand. I feel like an idiot standing there with it out, so I drop it.

“Absolutely not. I don’t even know you. Besides, it’s not snowing that much. We can get to the main cabin. You said it was only a thirty-minute walk.”

“Yes, I did. That, of course, was under the assumption that weather conditions are good. There is a steep hill that leads to that cabin. You might have noticed we’re in quite mountainous terrain. That hill will be near impossible to hike down in this weather, in the dark. Had you driven to the main entrance like a normal person, we could have accommodated you. As it is, you will now be inconveniencing both of us. Well done.”

It might be the longest string of sentences I’ve spoken in months. I don’t like it. I shouldn’t have to explain common sense to some city slicker. I chuckle inwardly at the term, like I’m anyone to talk. I stare her down, and I feel like I’ve seen her before, but I dismiss the thought. If you’ve seen one pretty blonde, you’ve seen them all.

I’m not giving this woman a chance to invade my life any more than is necessary. This is for safety only, and that’s that.

She crosses her arms again. Stubborn. Great. Don’t have enough stubborn in my life.

“I had my reasons.”

“And I’m sure they were perfectly admirable, but the longer we stay out here, the worse conditions are going to get. We’re going to my cabin. Discussion over.”

“No, the discussion is not over. You clearly have survival skills enough to walk another twenty minutes or so. I refuse to be misled from my path.”

“Look, I’m sure where you’re from, when you make spoiled little demands like that, people jump to make it happen, but this isn’t your territory. If you don’t like it, I’ll issue a full refund and get you home. Tomorrow. Because tonight we’re staying in my cabin, whether you like it or not.”

“There will be no refund.” She stomps up to me and now we’re standing closer than ever. I catch a whiff of expensive-smelling perfume and hold my breath.

Keep it together, man.

“I will not be leaving this place until my purpose is served,” she continues. “You can try everything you want to try to keep me away. It’s clearly what you want. I’m not one to back down.”

I dip my head, so she can feel my breath on her face when I talk. The little cherub’s face is set in a stubborn line, and she doesn’t back away.

Admirable. Annoying, but admirable.

“Neither am I,” I whisper.

Her eyes widen, and her gaze darts to my lips for a fraction of a second, but I don’t miss the movement.

What am I doing?

I step back and gesture toward a turn in the path.

“This way, then.”

She blinks a few times as she regains her wits and glances down the path, then she looks back up at me.

We’re running out of time. Snow collects on our heads, our shoulders. The ground has turned white, and the temperature lowers at a rapid pace. I watch her debate whether to keep the fight up. She relents and bends to pick up her suitcase again. It slides along the ground as she stomps ahead of me, in the direction of my cabin.

If a half-truth will work, I’ll use it. I don’t care. A clearing opens up ahead of us. My cabin is a cozy oasis in the snowy mountainscape. A stream of warm smoke pours from a little black chimney. The building is made of sturdy brown wood with a nice front porch stocked high with firewood for the winter. When Rayne sees it, I watch her shoulders slump again from behind.

“I take it this isn’t the main cabin.”

“Nope,” I agree.

I step ahead of her and kick my boots against the bottom step before I leap up the porch and open the front door.

“Welcome to my humble abode. One night, then we’re both free to be solitary.”

I can’t wait.