Chapter Five

Rayne

When I wake up, it’s the first night I haven’t had a nightmare in more than a year. I stretch and pull a pillow to my face.

The scent of cotton and pine floods my senses, and my eyes shoot open.

Bright light pours in through a side window and cascades over the bed I’m in. Lorn’s bed. I try not to imagine what it would be like to have him in here next to me, possibly stark naked. My belly flutters at the thought.

Then I remember the real reason I’m here. Getting lost in the woods. Needing space to be alone, to think out a plan.

The door creaks open, and Lorn peeks through.

“You awake?”

“Yeah,” I say, though my voice gives me away. I sound almost exactly like that creaky door.

Lorn presses the door all the way open, and I sit up to look at him. He crowds the doorway entirely. His body takes up nearly the entire frame. He has to duck to enter the room.

“Sorry, I need the bathroom.”

I glance to the side and realize that when I closed the door last night, I usurped the only bathroom he has.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to block it from you all this time.”

Lorn grins down at me. He walks by me and shrugs. “As you’ve so correctly pointed out, I am a woodsman. I know when to use the forest.”

My cheeks go red at the thought that I made him have to go to the bathroom in the cold while I was cozy and warm in his bed. No wonder he thinks I’m such an imposition.

As he closes the bathroom door, I scurry out and open the front door to check the weather conditions. The snow stopped falling sometime in the night, and there appears to be a few inches on the ground, but nothing unmanageable.

All around us, trees that once looked menacing now glisten with a fresh coating of winter snow. Sunlight casts rainbows across the smooth swath of untouched snow. While the seclusion last night was a little scary, in the light of day, it now feels comforting, reassuring.

Necessary.

Footsteps approach from behind, and Lorn’s presence hovers at my back. I repress a shiver and turn to look up at him.

“Thank you, for everything.”

I wait for the snarky comment. I should have thanked him long before this, but I was so scared and frustrated and annoyed.

To his credit, he simply nods. “Happy to help our renters, as needed. Just don’t make it a habit.”

There’s a lightness to his words that belie their meaning. I think he would help me in any situation, were I to ask. I doubt he’d be thrilled about it, but he’d do it.

What kind of man is Lorn? He never gave me his last name either. Why? Is he hiding from something, too?

I’m ogling him as I consider all this. He’s changed into another black T-shirt. I can only tell that it’s new because the one he had on before was wrinkled from sleep. I need to get a grip, or I might die from embarrassment.

“I’ll try not to. Can I be shown to my cabin now?”

He nods. “Of course. Are you ready to head out?”

“Yes.”

I’ve been ready since the moment I kissed him and he pulled away. At that moment, if I could have run into the woods and never come out, that would have been my preference. As it was, I like warmth and comfort. Sue me.

Lorn steps back and hands me my jacket off the couch. I make quick work of slipping into my shoes, and when I step back out into the living room, Lorn is waiting by the front door with my suitcase.

“I can grab that,” I say, but he shakes his head.

“Trails are slick this morning with the fresh snow. You’d do better to focus on your footing. I can carry this.”

“Really…”

“Rayne, you don’t have to fight every attempt at civility.”

A twinge of annoyance pricks at my gut. He’s treating me like I’m incompetent, like one slip-up on the trail means I can’t walk properly at all. I fall for this guy only to be reminded of his arrogance.

It’s a good reminder of why I’m here, and what I shouldn’t be doing.

“Fine. Let’s go,” I say, tugging on my coat.

Lorn lifts an eyebrow at my cold tone, but he shrugs it off and opens the door. He pulls my suitcase behind him as he exits, and I follow at a small distance. Distance from Lorn is good. The closer I get to him, the more I want to run my hands all along his muscular body.

Not good.

He leads the way through the woods, and we are surrounded by a glimmering winter wonderland. Above us, the sunlight dances along the frosty branches, the world quiet in the cold as animals burrow down to keep warm. I inhale the scent of snow and fresh air, and I am rejuvenated.

It’s not that long of a walk, and a clearing opens up to another cabin, not so different from Lorn’s. He stops in front of the porch steps and turns to face me. In the cold, his cheeks have gone rosy, his eyes bright and glassy. This morning they look more green than brown.

Why does he have to be so damn attractive?

“I take it you can handle yourself from here?”

I nod and grab the handle of my suitcase. I carry it the rest of the way to my new front door for the next month and turn to look down at Lorn. It’s a new angle, being above him, and I kind of enjoy the sensation of having the higher ground.

“Where is the main cabin from here?” I ask.

“There’s a map in your cabin of the entire range, but if you head down that trail there, you’ll see it.”

“Thanks.”

“Yep.”

There’s a heavy silence where our kiss and any number of hidden things hang in the air between us. I turn and open the door and step in side, closing it behind me without another glance at Lorn.

It’s better that way.

Still, I press my back against the portal and listen for him to walk away. I hear nothing, but that’s not so unusual, I suppose. He may be large, but he seems perfectly able to use stealth in the woods.

I tell myself I’m glad he’s out of my hair. Now I can focus on what’s important.

The cabin is cold. I step back out and grab a few logs for my woodstove, noting Lorn’s absence. I place the logs into the stove and find a match and some kindling stored next to it, possibly from the previous tenant, possibly as a courtesy. Who knows?

I light the kindling and stoke the fire until it sustains itself, and then I step back, proud of myself.

I can so do this.

I drag my suitcase to the bedroom. It’s cold in here, too, and I’m hopeful that the fire works its magic soon. I lay the suitcase flat and unzip it. When I open the flap, the picture of my father rests atop a pile of neatly folded clothing.

“Hey, Dad,” I breathe. A small puff of steam escapes my lips, it’s so cold. I take the picture in my gloved hands and sit back, staring at the image. In it, my father is young, his blond hair slicked back and his face frozen in a blissful smile. I like to remember him like this.

My last memory of him surfaces, as it so often does. I remember holding my breath, my heart frantic as I hid beneath his desk. The argument that happened right before the gun went off. My father falling to the ground. Those eyes…

I was twelve years old when I witnessed my father’s murder. I was forced to take the stand against the man who killed him and became the reason that man went to jail. Larry Corker, my father’s murderer, had been angry that my dad put his brother in jail for domestic assault.

Now, eleven years later, Larry’s been released on good behavior, and I have to figure out what the hell I’m going to do. I’ve changed my last name, which is something, but I’m not convinced that’s enough. I have a feeling, deep down, that Larry will come for me, that he’ll want his revenge for his brother and for himself, because my father stood up to them and forced them to face justice.

I release a sigh and start unpacking. I have time to figure this all out. I’ll find a solution out here in the safety of the remote. When I finish placing the last of my clothing in the dresser, I’m no longer chilled. The fire in the other room is healthy and pumping out heat, so I close the stove door and allow it to do its thing.

I pull out my cell phone and plug it in. I need to check my email and make sure the world isn’t falling apart in my absence. Maybe a little distraction wouldn’t be so bad, either. I need to stay tied to my world, the one I created for myself after my father’s death.

It’s the one thing that’s kept me sane all these years.

I open up my screen and flip to the Wi-Fi, only to find that one doesn’t exist.

Seriously?

I tap out then tap back in, refresh, try to find any form of internet connection, all to no avail.

Looks like I’ll have to go find that mountain man again, after all. Or at least someone at the main cabin to help. It doesn’t need to be him. Actually, it’s probably better if it isn’t him.

Already dressed for the outdoors, I step back outside into the sunny morning and start my path through the snow. Lorn pointed to a path straight ahead, so I take it, my boots caked with snow as I walk. By the time I reach another clearing, I already feel calmer. Being in nature might be better than medication. I’ll have to look into this.

There is a steep decline, as Lorn described, and the main cabin is noticeably larger than the others, more like a community center. I step gingerly down the path, watching for any slick patches until I reach the bottom and head right for the front entrance. I open the door, which is unlocked, and step inside.

It’s absolutely boiling in here.

The building has a large open space. There’s a massive stone fireplace in one corner, surrounded by cozy-looking sofas. Another room has games—pool tables, foosball, a few bar games and decks of cards.

“Hello?” I call out.

There is no response. A noise scuffles in another room, so I decide to follow it, even as apprehension tickles the back of my neck. There’s another noise followed by a curse, and I instantly recognize that voice.

Nothing to fear here.

I open a back door and reveal a large kitchen. On the floor with a tool in his hand is Lorn, shirtless. I swallow, my throat quite parched. His abs ripple as he leans up to attach what appears to be a broken oven door. I notice across his shoulder a massive tattoo of a melting clock, above which the words Die Standing are inked in black on his skin.

Die standing? What’s that about?

My gaze leaves that spot and lands once again on his solid, sturdy abdomen, and I know it now.

I’m not going to be able to resist this guy.