CHAPTER ONE

Madison

I was running away but I didn't give a damn.

I deserved it. Open skies. Mountains. Pine trees. Grizzly Adams territory, make way, here I come.

Packing for an unfamiliar climate wasn’t easy. The weather in Daytona Beach, Florida was about as opposite as you could get from Vail, Colorado. I loved the sun, the beach, and the thrill of living in Florida, but I needed a break. The trip was all I’d been able to think about since I first got the crazy idea to pack up and go on a solo getaway.

Yes, I was running away, but running was far better than sitting in this empty house and wondering if my fiancé was going to come over or call me. I had to put some space between us.

I smiled wryly. That was the problem. There was nothing but space between us. Unlike most engaged couples in the twenty-first century, we didn't live together. Mark said he wanted to wait until we were married.

“Bullshit!” I shouted into the room.

I believed him for a long time—almost two years—but a veil had recently been lifted from my eyes, and I saw him for who he was. He didn’t make me happy. I couldn’t make him happy. We were fooling ourselves. I wasn't the type to spend every waking moment with a guy, but holy cow, I expected more than a phone call or a few texts here and there from the man I planned to spend the rest of my life with.

Relax, Madison. Deep breaths.

I refused to get worked up over the situation again. Hence, the escape to cold and snowy Colorado. Some people wanted warm and sunny getaways, but I wanted the exact opposite of what I was used to. A wise man once said ‘If you do the same thing you’ve always done, you’ll get the same things you’ve always gotten’, or something along those lines.

After searching Airbnb and other home rental sites, I finally settled on a cabin way out in the middle of nowhere that promised plenty of solitude. I needed to get my head straight. My fiancé, Mark, was making me crazy. I had to get some distance between us so I could figure out what I wanted.

He'd checked out of our relationship and checked into one with himself. Mark loved him some him. Self-absorbed didn’t even come close.

Before I got too far into the packing process, I grabbed my phone to confirm my reservation at the cabin. I was a little uneasy about the whole thing. I’d booked the cabin through a website, but I wanted to talk to an actual person to confirm my stay. My card was charged, but I needed to know more details about the rental. Would there be wood chopped and ready for me to use to start a fire or was I expected to get my hands dirty?

God, I hope not.

Little details like that could be essential once I got there. I called the number listed in very small print at the bottom of the page, but I got the voicemail again.

“Hello, this is Madison Carr. I'm calling, again, to confirm my reservation for the cabin outside of Vail. I have reserved and paid for two weeks. I have a few important questions about the cabin, please call me back.”

I left my number for the third time and hung up.

I walked to the closet, scanned the clothes that were still hanging, and debated what else to take. I was assuming it would be cold, so I bought plenty of warm socks, long-sleeve shirts, and a new coat. I didn't think I’d need a dress for my private getaway, but I grabbed one off a hanger just in case I decided to go out for a nice dinner. I didn’t need a man around to get dolled up and eat a nice sirloin steak.

Declaring myself packed, I zipped up my suitcases and took them one at a time to the front porch. Two large suitcases may have been considered overkill by travel enthusiast, but you never know what you’ll need when you’re out in the middle of nowhere for this long. I even packed some pepper spray, in case a serial killer was lurking out in the woods.

What can I say; I prepare for the worst.

I tossed the confirmation receipt for the cabin, airline ticket, and the rental car information into my purse and took one last look around.

My phone rang, and I frantically dug through my purse to find it, hoping it was the rental company.

“Hello?”

“Tell me you're not leaving me for two weeks,” my friend Emily Bryan whined when I answered.

I laughed. “I'm leaving you for two weeks.”

“You suck.”

“I need a vacation.”

“People come here for a vacation. We live in the most beautiful city on earth, and you’re running away to some chilly place where only mountain people live,” she teased.

I sighed. “Hey, Vail is a very popular destination for the Hollywood elite.”

“Oh, are you hoping to track some down and sell your art? I could get on board with that. It's a working vacation!”

“No, no. I don't plan on tracking anyone down. I plan on putting on some warm slippers, drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate with Baileys, and sitting in front of a fire for days. If I don't get away from Mark and his drama, things are going to get ugly.”

“I know, hon. You totally deserve a nice vacay. I will miss you like crazy, but I want my best friend happy. You have been way stressed lately.”

“Thank you, Emily. I’ll miss you too. If it hadn't been for you these past few months, I probably would have already committed some horrible crime or fallen into a deep depression. You are my sunshine,” I said in a sing-song voice.

When we’d first met in high school, she’d been singing that song in the hall. Emily was really like a burst of sun on a dark, cloudy day. She had a way of making people feel happier after just give minutes with her. Unfortunately, either I had become immune to her cheerful influence, or I was in a very bad hole. So, I was packing my bags and running away to the mountains.

“Call me when you land,” she said. “Be careful, and, I guess, watch for bears. I really don't know anything about bears, but I don't think you should wander around the forest.”

I laughed. “Got it. I have to go. I'll call you when I land.”

“Bye!”

I hung up, and sure enough, I felt a little better after talking to her. Her cheerful voice was contagious, but not contagious enough. I was still in a funk and had to get away from this place for a while. Hopefully, I would get my shit together and figure out just what the hell I was doing with my life.

I heard a honk telling me my cab was out front. I felt a stir of excitement and dashed out the door, ready for an adventure. Once my bags were loaded and I checked my purse for the umpteenth time, I was on my way to the airport.

Thanks to the ever-present traffic, by the time I arrived at the airport, I was racing to get to my terminal.

In true Madison style, I arrived to the gate just as they were boarding my flight.

“Cutting it close,” someone in line said beside me.

I looked over to see an elderly man. “Yep, the traffic was ridiculous.”

The old man smiled. “Yes, it was. My wife would kill me if I didn't get home on schedule. A big snowstorm is headed into Denver. If I didn't make this flight, I would be sitting here for another few days.”

I nodded and suddenly felt a little uneasy. I had to drive to the cabin from the airport in Denver. Hopefully, this snowstorm was all hype.

The flight to Colorado was relatively smooth. My rental car was ready and waiting, and I even got a free upgrade. Everything was looking up so far. The cold air had been a bit of a shock, but it felt good. I loved how invigorating and clean it was with none of the heavy, salty humidity in the air, like in Daytona.

Once I got in the car and figured out how to pair it with the Bluetooth on my phone, I punched in the address for the cabin in the GPS. I was warned it would likely not take me right to the front door since there was unlikely to be satellite available. That was fine. I had a map and had memorized the directions.

As promised, I called Emily.

“You're there. Are you freezing your balls?” she asked.

I laughed. “It is cold, and it’s snowing. I haven't driven in the snow in forever. It’s kind of making me nervous,” I told her.

“Then why are you on the phone?”

“Hands-free.”

“Oh. Good. So, do you think you'll leave him?” she asked.

I sighed. “I don't know. I need some time to figure things out. I mean, should I be mad he didn't come to my show—again!?”

She inhaled. “Maddie, you know how I feel about Mark most days. Honestly, he needs to support you in your dreams. Has he been one of your shows?”

“No. None. He always has something come up. If he truly loved me, he would show up to at least one,” I said, frustration creeping into my voice.

“You’re absolutely right. How about you? Do you still love him?”

“I don't know. I’m hoping this trip will help me figure everything out. I don't think I can marry him as things stand now. I can't marry someone who doesn't respect me enough to even show up for fifteen minutes at one of my shows.”

“Preaching to the choir, girl!” she shouted, her voice singing through the car.

I laughed. “The choir should have been preaching to me about a year ago. Why did you let me waste so much time with him?”

“We all have to find our way in our own time. I knew he wasn't right for you. He's all pretty and polished on the outside, but the man is just an empty vessel. There's shallow and then a few more feet down, you have Mark,” she said softly.

I groaned, knowing she was right. I had been blinded by his good looks and his charm. He was a charismatic man, but he wanted a woman who was available to him when he needed her without having to support her in the same way.

“Thank you for being such a good friend, and I know you're right. Back then, I would have defended him and said you were wrong. I had to come to this on my own.”

“Love is supposed to make you feel good, most of the time anyway, not depressed. I hope you find someone who makes you feel good. Take care of yourself out there.”

“Okay, well if you don't hear from me, it's probably because I don't have service. I'll drive into town and check in with you when I can.”

“Okay, take care. Please don’t wait too long to check in. I love you!” she shouted.

I took my hand off the wheel for a second to end the call and then put it right back on. I knew the roads weren’t safe, and I was a little freaked out by the snow. The roads were covered with a thin layer of white. The sun was setting and the temperature dropping according to the thermometer readout on the rearview mirror.

I should have hired a car. I had no business driving in a snowstorm. The airport was warning travelers there would likely be delays as they were expecting something big. I never received a call back from the lame Airbnb owner, and I prayed the cabin was stocked with firewood, flashlights, and everything else I would need to survive for a few days.

The car slid, but I was quickly able to regain control.

I couldn't wait to get to the cabin—and safety. I hoped my dream trip to the mountains was going to turn out to be a nightmare. I didn’t need another disappointment in my life now.