Kai had dropped his keys off Friday morning and helped her get her suitcase into the ridiculously nice black Subaru. It was perfect for snow he said. Amelia’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel the entire time. She couldn’t decide if she was more anxious about driving the car in the snow up an unfamiliar winding mountain road, or if it was Kai on his motorcycle in front of her.

Amelia had asked if it was safe for Kai to ride, but he insisted he’d prepped his motorcycle for winter with the proper tires, and a litany of other things. The quirky smile on his face as he explained it all to her was enough to make her glare. He obviously liked that she was concerned for his safety.

Her reaction was stupid, she wished she would stop getting so defensive about everything. Would it really be so bad for Kai to know she cared? It had been two days since their date and long enough for all her old anxiety and fears to come roaring back. Amelia couldn’t believe she was driving a fucking car.

They’d almost slid off the road once and she’d had to pull over to calm down. Ice scared the shit out of her. Kai had offered to drive and trek back to get his motorcycle, but Amelia didn’t want to be a baby about everything. She didn’t want Kai to think less of her. So they’d agreed to go slow and he’d promised it wasn’t much farther.

It had never been just about the money. Amelia didn’t own a car for a few reasons including the time her father had jerked the wheel from her during her permit hours and they’d crashed. He’d forced her to get her license so he didn’t have to ‘chauffer’ her everywhere, but Amelia had never driven after she’d gotten her license unless it was an emergency. David had insisted more than once it was an ‘emergency’ when he called her to pick him up from the bar.

Maybe Kai was right after all. Her parents had demanded her respect, but they’d never really earned it. And forcing her to do something that obviously terrified her? It was over a decade later and it still gave her cold sweats to be behind a wheel.

Amelia was determined to overcome at least some small part of her fear by crushing the drive to the cabin.

It was still early in the morning, but Amelia was ready for a damn nap after the harrowing drive. They’d taken the 84 east which hadn’t been bad, but then they’d gone off on the 82 north and Amelia felt like she’d been taken to a different planet. It was like no one else existed among the trees and quiet space with the Blue Mountains in the background.

She’d never had the pleasure of traveling, and this was more of the world than she’d ever seen outside of books. It was part of why she loved to read. Travel was a luxury she’d never been able to afford. Her entire life had been spent in Portland aside from the few places Bonnie had managed to drag her.

Kai waved his arm and then turned onto an even more remote road; she hadn’t even known that was possible. Thankfully Kai had put the Subaru into all-wheel drive before they’d left with a warning to stop if it started snowing. Apparently, he didn’t like to ride his bike when it actually snowed.

At least he was a little bit human. Amelia was beginning to suspect he was some kind of superhero who never tired or got cold.

The road up to the place went through some trees and then opened up to a beautiful cabin in a wide clearing. With the fresh, untouched snow from the night before it looked like something out of a fairytale; the good kind and not the ‘cook children’ kind.

The surprise was nice and it settled some of her nerves. It was a massive place with two stories and a huge wraparound porch. There was a big beefy truck ready for the winter weather parked nearby. This wasn’t just a family cabin anyone might have. This was a full on house made to look like a cabin that only people with money had. Amelia was both curious and suspicious. As long as Kai didn’t sell drugs or anything like that they were good.

Kai opened her car door before she could close her mouth from gaping at the place. “You like it?” he asked, helping her out.

She was still so surprised she didn’t protest his assistance when she could certainly stand on her own. “It’s something you’d see on a Christmas card.”

Kai chuckled and jogged to the trunk to retrieve her suitcase. “It’s my main home, actually,” he said. “I spend most of my time here and then I commute to La Grande most days.”

“For what?” Amelia asked, following him carefully. There was no walkway that she could see under all the snow so she stepped exactly where Kai stepped. At least she’d had the foresight to wear her boots.

“I own my own mechanic shop,” he replied, waiting for her at the bottom of the porch stairs with his hand outstretched. “I have five mechanics and one office manager. Most days I go in, oversee, choose what I want to work on, and then come home. Specialty projects are towed here and I work in the garage.” He pointed out the massive barn-like building across the clearing tucked into the trees. It was dark, but very roomy-looking.

It was a lot to take in and Amelia had a hard time believing her good luck. Nothing illegal, and Kai did well for himself. He was a go-getter type. It settled more of her nerves and Amelia rolled her neck as she breathed in the smell of the clear, cold mountain air.

Kai opened the front door for her and let her enter first. Amelia took off her gloves and scarf as she stomped her boots. The mudroom was like something she’d see on Pinterest and the living space beyond was exactly out of a fancy home book. The living room was two stories tall and wide open. The back wall was made of glass and overlooked a breathtaking view of the forest, a small lake, and more land empty of anything manmade.

She slipped off her boots and walked farther into the house, setting her coat, scarf, and gloves on one of the empty hooks.

Amelia loved the color choices. Even though there was a lot of natural wood, the decoration was done in whites, greys, and blacks. There were pops of blues and greens, but most of it was a calming cool oasis with the backdrop of the forest as the main focal point.

“This place is amazing.” More descriptive words failed her. Normally Amelia had a better vocabulary, but she felt speechless. “How did you manage this?” she asked, waving her hand at the kitchen just as large as the great room.

It was probably rude to ask, but Amelia wasn’t great with filters. She was supposed to be herself, and she really wanted to know how someone had this much success in life. Where had she gone wrong?

“Well, I inherited certain responsibilities. Our community had some money, and I purchased this place. It sits on twenty-five hundred acres of land. For a few years it was just a mobile home until I could afford to build this.” Kai shrugged and grinned at her.

Like it was no big deal. Twenty-five hundred acres – that was so much land.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, going into the massive kitchen and opening an equally ginormous refrigerator.

Amelia didn’t try to hide her disbelief. She crossed her arms and frowned at him as he dug into the far back, pulling out a few ingredients. It looked like Kai had every intention of feeding her again. What a weirdo, but – she also kind of loved it.

“So, you somehow just had the money to purchase that much land. What do you need it all for anyway?”

Kai shrugged one shoulder. “Well, I’m not the only one who lives on the property, though I am the only one who owns the title. There are a few more cabins, but no they aren’t as big as this. My mechanics and the office manager live in them.”

It was so strange…Amelia had no idea why he’d want them so close all the time. “What if you had to fire one of them?”

For the first time his face went blank as he cut some beautiful steaks off a massive hunk of meat. Holy shit, that was practically an entire animal…and it fit in his fridge. Her loft was beginning to look drab in comparison with his millionaire playboy cabin.

“I’ve had to fire one before, but we’re a close-knit community. They’re not just my employees; they’re my friends and family. We look out for each other and take care of each other. Every one of us has issues and a past to blame.” Kai shrugged. Amelia could tell he cared deeply for these people.

She sat on one of the barstools and watched him set up the ingredients. Getting Kai to open up was like peeling an onion, not difficult, but annoying as only one tiny layer came off at a time.

“Are they also Native American, part of your tribe? This isn’t a reservation right?” God she sounded ignorant, but Amelia had studied Native American History in college, and the customs she was more familiar with. The modern culture and information she was a little hazy on. There was one reservation she knew of nearby, but it definitely wasn’t on Kai’s land.

He shook his head and sprinkled herbs and spices on the steaks before putting them on a platter. Kai took the steaks to the outside porch where there was a gorgeous outdoor cooking area. Amelia followed him to the window but didn’t go outside. He’d tell her more or he wouldn’t. She wasn’t going to push.

Every time she pushed it had always backfired before. David hated when she pushed for anything.

As she watched Kai cooking outside in the cold for her she realized that maybe it hadn’t been her. Maybe it had really been the abuse Sarah had tried to tell her it was. But after growing up with her parents and the way they were – then David? Amelia had nothing else to compare it to, and the men she’d met after David hadn’t exactly proved her wrong.

Not until Kai. Amelia really hoped she wasn’t the reason because she didn’t want to ruin this. Kai was…better to her than she deserved.

She sighed and turned to inspect the house. Amelia used the time to explore a bit. The great room had a couch that was a ‘U’ shape and could easily seat twenty people. There was a ridiculously massive T.V. over the fireplace and she went down a small hall to find a study that was really a library. It was lined with books from floor to ceiling; so many books.

She ignored the leather couch and the huge desk. There was a nice big table, where one could sit and read or do research…it was very fancy. Amelia inspected every shelf and there were actual first editions on his shelves. This wasn’t a library one could curate in a few years, not unless money was limitless. Some of the books looked like they’d been treasured for generations.

A copy of Alice in Wonderland caught her eye. Not only was it a first edition, it was signed by Lewis Carroll. She shook her head in disbelief and slipped it back next to the copy of Alice in Zombieland. It made her laugh to see all the variations next to each other. He had The Looking Glass Wars, and something called Alec in Wonderland. Curious, she pulled it off the shelf. Her cheeks heated as she realized it was a gay fairytale romance. Well then.

“Found something you liked?” Kai teased, leaning against the doorframe. He watched her with that one-sided smile and she blushed.

Amelia put the book back and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Are you gay?” Instantly she regretted the question, but she wanted to make sure. This was all too good to be true.

Kai laughed and crossed the room in two strides. His hands went to her waist and he lifted her as though she weighed little more than air. He set her against the shelf and ran the tip of his nose from her collarbone to her earlobe, breathing her in.

It caused an instant reaction in Amelia. She gasped and felt it right in her middle as the warmth radiated outwards. She clutched his shoulders and when he pressed against her she felt the hard length of him.

“I’m definitely not gay,” Kai murmured. “Lucky for you.”