Page 10 of Snowbound Mountain Man

Running my fingers down the pages, I take in the beauty that he had grown accustomed to. Right now everything's covered in a blanket of white. It's impossible to see much outside of bare trees and snowy cliff-tops, but this...

This is beautiful.

Finding myself taking another break, I flip through both albums to see the world through my father's eyes. Even if some of the photos were blurry or lacked any importance, he'd kept them.

The photo album that holds pictures of my youth, I hug to my chest. Unable to get rid of it, I leave it with the small pile of belongings I plan on taking back home.

It's almost funny how much it has grown in size over the last few days. It was never in my plans to want anything, yet the pile keeps growing.

Sighing softly, I try not to let my eyes linger and let emotions swell up. To keep myself distracted, I continue working. There's still progress to be made, and the day isn't getting any younger.

I'm in the middle of putting a set of books in a box when suddenly everything goes dark. Thankfully, the flickering flames from the fireplace are giving off enough light to reveal that something is very wrong.

It's only then that I hear the heavy whoosh of wind outside howling away, this time louder than ever before.

Realizing that the power has gone out, I pause and wait to see if it'll flicker back on. When it doesn't, I rise to my feet to look outside.

From the looks of it, I can see the cabins across from mine still have power.

Unsure of what to make of it, I consider finding Hunter to see if this is normal. Then again, it's late. The last thing he'll want is for me to come and disturb him, especially if he is the type to call it early.

Maybe I should do the same. I can go out and grab a few more logs of wood, the ones he'd been so nice to stock for me. If I got a fire going big enough, I could curl up on the couch and fall asleep, dealing with the aftermath once the sun is out.

Before I can throw my coat around my shoulders, there's a heavy-fisted knock at the door. Loud and sudden enough to make me jump, I don't think twice about rushing over.

Just when I think Hunter can't possibly make my heart act any crazier, it's the sight of him with snow blowing around dangerously behind him that does the job. Even without asking, he's here, right when I need him most.

Chapter six

Hunter

Ihad a gut feeling this would happen. After all these years, I'd be willing to bet that my neighbor's generator hasn't been serviced in God knows how long.

It's what's kept me peeking out the window blinds multiple times throughout the hour, waiting for the inevitable.

Now here I stand, brutally cold wind at my back and my limbs feeling frostbitten from only standing outside for a couple of minutes.

There's no way I would have been able to sit still knowing she was trapped in the dark.

"Are you alright?" I ask as I look her over. I don't know what I expect to find, but obviously she wouldn't be hurt. Though I'm the one who's in pain at being allowed to see this woman in her sleepwear.

A simple T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants covered in polka dots should not stir something deep within me. Yet my fingers itch to touch the fuzzy fabric wrapping her thighs.

It takes her a moment to snap out of her stare as she registers my question, nodding her head. She steps to the side so I can get out of the freezing cold, and after accepting her offer, I join her so we're both standing in the dark.

A handful of feet away, there is a fire, but it's not doing either of us much of a favor. I can barely see her silhouette, but a slight orange glow reflects off her side.

Thank goodness for the darkness; otherwise, she'd see just how badly I want to kiss her in this moment.

It's the loud crackling bang in the distance that helps snap me out of my daze.

"What was that?" Juniper jumps and lets out a soft gasp.

Clearing my throat, I move past her and head toward her apparently dying fire. Why isn't there any wood lying about? "Most likely a tree succumbing to the weight of all this snow. It happens from time to time, especially during snowstorms."

Poking at her fire, it's a miracle she's able to stay warm. This isn't going to work.

"What are you doing?" she asks as I feel her presence behind me. "You are going to put it out."