The Maverick of the Mountain

He’s big. He’s bearded.
AND HE HAS A CHAINSAW!?
You Only Live Once…

My temporary tattoo feels more like a prescient warning than a gentle reminder after I nearly careen off an old mountain road during the worst storm I’ve ever encountered.

I should’ve stayed in town. I should’ve thrown out the hand-drawn map the local gave me. And I should’ve never followed the winding, muddy road to the cabin in the woods.
This is a horror movie waiting to happen. Scratch that. IT IS HAPPENING!
After being attacked by a rabid raccoon in the not-so-abandoned cabin, I race outside to find a massive, chainsaw-wielding mountain man with his eyes set on me.
Nope. Nope, nope, nope!
I take off into the woods, risking bears, wolves, and mountain lions, but unfortunately, I don’t make it far. I slip, slide, and face plant into a pile of mud, my back against a downed tree as I wait for my inevitable demise.
Fortunately, something else comes. Maverick Wood. Thick beard. Thicker limbs. Thick… gulp.
This rugged, protective mountain man takes one look at my shivering mess of a self and decides I’m his to take care of. His to protect. His. He throws me over his shoulder and carries me back to his cabin to tend to my wounds. My needs. My everything.
His possessive gaze makes me forget I’m supposed to leave. Makes me ignore the red flag that is his pet raccoon named Hank. Because this rugged mountain man looks at me like I’m not just another tourist passing through town. He’s looking at me like I’m exactly where I belong.
With him.