Page 3 of Long Hard Road

The cabin had no television. No internet. I hadn’t thought to buy any groceries or bring any sort of entertainment with me. I was alone, just like I had wanted. Only I hadn’t accounted for the torture of having nothing to do but think about all the things that had happened in my life that had brought me to such a desperate place.

“Forget this,” I muttered to myself, pulling on my coat and boots. The bar I had passed on my way to the cabin was just a short walk away. A few drinks would help chase away the cold that had settled in my bones and would help me sleep tonight. It might keep away potential nightmares.

It didn’t take me long to realize the error of my plan. My boots were worthless on the snowy asphalt and while my coat was fashionable, it did little to chase away the winter chill. I would need to do some shopping very soon or I was going to freeze my butt off in Crestwood.

I somehow managed to slip and slide my way down the road to the bar and let out a relieved breath when a blast of heat escaped as I opened the old wooden door. There was no sign giving the bar’s name, but several neon beer signs were lighting up the front windows.

It was a Tuesday night and the bar was almost empty. I ignored the stares of a few patrons who tracked my progress toward the bar. I hadn’t planned on being the only female looking for a drink tonight. At least the age demographic in the bar wasn’t likely to recognize me.

“Welcome.” The deep voice greeting me was not unfamiliar. That made no sense considering I knew absolutely no one in this town. But I knew those steely gray eyes.

“Oh. It’s you.”

The man behind the bar flashed his crooked smile. “Please, withhold your excitement.” He gestured to one of the empty barstools. “Have a seat. What can I get you?”

“Crown and cola, please.” I chose the barstool at the corner of the bar, as far away from the other patrons as possible. I just wanted a drink, not a lot of awkward small talk.

Fortunately, no one else seemed to be in the mood for a chat either, except for the gorgeous bartender placing my drink in front of me.

“I know you,” he said.

“Oh?” I ducked my head and appeared to be fascinated by the red straw in my drink.

“The café earlier today. You tried to throw your coffee on me.”

I laughed, relieved that this was the recognition that had struck a chord with him. “If I was trying to throw my coffee on you, it wouldn’t have ended up all over me. I am quite good at throwing drinks on men.”

“Lots of practice, huh?” he said solemnly. “I’m Nate, by the way.”

“Madison.” I studied him carefully to see if that name resonated with him in any way.

“You’re not from around here.” He grabbed a towel to wipe up an invisible bead of moisture on the bar.

“You sure about that?”

He nodded. “I’d remember a pretty woman like you.”

“Smooth.” I giggled internally at the realization that this man probably did know who I was, he just didn’t realize it even though he was looking at me so intensely.

“What brought you to Crestwood? The hopping nightlife or the bustling downtown?” Nate had a voice so deep and smooth it wouldn’t have sounded out of place on one of the audiobooks I was always listening to.

“This is a nice town. I was actually surprised by the number of cute shops and restaurants on Main Street. For such a small population, it looks like you all manage to draw some tourists.” That had been a miscalculation on my part. My goal had been to find an isolated town where I would have limited contact with people.

“Not as many this time of year, but Crestwood is a great place to visit outside of winter. Great hiking trails in the spring and we have the rodeo and county fair in the summer. Lots of hunting and fishing spots. Easy drive from Denver. And starting this year, I expect the Lucky Charm Ranch will be a big tourist draw.”

“What’s that?” I was pleasantly surprised that Nate was interested in an actual conversation and not just hitting on me.

“My brother runs a guest ranch in the valley. It’s always been successful, but they have added a bunch of amenities over the last few months and business is going to take off this spring.” Nate wiped up another spot of moisture on the bar. “If you have some time, you should check it out.”

“Maybe I will.” I had no idea what happened on a guest ranch, but Nate’s gray eyes could’ve talked me into almost anything. “You didn’t want to work on the ranch?”

“I work for my other brother on the actual working ranch. This,” he said, gesturing around the room, “is just a temporary thing. My buddy owns this bar and he’s on his honeymoon with his husband. They are doing a safari in South Africa and will be gone for a month. I offered to run this place while he’s gone.”

“That’s a really nice thing to offer.” I took a sip of my drink. “And you aren’t bad at bartending.”

“Let’s just say I have some experience making drinks.” Nate smiled apologetically when the man at the other end of the bar called him over. “I’ll be back to check on you.”

I shouldn’t have enjoyed that as much as I did. The last thing I needed was someone paying close attention to me. Even if that someone was easily the hottest man I’d ever seen. I couldn’t stop myself from staring as he moved around behind the bar. Nate wore dark jeans that were faded at the knees and just below his gorgeous ass. The white t-shirt he wore perfectly hugged the hard muscles beneath it. I could see the faint hint of dark tattoos beneath the fabric and I wanted to yank away the cotton and trace the ink with my fingers.

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