Page 1 of Two Times the Mountain Men
Chapter 1
Genevieve
“There’s no cell phone service up there so make sure you’ve taken care of everything you need to before you leave the town.” The owner of the cabin I was renting passed me the keys across the table of the diner we’d agreed to meet at. The diner was a cute little place with a 1950s décor. Though I doubted it was intentional; more likely it was opened in the fifties and they never bothered to update.
Admittedly, the entire town was quaint; a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of where I was born and raised: New York City. The cabin was going to be where I’d be living for the next month, perhaps two. I’d booked the cabin for two months, just in case, but I was seriously hoping that I’d be over my writer’s block and have my latest novel complete well before that.
“Yes, I’m aware of the lack of cell-phone connection. It’s part of the reason I wanted to go there. No cell phones and no internet mean no distractions.”
The dark-haired, fifty-something man smiled, humor and a spark of a little something else in his dark eyes. “It’s not too often I come across an attractive young woman like yourself wanting to be disconnected from the world.”
I could feel the heat rushing up to my cheeks and briefly looked away. I wasn’t used to men giving me compliments and I would argue twenty-eight was a little too old to qualify to be considered a young woman. Being from Manhattan, unless you’re drop-dead gorgeous with a modelesque figure you blended into the scenery. I certainly didn’t have the tiny body that was considered beautiful by the media in this day and age. It also didn’t help that I was an author, so I spent most of my time locked away in my home office typing out stories and ordering food delivery. “Thank you, but I’m not your ordinary kinda girl.”
“I don’t doubt it. I also want to point out that it’s been storming in our area quite frequently lately. There is a possibility that you may not be able to get back to town right away. If a blizzard comes along, the roads from the cabin could be cut off from the rest of the world for days, maybe even a week or longer. You need to be prepared for that possibility. And I will say there is a major blizzard forecasted to be incoming.”
“That’s perfectly fine. I have a very capable vehicle, and if the roads can’t be driven on with my truck then I don’t need to go anywhere. The snow won’t last forever.”
“Very true. I just want to make sure that you have enough supplies, including gas and so forth.”
Looking into his dark eyes again, I smiled. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I’ve got enough groceries and supplies in the back of my truck to last me six months.” It was no exaggeration. I’d gone overboard, but it was better safe than sorry.
“There is a radio that is a direct line to the search-and-rescue here in town. If anything happens, call them on the radio, channel sixteen, and they’ll do what they can.”
Looking down at my watch, I sighed. I had at least a half-hour drive on slippery roads and wanted to get going. “I appreciate all the advice.”
He opened his mouth, no doubt to keep talking but seemed to second guess himself and shut it instead. Giving me a slow nod, he said, “Very well. I hope your time in the cabin will give you the satisfaction you’re looking for.”
I looked up at him and wondered if he meant any type of sexual innuendo with that comment. I really hoped not. I hadn’t dated in quite some time and I can’t say I hated being single. My last relationship had been mentally and emotionally abusive, putting me through the wringer, and I wasn’t keen on going through that again. Besides, he had to be at least twenty-five years my senior. Being with someone who was old enough to be my father did nothing for me.
“Thank you again.” I tightened my hand around the key before slipping it into the inner pouch of my handbag. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“You’re welcome.”
After settling the lunch bill, we stood together and shook hands across the table. Finally, I could get going. I started to turn, only to be stopped with a hand on my upper arm. For God’s sakes, now what? I spun around to face him pasting a smile on my face that didn’t reflect my inner feelings.
“Do you have a map?”
“A map,” I parroted.
Laughing, he nodded. “Yeah. A map. Your phone GPS will only work for part of the way and there’s a number of adjoining roads; it can be easy to get lost without a map.
I groaned inwardly, throwing my hands out at either side of me, palms up. “No, I do not. Perhaps I’m not as prepared for this as I thought I was.”
“No worries, I just so happen to have one in my vehicle, come with me and we’ll set you up.”
“Thank you.”
Following him to his vehicle I waited as he fumbled though his glove box and eventually produced a well-used map that had been severely worn at the edges and corners. Grabbing a pen from the center console of his car, he flattened the map onto the hood of the vehicle and drew a line from our current location to the end point, which he circled.
“And there you go.” He folded the map so that the drawn upon area was on top pinpointing my route. “Do you need me to drive up periodically to check on you?” His eyes locked onto mine and I could see an interest in them. “Maybe this is inappropriate, but I feel the need to tell you that I appreciate a woman with curves like yours. Maybe we can have dinner sometime?”
Oh hell no. I needed to deflate this before he got the wrong idea; the last thing I needed was the owner of the cabin constantly doing house calls with a bottle of wine in one hand and possibly a roofie in the other. “No. I appreciate it, but I’ll be fine. My boyfriend will be coming up soon.”
Liar, a voice in the back of my mind scolded. Sometimes a little white lie was necessary.
His smile faltered and his demeanor became immediately curt. “Well then, I guess you’re all set.”
“Thank you.”
