Page 47 of Saved By the Mountain Man

13

RAE

Winter was already in full swing in the mountains, the caps dusted with snow, but the town lay in a valley, and it was protected by the peaks around it.

The air had taken on a crisp bite, and the days were growing shorter.

I left the town and stepped into the trees, tugging my coat tighter around my body. After the recent storms, the forest looked different than it had before. Out here, where the country was wild and nature was in charge, I was in awe of how the landscape could change—the same place so different with the seasons. The land shifted with storms, or when snow coated the world, it was so easy to get lost in the streets we already knew by heart.

My life felt like a whole lot of that, too. The landscape I’d known all my life had kept changing with the seasons and storms I encountered.

First with Tanner, our fierce love, and then the heartbreak when he left. And then with Jethro in Chicago and the hell thathad crept in with him, a raging storm now that nipped at my heels and threatened to consume me at any second.

I shivered as I made my way up the mountain. It wasn’t just from the cold.

Even though it had been a while since I’d landed in Silver Ridge, I still wasn’t sure I was safe. I didn’t know if Jethro would figure out a way to find me.

A part of me kept screaming that I had to keep moving to be safe, but with winter coming on, there was no way to survive if I was on the move. I had to make sure I had a place to stay that was warm and regroup when the weather changed.

It was the safest way.

Even though waiting it out was killing me.

I shook off the thoughts and turned my attention to the cabin that came into view.

Tanner had left a cryptic note that I’d found after work.

He wanted to see me at his cabin.

My heart beat in my throat. What did he want? What was this about?

I was terrified that he was going to tell me it had all been a mistake, that he didn’t want to see me again. But then, maybe if he wanted out, he could just keep running.

Bitterness coiled inside me, and I pushed it away. It wasn’t fair of me. I still didn’t know why he ran, but he was here, now. And no matter how hard I tried to tell myself it wasn’t like that… I was in love with him. My stupid heart seemed to forgive him for everything, no matter what.

The cabin wasn’t easy to spot between the trees, with all the pine needles and moss that covered most of it.

I walked to the door and knocked. When there was no answer, I knocked again, finally pushing it open. Something had to be wrong.

Why wouldn’t he be here?

I was suddenly terrified. What if this was Jethro’s doing? What if this was a trap?

“Tanner?” I called softly, stepping inside and closing the door against the chill.

“Rae,” he said, suddenly next to me, and I jumped with a small yelp. My nerves were fried.

“Tanner,” I gasped and pressed my hand to my chest. “It’s you.”

“Were you expecting someone else?” he asked with a chuckle.

I laughed with him, not willing to answer the question, that, yes, for a fleeting moment, I’d been worried it might be Jethro.

I tried to swallow down the fear and still my racing heart.

“Come on,” Tanner said and led me to a table I knew he’d made himself.

A simple but elegant picnic was laid out. A plaid blanket was draped over the wooden surface, and an array of dishes was arranged artfully. There was fresh bread, a variety of cheeses, and a hearty stew simmering on the stove. A bottle of wine stood in the center, two glasses already poured.

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