Page 3 of When You Saved Me

I still couldn’t believe it. After years of dreaming, I finally made the decision to pack up my life in Charlotte and move to a small mountain town in Georgia. It would be an adjustment for sure, but I was excited for what was ahead.

About twenty minutes past the downtown area, rolling hills started appearing on both sides of the road with grand mountains in the distance. Even with the gray winter sky, the view was stunning.

Having grown up in Charlotte, North Carolina, I’d been a city girl through and through. The idea of being surrounded by nature and wide-open spaces called to me though, and I was excited to finally be where my heart longed for. I’d needed space and something different for a long while.

“I think this one might be us,” I said to Casper. His front paws were tucked underneath himself and his eyes were starting to get droopy like the long ride had finally taken its toll on him.

The GPS cued me to turn left onto what appeared to be a long winding dirt road. Tall brown grass lined both sides for what had to be miles over countless hills. I smiled to myself because this was exactly what I hoped it would be. Not a skyscraper in sight. No trash on sidewalks or lost tourists asking too many questions.

Just pure, untouched beauty.

When I leased Badger Creek Cabin, the landlord reached out to me and told me I should meet him at his house on the property first so he could show me how to get to the cabin since there wasn’t a designated road for it.

I was nervous at first. I wasn’t exactly the best with directions and if there wasn’t even a road leading to my new home, I was likely to get lost on more than one occasion. But the landlord made it seem like it would be a fairly easy drive once I got it down.

Casper’s paws stretched through the front grate of his crate a few minutes later when we arrived at my landlord’s house.

I pulled up next to a giant truck in the driveway and took a moment to settle in. The main house was also a cabin that appeared to be made of fir wood with a beautiful reddish hue to it that was a stark contrast to the dull grass that surrounded it. With a wraparound porch, it looked exactly like the tiny cabin I was meant to stay in, just on a grander scale.

My heart fluttered with excitement, and I let out a little squeal as I clapped my hands together. “Okay, buddy! We’re here!” I popped my head closer to the front of his crate and crooned at him. He purred with appreciation when I ran my fingers between his ears.

Leaving the car running so Casper would stay warm, I hopped out and smiled at the bite of cold air hitting my cheeks. I loved winter. In fact, I loved every season Mother Earth had to offer us. Each one brought something different and beautiful. A new experience every few months always made it feel like life was brimming with energy.

Gravel crunched under my boots as I headed up the walkway. When I got to the front door, I took a deep breath in. This was the start of my brand-new adventure, and I couldn’t believe after years of conjuring this moment up in my mind, I was finally here.

I knocked three times before burying my hands in my coat pockets. Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door.

“Eek!” I whispered to myself.

The door swung open to reveal a giant man taking up most of the entrance. My gaze landed at chest height and the first thing I noticed was how his T-shirt laid perfectly over his sculpted pectoral muscles.

Oh!I thought to myself before my eyes skated upward. Black stubble lined his square jaw, making a perfect backdrop for plump lips that seemed almost too soft against his dark features. But his eyes…bright green like a lily pad dancing along the surface of a pristine lake.

His eyes.

I know those eyes.

“You,” I said aloud before I had a chance to think about the word I’d just sputtered.

The same realization sparked in those vivid irises as he looked me up and down with fiery indignation.

“No.” His voice was gruff and stern before he stepped backward and slammed the door in my face.

I remained standing on his front porch where he left me in utter shock wondering what mystical forces might be at play here. The man who saved me seven years ago was mynew landlord and he’d just slammed his front door in my face.

Well, this is off to a great start.

I peeked through the long window that lined the side of his door, but the blinds were closed so tightly, I couldn’t see even a sliver of the inside.

The cold was starting to seep its way into my jacket the longer I stood on his front porch. There was no mistaking the recognition in his eyes when he saw me. I just didn’t understand why he didn’t want to see me. How the recognition turned into…disdain.

Maybe I should have turned away and found a new place to stay. Intruding on his space wasn’t my intention and if he didn’t want me here then I could respect that. But I’d also fought for this opportunity for years. The least he could do was give me a little more than ano.

Raising my closed fist, I went to knock on his door again but didn’t get the chance when it flew open, and he stepped through the threshold. I looked to my fist hanging midair and swallowed before it fell to my side.

We were nearly toe-to-toe, and I had to crane my neck to look into his face.

“I’m Deacon Calhoun.” He extended his hand out to me.

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