Page 1 of Forbidden Mountain Man

1

LUCAS

Iloved snowfall in Seduction Summit, and not for the reasons most people did. Yeah, it was beautiful and peaceful and blah, blah, blah. But the biggest benefit to living in the mountains when it snowed was that everyone stayed off the damn roads.

I took a sip from my coffee cup and settled it back into my cupholder as I braced for the most treacherous part of this drive. It was all downhill from my cabin, but my trusty old four-wheel-drive truck handled that just fine. It was the big curve just past the lodge that put me on edge, especially since this road was only two lanes.

I put both hands on the wheel, pulled my foot off the gas, and lightly tapped the brakes to make up for the natural acceleration that happened as I traveled this steep mountain road. I’d just started to get comfortable when I saw movement through the trees up ahead.

On the other side of that curve was a vehicle. It was white, so it would have blended with the snow if I hadn’t looked carefully.

I assessed my options just in case the car drifted over the line. Those options were limited. There was a guardrail on eitherside, so at least I didn’t have to worry about driving off the side of the mountain. But that also meant there was little room to get out of the way of a vehicle that moved across the line.

I shook my head at my paranoia. Anyone driving on this road would probably know to be careful. Avid skiers spent a lot of time in mountain towns in the snow. I hadn’t yet seen a car cross the line, so I should trust that everything would be just fine.

But no sooner had I beaten myself up for being paranoid when I came around the curve to see a pair of headlights staring right at me. And they weren’t on the other side of the line.

“Shit!” I yelled, gently shifting my car as far right as it would go.

But the car was in my lane for a reason. Things had gotten out of control. That was clear from the way the vehicle skidded left, then right. In a panic, I pumped the brakes harder than I should have and my own truck slid a little to the right. Letting out another curse word, I over-corrected, and just like that, years of expert bad weather driving flew out the window.

While I was busy doing that, the white sedan was heading straight toward me. It slammed into me, shoving my front passenger side into the guardrail to my right. For a terrifying second, I wondered what would happen if the guardrail gave out, but we’d both been going at a low enough speed that I’d pretty much drifted into it, anyway.

A long silence followed—the kind of silence that accompanied a snowy day—but it felt weird. Normally, it would be peaceful, but right now, it was eerie. It had me wondering what else was going to happen.

But then I looked to my left and remembered there was a car next to me. My truck was pretty tall, so I couldn’t get a good look at it. For all I knew, it had jammed my driver’s-side door shut.

I reached over and pulled the handle, shutting off my engine as I did so. The door opened right up, and I was able to jumpout and get a good look at the crumpled vehicle. That vehicle’s driver’s door was opening at the same time I was closing mine. A brunette in a ponytail stepped out.

She wore a white long-sleeved T-shirt underneath the collared short-sleeved shirt I’d seen Seduction Summit Lodge employees wearing around town—no doubt her way to stay warm inside the building once she got there. But if she was going to stand out here for any length of time, she needed to put on a coat.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She looked at me then, and I was hit by just how beautiful she was. Her head had been turned as she checked out the damage, so I was only just now getting a good look at those bright green eyes with long lashes and that nose with just enough perk to make her interesting.

Then there was the rest of her. I’d been struggling not to stare, but the way her generous chest stretched out the logo on her shirt made it almost impossible to ignore. The woman had curves for days, and if not for the situation, I’d be appreciating every single one of them.

“Fine,” she said. “But I don’t think Betty White’s doing very well.”

I assumed she was referring to her car, not the late actress. People named vehicles all the time, but I’d never seen someone name one after someone famous—using the firstandlast name.

“I guess we should call the police,” the woman said.

That one comment told me she was not an old-timer. Seduction Summit old-timers knew this town didn’t have a police department. We had to call over to Adairsville and wait. And the chances that they’d respond in this weather were pretty slim.

“I’ll call Brock,” I said, pulling my phone out of my coat pocket. “We both need to get off the road. Someone could come through here at any second, and…”

I didn’t finish that sentence. I didn’t need to. I saw the way her eyes went wide, so I dropped my gaze to my phone and clamped my mouth shut.

Brock was the town mechanic who owned and operated the only tow truck in these parts. He was also one of a handful of Seduction Summit residents I considered an acquaintance. Not a friend, an acquaintance. I didn’t have friends. No way would I let someone get that close to me.

“Brock,” I said when he answered the phone. “We need a tow.”

Tow truck drivers in other towns might refuse to come up a road as steep as this in the snow. Not Brock. Like me, he was former military. When a job needed to be done, we got out and did it. Yes, even if it put our safety and personal vehicles at risk.

“It might be a good half hour,” I said as I walked toward the brunette, who had moved well up the road from the accident site.

I breathed a little easier, knowing she was safe. Anyone with half a heart would feel the same, but this was different, more intense. I wanted to keep this woman safe. I wanted to put my arms around her and shut out all dangers. And that threw me for a loop.

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