Page 6 of SEAL by Fate

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THE AIR WAS frigid as Gray dropped his useless phone into his jacket pocket and faced the empty road as he assessed the situation. From the angle she had been walking he gathered she was heading the same direction he had been and from the address on the key with the label Stoneybrook Cabins #216, she was headed to the honeymoon hideaway without a groom.

He could always walk the distant himself, and from what he remembered, that specific set of cabins were a handful of secluded lodges tucked in the side of the mountain with a great distance from neighbors. From where they were, he guessed they were at least a half mile from the cabin

. If he walked there, would he find someone that could help? Preferably someone with transportation, but the likelihood of that was small, and even if he did, what vehicle could make the dangerous road tonight?

Looking back at the car, he could take her with him. He would have to carry her, of course. Not a big deal, but the deep snow would make it more difficult. The aching in his legs, especially his knee, was a strike against him. He couldn’t leave her though, not knowing how long it would take him to get back to her. If she woke up alone, she might try and walk again and that was the last thing she needed with the head injury. Or in three-inch heels.

The answer was already made for him.

Going to the passenger side, he opened the door and scooped her up, gently cradling her in his arms. He stood, feeling a sharp twinge in his knee and he gritted his teeth. Once it passed, he retraced his steps to the road. The snow was still falling heavily and everything seemed so gravely quiet. If it wasn’t that the area was surrounded by mountains on one side and a ravine on the other, he was certain he wouldn’t know where the road began and ended. The tracks from the tires were already covered.

He wasn’t dressed for a hike in this weather, but his boots and jacket were enough. He’d been in far worse conditions and this was nothing compared to hiking in one hundred ten degrees or hunkered down low in swamp waters while hearing sniper shots whizzing by his head. At least out here the only thing he had to fear was the cold. He did worry about the woman though. Although she looked snuggled in the gown and coat, the strappy heels on her feet left a lot to be desired. How in the hell had she thought she could get very far in this weather dressed like this? She would have died from hyperthermia. Something terrible must have driven her and he understood how much a person could handle in dire circumstances.

Starting on the road, he stared ahead as fat snowflakes fell. Any other time he might think the scenery was stunning. The blanket of snow acted as insulation and the only thing he could hear was the even beating of his heart and the heavy pants of his breaths. The ache in his head and legs throbbed, reminding him of boot camp when he’d been so exhausted he thought he’d keel over, but he’d kept going, even when he thought it impossible at times.

Automatically Gray began to hum a familiar Navy Cadence, then sung, “I’m a steam roller, baby, just a rollin’ down the line, so you better get outta my way…” Singing had gotten him and his buddies through PT. Even now, with his teeth chattering and his knee threatening to give way, he continued stomping through the thick snow that soaked the legs of his jeans. He sung as ice crystals smacked him in the face and melted. His hair was wet, and the tips of his ears were cold, but a SEAL never gave up—never saw any situation as impossible.

Instincts on high, he guessed they were close to the cabin. He was cold but sleeping beauty seemed as snug as a bug in a rug with her cheek pressed against his chest, and on occasion she’d whimper like she was having a good dream. She had no clue what they’d gone through together so far. At least he hadn’t dropped her.

He came to where the road curved and the landscape inclined. He had to dig his boots in deep and balance his weight on his toes as he pushed up the steep, slippery slope, hoping that the tread on his boots would grip some form of land and give him leverage. He’d made it almost half way up the slant when he felt his foot slip and he came down hard onto his already aching knee. He squinted and cursed under his breath, grateful that he didn’t go tumbling, along with the woman, down the bank. He didn’t even want to think about retracing his steps back up the hill.

Picking himself up and still cradling sleeping beauty, he gritted his teeth, forcing his boots to take each step in the crunching snow against the blustery wind until finally the land leveled out some. Because the area was protected by tall trees, the snow wasn’t as thick up there and they were protected against some of the cold wind. On the flat surface he was able to pick up speed, hoping he’d come upon #216, or any cabin, soon. The cabins were spread far apart, but he banked on the fact that she knew she was close enough that she could walk.

Sleeping beauty mumbled something. Maybe “monster”?

Did she think he was a monster?

“It’s going to be okay,” He felt the need to assure her of her safety, although he didn’t think she could hear. “We’re close. I can feel it.”

The muscles in his arms were growing weak. Although she was a lightweight, probably not an ounce more than a hundred ten, he must have banged up one shoulder in the wreck. A seatbelt injury. His knee felt like jagged knives were slicing into the kneecap and the force of the wind made walking a lot more difficult.

A few more feet and miraculously the snow slowed.

He should be at Silver Carlisle right now, visiting his dad. He hadn’t seen him in months and the man wasn’t getting any younger. Gray had promised he’d be there and lately he’d made a lot of them that he hadn’t kept. Sometimes it was hard for a man to please everyone.

Where the hell was this cabin?

The quiet seemed to grow louder and Gray was stuck in his thoughts. He hoped Sleeping Beauty was warm enough. Who the hell was she? He didn’t find anything in her car to help him answer that question. Damn! What if she had her things in the trunk? Too late for that because there was no way he was going back.

What was her name? Julie, Becky, Pamela, or maybe Susie? Or something edgier like Athena, Bianca, Berlin, or Parker? What did she do for a living? How old was she? Did she like chocolate? His mind swirled.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he inspected the distance ahead and there it was…a cabin. The outside light was turned on and he could read the wrought iron number. 216. He held the woman with one arm as he dug into his front pocket, pulled out the key and checked the number on the label. Bingo. He felt an overwhelming sense of relief. The place was tucked against the mountain side and looked like a painting. He couldn’t see much above the tree line because of the snow. He guessed the place would be amazing any other time.

Was there the possibility that her groom was waiting inside? No lights were on and Gray didn’t see a vehicle or tracks. This might be a difficult story to explain. He couldn’t just blurt out that he’d almost run her over, she jumped and hit her head, and he carried her up the mountain.

Taking the last few hundred steps to the front door, he wondered how desperate the woman must have been to bring her sportscar into the mountains in this kind of weather. What had kept her from getting married at the eleventh hour? He knew she hadn’t gone through with it because she wasn’t wearing a wedding band. She did have a diamond. Had she just gotten cold feet? Did her fiancé cheat and she found out?

Slow down, man. Just because his fiancé had cheated days before the wedding didn’t mean hers had. He couldn’t shift his negative ideas of marriage onto other people.

His mind drifted back to the day Hannah had decided she needed to bare her soul by telling him she’d cheated. She’d gone on to say, “I was lonely. You shouldn’t have signed up for the military without talking to me first. I’m not cut out for being alone while you’re out protecting others. What about me, Gray? Had you even thought about protecting me?” Her words were branded inside every cell of his brain.

At the time, he’d thought she was being selfish, but now, looking back, he could see her point. It was difficult for those left behind while their loved ones were deployed. If only she’d stuck around…

Hell, who was he kidding? They were both better off. If they would have gone on with the wedding they would have been divorced by now because they didn’t have anything in common. He hoped Sleeping Beauty could say the same down the road.

Anyway, he hadn’t met another woman since Hannah that conjured up ideas of long term, but if he did, he had a feeling he’d remember what she’d said to him about “not wanting to wait for him”. Now that he was no longer a sailor, the same rules applied to him as a lawman. He was gone a lot, neck deep in dangerous situations, sometimes wondering if he’d make it out alive…so what woman would want to be in his life permanently? It could make a man gun-shy.

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