Page 7 of Running to the Mountain Man

Still, it’s worth a try, isn’t it?

And if I get a surprise, I’m a fast runner.

Worst-case scenario, I can throw myself at the mercy of local law enforcement, and maybe they’ll drop me off at a bus station.

I stole enough cash from Peter’s wallet to get me to the East Coast if I want to.

Most of the winter cabins that I’ve passed on the way here are empty. Ski season is over, and I haven’t heard or seen a car or another soul, for that matter.

Night is starting to fall now, and the thought of setting up camp and starting a fire sounds less and less appealing the colder it gets. So does the idea of eating beans warmed over a fire.

I guess I’m not the nature girl I thought I was.

It’s then that I make a bargain with myself. If I don’t see another cabin by nightfall, I’ll set up camp. If I do see one, I’ll take it as a sign that the universe is providing shelter.

There’s not a sound to be heard except for the winter birds and the rustle of a squirrel, plus the rushing creek in the distance.

As if someone heard me, a cabin appears within minutes of me leaving the creek behind.

I approach carefully. No sign of anyone nearby. No lights on. Maybe…maybe this will work.

I try the front door atop a set of wide front stairs and find it locked. I walk around to the back, past a closed garage, and discover that a sliding glass door on a sizable cliffside porch is open.

Outside, the place is nothing special—a dark wood box that blends into the trees. Inside, though? It’s a freaking palace.

I find myself in one big room with a combo kitchen and common area, with moss- and stone-colored blankets on expensive-looking brown leather sofas. The wall with the fireplace looks like one giant stone slab, as if this house has been built into the side of a mountain. It’s breathtaking and intimidating all at once.

The stone wall continues into the kitchen, making up the backsplash behind the countertops. Everything looks made out of rough-cut slabs, natural curves, and wood with live edges.

I turn on the lights and begin exploring. The glass panels that cover the fireplace are cold, giving me more confidence that this place is deserted. I don’t know how to work a thermostat, so I don’t attempt that contraption on the wall. Sitting on the sofa, I pull off my boots and rub my aching feet, when suddenly the back of the section I’m in slides back, and now I’m in a recliner.

Glory be. I’ve never sat in something so comfortable in my entire life.

All that creek water sends me looking for the bathroom, and I struggle to get out of this recliner.

When I find the bathroom, I’m not prepared to see the deep ceramic work of art that is the tub. Two people could easily fit in that thing, and they’d never have to touch toes. The tub is nestled under a window that looks out over the mountain peaks. Between the windows and a huge tile shower stall—talk about overkill—there’s a stack of plush towels, candles, and homemade soaps on a nearby wooden table. The most luxurious surprise of all is a TV on the wall within view of the tub. Oh, wait, no, the mini-fridge is definitely the biggest surprise.

The fridge is stocked with an assortment of flavored seltzer, which I’m not the biggest fan of…until I notice that it’s hard seltzer, not the stuff that tastes like a cheap scented candle.

“Oh, heck yes. To all of it.”

I strip down completely while the tub fills with water, then search for some bubble bath. I find some, along with an assortment of handmade soap and lotions in a cabinet under the double marble sinks.

I pour in a capful of the goat milk bubble bath and let the scent of lavender and pine work its magic.

After a minute of struggle, I figure out how to work the TV remote, then grab a hard seltzer. Lime? Nah. Pomegranate? That sounds promising.

I slide into the luxurious bubbles and crack open the hard seltzer, sighing as my aching muscles relax in the soothing, hot water.

On the TV, I navigate through some of the streaming options and finally settle on an action show with the biggest man I’ve ever seen. Seems he likes to beat up bad guys. A lot.

I never get to watch TV, and I’m tired as hell, so I may as well enjoy a hot guy beating up a lot of creeps. Alright, fine, there is a certain catharsis about this show.

The seltzer is strange and bubbly. This is the first alcohol I’ve ever tasted, which is exciting, but it’s not nearly as thrilling and intoxicating as I had always imagined. With the way The Prophet described the “devil’s juice,” you’d think I’d be instantly addicted at the first sip, but my current experience could not be further from the truth.

It definitely enhances my enjoyment of the tub, though. And of this TV show. I could get used to this.

It’s interesting. I always figured I was incapable of being interested in sex. But something stirs in me as I watch the big man exact revenge on his enemies. His face never changes, but he’s fascinating to look at. He also shirks attention and people’s gratitude but seems to have a soft spot for the vulnerable. Maybe it’s the alcohol, but I’m quickly developing a mad crush on this man.

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