Page 2 of One Night with Her Mountain Orc

The hiking stick fits my grip perfectly. It’s the right height for me walking down this mountain in one piece. How did he know?

“If you get too tired or cold, I’m happy to carry you down the rest of the way. It can be our secret. You don’t have to tell anyone.” I scoff at his offer.

“You know, I’m strong and independent. No, I wasn’t fully prepared for conditions today, but I did it, didn’t I? I refuse to be carried down this hill. We’re almost done now. Look, I can see the lights of the village.” I point, pausing a moment to catch my breath and enjoy the sight.

Neither of them responds, and it doesn’t take a genius to know that my veiled attempt at declaring victory is a lie.

We hike together in silence for several minutes. I’m loathe to admit that it is easier with the damn hiking stick.

“So, why are you up here today? Not quite summer hiking weather.” His inquiry is gentle, and I suppose I owe them some sort of explanation for why they were dragged away from the warmth of their homes today. I sigh.

“I’m staying with my cousin, May—or, I was. I can’t go back there now. Her boyfriend and I were fighting. I needed some air. Some man he is. I spent a lot of time hiking as a kid; I thought it would be a cakewalk. But I’ve been in the city for too long. This was rougher than I remember, and the cold hasn’t helped.” I shrug, unsure what else to say. I hear him snort, mumble something under his breath.

It's dark now. He asked if I wanted to borrow a headlamp, and I begrudgingly said yes. A cloud of frozen breath puffs out with every step. I think of dragons hoarding treasure and orcs fighting in their traditional garb of loin cloths. That’s a book I’d like to read. At least I have something to warm me up out here.

The headlamps illuminate SAR’s SUV ahead. The metal glistens like we’ve found precious treasure. My heart thumps harder at the idea of sitting down. Of being warm. My legs and feet hurt so much. Much more than I want to admit.

“Is your car here?” Bjorn asks, even though there aren’t any cars in the gravel lot. Snow whips around us as the clouds begin to release their fury.

“May and Chad dropped me off. I had to sell my car.” I stop before I spill my entire story to these strangers. My rescuers look at each other, then snort.

Two monster rescuers and I ride down the bumpy gravel path to the base of the mountain; I feel like it’s the setup for a joke. Only, I don’t know what the punchline is yet. The scent of them both threatens to unravel my sanity. My fingers, warming with the car’s heater, itch to touch Bjorn, even though I still don’t like him being my rescuer. I don’t like needing to be rescued.

Nothing can happen with him,I remind myself over and over. My life is a disaster right now, and the last thing I need is a romantic entanglement. Especially one with an orc. I’m positive the last thing this orc wants is a hot mess.

As the lights of town grow larger, looming ahead of me to showcase my failure, a pit in my stomach rolls around. I can’t let Chad know SAR rescued me from the mountain, even though I made it on my own two feet. I also can’t let him know that I fancy my orc rescuer.

“We are taking you to the hospital to get checked out. You can fill out our paperwork then, okay?” The other orc, Brann, says. It’s really the first time he has spoken directly to me.

“I can’t really afford the hospital,” I say, my voice weak with embarrassment and fatigue. They glance at each other.

“We can take you to the station, check out your ankle, and you can do the paperwork there. But you’ll have to sign a form saying you refused to go to the hospital.” Bjorn seems to have my best interest at heart.

Brann growls at him. “Do not let feelings get in the way of our job.” He clears his throat and starts again, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “It’s best if an actual doctor checks you out. You were in the wilderness all day, you might—”

“No.” I cut him off. “You rescued me. Drove me down the mountain. I appreciate all of it, even though I’ve been an ass. But I refuse to go to the hospital. If it’s an issue, you can stop here and I will stumble my way home.”

Except I can’t go home to May; Chad’s there. Closing my eyes, I try to think of where else I could spend the night. Would one of May’s friends let me stay on their couch for the night? Do I even remember any of their names?

No one. There’s no one. Not only can I not spend the day alone on the mountain without getting injured, but I also have no money for a hotel; no place to sleep.

---