Page 8 of Stranded with the Mountain Man

I nod once, already turning away."Goodnight, Dee-Dee."

"Goodnight."

I wait until she's disappeared down the hallway before releasing the breath I've been holding.Bear looks up at me accusingly from where he sits by her empty chair.

"Don't start," I tell him, draining the last of my coffee and adding a generous splash of whiskey to the cup. "She'll be gone tomorrow.Nothing's changed."

But as I settle back into my armchair by the fire, listening to the storm and the soft sounds of Deena moving around in my guest room, I know it's a lie.

Everything's changed. She's here, under my roof, wearing my clothes.

And for the first time in three years, my self-imposed isolation feels like a prison rather than a refuge.

I wake before dawn, an old habit from years with the club when sleeping too deeply could get you killed.The storm has diminished to a gentle rainfall, its fury spent sometime in the night.My neck aches from falling asleep in the chair, whiskey bottle at my feet.

Bear isn't in his bed. That's my first clue something's different.Then I remember. Deena.

I find him outside the guest room door, loyal sentinel to a woman he met only hours ago.Real subtle, Bear.

"Move," I whisper, and he reluctantly follows me to the kitchen.

I start coffee, quiet as possible, not ready to face morning conversation just yet.The eastern windows show a gray landscape, mist clinging to the treetops, the first hint of sunrise still below the horizon.Perfect time to check the damage.

I pull on boots and a rain jacket, grab a flashlight, and slip outside.Bear follows, happy for the early excursion.

The air smells of wet earth and pine, clean in a way city air never is.I inhale deeply, letting it clear my head as I survey the property.Fallen branches litter the clearing, but the cabin itself shows no damage.My generator hums steadily behind the woodshed, keeping the power on despite the storm.

I make a circuit of the property's edge, checking for downed trees that might block the access road.There are a few, but nothing my chainsaw can't handle once the rain stops completely.

My thoughts drift to Deena as I work, cataloging the changes twelve years have brought.She's softer now, curves where there once were angles, but her eyes still spark with the same intelligence, the same determination that drew me to her in the first place.

And there's a wariness that wasn't there before.The carefree girl who'd drag me into the woods to identify wildflowers has been replaced by a woman who seems... guarded.Careful.

What happened to her in those fancy labs and universities?Who hurt her after she left this mountain?

The thought brings an unexpected surge of protectiveness that I squash immediately.Not my business. Not my problem.She made her choice twelve years ago when she chose ambition over love.

By the time I circle back to the front porch, the eastern sky has lightened to pale gold.I'm soaked again, but the physical exertion has burned off some of the restless energythat's plagued me since opening my door to find Deena on my threshold.

I kick off my boots outside and hang the wet jacket on a hook by the door.The smell of strong fresh coffee greets me.

Deena stands at the kitchen counter, her back to me, still swallowed by my flannel shirt.She's found her glasses, now perched on her nose as she reads something on her phone.Her curls have dried fully, a wild halo around her head that I once knew intimately, soft between my fingers when we--

I clear my throat, and she jumps, nearly dropping her mug.

"Sorry," she says automatically."I hope it's okay I made coffee.I'm useless without caffeine, and I didn't want to wake you, but then I realized you weren't in the house, and--"

"It's fine." I cut off her nervous rambling, moving past her to pour my own cup. "I was checking the property."

"How bad is it?"

"Few trees down on the access road.Nothing serious." I take a sip of her coffee and raise my eyebrows.It's good, better than what I make."Storm's passed. Once it dries out a bit, I can clear the road and take you back to your car."

"About that..." She bites her lip, a gesture so familiar it makes something twist in my chest."I went up on the roof while you were out."

"You what?" I set my mug down harder than intended."My roof?"

"No, sorry. I meant I used your bathroom window to check what I could see of Millie's house." She gestures vaguely in that direction."The whole east side of the roof has collapsed.I could see it from here with my binoculars."

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