Page 18 of Found By the Mountain Man
"What am I doing here?" I have to shout over the wind. "What the hell are you doing driving in this weather?"
"I checked the forecast," she shouts back. "It was supposed to be clear until midnight."
"Mountain weather changes fast. Didn't anyone tell you that?" I'm angrier than I should be, but it's better than acknowledging the terror that grabbed me when I thought I might lose her.
"I couldn't stay," she says, and even through the storm, I can hear the pain in her voice. "I couldn't pretend that nothing happened between us while you acted like I was just another rescue victim."
The air is pulled from my lungs. "Mavis."
"My car won't start," she continues, talking over me. "The engine turns over but won't catch. I've been sitting here for ten minutes trying to figure out what to do."
"Get your things," I tell her. "You're coming with me."
"Connor, I can't. I have a flight tomorrow morning. My editor is expecting me."
"Your editor can wait. This storm is going to get worse before it gets better. If you stay out here, you're going to end up like you did three days ago, only this time I might not find you in time."
Something in my voice must convince her, because she nods and starts gathering her belongings. I help her transfer her bags to my truck, noting how her hands shake as she locks her rental car.
The drive back is treacherous, with visibility down to maybe twenty feet. I keep one hand on the wheel and one on the radio, coordinating with Jake about road conditions and alternative routes. Beside me, Mavis sits in silence, her arms wrapped around herself.
It takes us an hour to cover the distance that should have been thirty minutes. By the time we reach my turnoff, the snow is coming down so hard I can barely make out my own driveway.
"We're going to my cabin," I tell her as I navigate the final stretch.
"Connor, I don't think that's a good idea."
"It's the only idea. The roads into town are completely blocked now. We're stuck."
I pull up to the cabin and cut the engine. In the sudden silence, with snow pelting the windshield and the wind howling around us, the weight of what just happened settles between us.
"You came after me," she says quietly.
"Of course I came after you."
"Why?"
The simple question hangs in the air, demanding an answer I'm not sure I'm ready to give. But sitting here in the dark, with the storm raging outside and Mavis looking at me with those dark eyes full of hope and hurt, I realize I'm tired of lying to myself.
"Because I couldn't let you go," I admit. "Because the thought of you driving away from here, away from me, felt like dying. Because I've been a coward and an idiot, and I almost lost the best thing that's ever happened to me because I was too scared to admit what I was feeling."
Her intake of breath is sharp, audible even over the storm. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I love you." The words come out rough, like they've been dragged up from somewhere deep inside me. "I'm saying I've loved you since the moment I pulled you out of that creek, and I've been fighting it because I thought I was too old, too set in my ways, too damaged to deserve someone like you."
"Connor."
"I'm saying I was wrong." I turn to face her fully, needing her to see the truth in my eyes. "About everything. About us. About what we could have together. You were right when you said this place doesn't have to be empty. It just needed the right person to fill it."
Tears are streaming down her face now, catching the dim light from the dashboard. "Do you mean that?"
"I mean every word. I love you, Mavis Aldana. I love your passion and your courage and the way you see the world through that camera. I love how you made my cabin feel like a home just by being in it. I love how you challenge me and push me and make me want to be better than I am."
"I love you too," she whispers, the words barely audible over the storm. "I love you so much it scares me. When you acted like it didn't matter, like I didn't matter, it hurt."
“I’m sorry, Mavis.” I lean across the console and kiss her, cutting off her words. She tastes like tears and hope and everything I never knew I needed.
When we break apart, we're both breathing hard.
