Page 6 of Mountain Man Crush
After everything is done, I kick off my snowy boots by the back door and hang up my coat. I know with the snow stuck to it, it will be wet in no time and will need to dry before it can be worn again. Happy with the stock of wood I have for the night, I go back to my bourbon and warm, comfortable place on the couch.
I take a sip of the amber liquid and kick my feet up, grabbing my book. I dive back into the murder mystery I’ve been reading. It’s not really my thing, but I like mysteries and figuring things out, so I figured why not give this genre a try? I’m not even halfway through, but I think I’ve figured out the ending. It sort of takes the fun out of it, but, at the same time, it pushes me to read faster to see if I was right.
The sun is starting to go down and I have to turn on the lamp beside the couch so I can read. Noticing how dark it’s getting outside makes me think of Bethany and I wonder how she spends her evenings. Is she a reader? What does she do for a living? I don’t see her leave very often, but she doesn’t live off the land like I do with hunting and gardening, so she has to pay for everything she consumes. Where does the money come from? Maybe she was born rich and is just trying to escape the life of luxury by roughing it out here in the woods. Not much for roughing it though if you just throw money at every problem you have.
Why is this woman such a mystery to me and why can’t I let it go? Is it the way she just climbed up in my truck like that?
Realizing that I’m never going to get any of the answers I want causes my anxiety to spike. I like puzzles and figuring things out, but I also like a conclusion. I like finding out if I’m right. The only way I can find out the truth is by getting to know her. After today, I bet she wants little to do with me.
The fire cracks and a piece of wood drops to the bottom of the stove with a thumping noise. Suddenly, I have a whole new thought. Is she going to be warm enough? The snow is still falling with fury and shows no signs of stopping. She said she had two bundles of wood. She’ll burn through that within a few hours. If she’s lucky, her stock will last the evening and she’ll wake up to a freezing house tomorrow.
I throw back the rest of my drink and sit up, resting my knees on my elbows and hanging my head. A string of cuss words slips past my lips when I realize what I have to do. She didn’t leave me out there to freeze no matter how much I tried to push her away. I can’t leave her up on the mountain to freeze.
I stomp through the house to my bedroom and pull on some clothes. I then cover those clothes with a pair of insulated overalls and a thicker coat. I pull on two pairs of socks, my boots, gloves, and a hat. Then I march out to the front porch and grab the gas cans. Taking them back to the garage, I pour gas into my ATV and get it started. She gives me some problems at first due to the cold, but eventually I get the motor roaring to life. I back the four-wheeler out of the garage and over to my stack of wood.
I uncover the split wood and start stacking it onto the back rack. I strap it down with a bungee cord and then start stacking it on the front too. After making sure both stacks are secure, I cover the wood pile with the tarp and climb on the four-wheeler, to deliver Bethany enough wood to last a few more days.
The snow blows into my eyes and driving at a decent speed is too cold with the dropping temperatures. I slowly creep toward her house in four-wheel drive so I don’t get stuck in the snow. My face is numb by the time her house comes into view. It’s all lit up and there’s smoke coming out of her chimney. It looks warm and cozy, inviting. I wonder how she’ll react to her crazy neighbor showing up at her house.
There’s only one way to find out.
Chapter Five
BETHANY
My car finally makes it up the slick hill and my cheeks are hot with embarrassment. I can feel the moment I’m out of his eyesight. The nervous patter of my heart calms and the goosebumps on my arms smooth back down. I take a deep breath and calm my racing thoughts. I wonder why I’m reacting this way. Does it have anything to do with his shirtless chest that my hands were itching to run across? Maybe it was the way his blue eyes were cutting into me, or the messy look of his hair that looked like he’d spent the day rolling around in bed.
Cool it, Bethany. This is your strange neighbor you’re having dirty thoughts about. The guy who somehow knew your name and still refused to talk to you for the two years you’ve lived right next door. The guy you had to almost force out of his freezing truck. He’s clearly unavailable and uninterested. Your best bet is to move on, because you’re probably not going to talk to him again for quite a while.
I make it back to my house and I let myself inside. The first thing I do is check the fire and make sure it’s still burning. It’s died down, so I stoke it with a few more pieces of wood. I’m cold through and through from being out in the storm and freezing temperatures. I go to the bedroom and kick off my boots. I hang up my coat and grab some warm pajamas before going to the bathroom to shower. I pray that the living room is toasty by the time I get out.
For once, I’m happy to have natural gas, because it means hot showers without limits regardless if there is power.
I stand under the stream, washing my hair, allowing the hot water to calm me. By the time I’m done, my skin is red. I pull on a pair of sweatpants and a thermal shirt and comb out my wet hair. Not wanting to catch a chill, I take a few minutes to blow dry and to braid my hair out of my way. I slide my feet into some fuzzy socks and my warm house shoes before going to the kitchen to make a cup of hot tea.
After I make my tea, I take it to the couch and grab my laptop. I turn on the TV for background noise as I check over any missed messages or emails that may have come through when I was out. I update my profile:Going through a terrible winter storm. I’ll be available as long as the power stays on. Stay safe out there!
I leave the laptop open, so I’ll see if I get any messages, but I set it on the coffee table in front of me to enjoy my tea and watch TV. I flip through the channels and settle on some game show before tiring of it and flipping some more. When it becomes clear that nothing is on TV, I turn it off and pick up one of the books I got from the bookstore today. The book is easy to read and it’s full of magic, witches, vampires, and werewolves. The writing is good, and sucks you right into the story. I dive in headfirst and don’t even realize what time it is until my stomach starts to growl.
I close the book and go to the kitchen to warm up my fried chicken meal I got in town today. I put everything on a plate and toss it in the microwave. When it beeps, I remove the plate, grab a fork, and go to the living room to eat while I try the TV again. This time I settle on the five o’clock news, watching the live weather updates. The food is just what I needed on a warm night in. The chicken is crunchy and flavorful, and the mashed potatoes and gravy are warm and heavy. The baked mac and cheese is mouthwatering and filling. Once I’ve had my fill, I go back to the kitchen for a slice of pie.
The crust is light and buttery, crunchy but fluffy. The peaches inside are sweet and perfectly soft. I eat the whole piece and go for another. I eat the second piece standing over the pie pan on the counter. What else is there to do when you’re snowed in?
I pull back the curtain on the kitchen window and check out the storm. Everything is covered in white, from the ground to the tops of the trees. The snow is falling so thick and so fast that you can barely see through it. I’m so glad I got home when I did. I bet it’s nearly impossible to drive right now.
Satisfied with my two pieces of pie, I put it back into the box and slide it into the fridge. Making one last cup of hot tea for the evening, I return to the couch. I pick up my book, but instead of seeing the words on the pages, I think back to my time in the car with Jack. How’s it even possible that I’ve lived next to him for two years and I’m just now learning his name?
I wonder what he does to occupy his time. In all the times of driving by, I’ve never seen him with anyone else. He’s always by himself, which leads me to believe that he is single, but why? He’s clearly good-looking. Maybe he just doesn’t get off the mountain enough to meet anyone. I can certainly relate to that.
He said he hunts and farms the land, and I know that must take up a lot of his time, but he can’t garden in the winter, so what does he do then? Does he produce enough to last him the winter or does he have to go to town and buy things like I do? And since he can’t farm, what does he do with that extra time?
I wish I knew more about him. Why didn’t I venture down there before? I could’ve baked him some cookies or something and taken them down there to introduce myself. Maybe if I would’ve reached out then, things wouldn’t be so awkward between us. That thought makes me a little sad. All this time alone could’ve been spent with a friend.
Well, better late than never.
Already I’m imagining befriending him. I can see us drinking out on the patio on the warm summer nights. We could have cookouts and movie nights where we eat too much popcorn and candy. We could have mini potlucks where I prepare half the meal and he prepares the other half. Then I shake my head because this man didn’t even want to get into my car today. There’s no way he’s coming in my house.
I wish I knew his story. I want to know why he lives this way. Has he always been alone? Did he ever have anyone living in that cabin with him, a roommate, a significant other? In my mind, he did. I think someone broke his heart and he’s been living a quiet life alone, trying to protect it and keep it from happening again. I wonder how I can get him to open up.
