Page 59 of Montana Rain

“Maybe,” I sighed. “But it’s not a sex bath. This is a relaxation bath, and they’re entirely different.”

He laughed quietly. “Noted, princess.”

I closed my eyes and let him hold me, focusing on images of warmth and heat in order to fight off the cold. Thinking about how much time was passing only made it worse, so I didn’t think about that. I imagined the steaming hot bath I would take and the big, cheesy bowl of pasta I wanted.

Cole held me close, shifting us so he was on the outside of our hideout, shielding me from any kind of wind. But it wasn’t enough for either of us. The cold slowly sank through my clothes and into my skin. My teeth chattered uncontrollably, and I started to feel sleepy. How long had we been out here?

“I’m going to go look,” Cole said. “Hang on, Rayne.”

He moved, and it got colder. I couldn’t respond or move to tell him no or to be careful. All concept of time had disappeared, so I had no idea how long he was gone. Only that it was torture without him.

“We’re clear,” Cole said, head appearing over the rocks. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

Reaching beneath me, he scooped me up and began to carry me down the hill. “I can—”

“You’re freezing, and we’re not running. I can carry you.”

I buried my face deeper in his chest. “You’re cold too.”

“I am,” he agreed. “We’re both going to be warmer soon.”

The inside of the cabin was destroyed, just like my house and office had been. A total mess. This time, though, there were holes torn in the couch and mattress, looking for hiding places.

“Anything you need?” Cole said. “From here?”

My clothes and his were strewn across the room, and I shook my head. Nothing that I couldn’t live without. I hadn’t even brought my laptop. “My phone.”

I’d stuck it beneath the couch from when we were sleeping, and it was still there. Cole found his as well, though I noticed the screen was shattered. “Let’s see if we can get out of here, okay?” he said. “No point in staying here when they already know where the cabin is. We’ll be safer at the ranch for now.”

Safer and warmer.

Cole set me down on the ruined couch. “Hold tight, princess.”

My mind didn’t seem to be fully working. What little remained of the fire helped, but I was still so cold, the temptation to close my eyes and rest was overwhelming. Now I knew why it was so easy for people to freeze to death.

Outside, an engine turned over and failed. Again. Again. The sound became part of the background. Until finally, there was the roar of the truck coming to life. The door to the cabin opened, and I cringed against the cold it let in.

“We got lucky, Rayne. Got the engine warmed up enough to work, and there’s a path from the others coming up here. Not much of one, but it’s enough.”

He lifted me up again, and this time, I didn’t protest. The inside of the truck’s cab was already warm when he set me inside, and it was perfect. Cole kept me close, tucking me in beside him as he slowly worked the truck around in the snow to face down the mountain.

“Hold on,” he said. “We’re not out of this yet.”

No, we weren’t, but I was with Cole, so as I closed my eyes and dozed, I knew we would be all right.

Chapter 26

Cole

“Shit,” Rayne hissed out the word. The steam coming off the water in the large tub was an indication of how hot it was. Probably too hot for both of us, but we needed it.

I wasn’t totally sure how we’d made it down the mountain, but we had, and we’d gotten to the ranch. Daniel and the others jumped into action, bundling us into the Clark Fork cabin. Evie was bringing clothes for Rayne, and Lucas for me. They would drop off both clothes and food in the main area of the cabin while Rayne and I got warm.

To everyone’s credit, they said nothing about Rayne and me getting into the bath together. And, to be fair, banishing whatever remained of the cold from us was more important than anything else.

The truck had been warm, but Rayne had been out in the cold nearly too long. Her energy was coming back now, but the feeling of scalding heat against pure cold wasn’t fun. “I know,” I said, helping her down into the water before stepping in behind her. “Fuck.”

It burned. But it also felt incredible.

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