Page 3 of Icy Mountain Man

Knock! Knock!

I sat up higher on the couch and reached for the remote, hitting pause on the documentary.

Is someone knocking on my door or is that the wind?

But then I heard it again, a soft rapping noise.

My gray cat, Smokey, lifted his head then rested it again, curling his body into a tighter knot.

“Guess I'll go see who it is.” I grumbled. I hated company. It was why I lived so remotely, hardly a neighbor in sight.

Yet someone found me anyway.

When I made it to the door, I looked through the peephole.

It was a woman.

I swallowed hard.

A very beautiful woman.

I sighed and leaned against the door, pressing my forehead into the solid wood. I didn't want to deal with it.

If it were up to me, I'd never talk to another person again. I was a loner through and through and I liked it that way.

Even at my job as a mountain ranger, I kept to myself, focusing on keeping the trails clean and maintained rather than helping others.

And maybe that's why a rage burned inside me. Because life burned me so bad I was always grumbling and I didn’t trust a soul. Not anymore.

With a deep shaky breath I pulled the door open, not hesitating to mask my annoyance.

“Um hi.”

A melody, soft and sweet, and my heart jolted to life.

“I know this is really weird. Hell, probably dangerous. But I'm kind of desperate.”

She looked wet and cold, water dripping from her jacket hood. The rain still came down with a vengeance, the wind blowing through the trees.

“You really shouldn't be out in weather like this,” I scolded her despite the intense urge to wrap her in my arms and kiss her.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Like I said, I'm desperate.” She folded her arms across her chest but still held onto a smile. “The cabin I'm staying in lost power and apparently there's a backup generator, but it's not working. I'm freezing and my phone was dead. So I was hoping⁠—”

“Have you never seen a horror movie before?” I have her more shit, unable to stop it. It took balls to approach a stranger’s home, never mind asking to come in and warm up.

A burning sensation stirred in my stomach. I wanted to kiss her as much as I wanted to yell at her like she was my child.

She smacked her lips together and my dick stirred. What a traitor it was.

“You think I want to be doing this? No. I have no choice. I'd rather leave this stupid mountain, but it won't stop fucking raining!” She took a step back. “Will you help me or not?”

Close the door. Close the door and forget this ever happened.

But how could I?

As much as I didn't want to entertain anyone, I couldn't leave her out in the cold rain. So I stepped to the side and opened the door further. “Come in.”