The house was too quiet the next afternoon.Sunlight filtered through the curtains, warm against her skin, but she couldn’t feel it. She sat on the couch with her knees pulled close, her robe tied loosely around her waist. The fabric was soft against her thighs, but her skin still burned from the way his hands had held her last night.She’d told herself it was a mistake. It couldn’t happen again.But every time she thought about the way he’d whispered against her ear, the way he’d made her come with his fingers like she was something he owned, her body heated. Her thighs pressed together unconsciously, the memory pulsing between them like a heartbeat.The creak of the floorboards down the hall snapped her out of it. Her pulse jumped.He was home.She could feel it before she saw him. That same heavy presence filled the room, the same scent of whiskey and cedar that clung to his skin.She turned her head, and there he was.He stood in the doorway in a plain white T-shirt and jeans, cas
The house was quiet, the kind of stillness that only happens after midnight. The clock in the hallway ticked softly, the refrigerator hummed low, and the night air crept through the open window over the sink. She padded into the kitchen barefoot, her thin nightgown clinging to her body with every step.She thought she was alone.She reached for a glass in the cupboard, rubbing sleep from her eyes. When she turned, her breath caught in her throat.He was sitting at the head of the table.Her father-in-law.He leaned back in the wooden chair like he owned every inch of the house, a tumbler of amber whiskey in his hand. The shadows caught the hard lines of his jaw and the salt and pepper at his temples. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, exposing veins and strong forearms.His gaze was already on her.She froze near the counter, glass still in her hand. “I didn’t know anyone was awake.”“I don’t sleep much,” he said. His voice was low and calm, the
The chapel sat at the very top of the mountain, quiet and weathered, its white steeple cracked with age. There was no paved road leading to it, only a gravel path overgrown with grass. Wildflowers bloomed at the edges, as if trying to reclaim the holy ground.Mia climbed the final steps with her chest tight—not from the altitude, but from nerves.This wasn’t a regular Sunday service.This was confession.Whispers in town spoke of the man who ran the mountain chapel. Preacher Abram. A man who didn’t ask for tithes. A man who didn’t judge. But the women who visited him came back changed. Quieter. Wetter. Hungrier.And Mia needed that kind of salvation.She pushed open the door.Inside, it was candlelit. Dust swirled in the shafts of light through the high windows. There were no pews—just one wooden chair in the center and an altar at the front.A man stood behind it.He wore black. His clerical collar stretched over a thick neck. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing veined forearms and
Kendra didn’t mean to crash her car.But the road was narrow, the snow had crept in faster than forecasted, and she was too stubborn to turn back. She’d come up to the mountain to unplug from everyone—her phone, her boss, her messy situationship. She wasn’t looking to be rescued.Especially not by a man like him.She woke up on a threadbare couch, wrapped in thick wool blankets, the scent of pine smoke and something male filling her lungs. The cabin was dim, lit by firelight and a few old lanterns. Her head throbbed, and her ankle was bandaged tight.“You’re awake,” said a low, gravel-rich voice.She turned.He stood in the doorway of the kitchen—broad, shirtless, jeans slung low on his hips. His chest was covered in ink and scars. His beard was wild. His eyes were the color of a storm that didn’t warn you before it hit.She swallowed. “Did you save me?”“I pulled you out before the car slid further. You could’ve broken your neck.”“Thank you.”He nodded once. “I’m Rafe.”“Kendra.”Sh
Tara should’ve turned back when she saw the blood on the apron.The small mountain butchery was nestled in a quiet clearing off the highway. There were no signs, no hours posted. Just a rust-colored wooden building that smelled of smoke, iron, and meat. She was there to pick up a “special delivery” of elk cuts for her family’s mountain-side lodge. Her dad had called ahead. Told her the butcher was a loner. Quiet. Old-school.He didn’t say the butcher looked like that.Tara stepped inside and nearly lost her voice.The man behind the counter was huge. Dark flannel stretched across his chest. His forearms were bare, thick with muscle and veins, dusted in dark hair. His apron was splattered in red, and his hands were still gloved. One gloved hand held a bone saw. The other clutched a cleaver.His face was rugged. Beard trimmed. Jaw sharp. Eyes cold.“You the lodge girl?” he asked.“Yes,” she breathed. “I mean—Tara. From Maple Creek Lodge.”He nodded once. “You’re early.”“Sorry. The snow
The sun was barely up when Jade pitched her tent.She’d ignored the sign at the trailhead that warned “restricted wildlife zone—no overnight camping,” because she figured it was for people who needed to be told not to feed bears. Not her. She was just a woman craving space. Silence. Maybe a little thrill.She got more than she bargained for.By noon, she was half-naked, soaking in the nearby stream, her shorts drying on a rock, her earbuds in, music playing as she floated on her back. It was bliss. Until a heavy boot kicked her shorts into the water.Jade sat up fast, water sloshing around her bare chest.The man towering over her was not impressed.He wore a deep green ranger’s uniform, shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, forearms roped with muscle and veins. His badge glinted in the sunlight. His face was shadowed by a tilted cap and a scowl that made her thighs clench under the water.“You want to tell me what the hell you’re doing camping in a protected zone?” he asked.Jade cross