Her throat grew thick, her eyes damp as she looked out over the steadily shrinking view. All these months she’d repeatedly turned down his requests to take her hiking, she hadn’t realized he’d been trying to show her a piece of who he was inside. Not just the laid-back, carefree, sexy man she’d been dating, but the real him. And to share with her that what he felt for all this was similar to what he felt for her. That to him, what they had was just as amazing and awe-inspiring as what was always around them.
“You’re shivering,” he said softly just behind her. “Let’s go inside and get warmed up.”
Yes, she was cold, but she wasn’t shaking because of the temperature. She was shaking because even with all the awful things she’d done to him in the last few days, she knew he still loved her. No one had ever loved her like that. Not her parents or Steve or even Shannon. Not to the point that they could put aside their own hurt and forgive the way he did. The way he was doing right now.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her around the side of the building. Pushing the door open with his hip, he drew her into the square room with windows on every side that looked out at the view. It was still cold in here, but the bitter bite of wind was gone, and for the first time she realized how frozen her cheeks were.
He dropped his pack on the floor and pulled her into his body, rubbing his hands up and down her arms to stimulate circulation. “Maybe this hike wasn’t such a good idea. We left later than I thought we would.”
“I-I’m fine,” she stuttered. But was she? She wasn’t sure anymore. Even in the middle of all the craziness, things had made sense. When she knew what she had to do, when she focused on a goal like getting Shannon somewhere safe, she could convince herself she was doing the right thing. But these last few days with Mitch… Nothing made sense anymore.
“We should have turned around when I noticed the clouds getting darker.”
He continued to rub her arms, but he wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was focused on the steadily darkening view. Worry tingled over her nerve endings. “Are you saying we’re…that we’re going to get snowed in up here?”
His focus slid back to her. And in his soft green gaze, she saw confidence. A confidence that calmed her in a way nothing else could. “Not exactly. This storm won’t dump more than a few inches. But it’s getting dark. We have two choices. We can head down now, although we won’t make it to the rig before dark and there’s no telling how long it will take with your broken snowshoe—”
“Going back now means we could run into that bear, though, right?”
An amused smile turned his lips. “Probably not. I’m sure he’s long gone.”
“What’s our other option?”
“We can stay here for the night.”
Stay here? Overnight? In these close quarters? Her nerves jumped all over again as she looked around the small room, but this time it had nothing to do with the fear of freezing. “H-here? Can we d-do that?”
His hands ran up and down her sleeves. And oh, what that smile did to her insides… “This lookout’s on forest service land. They leave it unlocked for snow backpackers and campers, just like us.”
Just like them.
A thought hit, and her eyes narrowed on that wicked grin. “You didn’t plan this, did you?”
He feigned shock. “Planned this? The storm and darkness and your busted snowshoe?”
“Don’t forget the bear.”
He chuckled. “I’d have to be pretty talented to plan all that and make it work. We both know I’m not that organized.”
He could be, though. When he put his mind to something, she had no doubt he could be successful at whatever he wanted. And that thought only excited her more, because she both loved and feared the idea of being stuck up here alone with him.
“Assuming I vote for staying,” she said, her stomach a mass of nerves, “that doesn’t solve the problem of hypothermia. We’re out of the wind, but it’s already below freezing.” And it would only get colder. Which meant they’d have to rely on each other for warmth.
A tingle ran down her spine at the thought.
“I’ve got that covered.” Letting go of her, he knelt in front of his pack. He yanked off his gloves, set those on the ground, then extracted an LED light that looked like a cross between a flashlight and a lantern and flipped it on, illuminating the darkening room. After setting that on the floor, he pulled out a silver blanket folded into a ten-by-ten square and handed it to her. Finally, he extracted a round grill-like looking thing with a neck, a one-pound propane tank and connected the two. He reached into his pocket and produced a lighter, which he used to light the contraption. Seconds later, the inside of the round grill turned a red-orange color, and warmth seeped from the device.
“Heat?” Simone yanked off her gloves and knelt to place her hands in front of the small portable heater. “You brought a heater with you? What else do you have in that magic pack?”
Mitch attached a circular base to the heater and set it on the floor. “A few things to tide us over. I don’t usually pack the heater, but this was a short hike, and I wasn’t sure how cold you’d get.”
Right now, Simone didn’t care if it made her look like a wimpy city girl or not. She was simply thankful for the warmth.
While she warmed her hands, he set up the folding table in the room—the only furniture in the place—and moved his pack to the surface. Outside, the snow was definitely picking up, and the light was fading, making it impossible to see the lake below anymore.
“We won’t be able to run the heater all night.” Mitch set a canteen, trail mix, a handful of granola bars, and a package of beef jerky on the table. “That tank will only last about five hours. But we can run it off and on, enough to take the chill off until morning.”
Simone glanced over the measly selection, not particularly hungry but knowing she needed to eat something. She opted for a granola bar and a bit of jerky.
Settling herself on the floor in front of the heater, she unzipped her jacket and began eating. The room was already growing warmer, and whatever worry had been lingering was now gone. At least any worry over the temperature.
“Have you stayed up here before?” she asked, working for normal when she felt anything but.
He grabbed his own granola bar and sat cross-legged on the floor next to her. “No. But I’ve always wanted to. Beats the hell out of a tent in the middle of the snow.”
Simone chewed and figured that had to be true. “Did you ever bring Ryan up here?”
“Once. He bitched the whole way. And it was summer. You’ve got bigger balls than he does, that’s for sure.”
Simone couldn’t help it—she laughed, then covered her mouth. Mitch grinned and ripped open his granola bar. From inside his jacket, he produced a flask. He unscrewed the top and handed it to her. “I think you’ve earned this.”
She took a small sniff, then a sip that warmed her insides all the way to her belly. Brandy. Wiping the back of her hand over her mouth, she blinked several times, then handed it back to him. “I think you solved the food-and-warmth problem.”
“Not exactly.” He took a sip of the brandy and then screwed the lid closed. “It’s going to get cold in here once we turn off the heater. Which means if you’re opting for staying, we’re going to have to find another way to generate heat.”
All those nerves came screaming back to life, and Simone’s cheeks heated. She could suddenly think of several ways to generate heat with him. And not a single one was safe.
Mitch glanced out the windows, which were now almost completely black. “Better decide soon, or Mother Nature’s going to decide for you.”
Simone’s gaze followed. And though it went against everything she’d been telling herself these last few days, she knew she didn’t want to be anywhere else tonight but right here with him. “It looks to me like she already decided.”