Page 5 of Mountain Refuge
As I got myself off the snowmobile, I nearly fell. Lydia was still in my arms so I was grateful I didn’t. The man shut off the engine and climbed off more gracefully than I had. He grabbed my arm and led me to the cabin. It had three steps for us to climb before leading us onto a small, covered porch. I was so grateful for shelter that I wasn’t paying attention to the size or material of the cabin. However, the light that had caught my attention was coming from one of the frosted windows by the door. I didn’t know how in the middle of nowhere there was electricity, but I was very grateful. Electricity hopefully meant heat.
I knew we were still on the mountain. I couldn’t see during our drive here, but I knew we hadn’t gone downhill. I wasn’t sure if we had gone up either. At this moment though, I didn’t care where we were on the mountain as long as my kids were safe and warm. I would figure out where we were and how to find Corbin later.
The man opened the front door and led us inside. Heat engulfed us. It felt so good, but also hurt as my body started to thaw. Frostbite was still a concern. I prayed my babies had been protected enough to prevent the cold from affecting them.
I couldn’t get my arms to move. Thankfully, Lydia caught on to my predicament. She lowered her feet to the floor.
The man was unbundling his jacket, and I almost cried at the sight of Henry. My baby probably hadn’t even noticed the cold. Lydia stepped forward and took Henry into her arms. We were dropping snow and melting ice all over the hardwood floor.From the way the man let his outer coat fall to the floor, I guessed he didn’t care. He continued to unbundle. I saw a flash of blonde hair but didn’t pay attention to it.
As the cabin’s warmth worked its magic, I was finally able to move my arms. Anxiety and the heat were making me very sleepy. I feared my eyes wouldn’t open again with each blink. Gravity helped me drop the frozen backpack to the floor. The Mylar blanket went next.
The crackle of a fire drew my attention to a quaint living room. There was a single couch next to a large La-Z-Boy type chair. A square wooden table stood between them. A matching rectangular one sat in front of them on the only rug I could see. The stone fireplace was huge. My sleep deprived brain wondered if it was the fireplace or electric heat that warmed us. The winds howled behind me, once again reminding me of a pack of wolves.
My vision hazy, I barely saw the man lead Lydia, who was holding Henry, into a kitchen. I could hear the rattle of pots and pans, followed by the clicking of a gas lit stove. I wasn’t sure what they were doing and needed to get myself unbundled to follow them.
I heard Henry’s cries once more. It was time to feed him. His baby food and formula were in the backpack at my feet. I somehow got my gloves off and with shaking fingers got my jacket unzipped. Even as a New Yorker, I was not prepared for the weather raging outside.
I worked on getting my boots off too. I must’ve been more out of it than I realized because the outerwear from the man and Lydia were no longer on the floor. There was a coat rack to my left. I almost fell over as I slowly bent to pick my coat up. Thankfully, I was standing close enough to the front door to put a hand out and steady myself. After hanging it, I placed my boots next to the man’s and Lydia’s by the door.
Somehow I got my legs working enough to carry me into the kitchen. The man’s back was to me as he stirred something on the stove top. I could make out blonde hair and a slim body, but locating my children was my priority. Lydia and Henry were sitting at a wooden kitchen table with matching chairs. There was a steaming cup of something in front of Lydia.
I think Lydia was speaking, but everything was muffled as if I had cotton balls stuffed in my ears.
I didn’t realize I had been supporting my weight on the doorframe until my head clunked down against it. I was so tired, but we were in a stranger’s house. We were protected by the storm, but I feared we’d only traded one dangerous situation for another. I couldn’t sleep until I knew my kids were safe here.
A face appeared in front of my line of vision. Beautiful, vibrant blue eyes surrounded by dark lashes. Long blonde hair tied back in a braid. Full, red lips moved as if speaking but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
My eyes blinked and felt weighted as I tried to keep them open. Something hit my knees but I wasn’t sure what.
Blackness crept into my vision, but I kept seeing that face. That beautiful, feminine face. I wondered who she was and why I was seeing her.
A sudden shriek of “Daddy!” finally reached my ears and then Lydia’s face was also in my line of vision. Her little face, concerned and streaming tears, was right next to the woman’s. The woman said something to Lydia, who stepped back.
It was then that I realized the shirt the woman was wearing. It was the same long sleeve tan shirt the man had been wearing as he stirred the pot at the stovetop.
Despite falling into unconsciousness, despite my fear for my children, despite the millions of worries I had, one realization hit me hard: our rescuer wasn’t a man.
Our rescuer was a woman.
Chapter Three
Brooke
Icaught the man before he hit the floor. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the right position to keep myself balanced and ended up on my butt with him sprawled across my legs. The girl—his daughter I cleverly deduced since she was calling him “Daddy”—kept a tight hold on the wailing baby in her arms while crying herself. She sobbed out constant questions about her dad, asking if he was okay and why he wouldn’t wake up.
I looked at the girl from my position on the floor and felt out of my depth. I wasn’t the gentlest of people, nor was I tactful. I gave those traits up a long time ago.
But I wasn’t so heartless that I wanted to scare a kid. She was obviously already terrified. Based on her clothing, she was well taken care of. Maybe a little skinny for her age, but that might just be a growth spurt. The baby, on the other hand, was pissed. When I’d put him under my coat out in the woods, it had been the first time in years that I’d held an infant. I wasn’t sure if it had felt good or bad, considering the dire circumstances I’d found the small family in.
I was shocked when I’d been driving home from Tommy’s to see a red glow between the multitude of snowflakes. At first, Iconsidered it was a reflection of a knocked down trespassing sign but soon threw that theory out the window. It had definitely been taillights, and they were off the main road. In fact, about thirty more feet and they would have collided with a tree. I didn’t need to see through the snow to know that either—I knew these woods better than I knew myself.
With the car running, I’d assumed correctly that there were occupants inside. I just hadn’t expected there to be kids. I’d assumed the car belonged to a tourist couple who got lost on their way back from the lodge or even trespassers who specifically wanted to journey further up the mountain for their own selfish reasons and got caught in the storm.
To my knowledge, Jack didn’t have any special visitors on the mountain, so my suspicions hadn’t been raised at the sight of the strange vehicle. We were always on high alert whenever there was a guest on our mountain.
Seeing that little girl in the backseat when I’d peeked through the window had been shocking. The dad, though… He had looked, well,haggard. He was clearly exhausted and worried for his children. Rightfully so, too, because this storm wasn’t letting up any time soon.
That’s why I’d been out there. I knew from past winter experience that a storm like this was only going to get worse. I wanted to make sure Tommy had enough supplies to last him the next few days.
