A Smoky Mountain ChristmasBook One
A heart-warming story for any time of year. Scroll down to read the first three chapters! Amazon http://tinyurl.com/6p3f2n6 Review by June Faver A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a delightful read. Two quirky, misfits on the rebound accidentally wind up stranded together in an isolated place. Over the course of a few days, they grow to appreciate each other and lose their hearts in spite of seemingly overwhelming odds. Two more dissimilar characters I've never met, but they are able to grow together and find that the other is exactly what they need to heal their past hurts and become whole again. A sweet feel-good story for the holidays. |
A SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS
Blurb: Think Sandra Bullock meets country hunk. Wacky fresh and funny characters are stranded together in a Smoky Mountain snowstorm three days before Christmas. Tina Cole has one goal: to take back control of her life. Falling in love isn't part of the bargain. On the rebound from a fizzled relationship, she lands on writer Hank Gordon's doorstep and finds that everything she thought she wanted out of life means nothing without love. Recently divorced and disillusioned by love, Hank Gordon has sworn off women. He isn't in the mood to entertain a woman with an attitude who frustrates him more than any woman he’s ever met. Hank’s novel deadline is twenty-four hours away and he's cut off from the world with no phone or email service, and a beautiful, aggravating crazy woman to distract him. If Hank thinks his life couldn't get any worse, he's wrong. Not only is he baby-sitting a sassy Southern princess who has no idea what a kitchen is for, but two escaped convicts turn up at the cabin, while Hank’s horse is about to foal. A rollicking story filled with passion, humor, suspense, and zesty romantic adventure. |
A SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS
CHAPTER ONE
Christmas was two days away.
So here she sat. Trapped. Trapped in The Smoky Mountain foothills in one of the worst snowstorms of the decade. Wasn’t that the pits? And, to top it off, not thirty minutes ago Tina listened through static on the radio, that two convicts had escaped a nearby prison. Wouldn’t you know they were seen heading into this area?
Snow continued to fall; a thing of beauty until its intensity turned nasty. Real nasty. The snow wasn’t all that was nasty. There’d be no more contact with the outside world, at least until her car was fixed or by some miracle there was life in this remote section of the mountains.
Snow crunched under her feet as she inched up the hill. Tina glanced back at her footsteps in the snow and the new BMW, its back tires half buried in the snow-bank. Old-Man-Trouble had hitched a ride up the mountain.
Oh, yeah—chalk another one up for Mom. As always, she’d pressed the necessity for snow chains before heading up the mountain. ‘You know, just in case,’ she’d said.
Had Tina listened? Of course not. Now her stubbornness had gotten her into a pickle. Her sister Rae’s cabin was tucked so far back in the mountains, she hadn’t a clue where the other graveled roads led. Neither had the two hundred dollar GPS that channeled through every pig-trail for miles around. So much for technology.
"God only knows where I am." Tina cupped her hands, blew into the gloves and wondered if her breath would freeze before it hit her fingertips.
A bitter chill wrapped around her neck as she slid fists inside her coat sleeves, leaned into the wind and snow and trudged upward away from the safety of her car.
"Smoke! Is that smoke?" She drew in a breath of cold air hoping against hope there was life in these God forsaken mountains. "Yes."
It was bad enough the conversation was one-sided, but the side roads had swallowed her up mile by mile. Lost was no way to celebrate Christmas. Or her twenty-fourth birthday.
Urgent situation here. Rubbish. She had rubbish for luck.
Anticipation and hope fed through the sun’s blinding shimmer on the snow as she searched in the direction of the smoke. She saw nothing, but since giving up wasn’t an option, she prayed for signs of life.
Then she eyed a wisp of smoke that spiraled from the top of the hill, and through a canopy of trees, her eyes feasted on a small cabin.
There is a God!
On a normal day, it wasn’t in Tina’s nature to forget her manners, nor was she bold enough to knock at a stranger’s door. But, hey, today was not normal.
Tina pulled her coat and a snug-wrapped cashmere scarf close to ward off the icy bite that crept in around her neck. Hesitant, she slid a numb-fingered hand from her coat’s short pocket and knocked on the solid wooden door.
She knocked once, twice, then a third time. "Anyone home?" She peeked toward the window, but the curtains shielded her view. "Please—my car’s in a ditch and won’t start."
While her hand slid down to the doorknob, she wondered how hard it would be to pick a lock, and in frustration gave the cold steel knob a twist. Much to her surprise the door creaked open.
Oops! She knew country people were trusting, still...who left a fireplace burning if they weren’t home? She called out again, but the only thing that met her ears, was the silence of the frosty winter’s day.
She couldn’t very well enter someone’s home without an invitation. Could she? No way. Up here in the mountains, trusting folks or not, it was a good wager you might get a backside full of buck-shot.
Tina tugged the door shut and turned to leave, but the swing on the end of the porch looked too inviting to walk away. She wasn’t sure how welcome she’d be to take up swing-residence, but at this point really didn’t give a hoot. She needed cover from the storm and quick, but breaking and entering wasn’t the solution. Not yet anyway.
Tina brushed a light snow dusting off the swing, and curled her feet under to warm her frozen toes. While she rested her head on the swing’s curved back, she kept an eye out on the door and hoped a warm body would show up.
The view from the top of the hill was postcard-unspoiled, and serene. The Smoky Mountain foothills lay before her, coated in sparkling white like icing swirls on cake. Quiet trickled alongside her brain; the only sound came from a soft plunk as gusts of wind slid snow from heavy-laden tree limbs.
A stranger’s porch and her thoughts were all she had.
Tina stopped the swing’s motion, the porch couldn’t afford the cover she needed from the cold, while the wind swept through her skirt like an arctic blast. Okay, then. It was back to the car. To freeze. But, she’d be back.
Tina slogged down the hill, tilted her head back, shaded her eyes, and took in the isolation. There was no life here, unless you counted the four shuttered, locked-down cabins hidden from her view earlier.
She slipped back inside her car and looked out over the lay of the land. Waiting was getting her nowhere. She leaned sideways on the seat, fumbled under the dash for the hood’s lever, found it and tugged until it clicked.
With unsuitable shoes for this weather, she slipped out onto the snow-crusted road and barely managed to get to the front of the car without breaking her neck. But, then she’d never been accused of being agile.
Her fingers slipped beneath the hood's edge and pulled on the cold steel lever until it popped. Now all she had to do was lift the heavy hood and stare in wonder at its contents. Right. Not like she’d know one car part from another.
Tina checked the battery cables, then shook her head at the metal puzzle under the hood. With her fingers and toes numbed, she left the hood up and climbed back inside the car.
Okay, so she’d given it her best shot. She was no mechanic. And, If someone didn’t come by soon, she was afraid her last moments on earth would be laid out in snow.
CHAPTER TWO
Tina twisted the key and jerked her head around at the loud knock on the window. When she did, her forehead jammed into the window’s glass.
"Ow! Now what?"
With her hand plastered against her forehead, she looked up into a furry hood and masked face. Uneasy, her eyes locked on blue eyes. Big, robin’s egg, blue eyes.
Oh, God! Would this be one of the prison escapees? Now she had more than her car and freezing to death to worry about. Grateful the windows wouldn’t roll down, she reached over and clicked on the door lock. Now wasn’t the time for bravery.
"I’ve got a gun in here buddy." she yelled through the window. She only wished she had a gun. "Who are you?"
"The name’s Hank. Hank Gordon." He cupped his hands and blew a warm breath into them, then nodded toward the cabin at the top of the hill. "I live up there."
Help was one thing, but this tall blue-eyed stranger was another, and he was one hunk of a stranger. "So, you’re the one who left me out in the cold?"
"Hardly. Down at the barn. Guess you didn’t hear me call out." Hank thrust a thumb at the car. "Looks as though she’s stuck for the duration."
"She? Oh, you mean the car."
His eyebrows shot up and it took him a second to reply. "That was my meaning, lady."
"The car slid when I tried to make it up the hill and now it won’t crank. What do you think? I’m sitting here in eyeball freezing weather for the fun of it?"
Tina noted the look on his face, bit down on her bottom lip, and felt bad at her outburst. "Look. I’m sorry. I’m lost, cold, and tired. I don’t usually bite people’s heads off."
"I can think of better places to be than wedged in a snowbank." A sympathetic half-smile turned into one with a sparkle in his eyes. "No problem. Unless you plan on using that gun on me."
It wouldn’t serve her well to tell him she’d lied about the gun. No matter how hard she resisted not staring at the considerable mass of man outside her car, it wasn’t working. God only knew what he had on his mind. Now what would she do? She had nowhere to run.
"Mind if I take a look?" he asked.
Any number of reasons to say forget it crossed Tina’s mind. Still, she could either sit here and freeze, or accept the stranger’s help. She didn’t do cold well. "Okay. Can’t hurt."
"Turn the key so I can hear what’s going on." Hank called from under the hood. "Or what’s not going on."
Tina snapped back to the now situation, turned the key and listened to a soft click. She sighed and turned toward the window.
Then she saw the dog. A big dog. A big dog, for a big man.
"Hey! That your dog? Good grief, look at that slobber. I'll never get that stuff off my car once it freezes. It could damage the paint!"
"Yes, he’s mine, and it’s only spit. Spit washes off and won’t damage the paint if we get it off in time." Hank rubbed Sam’s head. "Down, Sam. What would you have me do? Punish him?" Hank shook his head. "He's a pet."
Tina spread her fingers over the window and tapped where Sam continued to lick in earnest between assaulting her eardrums with his barking.
"Is it necessary he bark at me that way?" she asked, her patience worn thin. "Look. I have enough to contend with without your dog adding to my troubles."
While Hank stared at her, the corners of his mouth turned up. "Maybe he likes you."
"Likes me? He doesn't even know me. Please do something."
"Lady." Hank shook his head. "Fine." He rubbed snow between his hands to soften, then rubbed spit off the car’s door.
Tina’s eyebrows raised, then she squinted through the sun-glared window. "He is your dog."
"Golden Retrievers are loyal and gentle. He wants to make friends with you." Hank thrust his head sideways at Sam. "Come on over here, boy. Leave the lady alone."
"Okay. But unless you take control of your boy, we’ll need to talk."
Hank ran a hand across where Sam had spit again. "That's all we've done for five minutes."
Tina blew through her mouth and watched her breath mix with the cold air and curl upward into a white vapor. "A lot of good it’s done either of us."
Hank placed one hand on the car’s hood, the other on Sam’s head and gave him a gentle pat. "Let me see what I can do with the car." Sam kicked up his heels and danced around Hank’s feet while he worked under the hood.
"Can't tell what’s going on." He fiddled with something underneath the hood. "There. Let’s try it again."
Tina peeked from the windshield through the slit at the bottom of the hood. From the expression on Hank’s face, he wasn’t a happy man. "Try what?"
"Turn the engine over." Exasperated, he leaned his head on the
hood's edge. "Try to crank the car. Please."
"Oh! Sorry." Apparently now wasn’t a good time for brain freeze. Since the man was the only warm body she’d seen in hours, and the exasperated look he’d given her, she’d best try to concentrate, hard though as it was. The prison escapees hung in the back of her mind.
Tina tried a couple of times to turn the engine over. But all she heard again was - click, click, click. That, too, faded into the crisp air.
"Okay. Hold up. I think you have a bad battery. The cold may
have gotten to it."
"Any suggestions? Would you use your car to jump mine off?"
"Sorry. My battery’s dead too."
"A new car shouldn’t have a bad battery." Tina rolled her eyes
and moaned. "So…I'm stuck here?"
"No way out of the tight spot you’re in." Hank squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them. "Okay. Wish I could help you get on your way, but it looks as though I have a guest."
"Excuse me? Guest?" Tina rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You mean stay with you? Not with you and this animal. No way. I won't." She squinted her eyes almost shut. "How do I know for sure you aren’t a prisoner?"
"Lady. Trust me. If I were an escapee, you’d know it by now." Hank’s eyes narrowed. "Don't really see that you have a choice. Not only is it freezing out, but alone, you'd be dead in a matter of hours."
Tina thought about what he’d said, knew it was true, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. "Please. I’ll be all right. Could you call a service truck out right away?"
"Not on your life. No truck driver in his right mind is going to come out in this weather. Folks usually sit tight during snowstorms. Afraid you aren’t going anywhere."
Because being polite was a better choice than being rude, she bit down on her lip to keep from yelling at the man. "So you’re saying you won’t make the call?"
"Lady, you can’t imagine how much I wish the phone lines weren’t down."
She dug inside her coat pocket and flipped the cover open on her cell phone. "No bars. I have no bars." She groaned and dropped her forehead on the steering wheel. "I’m finished."
Of course, that was the precise moment Sam decided to bark a few comments.
"What’s with all this barking? Please, dog, quiet."
"Sam. His name is Sam."
"Well, Sam’s scratching my car. And slobbering. And barking." Tina moved her mirror so it displayed the side of her car. "If there are scratches, I know you don’t want to foot the bill for a paint job."
"He isn’t going to spoil your car. As far as the paint job goes, touch up paint works well. If there’s damage, I’ll take care of it."
"Fine, but please, do something. What a predicament."
Sam hung big sad eyes at Hank, cocked his head at Tina, then wagged his tail.
"Can’t be helped," Hank said, then spoke low and firm. "Down, Sam."
Despite a sudden flash of her mother’s face and her warnings, Tina pushed aside safety rules about strangers and stepped outside the car.
Sam slid his paws down the car door, then licked up and down Tina’s foot and leg.
"Ohhh," she groaned. "He's licking me. Down, dog. You must make him stop. Good grief. All that spit. Do something."
Tina watched as Hank mulled over her words and again wiped off the spit. He stooped to snag the collar and brought Sam by his side.
"Look. We’re both in a tight spot. Nothing we can do to change it." Hank’s head moved from side to side. "Okay. Decision time. I have a fireplace. Something to eat. What do you say?"
"You’re right. Not happy here." Tina squinted at the cabin on the hill, then looked into Hank’s eyes. Never mind his sharp tongue. If he’d been going to attack her, he’d already have made a move. Right now, it didn't look as though she had much choice. Either remain with the car and freeze, or trust the stranger. Weren’t those options over the top?
"Tina." Reluctant, she nodded. "Tina Cole."
"Well, Tina Cole. Time's wasting. Follow me."
It was now or never. She was about to die or get her feet warmed. Tina hesitated, her hand hanging on for dear life, on the car door.
Hank turned to leave, Sam at his heels, then did an abrupt half-circle. "Coming?" Hank’s voice warmed. "Listen, no matter what’s going through your pretty head right now, I’m not going to harm you."
"So you say," she mumbled. He was a pretty good mind reader. But, compliments from a stranger could prove to be deadly. She patted her pocket and gave him a serious look. For what it was worth, the man still thought she was armed.
"What are you doing alone in the mountains? If I might ask."
"Christmas. My sister, Rae has a place here."
"This area’s full of city folks. You couldn’t be in a more beautiful place for the holidays."
"My sister thinks so." Since he’d opened up a little, now seemed a good time to ask a favor. "It’d be great if you could drive me over once you warm yourself."
Hank’s half laugh came from deep inside while he looked at her as though she’d spoken in a foreign language. "I’m afraid not."
"Why not?" Lord, was he going to hold her hostage? Was her earlier instinct about this man wrong? Though he looked honest, she should have known better than to think he was trustworthy. Still…she had intruded on his privacy.
"Remember the phone lines are down and my battery’s dead."
"So what you’re saying is—we're both stuck. Is that it?"
"Looks that way. Couple of days. Maybe. Three or four at the most."
"What?" she all but screamed. "A few days isn’t going to work. My sister's expecting me today."
Hank maneuvered around Tina and stared at her. "I’m sure she’s a big girl."
"And worry. She’ll worry." Tina came to a dead stop. "Won't this be fun?"
"Lady, you don't know what fun would have been had your car stalled anywhere else. You're lucky I’m here this week."
Tina rolled her eyes. "Some luck."
"How'd you get up here? You’re miles from another house."
"You know all these roads look alike. Easy enough to get lost. Besides, I forgot about my map. Wouldn't have done any good though. A few of these roads probably aren’t on there anyway. GPS couldn’t find them either, not when it suggested several turns into one field or another."
When they reached the porch, Hank pounded snow from his boots and gestured toward the steps. "After you."
Her brain froze and wrapped around the thought that at some point, like now, she had no choice but to trust the man.
Tina gazed deep into Hank’s blue eyes, then gave him a long hard look. "Anyone else in there?"
"Look. I keep telling you. You. Are. Safe. With. Me. Okay?"
"Yes, you keep saying that. Doesn’t look like I have much choice. Now, does it?"
"I won’t abandon you to the cold. You’ll freeze." Both hands raised upward, he shook his head. "I’d prefer if you weren’t so stubborn. Camping out on your own wouldn’t be wise."
On my own, is it? Tina pasted on a half-smile. "You haven’t seen stubborn yet."
"Yes. I’ll give you that one. You are stubborn. You are one stubborn woman." Hank cut a look at her. "Weather isn’t too friendly."
She was about to find out soon enough, but asked anyway while she patted her pocket again. "Which is more friendly, you or the weather?"
"Guess that’s for you to decide." Hank held the door and smiled. "Come on in."
CHAPTER THREE
"Careful on the first step-down. Light on the right wall. Watch out for the Christmas tree."
Dimmed from lowered shades and the low burning fireplace, the room had a nostalgic tone. Tina blinked twice to adjust her eyes. "Okay. I see it."
Unfamiliar with the dangers of living with a dog, she hadn’t watched her step, and when she turned to hit the switch…she stumbled.
Over Sam. And into the half decorated Christmas tree.
Tina sprawled forward and yelled out. "Hank!"
Sam barked and whined, dashed away from the tree, tucked his tail and slid under the chair by her leg.
Hank grabbed for Tina’s arm, but missed. Her arms flew out to reduce injury from the fall, knocking the chair over that Sam was under.
She hit the floor.
And Sam. Again.
Her arm shot through the top of the box beside Sam.
Hank scrambled to reach her while she unwound her legs from the garland. "God, Tina. Are you okay?"
Tina’s hand shook when she passed it through her hair. "I’m not sure." She gave her hair a shake and out came an angel wing, while another dangled from her coat.
"Here. Take my hand," Hank said, and pulled a ribbon twisted around both Tina’s and Sam’s leg with the other hand.
Tina grabbed Hank’s hand and stood, shaken from the tumble she’d taken. "That dog’s going to be the death of me."
Hank gave a shaky grin. "You hurt?"
"No, I’m good. Just embarrassed to fall in such an un-lady like manner." Tina waved him aside. "Check on Sam."
"He’s running around. He’s okay, probably scared to death. But, I’ll check him once we make sure you aren’t injured. Be right back." Hank turned and headed to the bathroom. "Remove your jacket."
Since Sam insisted on trailing and whining, Hank took the time to check him over, then grabbed the first-aid kit from the bathroom.
Tina rolled up both sleeves, then pulled aside her skirt and checked for damages. The only apparent damage she found was broken skin on her right arm.
Hank double-checked her arms. "Surface scratch. Need to get the bleeding stopped. You never know if infection might set in. Best if I clean it now."
Tina watched while Hank cleaned her arm with peroxide. "You’re sure you can and want to do this?" she asked.
"Bandage going on as we talk. See?"
"You’re the doc," she said, and grinned.
"Too darn bad Sam was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, and handed her the end of the gauze to hold while he ran the scissors through the last section.
"Guess Sam was making sure we were coming in." She thought for a minute. "I’m sure he was cold, too. He’s forgiven and probably as scared as much as I was."
"There. That should do it," Hank said, then fiddled with the latch on the First-Aid Kit.
"Thanks." Tina wrapped her fingers around the bandage, moved toward the fireplace and curled up on the rocker. "Brush up on your bedside manner and you’ll make a great vet one day."
"Yeah? Vet is it?" Hank leaned back, braced his shoulder against the doorframe. "Didn’t expect medical practice or a visitor today."
Even if she’d been blind, she wouldn’t have missed the vibrations coming off his stare—from her head down to her toes.
Hank’s scruffy beard hadn’t hid strong masculine features, nor did it stop her from gawking at the man who’d managed to raise her temper quicker than any man she’d ever met.
His ego compared to the snow-blanketed mountains in which she’d been unfortunate enough to lose her way. Worse yet, the afternoon wasn’t even over, and if her instincts were right, Hank was a man she could lose herself in. She had to get a grip.
The immediate attraction she hadn’t understood, and that caught her off guard. She had no clue what to do with this new-found reaction to the man she’d just met. Maybe chalk it up to curiosity or the chill attached to her brain.
"Look, I get it. I don’t want to be here anymore than obviously you wanted company." Tina had rubbed a hand over the neat bandage, leaned back in the chair and gazed into his robin’s egg blue eyes. Tension rolled from her neck as she massaged her shoulders, and wondered if the darkness in his eyes was from agitation or the morning’s chaos.
Hank closed the First-Aid kit, satisfied the latch was secure, he walked toward her and shrugged. "Things happen. We’ll make the best of the situation."
"If I hadn’t misread the map and my car battery hadn’t died…who knows? I may’ve been long gone from here. A side trip in this forsaken mountain maze certainly wasn’t planned. Must be fate."
Fate. Maybe. There were a lot of if’s.
She’d tried to improve on her manners; be more agreeable toward the man who’d rescued her, which was more her style, but that hadn’t happened. Despite being the handsome sort, he’d done nothing but grate her nerves even before she’d crawled from her car.
Hank stared into the fireplace. "Not too sure I believe in fate."
Fate had to have something to do with her losing her way in the middle of the Smoky Mountains. The day was so cold you could see your breath float inches from your face. And Hank had come to her rescue.
Should she admit she believed a higher power than both of them? Not necessarily, fate. "Fate has nothing to do with visible road signs." Tina rolled her eyes. "There are none. Not even crude painted ones."
"Life’s different around here."
"Uh…right." Like she didn’t know where she was. The first thirty minutes had been enough. She’d forgotten her map and relied on the GPS, which hadn’t mapped all the gravel roads. Now, that had thrown her into this mountainous nightmare.
"Now, let’s see about getting in some wood for the night."
"Let’s? You think I’m going to help?"
"If you like warm and cozy."
All she wanted to do was curl up by the fireplace and sleep. "Okay. Not my idea of fun, but I can’t have you accusing me of not doing my share. Guess it’s the least I can do, considering I’ve turned your Christmas upside down."
Hank grinned. "Mostly the tree."
CHAPTER ONE
Christmas was two days away.
So here she sat. Trapped. Trapped in The Smoky Mountain foothills in one of the worst snowstorms of the decade. Wasn’t that the pits? And, to top it off, not thirty minutes ago Tina listened through static on the radio, that two convicts had escaped a nearby prison. Wouldn’t you know they were seen heading into this area?
Snow continued to fall; a thing of beauty until its intensity turned nasty. Real nasty. The snow wasn’t all that was nasty. There’d be no more contact with the outside world, at least until her car was fixed or by some miracle there was life in this remote section of the mountains.
Snow crunched under her feet as she inched up the hill. Tina glanced back at her footsteps in the snow and the new BMW, its back tires half buried in the snow-bank. Old-Man-Trouble had hitched a ride up the mountain.
Oh, yeah—chalk another one up for Mom. As always, she’d pressed the necessity for snow chains before heading up the mountain. ‘You know, just in case,’ she’d said.
Had Tina listened? Of course not. Now her stubbornness had gotten her into a pickle. Her sister Rae’s cabin was tucked so far back in the mountains, she hadn’t a clue where the other graveled roads led. Neither had the two hundred dollar GPS that channeled through every pig-trail for miles around. So much for technology.
"God only knows where I am." Tina cupped her hands, blew into the gloves and wondered if her breath would freeze before it hit her fingertips.
A bitter chill wrapped around her neck as she slid fists inside her coat sleeves, leaned into the wind and snow and trudged upward away from the safety of her car.
"Smoke! Is that smoke?" She drew in a breath of cold air hoping against hope there was life in these God forsaken mountains. "Yes."
It was bad enough the conversation was one-sided, but the side roads had swallowed her up mile by mile. Lost was no way to celebrate Christmas. Or her twenty-fourth birthday.
Urgent situation here. Rubbish. She had rubbish for luck.
Anticipation and hope fed through the sun’s blinding shimmer on the snow as she searched in the direction of the smoke. She saw nothing, but since giving up wasn’t an option, she prayed for signs of life.
Then she eyed a wisp of smoke that spiraled from the top of the hill, and through a canopy of trees, her eyes feasted on a small cabin.
There is a God!
On a normal day, it wasn’t in Tina’s nature to forget her manners, nor was she bold enough to knock at a stranger’s door. But, hey, today was not normal.
Tina pulled her coat and a snug-wrapped cashmere scarf close to ward off the icy bite that crept in around her neck. Hesitant, she slid a numb-fingered hand from her coat’s short pocket and knocked on the solid wooden door.
She knocked once, twice, then a third time. "Anyone home?" She peeked toward the window, but the curtains shielded her view. "Please—my car’s in a ditch and won’t start."
While her hand slid down to the doorknob, she wondered how hard it would be to pick a lock, and in frustration gave the cold steel knob a twist. Much to her surprise the door creaked open.
Oops! She knew country people were trusting, still...who left a fireplace burning if they weren’t home? She called out again, but the only thing that met her ears, was the silence of the frosty winter’s day.
She couldn’t very well enter someone’s home without an invitation. Could she? No way. Up here in the mountains, trusting folks or not, it was a good wager you might get a backside full of buck-shot.
Tina tugged the door shut and turned to leave, but the swing on the end of the porch looked too inviting to walk away. She wasn’t sure how welcome she’d be to take up swing-residence, but at this point really didn’t give a hoot. She needed cover from the storm and quick, but breaking and entering wasn’t the solution. Not yet anyway.
Tina brushed a light snow dusting off the swing, and curled her feet under to warm her frozen toes. While she rested her head on the swing’s curved back, she kept an eye out on the door and hoped a warm body would show up.
The view from the top of the hill was postcard-unspoiled, and serene. The Smoky Mountain foothills lay before her, coated in sparkling white like icing swirls on cake. Quiet trickled alongside her brain; the only sound came from a soft plunk as gusts of wind slid snow from heavy-laden tree limbs.
A stranger’s porch and her thoughts were all she had.
Tina stopped the swing’s motion, the porch couldn’t afford the cover she needed from the cold, while the wind swept through her skirt like an arctic blast. Okay, then. It was back to the car. To freeze. But, she’d be back.
Tina slogged down the hill, tilted her head back, shaded her eyes, and took in the isolation. There was no life here, unless you counted the four shuttered, locked-down cabins hidden from her view earlier.
She slipped back inside her car and looked out over the lay of the land. Waiting was getting her nowhere. She leaned sideways on the seat, fumbled under the dash for the hood’s lever, found it and tugged until it clicked.
With unsuitable shoes for this weather, she slipped out onto the snow-crusted road and barely managed to get to the front of the car without breaking her neck. But, then she’d never been accused of being agile.
Her fingers slipped beneath the hood's edge and pulled on the cold steel lever until it popped. Now all she had to do was lift the heavy hood and stare in wonder at its contents. Right. Not like she’d know one car part from another.
Tina checked the battery cables, then shook her head at the metal puzzle under the hood. With her fingers and toes numbed, she left the hood up and climbed back inside the car.
Okay, so she’d given it her best shot. She was no mechanic. And, If someone didn’t come by soon, she was afraid her last moments on earth would be laid out in snow.
CHAPTER TWO
Tina twisted the key and jerked her head around at the loud knock on the window. When she did, her forehead jammed into the window’s glass.
"Ow! Now what?"
With her hand plastered against her forehead, she looked up into a furry hood and masked face. Uneasy, her eyes locked on blue eyes. Big, robin’s egg, blue eyes.
Oh, God! Would this be one of the prison escapees? Now she had more than her car and freezing to death to worry about. Grateful the windows wouldn’t roll down, she reached over and clicked on the door lock. Now wasn’t the time for bravery.
"I’ve got a gun in here buddy." she yelled through the window. She only wished she had a gun. "Who are you?"
"The name’s Hank. Hank Gordon." He cupped his hands and blew a warm breath into them, then nodded toward the cabin at the top of the hill. "I live up there."
Help was one thing, but this tall blue-eyed stranger was another, and he was one hunk of a stranger. "So, you’re the one who left me out in the cold?"
"Hardly. Down at the barn. Guess you didn’t hear me call out." Hank thrust a thumb at the car. "Looks as though she’s stuck for the duration."
"She? Oh, you mean the car."
His eyebrows shot up and it took him a second to reply. "That was my meaning, lady."
"The car slid when I tried to make it up the hill and now it won’t crank. What do you think? I’m sitting here in eyeball freezing weather for the fun of it?"
Tina noted the look on his face, bit down on her bottom lip, and felt bad at her outburst. "Look. I’m sorry. I’m lost, cold, and tired. I don’t usually bite people’s heads off."
"I can think of better places to be than wedged in a snowbank." A sympathetic half-smile turned into one with a sparkle in his eyes. "No problem. Unless you plan on using that gun on me."
It wouldn’t serve her well to tell him she’d lied about the gun. No matter how hard she resisted not staring at the considerable mass of man outside her car, it wasn’t working. God only knew what he had on his mind. Now what would she do? She had nowhere to run.
"Mind if I take a look?" he asked.
Any number of reasons to say forget it crossed Tina’s mind. Still, she could either sit here and freeze, or accept the stranger’s help. She didn’t do cold well. "Okay. Can’t hurt."
"Turn the key so I can hear what’s going on." Hank called from under the hood. "Or what’s not going on."
Tina snapped back to the now situation, turned the key and listened to a soft click. She sighed and turned toward the window.
Then she saw the dog. A big dog. A big dog, for a big man.
"Hey! That your dog? Good grief, look at that slobber. I'll never get that stuff off my car once it freezes. It could damage the paint!"
"Yes, he’s mine, and it’s only spit. Spit washes off and won’t damage the paint if we get it off in time." Hank rubbed Sam’s head. "Down, Sam. What would you have me do? Punish him?" Hank shook his head. "He's a pet."
Tina spread her fingers over the window and tapped where Sam continued to lick in earnest between assaulting her eardrums with his barking.
"Is it necessary he bark at me that way?" she asked, her patience worn thin. "Look. I have enough to contend with without your dog adding to my troubles."
While Hank stared at her, the corners of his mouth turned up. "Maybe he likes you."
"Likes me? He doesn't even know me. Please do something."
"Lady." Hank shook his head. "Fine." He rubbed snow between his hands to soften, then rubbed spit off the car’s door.
Tina’s eyebrows raised, then she squinted through the sun-glared window. "He is your dog."
"Golden Retrievers are loyal and gentle. He wants to make friends with you." Hank thrust his head sideways at Sam. "Come on over here, boy. Leave the lady alone."
"Okay. But unless you take control of your boy, we’ll need to talk."
Hank ran a hand across where Sam had spit again. "That's all we've done for five minutes."
Tina blew through her mouth and watched her breath mix with the cold air and curl upward into a white vapor. "A lot of good it’s done either of us."
Hank placed one hand on the car’s hood, the other on Sam’s head and gave him a gentle pat. "Let me see what I can do with the car." Sam kicked up his heels and danced around Hank’s feet while he worked under the hood.
"Can't tell what’s going on." He fiddled with something underneath the hood. "There. Let’s try it again."
Tina peeked from the windshield through the slit at the bottom of the hood. From the expression on Hank’s face, he wasn’t a happy man. "Try what?"
"Turn the engine over." Exasperated, he leaned his head on the
hood's edge. "Try to crank the car. Please."
"Oh! Sorry." Apparently now wasn’t a good time for brain freeze. Since the man was the only warm body she’d seen in hours, and the exasperated look he’d given her, she’d best try to concentrate, hard though as it was. The prison escapees hung in the back of her mind.
Tina tried a couple of times to turn the engine over. But all she heard again was - click, click, click. That, too, faded into the crisp air.
"Okay. Hold up. I think you have a bad battery. The cold may
have gotten to it."
"Any suggestions? Would you use your car to jump mine off?"
"Sorry. My battery’s dead too."
"A new car shouldn’t have a bad battery." Tina rolled her eyes
and moaned. "So…I'm stuck here?"
"No way out of the tight spot you’re in." Hank squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them. "Okay. Wish I could help you get on your way, but it looks as though I have a guest."
"Excuse me? Guest?" Tina rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You mean stay with you? Not with you and this animal. No way. I won't." She squinted her eyes almost shut. "How do I know for sure you aren’t a prisoner?"
"Lady. Trust me. If I were an escapee, you’d know it by now." Hank’s eyes narrowed. "Don't really see that you have a choice. Not only is it freezing out, but alone, you'd be dead in a matter of hours."
Tina thought about what he’d said, knew it was true, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. "Please. I’ll be all right. Could you call a service truck out right away?"
"Not on your life. No truck driver in his right mind is going to come out in this weather. Folks usually sit tight during snowstorms. Afraid you aren’t going anywhere."
Because being polite was a better choice than being rude, she bit down on her lip to keep from yelling at the man. "So you’re saying you won’t make the call?"
"Lady, you can’t imagine how much I wish the phone lines weren’t down."
She dug inside her coat pocket and flipped the cover open on her cell phone. "No bars. I have no bars." She groaned and dropped her forehead on the steering wheel. "I’m finished."
Of course, that was the precise moment Sam decided to bark a few comments.
"What’s with all this barking? Please, dog, quiet."
"Sam. His name is Sam."
"Well, Sam’s scratching my car. And slobbering. And barking." Tina moved her mirror so it displayed the side of her car. "If there are scratches, I know you don’t want to foot the bill for a paint job."
"He isn’t going to spoil your car. As far as the paint job goes, touch up paint works well. If there’s damage, I’ll take care of it."
"Fine, but please, do something. What a predicament."
Sam hung big sad eyes at Hank, cocked his head at Tina, then wagged his tail.
"Can’t be helped," Hank said, then spoke low and firm. "Down, Sam."
Despite a sudden flash of her mother’s face and her warnings, Tina pushed aside safety rules about strangers and stepped outside the car.
Sam slid his paws down the car door, then licked up and down Tina’s foot and leg.
"Ohhh," she groaned. "He's licking me. Down, dog. You must make him stop. Good grief. All that spit. Do something."
Tina watched as Hank mulled over her words and again wiped off the spit. He stooped to snag the collar and brought Sam by his side.
"Look. We’re both in a tight spot. Nothing we can do to change it." Hank’s head moved from side to side. "Okay. Decision time. I have a fireplace. Something to eat. What do you say?"
"You’re right. Not happy here." Tina squinted at the cabin on the hill, then looked into Hank’s eyes. Never mind his sharp tongue. If he’d been going to attack her, he’d already have made a move. Right now, it didn't look as though she had much choice. Either remain with the car and freeze, or trust the stranger. Weren’t those options over the top?
"Tina." Reluctant, she nodded. "Tina Cole."
"Well, Tina Cole. Time's wasting. Follow me."
It was now or never. She was about to die or get her feet warmed. Tina hesitated, her hand hanging on for dear life, on the car door.
Hank turned to leave, Sam at his heels, then did an abrupt half-circle. "Coming?" Hank’s voice warmed. "Listen, no matter what’s going through your pretty head right now, I’m not going to harm you."
"So you say," she mumbled. He was a pretty good mind reader. But, compliments from a stranger could prove to be deadly. She patted her pocket and gave him a serious look. For what it was worth, the man still thought she was armed.
"What are you doing alone in the mountains? If I might ask."
"Christmas. My sister, Rae has a place here."
"This area’s full of city folks. You couldn’t be in a more beautiful place for the holidays."
"My sister thinks so." Since he’d opened up a little, now seemed a good time to ask a favor. "It’d be great if you could drive me over once you warm yourself."
Hank’s half laugh came from deep inside while he looked at her as though she’d spoken in a foreign language. "I’m afraid not."
"Why not?" Lord, was he going to hold her hostage? Was her earlier instinct about this man wrong? Though he looked honest, she should have known better than to think he was trustworthy. Still…she had intruded on his privacy.
"Remember the phone lines are down and my battery’s dead."
"So what you’re saying is—we're both stuck. Is that it?"
"Looks that way. Couple of days. Maybe. Three or four at the most."
"What?" she all but screamed. "A few days isn’t going to work. My sister's expecting me today."
Hank maneuvered around Tina and stared at her. "I’m sure she’s a big girl."
"And worry. She’ll worry." Tina came to a dead stop. "Won't this be fun?"
"Lady, you don't know what fun would have been had your car stalled anywhere else. You're lucky I’m here this week."
Tina rolled her eyes. "Some luck."
"How'd you get up here? You’re miles from another house."
"You know all these roads look alike. Easy enough to get lost. Besides, I forgot about my map. Wouldn't have done any good though. A few of these roads probably aren’t on there anyway. GPS couldn’t find them either, not when it suggested several turns into one field or another."
When they reached the porch, Hank pounded snow from his boots and gestured toward the steps. "After you."
Her brain froze and wrapped around the thought that at some point, like now, she had no choice but to trust the man.
Tina gazed deep into Hank’s blue eyes, then gave him a long hard look. "Anyone else in there?"
"Look. I keep telling you. You. Are. Safe. With. Me. Okay?"
"Yes, you keep saying that. Doesn’t look like I have much choice. Now, does it?"
"I won’t abandon you to the cold. You’ll freeze." Both hands raised upward, he shook his head. "I’d prefer if you weren’t so stubborn. Camping out on your own wouldn’t be wise."
On my own, is it? Tina pasted on a half-smile. "You haven’t seen stubborn yet."
"Yes. I’ll give you that one. You are stubborn. You are one stubborn woman." Hank cut a look at her. "Weather isn’t too friendly."
She was about to find out soon enough, but asked anyway while she patted her pocket again. "Which is more friendly, you or the weather?"
"Guess that’s for you to decide." Hank held the door and smiled. "Come on in."
CHAPTER THREE
"Careful on the first step-down. Light on the right wall. Watch out for the Christmas tree."
Dimmed from lowered shades and the low burning fireplace, the room had a nostalgic tone. Tina blinked twice to adjust her eyes. "Okay. I see it."
Unfamiliar with the dangers of living with a dog, she hadn’t watched her step, and when she turned to hit the switch…she stumbled.
Over Sam. And into the half decorated Christmas tree.
Tina sprawled forward and yelled out. "Hank!"
Sam barked and whined, dashed away from the tree, tucked his tail and slid under the chair by her leg.
Hank grabbed for Tina’s arm, but missed. Her arms flew out to reduce injury from the fall, knocking the chair over that Sam was under.
She hit the floor.
And Sam. Again.
Her arm shot through the top of the box beside Sam.
Hank scrambled to reach her while she unwound her legs from the garland. "God, Tina. Are you okay?"
Tina’s hand shook when she passed it through her hair. "I’m not sure." She gave her hair a shake and out came an angel wing, while another dangled from her coat.
"Here. Take my hand," Hank said, and pulled a ribbon twisted around both Tina’s and Sam’s leg with the other hand.
Tina grabbed Hank’s hand and stood, shaken from the tumble she’d taken. "That dog’s going to be the death of me."
Hank gave a shaky grin. "You hurt?"
"No, I’m good. Just embarrassed to fall in such an un-lady like manner." Tina waved him aside. "Check on Sam."
"He’s running around. He’s okay, probably scared to death. But, I’ll check him once we make sure you aren’t injured. Be right back." Hank turned and headed to the bathroom. "Remove your jacket."
Since Sam insisted on trailing and whining, Hank took the time to check him over, then grabbed the first-aid kit from the bathroom.
Tina rolled up both sleeves, then pulled aside her skirt and checked for damages. The only apparent damage she found was broken skin on her right arm.
Hank double-checked her arms. "Surface scratch. Need to get the bleeding stopped. You never know if infection might set in. Best if I clean it now."
Tina watched while Hank cleaned her arm with peroxide. "You’re sure you can and want to do this?" she asked.
"Bandage going on as we talk. See?"
"You’re the doc," she said, and grinned.
"Too darn bad Sam was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, and handed her the end of the gauze to hold while he ran the scissors through the last section.
"Guess Sam was making sure we were coming in." She thought for a minute. "I’m sure he was cold, too. He’s forgiven and probably as scared as much as I was."
"There. That should do it," Hank said, then fiddled with the latch on the First-Aid Kit.
"Thanks." Tina wrapped her fingers around the bandage, moved toward the fireplace and curled up on the rocker. "Brush up on your bedside manner and you’ll make a great vet one day."
"Yeah? Vet is it?" Hank leaned back, braced his shoulder against the doorframe. "Didn’t expect medical practice or a visitor today."
Even if she’d been blind, she wouldn’t have missed the vibrations coming off his stare—from her head down to her toes.
Hank’s scruffy beard hadn’t hid strong masculine features, nor did it stop her from gawking at the man who’d managed to raise her temper quicker than any man she’d ever met.
His ego compared to the snow-blanketed mountains in which she’d been unfortunate enough to lose her way. Worse yet, the afternoon wasn’t even over, and if her instincts were right, Hank was a man she could lose herself in. She had to get a grip.
The immediate attraction she hadn’t understood, and that caught her off guard. She had no clue what to do with this new-found reaction to the man she’d just met. Maybe chalk it up to curiosity or the chill attached to her brain.
"Look, I get it. I don’t want to be here anymore than obviously you wanted company." Tina had rubbed a hand over the neat bandage, leaned back in the chair and gazed into his robin’s egg blue eyes. Tension rolled from her neck as she massaged her shoulders, and wondered if the darkness in his eyes was from agitation or the morning’s chaos.
Hank closed the First-Aid kit, satisfied the latch was secure, he walked toward her and shrugged. "Things happen. We’ll make the best of the situation."
"If I hadn’t misread the map and my car battery hadn’t died…who knows? I may’ve been long gone from here. A side trip in this forsaken mountain maze certainly wasn’t planned. Must be fate."
Fate. Maybe. There were a lot of if’s.
She’d tried to improve on her manners; be more agreeable toward the man who’d rescued her, which was more her style, but that hadn’t happened. Despite being the handsome sort, he’d done nothing but grate her nerves even before she’d crawled from her car.
Hank stared into the fireplace. "Not too sure I believe in fate."
Fate had to have something to do with her losing her way in the middle of the Smoky Mountains. The day was so cold you could see your breath float inches from your face. And Hank had come to her rescue.
Should she admit she believed a higher power than both of them? Not necessarily, fate. "Fate has nothing to do with visible road signs." Tina rolled her eyes. "There are none. Not even crude painted ones."
"Life’s different around here."
"Uh…right." Like she didn’t know where she was. The first thirty minutes had been enough. She’d forgotten her map and relied on the GPS, which hadn’t mapped all the gravel roads. Now, that had thrown her into this mountainous nightmare.
"Now, let’s see about getting in some wood for the night."
"Let’s? You think I’m going to help?"
"If you like warm and cozy."
All she wanted to do was curl up by the fireplace and sleep. "Okay. Not my idea of fun, but I can’t have you accusing me of not doing my share. Guess it’s the least I can do, considering I’ve turned your Christmas upside down."
Hank grinned. "Mostly the tree."
Copyright ©2022 by Carol DeVaney
All rights reserved. These novels, stories and any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.
All rights reserved. These novels, stories and any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.