Chapter Two
"Shit!" Jake turned into the fishtail, causing the SUV to swerve back around to the right on the snow-covered road.
This wasn't good. Not good!
Snow flew into the air as the grill of the SUV slammed into a drift and slid sideways into the ditch on the side of the road.
Great. Just great.
The decline into the ditch wasn't severe, but there was no way he was getting out of this tonight. Probably not even tomorrow. Jake peered out the passenger window, then back toward the road where his tire tracks gouged deep ruts in the snow.
What was he doing here, anyway? He had been on his way home, cruising steadily, albeit slowly, along the plowed main road that stretched across the Wisconsin countryside. So then, why had he turned down this side road into the woods? A road he had never noticed before let along traveled down. Was it even a road? Maybe it was just a trail or a lane. If so, he could be stuck here for days. No one would even think to plow it.
All he wanted was to be home, out of this godforsaken snow storm, his feet up on the ottoman, a Corona in his hand, watching the game. It had been a long week in the city, and Jake simply wanted to be back at his sprawling refuge in the countryside where the snow could fall all it wanted, because he didn't have anywhere to be or anyone to see for another four days. By then, the storm will have passed and the snow melted, if the forecast was accurate.
But no. Now he was stuck. In a ditch. In the middle of the woods. Where not even Bambi would venture out to investigate the wreckage.
What had he been thinking when he'd turned down this lane? What could possibly have been-?
Calm overcame him as the faint sound of music touched his ears. The melody was at once sad yet hopeful, tranquil. Not quite human, the lilting notes evoked emotions Jake hadn't felt in years. Not since Cassie died. Undying love, longing, heartache. The emotions rose within his soul, surrounded his heart, made him long to hold a feminine body in his arms and be held in return. God, how he missed Cassie and how she had always made him feel as though he were a superhero. Her superhero.
The backs of his eyes stung at Cassie's memory. Why did God have to take those with the purest hearts at such a young age? Cassie hadn't deserved to die the way she had. She'd had so much life inside, so much love to give. Pure and angelic didn't even begin to describe her.
Jake rubbed his palms over his face to push away memories he would rather not think about right now. He had to focus on getting out of this mess and dug his phone out of his pocket.
"Are you kidding me?" He grumbled under his breath. No signal? Seriously, he wasn't that far from the main road and civilization. Why couldn't he get a damn signal?
As the gentle melody that came from what sounded like far away began again, he lifted his gaze and, through the snowy windshield, he spied a lighted window in the distance.
A cabin? Out here? He looked around, frowning. Who would build a home this far back in the woods? This wasn't the sort of place someone would build what appeared to be a cozy homestead. Hopefully, whoever lived in the cabin had a phone and he could call for Triple A or a ride or a something. If he was really lucky, they owned a tractor they could hitch up to his SUV and tug him back onto the road.
Resigned, he shut off the engine, gathered his Filson coat around his neck, and shoved his way out of the cab. The angle of the SUV made finding his footing a challenge as he struggled against gravity. As his feet landed on the ground, he turned to survey the damage. It looked worse than it had felt, the SUV tilted at a thirty-degree angle and snow piled around the front tires and hood.
Getting out of this damn snow drift was going to be harder than he thought.
Jake turned toward the cottage and saw the silhouette of someone standing in the window. A woman. Well, maybe her husband had some ideas about how to get him out of this ditch.
With snowflakes coming down hard and fast, stinging his face and eyes, he battled through an ankle-high blanket of snow, with banks that reached halfway up his calves. Funny, but he hadn't noticed how deep the snow was when he'd been on the main road. The snowfall seemed to be concentrated on this one tiny area, coming down so thick and hard as to create white-out conditions.
Head down, eyes blinking against the blowing snow, Jake trudged his way through the trees until he reached the cottage. There was no door on the side of the house that faced the lane, so he fought his way around the drifts leaning against the house to make his way around back.
Just as he reached the covered back porch, the door opened. Warm light and the mouthwatering scent of baked bread and roasted meat streamed over him. For some reason, the saying, "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach," came to mind. Why? He had no idea.
He blinked against the brightness illuminating the snow. "I'm sorry to bother you, but-"
"You're stuck in the snow." It was the woman from the window. Her voice was almost ethereal. Both husky and smooth at once.
Jake nodded and gave a sheepish laugh. "Yes. That's my SUV back there." He gestured in the direction of the lane. "A lot of good four-wheel drive did me there, huh?"
The woman's face was backlit and shadowed, so he couldn't see her features, but she had blond hair. That much he could see. And she was wearing a chunky, fuzzy white sweater that fell almost to her knees. She had on dark leggings and what looked like comfortable, brown ankle boots.
"Come in. Get out of the cold." She stepped aside and waved for him to join her.
"No. I really shouldn't." He glanced toward the large shed behind the house and pointed toward it. "Maybe your husband has a shovel or a truck or something he could use to dig and pull me out."
The woman turned her face toward the light, and Jake suddenly forgot to breathe. She was breathtaking. The most beautiful woman he'd seen since Cassie, with large doe eyes, a small, upturned button nose, and pink, glossy lips. She tucked her hair behind her ear and met his gaze. "I don't have a husband."
No husband?
"You live out here by yourself?" Jake looked around at the harsh landscaping. He didn't see a car, a tractor, nothing that this woman could use to leave if she had to. His chivalrous, he-man protective side raised its head. This woman couldn't stay out here alone in this storm. What if she needed help?
She smiled demurely and let her gaze drift toward the interior of the cabin. "I can manage on my own. But you should really come inside. It's too cold for you to stay with your car." Her long lashes flicked alluringly as she blinked her gaze back to his. "It's warm inside." Her cheeks turned rosy. "And there's food enough for both of us."
He took a step forward, drawn by her beauty, her voice, the way her silver blue eyes glinted against the flickering flame of what had to be a fire in her fireplace. "Perhaps I can stay a little while." The words came out before he could stop them.
The woman smiled. "I insist. Now come. Come inside." She stepped out of the way and waved him forward.
As if pulled by magic, Jake couldn't have stayed outside even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to. Not now that he had seen her and learned she was alone out here in such harsh weather. With the snow and his wrecked SUV all but forgotten, he proceeded toward her and the open door. She waved him past, pushed the door open a little wider. When he crossed the threshold, he instantly knew he would stay here as long as she wanted him to.
And that was just fine with him.
Thoughts for discussion: As a reader, where do you think the story should go from here? What thoughts do you have about Jake, his deceased wife, Cassie? Is he human? Is he from another world? What of his wrecked SUV? How will he get out? I appreciate all thoughts and feedback. Thank you.
