.
and prayed it wouldn’t take long to walk to safety. She was almost more embarrassed for getting herself into this predicament than worried about surviving it. But then she looked ahead of her, horrified to find she’d ventured off the main road.
She stopped, suddenly frightened. Every direction looked the same. She turned to follow her footprints back the way she’d come. But the snow had already covered them up. On reflex, she cried, “Help!” The howling wind was all that answered back. “Help, help!” she yelled again, falling to her knees in a moment of defeat.
I’m going to die out here…mailing letters to Santa. So much for getting what she asked for.
“Hello…” The deep voice of an angel was carried on the wind, reaching Isabella’s ear. “Miss Stevens…” it called. She shook her head, thinking it was a hypothermia-induced hallucination. Then the dark figure of her rescuer emerged through the blinding snow. Isabella struggled to stand as he reached her. He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her onto her feet. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist and burrowed her head into his chest as relief, and his strong arms, enveloped her. She found comfort in his steady breathing as he brushed his hand over her hair.
She was going to live… He had saved her.
“Miss Stevens.” The man’s voice was urgent, concerned. He was too good to be true, an answer to a prayer, and Isabella tingled all over. She huddled closer to his warmth against the wind. When she came to her senses enough to realize he’d said her name, she looked up. Her breath caught as her gaze connected with those unmistakable green eyes…
Jordan Butler.
“Lady, when you make a promise, you really deliver on it, don’t you?” His expression was relieved and furious at the same time. “Your foolish sincerity nearly got you killed!”
Before she could respond, Jordan scooped her into his arms and carried her a surprisingly short distance to his truck. He deposited her into the leathery plush passenger seat, then slammed the door shut with a force that startled her. Isabella watched, dazed, as he went to her car and retrieved her groceries and purse. When he got into his truck next to her, she asked, “What about my car?”
“I’m taking you home, Miss Stevens. You need to thaw out and get a good night’s sleep. First thing in the morning, I’ll pick you up and we’ll come back for it.”
“But…tomorrow is Thanksgiving,” Isabella reminded him softly.
He briefly glanced her way, then turned his eyes back to the road. “I guess you’ll have to put up with me for part of the holiday then.”
Pushing back the pathetic thrill she got from the prospect of not spending all of Thanksgiving Day alone, she asked, “How did you know…?
“I dropped Tyler off with a friend, who asked me to run a last-minute errand in town.” Jordan shook his head, his eyes glinting down at her. “I thought I saw your car turn toward Reindeer Ridge, so I decided to come out – to make sure you were okay.” His voice held a hint of impatience, but his words warmed Isabella to the core. Gallant.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He nodded but said nothing more. When they’d reached the main road, Isabella softly stated her address. Then she closed her eyes and breathed again, as Jordan carefully maneuvered the big warm truck through the storm.
Isabella awoke before dawn. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, swinging her legs off the bed. She felt for her slippers on the cool wooden floor and tucked her feet into them. After a restless night, sleep now eluded her. The frightening experience she’d had in the storm had unnerved her, causing her to toss and turn half the night.
She had only herself to blame. She could have avoided the whole episode on Reindeer Ridge by simply fibbing to Tyler, then dropping the letters off at the post office on Friday morning. But, she was honest to a fault. So much so, it could’ve cost her life – as her handsome rescuer had correctly pointed out.
She reached for her robe and wrapped herself into its snuggly warmth as she was greeted by the cold morning air on the short walk to the kitchenette. She needed coffee, lots of it. Jordan Butler would be here in a couple of hours and she had to muster every ounce of energy to face him and his nephew. She ran her hands through her honey-colored hair. The natural curls fell around her face and into her eyes as she fumbled with the coffee maker. As the welcoming scent of the rich brew touched her nostrils, she went to the window of her small third-story efficiency.
“So beautiful,” Isabella murmured as she gazed out at the blanket of white snow. It sparkled in the fading moonlight of the early morning. Despite her close call with the elements, she loved Colorado. The scene before her now was why she’d come here, all the way from Miami. The peaceful surroundings promoted healing, far away from a man who’d practically left her at the altar to run off with a twenty-year-old flight attendant. Just weeks before her wedding – which would have been today.
As the first rays of sun peeked out from the horizon, Tyler’s mysterious uncle entered her thoughts. Why? When her emotions were still raw, so soon after her breakup – why was this man commanding her attention? He was hard, cool, and distant – and her self-confidence was already in shreds.
But something about Jordan Butler struck Isabella as extraordinary. He was like the mountains surrounding this place. Strong, tall, darkly beautiful – potentially dangerous. A warning bell went off in her head.
Keep a safe distance from both – man and mountain.
But she shook it off. After all, she had to make one more trip to Reindeer Ridge with him, to retrieve her car.
***
“Uncle Jordan…Miss Stevens…do you think we’ll see Santa?”
Isabella sneaked a glance at Jordan’s profile as she rode next to him in the passenger seat. He’d been mostly silent since showing up on her doorstep fifteen minutes ago with Tyler in tow.
“It’s Thanksgiving, Tyler,” Isabella answered. “Santa may be spending the day with Mrs. Claus and the elves. But I’m sure he’ll get our letters. I delivered them – my stranded car is proof.” She turned to smile into the face of the boy in the seat behind her. “But if your uncle doesn’t mind, and if it’s open today, I’ll take you to visit the Toy Shop.”
“Okay.” Tyler smiled shyly. It stunned Isabella, considering his somber mood yesterday morning. Jordan also glanced at him, then turned back to the road as they reached their destination. He parked the truck in front of Isabella’s car and got out, remaining quiet. Tyler quickly unlatched his seat belt and bolted outside, pulling Isabella’s door open.
“Come on, Miss Stevens.” He tugged her hand impatiently as she stepped onto the frozen ground.
“Whoa – it’s slippery…” She barely got the words out when her feet hit a patch of ice and slid out from under her. Letting go of Tyler’s hand, she prepared for the hard fall. “Oh!”
Jordan’s strong arms caught her. He pulled her close to his solid chest, trapping her hands between them as he held her tight. They stayed that way, face-to-face, for several breathless seconds. Hadn’t she just convinced herself to avoid close contact with him? Yet here she was, locked in Jordan’s safe embrace – again. And his strength, along with his clean male scent, was deliciously intoxicating. She wanted to ignore her female reaction, write it off as desperation – rebound. But Jordan’s sparkling eyes hypnotized her.
She melted into him, allowed him to hold her much longer than necessary to gain her footing. His gaze flickered to her lips. With a measure of surprised anticipation, Isabella thought he might kiss her. Then, as suddenly as he’d caught her, Jordan steadied her on her feet and gently pushed her away. He turned abruptly and walked around his truck, pulling a rope