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Son of a bitch!

His mind was pissing himself off, now. He had a rule that his mother beat—not literally—into him throughout his young life: No swearing in front of women.

It was out of respect. Nothing more. Women were delicate creatures and should be treated as such. Yet, his barbaric caveman kept creeping forward whenever thoughts of Snow surfaced.

He wasn’t some masochistic bastard when it came to women. They should all have the same rights and freedoms as men, but he had this image of his woman specifically.

Barefoot.

Pregnant.

It was all he wanted. Nick couldn’t care less if she cooked or cleaned or broke the damn dishes when they got dirty. It wasn’t about domestication or him being in control. He didn’t even know if he could explain it if someone asked. What he wanted was a woman who was strong. Someone who could enjoy the simpler things in life. If she could handle both him and Ace on their worst days, then that was icing on the cake.

Seeing the lodge coming into view, he shook off any personal thoughts and went to full-on sheriff mode. The townspeople saw him as a fair but strict man. He didn’t put up with anyone’s shit, and if you fucked up, he called you on it—made everyone own their mistakes. He also helped where and when he could.

The streets were reasonably clear, which he was grateful for. He wasn’t in much of a conversational mood. Parking his SUV, he slowly stepped out and looked around, making sure nothing was amiss.

Walking up to the three-story log building, he wasn’t surprised to see the lobby full of guests. People milling around talking, drinking coffee, reading, and even the buffet was full already.

“People must be getting restless,” he commented to himself and was shocked when someone answered behind him.

“We’ve got some folks here that have never been around snow and some who had hoped for skiing.”

Turning towards the voice, he recognized just the man he was looking for, John, the lodge’s manager. “How you doing, John?” Reaching out he shook the other man’s hand in greeting.

“Good, Sheriff. What brings you by?” Worry was etched in the man’s eyes.

“Well, before the storm, I was doing my normal rounds, getting hikers and tourists off the mountains. Found something interesting.”

“Oh, yeah?” His curiosity was piqued.

“You missing any guests?” No point in beating around the bush. He had known John since they were teens, so Nick wasn’t worried that he had done something to Snow. Like her, he highly suspected she was a guest here, and whoever her companion was, they had done something to her.

“Not that’s been reported.” He was confused now. “What’s going on?”

Gazing around them, he noticed a few faces he’d never seen before paying them a bit too much attention. “Can we talk in your office?” The last thing they needed was for her attacker to find out she was alive before they knew who he or she was.

“Sure, follow me.”

Nick trailed him down a long hall and behind a door that said, employees only, before they entered John’s office on the other side.

“Would you like something to drink, Nick?” he offered.

“I’m good, thanks.” Nick was hesitating. He trusted this person, but sharing Snow? What if he was opening a bigger can of worms than she or they were ready for? “Fuck,” he cursed again.

“Okay. What’s going on? You don’t swear, and you don’t hesitate.” John called him on his own bullshit.

“This stays between us, you understand?” His friend nodded. “Ace and I found a woman.” The shock on his face couldn’t be faked. “She was beaten and left for dead. Tossed out like trash.” The anger was surfacing again.

“Holy shit. Is she from here? Do we know her?”

“No. Even with the bruises disguising her features, I can tell she’s not from around here. But this morning we had a thought. Maybe she was a guest here at the Kicking Horse.”

“Do you have a picture of her?” John’s excitement was evident, but he didn’t think the man appreciated the gravity of the situation.

“I need you to understand that this woman is in danger, John. Someone tried to kill her. This can’t leave this office,” he implored the other man.

“I understand, Sheriff. I would never intentionally harm anyone; you now that.” He seemed almost hurt that Nick would think such a thing.