Page 40 of Snowed In with her Mountain Men

CAMRYN

“Answer one question for me then…” I mused, standing in the corner of the living room. Staring intently, I tilted my head to one side. “Why the hell is the frog bigger than the deer standing next to it?”

The ensuing laughter came from the couch. All three of the guys were lounging in comfortable sweatpants, basking in the warmth of our roaring, blazing fire.

“Are you sure it’s a frog?” asked Ryder. “And not some oversized beaver, or—”

“No,” I replied, squinting hard. “It’s definitely a frog.”

Oakley took a long pull from his beer, and squirmed deeper into the leather. “Could be a two-headed super frog,” he chuckled.

I crossed my arms. “A two-headed super frog?”

“I saw a special on Chernobyl, once. The frogs over there are growing extra limbs, extra heads…” he shrugged, innocently. “Extra everything.”

I bit my lip and looked back at the painting again.

It certainly wasn’t one of Sarge’s best. The perspective wasn’t just skewed, it was off by childlike margins.

The river flowing through the center of the canvas looked less like a waterway and more like an ‘S’ painted into the messily-brushed forest scene.

“I dated a girl with an extra finger, once,” said Ryder, offhandedly.

“The hell you did,” grumbled Jaxon.

“Oh no?” laughed Ryder. “Polydactyly.”

“Poly what? ”

“Polydactyly,” he said again. “That’s what it’s called. Look it up.”

Jaxon grunted. “We don’t have to. We already know you’re lying.”

“Best part about it was she could give someone two middle fingers,” Ryder went on, ignoring his friend.

“We were driving, and this guy cut us off once, and WHAM! She pulled out the double-middle finger.” He shook his head and smiled, remembering fondly.

“You should’ve seen the guy’s face. His eyes damn near came out of his head like a cartoon character.

” He let out a long sigh. “She was a nice girl.”

“A nice girl?” coughed Jaxon. “Now we know you’re lying.”

“Hang on,” I cut in, rushing to Ryder’s defense. “You don’t think he could’ve dated a nice girl?”

“No.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because Ryder only dates girls from either end of the spectrum,” offered Oakley. “Girls that are way too smart to date him for any length of time, or girls so empty-headed they need a tattoo to remind them to ‘breathe.’”

At that, Jaxon actually jumped up and went to the wood pile.

“I swear to fucking God,” he grunted, throwing a couple more logs on the fire. “If one more girl asks me to put that word on her wrist, or her forearm, or—”

A gust of wind cut him off, howling noisily just outside. It rattled the thick paned windows; and changed the air pressure as it buffeted the cabin. All four of us looked around, staring at the walls.

“This is the thick of it, huh?” I asked, quietly.

“The storm?” Oakley shook his head. “Not even close. We’re just getting started.”

I walked to the nearest window, and peered outside. There was nothing much to see. Snow and frost caked the other side of the glass, beyond which lay a swirling, biting blackness. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to be out there. It made me shiver, even though I wasn’t cold.

“We’ll need to keep the panels clean tomorrow,” said Jaxon. “Or there won’t be power for nightfall.”

I nodded. “The solar array outside?”

“The array outside, yes,” he agreed. “But also the ones on the roof.”

My stomach rolled. Heights weren’t exactly my thing. It was one of the first things I learned, upon having moved to a mountain. Still, I wanted to help.

“We’re gonna be stuck here for a while,” sighed Ryder. “And you know what?”

“What?”

He raised his bottle and toasted us, with a smile. “I’m kinda looking forward to it.”

I had to admit, the whole thing was exciting.

The four of us, locked inside, without anything to do but each other.

I could go upstairs, curl up with a blanket, and write until my fingers fell off.

Already I was making good progress on all the work I’d lost. The harder it snowed, the further I’d get.

The wind blew again, even harder, and this time I felt a draft from the window. How bad could a blizzard get in the Rocky Mountains? Pretty bad, from all the activity we saw in town.

“Could the drifts actually bury us?” I murmured, a little fearful of the answer.

The guys looked at each other, shrugged, then tipped their beers back.

“If we’re lucky,” Ryder quipped.

“Internet’s already out,” Oakley noted, stretching his legs. “Could you imagine being trapped in here for a week or more, with nothing but Sarge’s paintings to look at?” He laughed merrily. “Surrounded by frogs bigger than deer and moose?”

“There’s a rabbit with fangs in the upstairs hallway,” said Jaxon. “It looks so ferocious, I think it could take down a bear.”

“That thing scares me,” agreed Ryder. “It hung in the bathroom for a while, but I couldn’t keep staring it while, you know…”

“If the signal stays out, there’s always Sarge’s VCR collection,” said Oakley.

“VCR collection?” I called back, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I know. It’s some real dinosaur-type shit. But Sarge loved collecting them. Said it reminded him of when he was a kid.”

“Besides,” added Ryder, “he’s got some real 80’s gems in there.”

“Like what?” I mused.

“Nothing but action movies, I’m afraid. But they’re good ones, at least.”

I pressed closer to the window, spreading my palms against the logs on either side. The stripped pine walls that kept us safe were thick and strong. In my heart though, I knew the mountain could be stronger.

You’re very lucky.

I sure was. That much I knew for certain.

In a whole lot of ways.

If I’d tried riding out this storm in my little cabin, I wouldn’t have made it. I would’ve run out of food, or firewood, or both. Yet here I was, safe and sound and extremely grateful. Our voracious, log-eating fire was nice and warm. The wine in my belly, even warmer.

The hour was late and the room grew quiet, as we finished out the long, interesting day. I was only vaguely aware when Jaxon’s formidable but reassuring presence shifted into me from behind. He stared out the window with me, his hot breath kissing my bare shoulder.

“You tired?”

I nodded dreamily, as two enormous hands slid to the front of my hips.

Those long fingers climbed even lower, delivering a gentle but rapturous pressure at the junction between my thighs.

Almost instantly, I felt a trickle of warmth inside my thong.

It was incredible, how quickly and easily they turned me on.

“I’m taking you to bed,” he whispered into my ear. “No dreams. No nightmares. Not with you in my arms, and me wrapped around you.”

Just the thought of it made me tingle all over. The softness of his bed; the warmth of his hard body, beneath the blankets. Those big arms and powerful legs, clutching me tightly. Shielding me from the cold outside…

“But first…” he growled, rolling his fingertips forward. “I’m going to spend myself between these fucking legs.”

A breathless gasp escaped my lips. I was practically gushing.

“The two of you have had enough of her for today,” he called back to his friends. “Tonight, she’s mine.”

There was no answer, other than the howl of the wind, and the crackle of the fire. Jaxon turned, scooped me into his arms, and held me tightly against his chest. I could only smile and wave three fingers at the others, as he carried me upstairs, and into his bed.