by Morgan Black
Ablaze
Fireside Series 1
By Morgan Black
Copyright 2013 by Morgan Black
Smashwords Edition
Ablaze
Published By Metamorphosis Books
Copyright © 2013 Morgan Black
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials.
Cover art by Cover Up Designs
I tucked my scarf into my North Face jacket, doing my best to trap the heat inside of my coat. I would need it on the long ride to the hunting cabin on the other side of the property. It would take us at least three hours by way of snowmobile to arrive at the little secluded cabin in the woods. I had convinced Daddy that two friends and I would be messing around for the next couple days. Movies, girl talk, and plenty of alcohol to keep us toasty. What I hadn’t disclosed was that my two girlfriends weren’t really coming, and instead I had invited my almost boyfriend, Collin. After I was accompanied out by Luke, one of our ranch hands, it would be just me and Collin Fawnsworth for the next blissful seventy-two hours.
Collin’s father owned a ranch much like my own and his pockets were overflowing with money. It was true that we had grown up living similar lifestyles, and I hoped that spending some quality time together would really solidify our upcoming nuptials. If you think that arranged marriages aren’t happening in the United States these days, you know nothing of the ranches of Colorado. All wealthy land owners with daughters find another wealthy land owner with a son to whisk her away, probably on bareback into the sunset. That is unless you are my father, who thinks a winter wedding between myself and Collin would be more appropriate. I think his reasoning is that you’d be crazy to take your clothes off in this type of frigid weather, and let’s be serious he doesn’t want to think about his daughter in that way.
I put my hands in my gloves, wiggling my fingers to make sure they were fully in before going outside. I looked out the window one last time, a small chill going through my body. It really was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and created a gleam on the newly fallen snow. I could see across the ranch pretty far, looking out over an acre into the mountainside. There my visual ended, meeting the roughness of the trees. They seemed foreboding, but I shook the feeling off as it was such a perfect winter day.
With my hand on the doorknob, I called out to Linda, our cook, “See you in a few days!”
I saw her smiling face pop around the corner of our massive kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. “You have a good time, dear, but be careful, Cheyenne. My knee is tellin’ me a storm is coming.”
She rubbed her left knee gingerly. It’s her indicator. Linda is always predicting the weather, and to her credit she’s usually right. Nonetheless, on such a perfect winter day I couldn’t imagine that any harm could come to me.
“I gotcha. See ya!” I smiled at her before allowing the blistering cold to touch my cheeks as I left the comfort of my home.
The snow felt soft underneath my boots as I made my way across the open land to the barns. They house our cattle and horses, but also all of my father’s big toys, including the snowmobiles. He had moved most of the equipment to the out buildings last year after he purchased another car. His toys could no longer fit in the six car garage that we owned. The machinery was a bit excessive, it was true, but I appreciated them being out in the barn as I could go out more often to visit the horses under the guise of checking on the ranch hands. Daddy didn’t like his toys bothered. As I approached the back of the stable, I could hear a few horses neighing in the distance. They didn’t appreciate being cooped up like this, but with the snow last night my father was afraid that some of the yearlings would freeze. The yearlings were wild and mischievous, and they valued their freedom over anything else, probably even their lives. Being in the stables made them restless and uncomfortable, and sometimes I felt just like them.
I stomped the snow off my boots and closed the door behind me, feeling the warmth of the heated barn take the sting out of my skin. I walked through the office and found Fred, the head of our household, making small talk with Luke, one of the newest additions to our staff. I was slightly on edge that he was the one taking me out to the hunting cabin, but I knew that Fred was too old to make the trip, though he would never admit it.
I had been watching Luke for the two months he had been working with us. I hated to admit it, but a small crush had formed. Luke was tall and robust, and easily filled out our ranch uniform. I could tell he had done manual labor most of his life by the state of his muscular build. Whenever we had encountered one another on the property he would always tip his hat and say, “Good morning,” or “Good afternoon,” but he never extended the conversation. Sometimes conversation doesn’t matter, though.
Occasionally I would catch him stealing glances at me while working. Once, when I was brushing down a horse, he stood by the stall, placing feed in one of the buckets for an extremely long time. Admittedly, I had taken some extra time to brush the horse as well, giving him a nice glimpse of my ass in my riding pants. Luke was gorgeous with gray eyes and shaggy brown hair, but he was completely off-limits. I was all right with that as long as I didn’t have to have any direct interaction with him, but today fate had decided to intervene.
“Ahh, miss.” Fred tipped his head slowly in my direction. “Luke here was just finishing up with the snowmobile. It appears that one of them is not working. I’m afraid you’ll have to ride together.”
I rolled my eyes. I was already annoyed that I had to have chaperone, but now I had to hug onto Luke the hunk for next three hours in the freezing cold. “Fred, why don’t I just go alone?”
Secretly, I was looking forward to holding onto Luke for the next several hours, but I couldn’t show that.
“Your father has highly discouraged you from riding by yourself, miss. And you know I have to agree. These woods can be dangerous at this time of year, you never know what you’ll come across.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. I would’ve fought harder with Fred over this issue, but I knew he wouldn’t disobey my father even though sometimes I felt like Fred was more of a father to me than mine really was. Fred and Linda had come into our lives when my mother got sick, I was around six at the time. When she passed away only two years later they became surrogate parents. My father locked himself in his office for over a year, working on building up the ranch. He had been wildly successful and we were rich, but with money not with love. Not to say that my father didn’t love me because I knew in his own way he did, it was just difficult for him to show it. Fred, on the other hand, had always been there for me, cheering me on as a child and supporting from the outside as I became an adult. In his eyes I was still “Little Miss,” his princess. Linda had kept me fed and warm, and cleaned my boo-boos as a child. I still felt the need to say good-bye to her every time I left the house, even if it was just to go for a ride on one of the horses. They took care of me and my father provided for me, I was lucky.
“Fine,” I finally agreed. Luke looked up from his work, his gray eyes meeting mine under his chocolate bangs, a smudge of grease underneath his chin. When our eyes met there was a magnetism there that neither of us
could deny. I could stare into those gray pools for hours and that worried me.
Why did I think Luke was so dreamy when I was on my way to see Collin?
Fred broke into my concentration, “The cabin should be prepared for you, miss. We sent a worker there yesterday to stock the cabin for the next few days. Now remember, your cell phone won’t work out there, but there is the landline. The electric should keep the place nice and toasty for you and your companions. Is there anything you’ll be needing for your journey?”
“No, Fred, thank you. Luke, are you ready to go?”
“Just about. I need to get my pack, miss.”
I squinted my eyes at him in confusion; there was no need for him to bring a bag. He’d be back before nightfall, my father made sure that we would be leaving early enough for that. After he turned his back to me and was just out of earshot, Fred said, “He likes to be prepared … you know, for survival. He knows the dangers of the wild. Perhaps better than any of us.” Concern crossed his face for only a moment. I could tell that he cared for Luke. The corner of my mouth raised as I thought of how he also cared for me.
“Fred,” I said, putting my hand on his arm, “we’ll be fine. It’s really not that far. I wish you and Daddy wouldn’t worry.”
“Can’t help it, miss,” he replied as he smiled, covering my hand with his own. “I will always worry about ya.”
“I know,” I murmured, returning his gesture. He kissed me softly on the cheek before walking away. Luke rushed past him and climbed on the snowmobile. He strapped his pack on the machine next to my luggage.
“You ready?” he asked.
I nodded and jumped on, wrapping my arms around his tight chest. Even through the layers of our coats I could feel his strong torso muscles rippling as he turned on the snowmobile. Fred opened up the door, and within seconds we were flying through the snow. It didn’t take long for my cheeks to start to sting from the biting cold, but the heat that was radiating from the body in front of me blocked some of the wind. After a while of flying past trees and riding through the beautiful glistening white, I snuggled my face down into the back of his jacket in order to keep my skin from becoming raw. He smelled like the woods, a piney scent that was hard for me to not be attracted to. I had always been in love with the outdoors, and as Luke careened around rocks and other obstacles I felt like he was in his natural territory. He knew these woods well, which surprised me considering he had only been with us for a short time and all of this was our property. Suddenly, what Fred had said rang in my ears. What had he meant about knowing the woods, about being prepared for survival? I knew enough of how to get a fire going and even to skin a rabbit or a squirrel if I needed to eat out here, but it was never something I would have to do. Was it something he had done? Had he needed to, in order to survive? I shook my head, trying to release the thoughts of Luke out here in the cold by himself. It made me queasy just thinking about it.
After what seemed like hours, Luke stopped to take a stretch break. “We’ll get going again in a few minutes. My neck was starting to hurt, I hope that’s okay.” His eyes never met mine when he spoke, almost like our moment of connection in the barn was too much for him.
“It’s fine with me.” I shrugged.
He nodded and walked off into the woods. It was only about ten feet from me and I could still see him pulling his arms above his head and shaking out his legs. I took a moment to look at the massive trees around me. Gorgeous limbs covered in newly fallen snow. I could hear the soft song of birds chirping nearby, possibly calling to their mates to return home. As I looked through the trees I noticed it certainly wasn’t as sunny as it had been before. The foreboding feeling I had earlier in the day crept up into my mind again. Perhaps Linda had been right in that a storm was brewing. I shocked myself when I realized my first thought was of Luke’s safety. I would be fine in the hunting cabin and I would have Collin to keep me safe, but Luke was alone. He would be traveling back over this same path, which later today might be much more treacherous than it was now.
“Luke!” I called. “We should get going. I feel like the temperature’s dropping. I don’t want to get stuck out here.”
He trudged back to the snowmobile. “I’ll make sure you get there safe, don’t worry. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” He met my eyes this time and we lingered for a moment. I watched our breath rise in front of us before I turned back to the machine. What he didn’t realize is that I wasn’t worried about myself, I was worried about him.
Almost another hour later we arrived at the cabin. Luke insisted on going first to check for any disturbances. I allowed him his moment of chivalry and waited outside, anxious for Collin to arrive. I took off my helmet and shook out my blonde hair, the wind whipping it close around my face. Linda had been right; there was definitely a storm approaching and some small snowflakes had started to fall. Luke waved me in and said that the coast was clear. I crossed the snow-covered path and entered the small cabin with one of my bags. Luke walked past me to retrieve the rest of my things, brushing my shoulder slightly as he made his way back to the door.
“Sorry,” he said, his eyes not meeting mine.
I dipped my head down so that our eyes would reunite. “You don’t have to apologize, you know. I know an accident when I feel it.” I attempted to speak gently, almost as if I would scare him off had I been harsh. Luke was such a mystery to me. I didn’t know him well on the ranch, but out here in the wilderness there was something curious about him. It was like he was watching, all the time. Something happened to this man. I found myself yearning to find out just what was so different about him from everyone else I had ever met.
I had gone to college and dated my fair share of boys, but I knew that after graduating I would be moving back home to be with Daddy, Fred, and Linda. That was just the way things were and I accepted it long ago. I went to school for business hoping that one day I would take over the ranch, wanting to keep a piece of my independence. While at school I guess you could call me a serial dater, but it was only because I knew that my fate had already been determined. Collin and I had met in middle school, and from then on our families had become close. When families became close, in our world that meant somehow they would be joined together eventually. Two children around the same age were a pretty easy target for an arranged marriage. We don’t call them that of course because it’s too old school, but that’s really what it is. Collin was a great guy and he knew what type of person I was. He accepted the fact that I wanted to be a business owner one day and I didn’t think he would stop me. Collin wasn’t necessarily interested in a trophy wife, but I did get the feeling that he liked control. His mother was extremely poised and demur, just the way his father liked it, and I expected he’d want me to act similarly. When I married Collin I would lose my independence, but I would take this long weekend to convince him to allow me keep some of it.
Luke finally spoke, breaking into my private train of thought about Collin and I. “I just don’t want to upset you,” he said.
“Upset me?” I laughed. “Hardly, it’s more like I’m worried I’m upsetting you.”
He smiled. “Not at all, miss. I’ll get the rest of your bags and leave you to your weekend.”
He went back out to the snowmobile, and as I watched him I noticed the snow was falling at a much more rapid pace. He brought back my supplies and put everything on the dining room table for me to go through.
“Would you like me to put these things away for you?”
“No, Luke. I’ve got it, thanks.”
He nodded and walked to the door. I turned back to look at him when I didn’t hear the door open and close. He was staring straight at me.
“There something I can help you with, Luke?”
He looked down at his shoes and took a deep breath. “I was just really hoping that your friends would be arriving before I left. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone.”
I bit my lower lip, feeling his honest concern
for my well-being. It was sweet. “I promise you, Luke, I’m fine. You go before the snow gets too deep and you can’t get back. Thank you, though, for your concern. I do appreciate it.”
He nodded and turned to leave. I felt the cold wind reach me as he shut the door and I realized that I was entirely alone.
I began to unpack some of the food that we had brought with us, just some basics like milk and bread. We brought eggs for breakfast and champagne for late nights.
I worked diligently unpacking the saddlebags as I heard the snowmobile rev and take off. I looked out the window and watched Luke’s silhouette fade into the trees. I secretly wished he hadn’t left, but I didn’t want to worry about him in the weather. The snow was really picking up; there was already an inch or more of fresh snow on the six inches we already had.
After unpacking some first aid supplies and wishing that I had asked Luke to start a fire, I realized that the only way to warm up would be to take a nice hot shower. Turning on the hot water created steam in the small bathroom, so I could hardly see myself in the mirror as I stepped into the glass box. Being alone was starting to scare me, and I hummed a tune while I washed my body, allowing the warm water to cleanse me.
I had just put on some sweatpants was about to blow dry my hair when I heard a knock at the door. Collin is way early, I thought to myself as I crossed through the living room and made my way to the door. When I opened it I was shocked to see who was leaning on the door frame. Luke was standing, shivering in the cold and covered in snow. His lips were blue and he had icicles on his eyebrows.
“Luke! What are you doing out here? What am I saying? Get in here!”
I pulled him in by the arms; my fingers burned with cold where I touched his frost-covered coat. “Oh my God, you must be freezing. What happened?”
“Th-the s-sn-nowmobile ran out of g-g-gas,” he said through chattering teeth. “I’m s-so-sorry, I had to walk back.”
