Snow Kissed

Chapter 2

Sharp pain at the base of my neck greeted me from my sleep. I felt like I'd been run over or gone through a meat grinder. Either way, it was from pleasant.

However, warmth was enveloping me, offsetting the thumping headache and dry mouth. My eyes registered the log walls and the distant sound of a low crackling fire.

I shot up with confusion, yelling in pain as I did.

My eyes darting around the rustic room of thick timber and the queen size bed that I was lying in. My first initial thoughts being, I was kidnapped.

But, if I had been abducted, I'd be in less than comfy confines.

The door shot open and I screamed this time from fear.

“Whoa, it's okay.” The tall man tried to reason with me, his hands up to show he wasn't a threat, which I did not believe for a second.

I grabbed the nearest thing I saw, a hardcover book and chucked it at his head. With my less than perfect aim, it hit him in the shoulder as he turned away from the blow.

“Ow!” he cursed.

“You sicko!” I screamed, hugging the blankets up my chest in protection. Taking in his frame and build, he looked vaguely familiar. I reached for the lamp, in apprehension to him turning back around.

“No.” He cringed. “Stop.” Facing me again, this time with his arms around his face. “I won't hurt you, Amy.”

“How do you know my name!” I shouted, my hand still clutching the neck of the lamp.

He dropped his arms, revealing his unshaven face and nicely defined jaw. His green eyes caught mine. “Do you remember me?”

I stayed quiet, trying to place him, but I was drawing a blank.

He moved forward and I kicked out my legs, pushing tight against the headboard, about to chuck the lamp for real.

“From the general store?” he tried to remind me.

“No,” I snapped, but some of it fuzzed in my mind. I had stopped to get gas and then...

“I won't hurt you. You were in an accident.”

“What!” I snapped, my brow furrowing.

“Your car was crashed into a tree off the road.”

My eyes widened as I remembered the deer and the heavy snowfall. “Oh my god!”

He dropped his hands with hesitation. “Do you remember now?”

“Yes!” I yelled. “Why am I here! Why didn't you take me to a hospital?”

“The storm is bad and, you seemed okay, maybe a bit of shock. I cleaned up your head.”

“Oh yeah!” I snapped in sarcasm, “and you're educated to make a call like that?”

He tried not to smile. “Yes, I am. I'm a paramedic.”

I blinked, not quite sure if that was dumb luck or just ironic. “You're a paramedic?”

“Yeah, a real one, don't worry.”

I snorted, “Then where's your uniform?”

He chuckled. “I'm not on duty. Do you want to see my uniform, it's in the closet?”

“No! I don't care. Where's the nearest town?” I snapped.

“Forty kilometers from here. I couldn't take you to the hospital, the snow storm is bad right now.”

I stared at him, debating his words. “And who are you?”

“Ean Hunter. Everything's okay, Amy.” He spoke calmly and in a husky voice that sedated my anger by a midge.

But no matter how hard I was trying, I could not wrap my head around the fact that he'd pulled me out of my expensive BMW and left it to die against a tree, furthermore, brought me to his house and put me in his bed.

“Are you sore?”

My eyes snapped to his as I brushed my red hair from my freckled cheeks, I realized now, I probably looked like crap. Not that he seemed to care as he moved toward me with interest and I inched away in response.

“I promise, I won't hurt you.”

I watched as he took the slow, weary steps.

“Are you in any pain?”

“No,” I growled, my blue eyes smoldering, denying the truth.

He paused, sighing, his shoulders moving in a peculiar way. “If you want, I can check you? I would make me feel better to know you're alright.”

He had to be joking! I was not for the life of me... my sore neck interrupted my thoughts.

“You're head got hit pretty hard and I was worried about your neck from the air bags.” He sat on the edge of the bed facing me and I moved away, wincing from my soreness. I began to feel a pain I hadn't initially and wrapped my arms around my abdomen.

“You're in pain, aren’t you?”

I really didn't want to admit it, but I was. “A bit.”

“Where?”

“My shoulders and a bit in my abdomen. I have a headache too.”

He stood up suddenly. “Lay down, I'll check you.”

I wasn't sure whether to follow his direction or stare at how business-like he'd become.

He took the blankets off me and gestured for me to lie back.

“What are you doing?”

“I can't check...” he sighed, “I can't see if you're alright through all these quilts.”

I huffed and pushed the covers off my thighs, noticing I wasn't in my skinny jeans anymore.

“Where are my jeans!” I shot, pawing to get the blankets back.

“You spilled coffee all over them.”

I whined. “Those were really expensive.”

He laughed abruptly, startling me.

“You undressed me,” I growled with narrowed eyes.

“In an I'm-trying-to-save-this girl-way. Yeah, Amy, I guess I did.”

I still had my underwear on, but the rest of my clothing had been replaced by a single blue flannel shirt. Which meant, he had seen basically all of me, especially since I had on a really skimpy lace bra.

“Come on, lie down. I do this all the time.” He reached out and touched my shoulder just slightly in encouragement.

I swallowed the large lump in my throat and followed his aid.

“Where's it hurting?”

I made a face and pointed to the right side of my abdomen. Closing my eyes, I cringed in preparation to the weirdest and most bizarre situation of my entire life.

His hands pressed into my side gently. “Tell me when it hurts.”

I winced as he poked at my side. “Ow.”

“Here?” he prodded again.

“Obviously!” I snapped, swatting him away and cringing. “Why would you poke more?”

He smirked. “Not moving rapidly would also help.”

I rolled my eyes and lied back on the bed, still in pain.

“I think you have some pulled muscles.”

“Great!” I shot, “All because of Rudolph.”

He lifted a single eyebrow with interest. “What?”

“There was a deer.” I shook my head, brushing off my dumb words.

“Did you swerve?”

“Yeah, lucky deer, right?”

He straightened, his hands on his hips as he shook his head, his light brown hair sweeping across his forehead. Still, he smiled, like my predicament was funny or something.

“Okay, what is always so funny?”

His deep eyes met mine. “You never swerve, it's better to hit them. If you swerve, there are a lot worse possible outcomes. Like oncoming traffic,” he gave an example. Ugh, he even sounded like a life-saver.

“Well, there's no deer where I live, so next time I'm driving to some dumb resort, I'll keep that in mind. Oh, wait; I can't drive anywhere because my car is totaled...” I tried not to accept the truth. “Is it totaled?”

“Yeah, it's probably a write-off.”

“Shit,” I breathed, “Is it just the hood, though? 'Cause maybe they can pop the dent out?”

“Amy, it's one with a tree,” he explained.

I grumbled, sinking into his bed with no shame left.

“I'll get you some painkillers and ice.” He pulled the blankets over my legs. “Oh, are you hungry?”

“I really should go.”

He shook his head. “You can't.”

“What do you mean?”

“There's been two feet of snow in four hours. We're snowed in.”

“What!” I shouted.

He sighed, again. “You're okay, Amy. That's the main thing.”

“You're not making me feel any better.” I sneered at him with a less than impressed expression. Hoping he felt my displeasure as much as I did.

“I barely got home in the storm after I pulled you out of the wreck.”

“Are you serious?” I squeaked, “Can't you call someone?”

He shook his head slowly. “I don't have a telephone out here, just my radio and the signals are getting interfered with from the storm winds.”

“Oh my god!” I began to cry.

I was in a true nightmare.

“Amy, hey,” he tried, “I'm really sorry.”

“Beth probably thinks I'm dead,” I sobbed.

He stayed quiet as he seemed to think a moment. “That's your friend at the resort?”

I wiped my tears with a nod. “This is a lot to take in.”

“Sure,” he agreed, “I'll be right back with those painkillers.” He left me, awkward and stiff.

I looked around the little rustic room and came the actual conclusion on my situation; I was snowed in with a stranger.