Page 10 of Mountain Refuge

Brooke gestured me over to a plastic tub by the fireplace. It wasn’t so close that it would be overly hot for Henry. “I wasn’t sure what was safe for him. Obviously, there’s no lid.” She gave off a nervous giggle at her own joke. I found myself fighting a smile again. “I put this blanket down to cushion the bottom. He didn’t look old enough to climb out but I was hoping it was tall enough to keep him from standing. It’s not the greatest crib but, unfortunately, it’s all I have.” She sent me a fleeting look and then faced forward again. “I wasn’t exactly expecting a baby to be sleeping here.”

I reached forward, touching her arm. Henry was out, probably not having slept that well over the past couple of days. Babies picked up on moods, and if Lydia was scared or nervous, he likely had been too. I kept him secured to my chest with my left arm.

Brooke jumped. I wrenched back my hand. Shit, I shouldn’t have touched her without her permission. I chastised myself, calling myself all sorts of stupid. I knew better. I really did. I never touched without asking first. Consent was important to me.

But before I could open my mouth to apologize, she did.

I blinked, confused. “What are you apologizing for? I’m the one who touched you without asking if it was okay.”

Brooke turned to face me. I really wanted to sayfinally, but the torn look in her bright blue eyes gave me pause on my excitement that she was looking at me. “I’m not used to people. I generally only go into town once every month or two. I don’t usually talk much either, yet I seemed to have found myself babbling whenever I try to talk to you. You probably think I’m this weirdo lady who lives out in the middle of nowhere and are doubtful I can or should watch your kids. But I swear, I can. Imean, not long term. That would be silly. But for the thirty minutes you need in the bathroom, sure.”

She stopped talking to take a deep breath. I thought she was done and opened my mouth to speak, and once more she cut me off. Her eyes went really wide. “Not that you only have thirty minutes to use the bathroom. Use it for however long you need. I’m not timing you.” Then she slapped a hand over her mouth, muffling her voice. “I’m going to stop talking now.”

I didn’t fight my smile this time. “Brooke, I don’t think you’re a weirdo, nor do I think you can’t watch the kids. I just didn’t want to be a further burden to you and figured I’d take them into the bathroom with me to give you some peace.”

Her hand slowly lowered from her mouth. “Oh.”

“Can I touch you?”

That cute blush crept over her cheeks again. “Yeah. I mean, yes. Um, where?”

Unable to stop smiling, I leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. She was shorter than my five-eleven height by four or so inches, which was nice that I didn’t have to duck too much to reach her. “Thank you for taking care of us. I really do need to get to the bathroom though.”

She nodded, silently stepping out of the way of the makeshift crib. “Down the hall on the left.”

I didn’t plan on leaving Henry in a plastic bin overnight or long term, but it was fine for the minutes I needed in the bathroom. He didn’t even stir as I lowered him down. I touched Lydia’s hair on my way past her. She was snoring slightly, which she did when she was overly tired. My little angel.

I needed to be stronger for her, for both of them. She should be a child in her own right, not co-parenting her baby brother with me. I needed to put less on her and work on giving Lydia her own freedom and fun.

Brooke’s voice followed me down the hallway. “You looklike you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Take it from someone who knows, up here in the mountains, that weight becomes a lot less.”

I didn’t respond verbally, only nodded my head in thanks. She had no idea how much weight was truly on my shoulders. And I didn’t want to drag her down with me or lay my problems on her. As soon as possible, I needed to figure out how to find Corbin and get out of here.

Chapter Five

Brooke

Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut around this guy? From the moment he’d opened his deep brown eyes, it felt like my brain was mush. I couldn’t function and seemed to have turned into a babbling idiot. Lord, what he must think about me. I truly hope I never found out. I’d thought I’d left my ego behind when I’d moved up the mountain. I was wrong because I didn’t think my psyche could handle him telling me I was a fool or not worthy.

Worthy of what, I wondered. Adam was a stranger. He probably had a wife waiting for him and the kids at some hotel, terrified when they hadn’t come off the mountain. Mind, he wasn’t wearing a ring or had a tan line from having once worn a ring. I glanced down at my left hand, grateful yet again that my tan line had faded. I didn’t need the daily reminder, despite the lack of jewelry, of the biggest mistake of my life.

And Adam didn’t feel like a tourist. I’d been doubting that assumption since I had made it, but it was the only logical explanation for why he and his kids were up on the mountain road. No one journeyed up that road unless they lived here or it was by accident, and those who lived here used four-wheelers or asnowmobile depending on the weather. When Jack had special visitors join us on the mountain for a time, there was a specific way we got them to their destination—and telling that visitor to drive onto the mountain themselves wasn’t it.

Cars, even aJeeplike the one Adam had been driving, would not make it very far up the mountain before they ran out of room. In fact, Tommy’s place was really the only one that could house a vehicle. I cringed at the thought of Adam having arrived at Tommy’s uninvited and in the middle of a storm. I doubted Tommy would have welcomed him inside or even heard him out long enough to realize he had kids with him.

So, if Adam wasn’t a lost tourist and he wasn’t one of Jack’s visitors, what was he doing on the mountain?

Since coming to the mountain nine years ago, I prided myself on staying out of other people’s business. They kept out of my way and I kept out of theirs. I did not believe Adam to be dangerous. Really, Icouldjust provide him and his kids a safe haven for another couple of days. Then I could dig out the snowmobile to journey out to his car to see if there was any damage done or if it was possible to dig it out and get him back down the mountain. More than likely, I’d have to take him down on the snowmobile though.

Icoulddo that, but I wasn’t going to.

Even if Adam wasn’t a tourist, that didn’t mean someone wasn’t waiting for him and his kids. What if there was an active search party trying to find them? The Whitefish police department wasn’t big. Last I heard, there was the sheriff, his deputy, and a part-time patrolman. The town was a safe one and a big police presence wasn’t necessary. Jack told me during high tourist times, some of the townspeople were deputized if they needed extra help. I’d met the sheriff when I’d first arrived at Whitefish. To be honest, when I went to town, I kept to myself and didn’t listen to any gossip. I have no idea if theman I met, whose name I had forgotten, was even still the sheriff.

There was no cell reception on the mountain. Spotty though it may be, one could get reception from Tommy’s place because there was a tower not too far from his property that butted up to the resort. However, when I’d first moved up here, I’d learned that, while my fellow mountain dwellers were reclusive and antisocial, they did look out for one another. Jack had gotten me a HAM radio so I could communicate with him or the others if I came across a problem. Other than my first winter here, and the time I’d fallen off the roof cleaning the solar panels, I hadn’t had to call anyone for an emergency situation. Most of my communications were requests for Tommy or my own check-ins with the others after a bad storm.

Jack had one in his store. He lived above it in a small apartment so, even if he was upstairs, he’d hear the beep or soon see the message indicator. He was sort of the fairy godfather to all of us. He lived in town but he looked out—or up—for us. I think he was more nervous than I was when I’d first arrived and revealed that I was moving up the mountain. He didn’t doubt me because I was a woman—at least, I don’t think that was it. He was concerned because I’d moved in late August, and there’d barely been any time for me to prepare for the harsh winter months ahead.

Corbin rarely answered his radio. Jack was really the only one who could get him to respond, and that was usually with bribes of food or beer next time he was in town. I didn’t know much about him, though I saw him occasionally on a hunt or at Tommy’s. He was sweet and protective. He was a big guy, probably the biggest if I lined the other mountain men up beside him, but I’d never feared him. There was something in his eyes that was haunting him. I’d never gotten up the nerve to ask him about his life. Each of us was on this mountain for our ownreasons and it was our business to share if we chose. I certainly hadn’t told anyone my reasons.

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