Page 20 of Knot Her Mountain Men

I had done the same thing a hundred times after moving out here. Sometimes I would bundle into my snowsuit and Ryder and I would drop into a snowbank just to lie there in the quiet. Nothing else was quite like it. Even though I had lived out here for years at this point, my body still held memories of the chaos and noise in the city.

“I think it also helped that we got more of a break in the winter,” Morgan continued. “Taking care of the animals wasn’t much work compared to the million projects during the warmer seasons and all the food preservation we did in the fall. By the time winter rolled around, I was ready to hibernate until it was over.”

“That sounds exhausting as fuck. I’d want to hibernate too.”

“It sucked.”

“I think the best part of the lodge is that you get the feeling of being in the deep woods but with a soft place to land. Some of the folks who come out here are less outdoorsy and more outside-y. They want to look at nature up close without being in it for too long.”

“I envy you guys having this place,” said Morgan. “I’ve dreamed about something like it for years.”

I shared a look with the others, but none of us were willing to point out that she could have it if she stayed with us. Once she’d been here for a few days, and hopefully after falling in love with the lodge—maybe with us, too—we could bring it up. Until then, we would do our best to show her this could be home.

When Maverick fell asleep, Kit approached me again. “Little fox, we need to have a discussion.”

I closed my eyes, pretending to sleep as if I could forestall everything rushing toward me.

“Morgan, I know you’re awake. The sooner we talk, the better.”

“I was enjoying blissful ignorance.”

Kit kneeled by my head and carefully extracted me from Maverick’s grip. “Come on. I’ll give you a proper tour so you can pick out a nest and we’ll discuss your care while you’re staying with us.”

I wiggled my way to standing and Kit joined me, lacing his fingers with mine. I shivered as we stepped away from the fire, the floor like ice beneath my feet.

“We can stop in my room and you can borrow some socks,” Kit said. “Do you mind if I carry you until then?”

My family would never let me hear the end of it if they found out I’d agreed, but luckily they would never know. Now that I had missed a few doses of suppressants, my body and my omega side were making their stance on the alphas very clear. Getting carried around like a princess might not be something I was used to, but curiosity won out over potential shame.

“Just until your bedroom,” I replied.

He passed me the little flashlight attached to his belt and scooped me up like I weighed nothing. “You’re in charge of light.”

I turned the flashlight on and shone it ahead of us so we could navigate through the dark lodge. He took me first to the bunk room that held about twenty beds.

“I know it doesn’t look ideal, but I think we could make it work by pushing a bunch of the bunkbeds together and turning them into a fort. There’s a woodstove or fireplace in every room so even with the power out you don’t have to worry about heat and light.”

“That’s handy.”

“We thought ahead to all the potential complications of living out here. We don’t have power when we’re out in the woods hunting, but sometimes clients get a little uppity about not having it here when they expect to. We’ve tried to make sure every inch of the lodge is as comfortable as possible with the unreliability of services.”

I moved the light along the walls, checking out the gorgeous prints of wildlife everywhere: owls in flight, deer among trees, bison with clouds of breath surrounded by snow. “I think even with a fort I wouldn’t be very comfortable in here.”

“Fair enough,” Kit replied.

In truth, I had no idea how I would handle a heat. I hadn’t had one in so long and I was relying on long-buried instincts to guide me toward what would help me feel safe.

We ventured upstairs, the air cooling with every step. I tucked closer to Kit, curling a hand against his shirt and getting subtle sniffs of his spruce resin and beeswax scent. More photographs lined the main stairwell.

“These are so good. Where did you buy them?”

“Ryder took them. He’s our resident photographer.”

My heart clenched, knowing my own camera was probably long gone. “Really?”

“He’s been studying photography for ages. Is that something you’re interested in?”

“Ilovephotography. That’s another reason I like going winter camping. I’m willing to bet my camera is either buried under the snow or Brandon walked out with it.”

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