Page 1 of Snowed In with her Mountain Men
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CAMRYN
The knock at the door was loud, insistent, and well after darkness had swallowed the little cabin. It was an angry knock. The frustrated banging of someone who’d tried knocking a half-dozen times already, only they hadn’t.
It was also the first knock I’d ever had at my cabin door.
For that reason, fear surged through me.
“W—Who is it?”
My ass tingled as I stood up from the uncomfortable wooden chair I’d been sitting in for the past hour and a half. The words on my laptop’s glowing screen were far too few, for that length of time. I should have a dozen or so paragraphs by now, maybe even a chapter. Instead, I had gibberish; the startled result of my fingers dragging across the keys.
“It’s ME.”
The voice was low. Gravelly. Absolutely furious.
“Me?” I croaked, my fear rising. “Who’s m—”
The door exploded inward, slamming against the wall so hard it rattled the ancient iron hinges. Splinters flew. The little fire I had going danced wildly, fed by all new oxygen.
“Where’s the RENT!?”
A cold rush of air swept through the cabin, reinstating the goosebumps I’d tried to drive away with my meager fire. Silhouetted in the doorway was a man I instantly recognized. I’d only seen him twice, however; once when I’d put down the deposit, and the other when he’d shown me the place. But I’d never seen him this angry.
“I’m… I’m sorry if I’m late with—”
The man ignored me and leapt forward, storming his way through the cabin. He moved with fury and purpose, turning things over as if he owned the place. Which, technically, I suppose he did.
“Mr. Pelham!” I shouted. “What are you—”
The words died in my throat as a hand shot out and impacted my shoulder. The biggest asshole of all landlords shoved me hard, spilling me to the floor on the way to his new goal: the little bag on the table that served as my pocketbook.
“No! Wait—”
“No more waiting!” the man growled. “Three weeks I’ve been waiting for your next check! Three weeks since you were supposed to drive into town and mail it out!”
Violently, he upended my bag. The contents spilled out everywhere, scattering across the table as I shakily stood up.
“STOP!” I shouted, leaning against the wall. “You can’t just—”
A small wad of bills caught his greedy eye. Moving like a viper, he snatched it up.
“No, let me write you a check!” I pleaded, as he shoved the last of my actual cash into his pocket. “I’ll do it right now. I’ll give you—”
“Two months!” he growled, shaking his fist. “You’re two months behind!” He pulled the bills back out, fanning them between his fingers before swearing, furiously. It couldn’t be more than forty-five dollars.
“I swear, I’ve got more money coming in,” I blurted. “If you’ll give me until the end of next week—”
But my belligerent landlord had already stopped listening. He was too busy scanning the tiny cabin, taking stock of everything I had. Obviously, I didn’t have much. But when his eyes returned to the table, they suddenly lit up.
NO!
I knew what was about to happen, and rushed to stop him. It happened anyway. Scooping up my laptop, he swept it from the table so violently the power cord popped from the wall and whipped me in the face.
Fuck!
My hands clapped instinctively over my ruined cheek. Ignoring the pain I scrambled forward, even as he headed for the door.
