2. Ashleigh

CHAPTER 2

Ashleigh

I t’s official. I’ve lost my mind. I spent so much of my little savings on this Christmas wish and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. I’ve been waiting for two weeks for a message from the company about a possible match to make for me to give me a happy holidays for once.

But I haven’t heard a damn thing. I’m only off from the school for a limited time and if I don’t hear something soon then I’m not going to have time to have this amazing experience before I’m back to work and I’ve wasted a bunch of money and some time when I could have been doing something fun.

And then, after my last day of work before vacation, I get the message I’ve been hoping and dreading all in one.

“You’ve been matched!” Three little words that mean that I could at least have one day this holiday that’s fun.

I open the message and immediately feel a smile creep over my face. His name is Reese Donaldson. He was just referred by a friend and they matched him with me. And he’s close by. In Wildwood.

I take a deep breath and immediately email the address they give me.

Hello! My name is Ashleigh but everyone calls me Ash. I was hoping to set up a date with you. If you’re interested. No pressure or anything. I mean…well, just let know.

I’d love to get together. I’m busy up until two days before Christmas. But we could get together then. Since this is your thing, I’m assuming you’ll come here to meet me on the mountain. I’ll make sure that you get exactly the kind of date you’re looking for.

Oh, and my name’s Reese. You can call me Reese.

That sounds great! I’ll meet you at your place in Wildwood two days before Christmas. I can’t wait!

I can’t believe this! And he’s so funny! Or at least on accident he’s funny.

So in a couple of days, I’m going to meet the mountain man that matches me and we’re going to have a fantastic date. And I’m finally going to go out with a man for the first time in my life.

This is going to be perfect.

Two days later, I’m driving my little Mitsubishi up the mountain and I’m watching a sky that’s got a strange, iron-gray cast to it. The air is freezing and overcast.

But my heart is pounding in my chest. And I can’t keep the smile off my face.

I have spent my whole life working and never taking any time for something more personal. I never dated in college. I was working towards my masters and didn’t have any more time to spend trying to fit in with people. I’m not a people person.

That’s why I need this. In two weeks, I turn thirty and I’ve never gone on a date. Never kissed a guy…or a girl. I do not want to head into that much larger than I’m comfortable with number with no experience at all. I want to know what it’s like to be kissed. And to have it be one of my personal fantasies? Lost in the mountains with a wild mountain man who wants to ravage me until the storm is over and then he intends to claim my heart forever?

That’s the fantasy anyway. I’ll settle for a mountain man who at least shows up and feigns interest in me. After all, I’m nothing to write home about. Barely five foot tall and entirely too curvy with mousy, light-brown hair, silver-gray eyes that barely have any color to them and pale skin with a smattering of freckles that at least give me some color. I’m nothing special in other words.

But all I want is to feel special for one night. Just one night to look back on in my old age and smile about the one guy that I hope makes me feel special.

I don’t think I’m asking for much.

The evergreens outside my windshield are starting to bend in a stiffening wind and I cringe when my little car shakes and shimmies on the road.

“Ugh! Of course it couldn’t stay nice.” That’s my luck anyway. I can’t believe it actually stayed nice this long.

“Stop acting like you don’t deserve this, girl. You are a good person and you deserve to have a little bit of romance and excitement if that’s what you want. So stop acting like something is going to go wrong. It’s not. You’re going to have the best night of your life and you’re gonna rock this date.”

My little pep talk makes me feel somewhat better and I turn my radio up to drown out the sound of the howling wind and try to ignore the whirling snow just starting to fall. It doesn’t take long before I’m struggling to see through what seems like whiteout conditions.

I know from reading all those lovely romances that the weather can blow up quickly on the mountain but this is crazy! My nerves are bouncing around in my body and my hands shake wildly as I fight to keep the car on the narrow mountain road.

“Holy shit!” I squeal as something big and dark bounds out onto the road. I jerk the wheel towards the tree side of the road, narrowly missing whatever jumped in front of me.

The car jerks as it hits the dirt and I wrench at the wheel, gritting my teeth and sweating in my heavy coat. The car bounces and metal screeches as the front of the car slams into something hard, jerking my head forward.

“Oh my god! Ow!” The car stops and sputters, dying suddenly. I freeze and it’s like the world goes completely quiet. The woods are silent, the only sound the screaming of the rapidly-rising wind.

I rub my forehead, grimacing. My head and neck are killing me. I open my eyes and groan when I see that the front of my car looks like a damn accordion, crunched and streaming something hot into the freezing air forming a massive cloud of steam.

Groaning, I glare through the front windshield, barely able to see beyond the crumpled-up hood. The snow is flying fast and furious now and I shiver, knowing that I can’t stay here in this car. The gas will give out before this storm does and then I’m going to freeze to death.

So I reach behind me and grab my small travel bag that I always carry with me in case of emergencies. Consider that a bit of leftover trauma from my childhood.

But it has come in useful more than once so I can’t say that I’m sad about my own trauma causing this idiosyncrasy.

I take a deep breath and then open the door, the cold air freezing in my lungs and leaving me gasping for air. White whirls around me and stings my eyes, driving me backwards for a second. Then I slam the door shut, suck in a deep breath and set one foot in front of the other for what feels like a walk on the moon in this unforgiving landscape.

One foot in front of the other and one step after another. I’m cold, wet and tired and the snow globe around me is getting thicker and thicker.

I’m lost, alone and scared as hell on a mountain. I think I’m going to die a virgin. What a fucking shame. Hopefully none of the people I know realize that because I’d hate to have to haunt my grave and see that carved into the stone.

Luckily, I don’t have a lot of friends. First time I’ve said that.

I peer into the thickening snow and fight the urge to get right back in the damn car.

Each step takes me further away and my nerves are telling me this is not what I should do.

But either way I may end up dead so here goes. With a deep, shuddering, icy breath I push forward into the heart of the storm.