Chapter 20

TWENTY

Muttering under her breath, Carolyn Stubbs huddled in front of the fire. She'd have it out with him the moment he walked through that door. How dare he just walk out and leave her alone in this old cabin. He'd promised a vacation at the Glacial Heights Ski Resort not in this rat-infested hole. The excuse that the road was blocked and he needed to find his way back to the highway was no excuse for dumping her here. Plus, the fact he'd promised—promised—he'd only be gone forty-five minutes max. It had been at least three hours and she'd gotten bored and hungry. It was too cold and dark to move away from the fire and she'd dozed on the carpet for a time. The old cushion pressed to her cheek smelled musty and she sneezed. Pushing herself up, she stared into the glowing embers. He should have been back by now to take care of her. The fire needed more fuel, but she'd break her nails digging into the pile of wood. As darkness surrounded her and a cold chill sneaked under the blanket, she reached for a log from the basket beside the fire and tossed it onto the hearth. Sparks flew out everywhere, spilling across the rug. Carolyn gaped at the flaming embers in disbelief and then jumped to her feet to stomp on them before they caught the rug on fire.

Hugging a ratty old blanket around her, she braved the chill to search through the backpack he'd left on the table. It held cans of food, an opener, and a spoon. Bottles of water stood in a row beside it. No coffee or anything decent to eat. She stared at the cans: beans and chili. It might as well have been dog food. How hungry would she need to get before she opened a can? Anger rose up and she brushed the cans and water from the table and watched satisfied as they rolled around the floor. She'd make him pick them up when he returned and give him a piece of her mind. She hadn't spent a fortune on new jeans and boots to spend the night in a filthy cabin in wherever this place was, but as sure as heck if it wasn't the end of the earth, no doubt she could see it from here. They hadn't seen another soul since leaving the truck on the fire road.

Unsettled, she ran her last conversation with him through her mind. His reason to bring her into the forest had sounded wonderful. He'd wanted to show her the scenery and when he'd left had mumbled something about making sure they could drive the truck along the backroad to the ski resort. A worry crawled into her belly. What if he didn't come back? What if he'd died out in the blizzard?

Carolyn went to her purse to get her phone. Calling him was her only option. She stared inside her purse in disbelief. The phone was gone. Panic gripped her and, frantic, she searched each small pocket. She scanned the area around the coffee table and then, kneeled on the sofa and pushed her hands between the dusty cushions. Nothing. She stood and tossed the cushions onto the floor. Where was her phone?

Moving around the cabin, she searched every space. Darkness filled the tiny bedroom and she dragged the drapes from the window and tossed them onto the floor. Outside, the snow offered a glimmer of light. She stood panting and staring at the barren room furnished with one bed and a small nightstand. She collected the flashlight he'd left on the coffee table and went back into the bedroom. The cobweb-filled drawers were empty. She searched the bed, tearing the linen from the moldy mattress and found nothing. Frightened, she leaned against the wall. Realization gripped her. He'd taken her phone and abandoned her in the middle of a forest in a blizzard. Why had he done this to her? Carolyn stared at her reflection in the dust-covered mirror above the nightstand. She'd spent so much time and money making herself beautiful. She could have any man she wanted but she'd wanted him. Had she made a terrible mistake?