Brooke cursed under her breath as rain poured down in sheets. She had taken what she thought was a shortcut on the hiking trail, but now she was completely lost, soaked to the bone, and the temperature was dropping fast. Her phone had no signal. The forest around her felt endless.
A warm light flickered through the trees. She stumbled toward it and found a sturdy log cabin with smoke curling from the stone chimney. Desperate, she knocked on the heavy wooden door.
It opened to reveal a man. Easily 6’6”, broad as a bear, with a thick dark beard, piercing green eyes, and muscular arms that strained against his shirt. An axe rested against the wall behind him.
“You lost, darlin’?” His voice was deep.
“Yes… please, I just need shelter from the storm.”
He stepped aside. “Name’s Jax. Come on
