Snow-Bound Love

By Susan Debary

She looked at her erstwhile rescuer. He was thirty-ish with a pleasant face and black eyes. His ponytail disappeared behind him.
"Mostly my pride and my knee." She answered.
He asked Can you make it inside or," he grinned "Should I carry you?"
She was NOT about to let anyone carry her! "She struggled to stand and he steadied her and followed her as she limped inside.
"You can use the couch or perch on a stool there."
He leaned against the kitchen counter and eyed her speculatively. "My name is David Blackstone."
Grace blurted out "Grace."
He chuckled and said "You weren't really living up to your name there were you?"
Grace pondered her situation. he was at the mercies of this kind-looking stranger, yet she knew nothing about him. What should she do?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Susan Debary
• Release date: Mar 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301647897

Book preview

Snow-Bound Love

By

Susan Debary

Copyright 2019 Susan Debary

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved

This eBook licensed for the purchaser only, and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not buy it or receive it as a gift, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase a copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

NOTE

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons real or imaginary are coincidental.

NOTE

This book depicts scenes of consensual intimate sexual acts. Not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. If you are offended by reading about the intimate relations of other people, I would advise you to stop now. Reader discretion is advised.

NOTE

Revised in June. 2019.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Breakdown

Chapter 2: David

Chapter 3: Snow-Bound

Chapter 4: Deeper levels.

Chapter 5: Meeting the Neighbors

About the Author

Chapter 1: Breakdown

Grace hated driving in bad weather. She was gripping the steering wheel so tightly her hands ached. An incident with black ice a few years previously had thrown her car off the road and down an embankment, ending up upside-down near a river. The collapsed roof of her car had pinned her painfully. No one spotted her car until early the next day.

The forecast had predicted a light dusting of snow late in the day. The dark, threatening clouds promised more. The leading edge of the storm had delivered a deceitful dusting of snow that melted on contact with the ground. Grace felt that she could handle driving if it didn’t get any worse.

After leaving the freeway and headed deeper into the mountains, the snowfall had become heavier; a dense, swirling whiteness that obscured the view of the countryside. The road began to disappear under a thin layer of snow. Grace debated the wisdom of continuing on. The occasional car heading the other way leaving dark trails in the snow, assured her that it wasn’t as bad as she feared.

However, since turning onto the rural road, the snow became a deluge. No cars had passed her since leaving the main road. Memories of the accident began to intrude as Grace felt the tires lose their grip from time to time. The wipers valiantly swept the windshield clear stroke after stroke but were losing the battle. The snow was compacting around the ends of their sweep, creating dense piles of ice. Grace watched the contest with a sinking heart.

Her decision to spend the holidays with Judy at Judy’s parents place deep in the Kentucky Mountains had seemed a great idea. Staying at a magnificent A-frame cabin, near a ski resort, with possibility of meeting somebody, would be heaven compared to enduring the holidays in her apartment. Alone.

A glance at the GPS told Grace that she was on the right road, with only a few miles to go. A hidden pothole jerked her attention back to her driving. The blowing snow was making it very hard to see. She aimed for the center of the road, praying that her GPS would alert her any turns.

The snowfall was so thick now that the headlights were useless. Nothing was visible but the falling snow. Grace decided to call Judy to cancel and then turn back. She reached for the phone on the seat beside her just as the car’s right front wheel dropped into a hole or off the edge of the road. The car ground to a stop with a teeth-clenching scrunch.

Heart pounding, Grace put the car in reverse and eased down on the gas. It lurched, but then the tires spun freely. Shifting into drive, she again eased down on the gas pedal. The car refused to move. Putting the car in park and letting the engine idle, Grace considered her options. She picked up her phone and was dismayed to see the No Service signal.

SHIT! Grace threw the phone down in disgust. A look around through the windows showed only darkness. Turning the headlights off and allowing her eyes adjust to the gloom didn’t help. No lights were showing anywhere. She was stuck, and with no way to free the car or call for help.

The engine began to sputtering alarmingly. It died just as Grace jabbed the gas to keep it going. The gas gauge showed three-quarters full, but the temperature gauge was pegged. Steam billowed around the hood, melting some of the snow that had accumulated there.

Dismayed. Grace turned the ignition off and then pounded on the wheel in frustration. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!" She was alone, and no one knew where she was. The phone was useless, and the car was rapidly growing colder without the engine to keep it toasty.

Frustrated, Grace reached back, grabbed her heavy coat, and struggled into it. After settling back into the seat, she considered walking the several miles back to the main road for help. All she had on were her walking shoes. Then Grace remembered: her boots were in the trunk!

She grabbed her keys, pushed the driver’s door open, and stepped out into the ankle-deep snow. At the rear of the car, she glanced around again in hopes of spotting any lights from nearby houses. Nothing. Popping the trunk-lid, Grace grabbed her boots and her bag. The slam of the trunk-lid was the only sound she could hear over her heavy breathing. Back at the drivers’ door, she flung the bag into the back seat, and tossed the boots onto the front passenger’s seat.

The thick jacket got hung up on the seat belt and the steering wheel as she tried to get back into the car. After winning the battle with the coat, Grace slammed the door and began to change out of the now-soggy, freezing walking shoes. The bulky coat impeded her every movement.

Grace pulled dry socks from the bag and tossed the soggy ones behind her. Damp feet made it difficult to pull the socks on. She was panting in frustration as she laced up the boots over freezing feet. She put her gloves on as well.

Now dressed for the walk back to the main road, Grace tried to look out the fogged-up windows. She used the sleeve of the jacket to wipe part of the windshield clear, but the snow had piled up on the windshield, blocking the view. Just great! Now I’ll have to get out again to look around! Reluctantly opening the driver’s door, Grace stepped out into a silent fairyland.

The wind had died down. The quiet snowfall was now burying everything under a ghostly blanket of white. The only sound was her breathing. If it had been any other time, she might have enjoyed the beauty of the scene. Glancing into the car through the still-open door, Grace considered waiting in the car, bundled in her jacket, but realized that if the snow buried the car, she might be alone for days, in freezing temperatures! The only food on hand was a nearly-empty bag of trail-mix and about half a bottle of tea. The thought of having to answer nature’s call in the snow convinced her that she had to walk for help. Sighing with fear and frustration, Grace closed the door and locked the car.

As Grace turned to head back down the road, a glint of light caught her attention. Shading her eyes from the falling snow, she shuffled side-to-side and bobbed her head around, trying to recapture the elusive light. After a minute of searching, she sagged with disappointment.

Despondent and shivering, Grace rubbed her chilled legs. She looked around fearfully, wondering what predators might be lurking in the darkness. Stalking her. Eager. Waiting to pounce.

As she turned to head back to the main road, another flicker of light drew her attention. There! Just