True Love's Fire: A Red Hot Valentine Story (Hell Yeah!) Read Online Free PDF Page A

tonight, Elvis.”
    The big dog flopped down next to her.
    “Anyone who is out in this weather tonight needs their head examined.”

    *  *  *

    “God Almighty,” Scott muttered as he slowed down. The weather had taken a drastic turn for the worse north of Little Rock. Perhaps he should’ve stopped at the Peabody after all. As he adjusted his windshield wipers, he realized it was snowing. Great. Glancing down at the console, he eyed it—the mysterious snow button. He hadn’t taken the time to read the manual to find out what it did, but surely it had some purpose. Now seemed like a good time to test it out and see what happened. So, he did.
    Nothing, except it started snowing harder. He gave the snow button the evil eye.
    “Great. Maybe, I should’ve checked the weather report.” Or requested a set of snow tires. The last time he’d looked up Buffalo River on the web, the forecast had been cold, but clear. He bent nearer the windshield to look at the sky—black dark, no stars. But the white flakes in front of his headlights were ominous to say the least. The higher he drove into the Ozarks, the more the snow piled up on the side of the road. By the time he reached the turn-off to the cabin, he was creeping along, struggling to keep him and the sports car out of the ditch. Even his GPS had stopped working. Either he was in an area unsupported by the OnStar service or the weather was worse than he thought. Pulling over on the right-of-way, he checked the directions from the website. Noting the address, he started out again. This wasn’t at all what he was expecting. Scott couldn’t see another light, another house—nothing. He’d wanted seclusion, but this was more than he’d bargained for.
    Several times his tires slipped on the ice and he wished it was daylight so he could see exactly what he was up against. Maybe, seeing might make it worse. To his left was a wall of rock and when he would make the sharp curves, as far as he could tell there was nothing but a drop off on the other side. He hoped like hell, he could make it to Windswept.
    The road kept climbing, the grade steep. Finally his lights picked up a small wooden sign announcing his arrival. Turning the wheel, he pulled in, noticing a sheet of ice covered the driveway which looked to be five inches thick. Damn, that was all he needed. After he’d parked, he exited the Lexus carefully, taking only his duffle from the trunk.
    The night was quiet. Scott could actually hear the ice crackle and the slight wind through the trees made crisp sounds, moving the frozen branches around. Hell, he hoped the heat was turned on. His stomach growled. Why hadn’t he stopped to get something to eat? Hopefully Sandy had arranged to have the refrigerator stocked; she’d said that was an option. He’d let her pick out the place they would stay and he’d chosen the activities. Even though she had jeered at their accommodations, she’d selected it because a former President had spent the night here. That fact didn’t impress Scott, but if the photos on the website were any indication, the cabin was nothing to sneeze at and the area was extraordinarily beautiful. There were waterfalls within walking distance and elk herds which grazed in the front yard.
    “Whoop!” His foot slipped on the wooden steps and his legs flew right out from under him. Blam! Scott fell hard, jarring his whole body. “Shit,” he grumbled as he pulled himself up, almost slipping again. The porch light was dim, but he could see a heavy dusting of ice coating the porch. Making his way slowly toward the door, he lifted the mat and found the key. Scott let out a heavy breath, grateful it was there.
    Opening the door, he entered and was met with the same frigid air inside as there was outside. What the hell? Flipping on a light, he surveyed the interior of the log cabin. Two story, spacious loft—huge fireplace, leather furniture, big kitchen. It would’ve been impressive if it weren’t so