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prologue
SEBASTIAN
“Three, two, one!” Jumping into the frigid water for the annual polar plunge in my hometown, Polar Bear, Alaska, the ice anesthetizes my muscles as I remain under for a few more seconds than necessary. As I pop up, hands reach down for me, but I dismiss them as I pull myself out of the freezing cold water.
Paramedics guide me over to one of the heated tents, where I’m handed a plush towel not quite big enough for my six and a half foot, nearly three-hundred-pound frame. My size is a plus in my line of work but can be a deficit in other aspects of life. As a logger during the summer months in Ketchikan, my size aligns perfectly, allowing me to perform the job of two men when needed. In the winters, I come home to rest and relax.
Growing up on Bear Mountain with my grandfather, he taught me all about woodworking and craftsmanship, so in the colder winter months, I’m able to keep up with the trade. Building furniture for the residents of Polar Bear as well as across the state keeps those lonely nights at bay and leaves me satisfied in a constructive way.
“Mr. Cole?” Glancing up, I’m stunned by the beauty smiling down at me. I’ve seen her around before, but I never caught her name. Her blonde hair is nearly white as she shows me the mukluks in her hand. “I made these. Would you like me to put them on you?” My eyes shift to the soft, worn leather adorned with intricate beadwork in blues and whites on the outside and lush wool inside. Nodding my acceptance, I can’t take my eyes off her slight frame as she kneels in front of me.
The heat of her hand on my calf as she lifts first one leg to slip the shoe on, and then the other goes straight to my groin. My dick begins to engorge in a way I haven’t felt in years. Thirty years old, and I’ve never had a committed relationship in my adult life because no woman has ever captured my attention the way this young lady has.
“EmaLeigh, let’s go!” an older woman, looking crankier than she has any right to, bellows at the lovely person at my feet, and as she smiles before taking off, regret sours my gut.
Something about her is tempting me to go after her, to claim her as my own.
CHAPTER 1
emaleigh
A FEW WEEKS LATER.
Driving the old Suburban up the side of Bear Mountain with a sleeping toddler and angry mother isn’t my idea of fun. A fresh snowfall makes it slightly more challenging because the snowplows haven’t been up this way yet, and Mr. Cole obviously hasn’t made the effort to come down and plow on his own either. Not that he should have to, but he could.
“You need to hurry up so we can get back to town before nightfall,” Mom instructs.
“I will.” I don’t mention that it’s only nine, and we have hours of sunlight left.
Finally seeing the smoke from the house in the distance, I speed up slightly until we’re pulling into the driveway. I’m already nervous about coming here but having my disapproving mother along for the ride makes everything worse.
“I’ll just be a few minutes,” I tell her as I rummage through my purse for the design I had in mind. Checking that my son, Damien, is still sleeping, I quietly open the door, ready to dash into the traditional barn that I see Mr. Cole working in.
“You’re not going to leave him here, are you?” Mom questions as she pulls out her knitting bag from between her feet.
Staring at Damien and then the barn, I respond, “I’ll only be a minute. He’s sleeping; I don’t want to wake him.” Damien has night terrors, so when he finally falls asleep, I always let him. Even when my parents gripe about it.
“You chose to have him, EmaLeigh; he’s your responsibility, not mine,” she huffs. “Now hurry up and close that door. It’s cold.”
Grinding my jaw, I get out and shut the door, moving to open Damien’s just as his eyes pop open and he lets out a god-awful howl of fright. “Ssshhh, baby, Mamma’s here.” I can hear birds taking flight as I unbuckle him from his car seat and pull him into my arms as he sobs into my neck, hiding his face.
“Lord, quiet him down,” I hear my mother mumble. Slamming the door shut, I drop to the snow-covered ground and hold Damien to my chest as tight as I can without hurting him because it’s one of the few things that will calm him down enough to realize he’s safe, and hopefully, talk about what’s scaring him.
This is one of the reasons I’ve decided we’re leaving Alaska after Christmas. Something here is terrifying him, and I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m hoping a change of scenery, a new life with just the two of us will help him.
“Everything alright out here?” Looking up, I see Sebastian Cole coming forward, and the air is sucked from my lungs as he gets closer. Mr. Cole is a massive man, probably the largest I’ve ever seen, and right now, he’s shirtless and covered in sweat. Meanwhile, I’m sitting in the snow, soaked from the waist down.
“Fine. He woke up and didn’t recognize where we were and got scared.” I lie through my teeth. Nobody understands Damien’s night terrors and trying to explain them, especially to a virtual stranger, only upsets us both.
“You’ll catch a cold on the ground, EmaLeigh.” My body quivers at the way he says my name. Familiar, like a lover’s kiss.
“So will you without a shirt,” I point out, trying not to stare at his muscular build and wondering what he’d feel like to cuddle up to with all the thick hair on his chest.
The crooked smirk as he looks down and then back up at us makes my belly flutter. Shaking off the way he continuously makes me feel, I put Damien on his feet and stumble to mine. Damien clings to my legs while wiping his tears away as Sebastian gets closer, stopping only a foot away.
“What brings you up the mountain?” he finally asks after assessing us. His gaze feels like a wispy caress.
“Well, I was hoping you could make something for me.” I point down at Damien’s head to indicate it’s for him. “But I understand if it’s not enough time.”
