Free Mountain's Captive by Michelle M. Pillow Page B

mostly her fault. She shouldn’t have drunk so much on the plane. She shouldn’t have dialed the wrong room number. She should have met Paul before they were to be married.
    Sighing, Chloe knew it was doing her no good to dwell on what was already done. Instead, she tried to concentrate on what she needed to do. Only, she wasn’t sure what that was.

Chapter Twelve
    E verest tightened a loosened bolt on the power generator. He had spent most of the morning doing maintenance on the old generators and plumbing system. Without constant attention they could stop working, the pipes would freeze, and he would be stuck without electricity and water. He had survived without the comforts before, but didn’t think that his houseguest would be so inclined.
    Everest could tell immediately that the city woman didn’t belong in this world. She didn’t seem prone to the type of hard work it took to survive in the wilderness. She was pampered and rich—one could tell that by merely looking at her, from her designer jeans to her turtleneck sweaters. And yesterday she had been in a tailored business suit.
    Everest marveled that he could have mistaken her for a high dollar prostitute. Thinking of her outraged expression when he had offered her money brought a smile to his face. She was going to be quite a diverting amusement if anything.
    Deciding that he was finished, he grabbed a towel hanging on the shed wall. He slowly wiped his hands. The shed was kept warm, so the insulated pipes wouldn’t freeze as they poked above ground. Slipping on his coat, he opened the door and made the trek to the house.
    The snow drifted silently from the purpling sky, keeping in spirit of the mild autumn snowfall that had been plaguing the mountains. Everest smiled in distraction, loving the gentle falling flakes. He stomped his feet on the porch before going inside.
    “Hello.”
    Everest froze as he heard a cheery voice calling from his kitchen. For a moment the sound took him by surprise. He was not used to noise in his home, especially not of a feminine nature. Astonished that she sounded so pleasant, he shrugged out of his coat. He had expected her to be moping.
    “Hello,” he answered carefully. His stomach growled as he smelled food. Needlessly, he asked, “Did you make something?”
    “Yeah, an omelet.” Chloe came to the kitchen door and leaned against the frame. She wiped her hands on one of his towels. The scene made him a bit uncomfortable. She paused, before admitting, “I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t have too much to do so I thought I’d make dinner.”
    “That’s fine, I told you to make yourself at home.” Everest gave her a hesitant nod as he hung up his coat. There was an awkward silence that neither one of them knew how to fill.
    Finally, she offered weakly, “I wasn’t sure what you liked.”
    “That’s fine. I don’t expect you to cook for me. I’ll grab a sandwich.” Everest bent over and pulled off his boots. Clumps of snow fell on the floor.
    “I meant that I didn’t know what to put in yours, or if you even liked eggs. I assumed you did because there were so many of them in the refrigerator.” Chloe stopped talking with a little groan. She wondered what the point was in trying. The man didn’t seem to engage in conversation too often. Every time he spoke to her it was like pulling teeth to get anything out of him.
    “Thank you,” he answered in a murmur, as he crossed over to the kitchen in wool socks.
    Chloe swept her lashes down over her eyes. His body turned to the side as he passed, brushing up against hers. A pretty blush fanned over her cheeks at the contact and she swallowed as she looked up into his steady gaze.
    His shirt was warm. It threw off an intense heat from his chest that jumped onto her tingling skin. With only a hairsbreadth of space between their bodies, Chloe swayed slightly toward him. Her breasts grazed lightly into his chest. She watched as his narrowed eyes dipped to her mouth