“You just got yourself a free slice of pie. Keep those compliments coming and you might even get free refills.” She picked up a menu and leaned over the bar.
“If I keep it up, I might have to steal you away and take you home with me for the storm.” I took the menu from her.
“You need to come around here more, Shane. Everyone in town is so...into Jesus.” A cackle rose up in her throat and shook her head.
“I’m not really friends with him, so I don’t have to watch what I say.” I pointed at the Country Fried Steak. “You know what I want.”
“Yep, it’s always the same. Extra gravy and mashed potatoes?” It was rhetorical since I hadn’t changed my order once since I started coming in there.
“Yes ma’am.” I nodded.
Country Fried Steak covered in her delicious gravy was one of my favorite meals. I had enough food on my shelves and in my freezer to last the entire winter, but my sweet tea was terrible and my gravy was barely more than liquid slop. Since I couldn’t make those, it was nothing more than a waste of time to sludge through the ordeal of making Country Fried Steak. Normally I just threw a piece of meat on the grill and ate it with fresh vegetables from the garden—during the winter, I just ate the extra stuff I had canned.
It took a while for Mrs. Eaton to get everything prepared since Hank wasn’t there to help her, but it was amazing when she finally did get it finished. Adding the pie on top of the sweet tea was an overdose of sugar, but I couldn’t turn it down since it was free.
“You stay warm.” I dropped some cash, along with a tip that was almost double the cost of my meal next to my plate. “Tell Hank I’m coming for you if he doesn’t treat you right.”
“He’ll probably tell me to pack my shit.” She laughed as she picked up my plate. “You still haven’t kidnapped a hiker or clubbed a tourist so you have someone to keep you warm?”
“Not yet, but tourist season will be here soon.” I winked at her and walked out of the restaurant.
With my belly fuller than it had been in a long time, I climbed back into my truck and set out for the edge of town and the long stretch of road that led up the mountain to my cabin with one thing on my mind...
Time to drink my way through this fucking storm.
I LOVED HAVING A CABIN that was out of the way and tucked into the mountains, but close enough to get back and forth to town when the situation called for it. I pressed on the gas and let my hand rest on the wheel. It was getting colder, but it would be a few hours before the snow started to fall. I looked ahead and saw a red sedan driving well below the speed limit in the slow lane. I wasn’t in the mood to go slow, so I hit the accelerator and pulled into the passing lane. I saw a glimpse of blonde hair hanging around a gorgeous face.
“Oh, what do we have here?” I looked to my right as I accelerated and narrowed my eyes to get a better look at her.
It was rare to see a young, beautiful girl in Wolf Creek, so I couldn’t help but take notice. Wolf Creek was a dying community and most of the younger people had moved away. Even with a few years of my thirties behind me, I was still one of the youngest residents. They had welcomed me, mostly because I flirted with the older women and made their husbands jealous. They knew I wasn’t serious, and I’m sure I caused a few of the men to get some enthusiastic sex after I complimented their women. Hank might even need two pills when Mrs. Blanchard got home.
There was enough tourism to keep the retirees afloat, especially in the winter months. I assumed the blonde goddess struggling with her electronic devices was on vacation. I could tell by the frustration on her face that she was not getting what she wanted out of them. It was early in the year for tourism since we hadn’t received even a hint of snow, but based on her age, it made sense.
Keep it up, princess. Frustration looks great on you.
Wolf Creek didn’t exactly have the best reception for modern technology. Cell phones were less popular than land lines and the towers were pretty far away. It was like driving into a technological black hole for most people. The sheriff usually stayed busy during the vacation months, helping those that got lost on the way to their destination because they couldn’t read a fucking map.
I knew the mountains like the back of my hand, along with every back road and well-worn trail. I let my truck keep the same speed as her sedan for several miles, but she never looked over. She was entranced by her devices, which clearly weren’t working. All of her flailing was enough for me to get a damn good view of her and I sure as fuck liked what I saw. It was a shame I couldn’t just run her off the road and kidnap her like Mrs. Blanchard jokingly suggested.
“So pretty.” I muttered. “I’ll be thinking about you tonight—especially those tits.”
I hit the gas and passed her, keeping her car in the rear-view mirror for a little while. Laying eyes on the blonde goddess snapped reality back to my cock and it gave me a throbbing sensation against my zipper to remind me how long it had been since I used it to pound a beautiful piece of ass.
Fuck. I probably would bury it in Mrs. Blanchard at this point...
Retiring at a young age and leaving the world behind for the solitude of the mountains had some negatives. It wasn’t like the local bars were going to offer me anything worth fucking except for the occasional tourist, but they were usually there with a boyfriend or a husband. The single girls usually traveled in packs and there were usually a few guys with them, even if they weren’t actively dating. The blonde in the red sedan was an anomaly, but she was likely headed to meet friends.
As I neared my turn, I noticed she had disappeared in the rear-view. I slowed down to wait, just to make sure she didn’t do what I thought she did. When her car didn’t appear on the horizon, I realized she had turned down Devil’s Pass. None of the locals used that road and there were no vacation cabins anywhere near it. It was originally planned to be an interstate route, but some rich asshole convinced them to run it through a town fifty miles away
so it would be closer to his hotels.
“Good luck, blonde goddess. I hope you don’t get eaten by wolves—unless they save the good parts for me.” I laughed and headed up the mountain to my cabin.
I doubted she would continue down the stretch of road for long. Even with the technological black hole we were in, she would have to realize the road wasn’t taking her anywhere. Either way, she wasn’t my problem.
I got the visual. That’s good enough for tonight.
The storm was coming and I had things to do before I was ready to weather it. I pulled my truck up to the front of my cabin and immediately attached my snow chains. If there was a reason to go, it would be easier to do that if they were already on the tires. Once that was done, I boarded the windows, got a fire going in the fireplace, set up my backup generator, and made sure the fuel was filled.