The Rancher's Second Chance by Victoria James Page A

long gone, and she kept pace, which he knew was difficult with the storm. He almost swore out loud with relief when he caught site of the smattering of pines he knew led to his cabin. Just a few more dozen yards or so and they’d be inside.
    “Almost there,” he yelled over the roaring wind. He wasn’t about to analyze why the sight of her, small and shivering, affected him. It had nothing to do with the fact that Melanie was gorgeous. Or that he suspected she deliberately tried to get him riled up with her chitchat. Or the cute way she looked at him when she thought he had no idea that she was purposely baiting him. Or the fact that he had detected something else. A vulnerable side to her when her voice had caught that last time he’d ordered her to get on the horse. No, he wasn’t reacting to any of that.
    He cursed as his foot almost caught on a fallen branch. Idiot. Stop thinking of Hot Mel and find the damn cabin.
    “Cole!”
    Melanie’s hand slipped from his and before he could grab onto her, she was nose-diving into the snow. Shit. The branch. He dropped the bag and crouched down beside her. “Melanie, are you okay?” The only thing he could hear above the wind was the sound of her cursing. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
    “It’s not your fault,” she grumbled, trying to wipe snow off her face.
    He reached out to brush some of the snow off her hair. “No, it is. I should have warned you about that branch.”
    She glared at him as he helped her stand. “Oh, you saw it?”
    He grimaced, nodding. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
    She held up her chin. “Aren’t you experienced outdoorsmen supposed to shout out a warning or something?”
    “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He noticed she was favoring one leg. “Did you hurt yourself?”
    “Nope.”
    “Are you sure you can make it the rest of the way? I can carry you.”
    “No, you can’t. No need for that. I’m perfectly fine.”
    He was going to have to get over his guilt and make it up to her later. Right now they needed to get to the cabin. “Okay, well we’ve got to move now. Why don’t you just follow behind me? We’ll get there faster and at least if there’s something dangerous, I’ll be able to find it first. Let me know if you change your mind and need help.”
    “I’ll be fine. I’m used to hiking.” He frowned as she reached down to pick up her purse, teetering slightly.
    He knew there was only one way to redemption for him. He held out his hand. “I’ll carry the purse.”
    Chapter Five
    It seemed like hours since Cole had said they were almost there, but finally they were standing in front of a tiny log cabin. Melanie clenched her teeth, trying not to look like she was ready to collapse. Her ankle was throbbing, and her face was burning from the icy wind. Seconds later Cole swung open the door and waited for her to go inside. She walked in as quickly as she could, trying not to wince with each step. He shut the door immediately and she stood still, the space almost completely encased in darkness. It was obviously a place very familiar to Cole as he moved stealthily through the cold room without any lights.
    “I’ll have a fire going in less than five minutes. This place is small, so it’ll heat up really fast,” he called out, his voice gruff.
    Melanie nodded, even though he probably didn’t see her. She rubbed her hands together and leaned against the wall, favoring her uninjured side. The only good thing about being half-frozen and having a throbbing ankle was that she couldn’t dwell on the fact that she’d fallen flat on her face in the snow in front of Cole.
    “What’s that noise?” he asked from across the room and the flick of a match igniting caught her attention. “Is that your teeth chattering?”
    “I guess it is,” she said, forcing her jaw to stop moving. She rubbed her arms together.
    “Take off your boots and walk toward the fire,” he said harshly. He was in front of a stone hearth, light