Dane's Storm by Mia Sheridan
PROLOGUE
Flynn Purdom stood at his kitchen sink rinsing his coffee cup and watching as snowflakes gathered at the corners of the window in front of him, falling from a clear dusky sky. He’d used his ham radio to access the national weather system frequency, and it’d informed him a storm was likely coming in the next few days. A couple of storms had already passed through, but by the time they’d reached his cabin, they’d only caused a small dip in temperature and a few inches of snow. A quick glance up as he’d been out checking his traps suggested that the higher altitude was where the storm was exercising its fury.
Nature’s wrath could be a bitch, but he’d much rather deal with her than with the evil that ran rampant through the United States government. His family had said he was crazy to move here alone, but why care what they thought? They were all idiots. When the government started rounding them up, they probably wouldn’t even notice; they’d be too busy staring at the latest Hollywood gossip on their cell phones, or reading a social media site about what some kid they barely knew in middle school ate for dinner. Damn sheep. Being led straight to slaughter. Not him. No, siree. See if they called him crazy then.
Yawning, he dried his cup and placed it on the counter next to the dinner plate and utensils he’d washed and dried hours ago. It was early, but he woke early, too, and his bed was calling.
Just as he was turning from the sink, a fluttering of bright blue in the corner of the window displaced some snow and caught his eye, causing him to turn back. He leaned closer, but as quickly as it was there, it was gone. Huh. The tip of a mountain bluebird’s wing more than likely, but it had him staring out the window again toward the woodshed. Well damn. If that storm hit here tomorrow, he’d hate to have to trudge outside when he could stay warm and cozy in his cabin. Sighing, he walked to the door and put on his coat and boots.
Stars were just appearing overhead as the landscape dimmed a darker shade of gray. Flynn collected an armful of firewood from the shed and was walking back toward his cabin when they emerged from the trees. He stopped. What the? A surprised grunt burst from his throat, and one log fell from the top of the pile and landed at his feet.
It was a man, his eyes wild, skin flushed and shiny with sweat, and cradled in his arms was a woman. Flynn’s shocked gaze moved to her. She was clearly already gone—her skin as white as the snow, her body stiff. As Flynn stared, the man made an agonized moaning sound and fell to his knees, still clutching the woman’s body.
Flynn dropped the firewood and ran for his radio.
CHAPTER ONE
Audra
My car rounded the corner, the mountains in the distance coming into view. Somehow, the majesty of that vista still elicited an internal sigh that went straight to my bones. Magnificent. Solid and unmoving. Something I knew I could always count on in a world where little was certain.
My work parking lot only held a scattering of cars at nine in the morning, mostly vendors who had an office or retail space in the brick warehouse I was transforming into a one-stop wedding mall.
Pulling into a spot and hopping out of my car, I opened the trunk and removed the large packages of flowers and branches I’d purchased that morning at the flower mart. My eyes closed as I inhaled the sweet, heady fragrance of lilies. I closed the trunk with my free hand and headed toward the building’s entrance.
Seven years ago, I’d sold the few things of value I owned—my grandmother’s wedding ring, a couple of antiques from the attic—and opened a floral business named Thistles and Thatch. At the time, I barely made enough money to pay the electric bill, but the building itself was paid off. I’d inherited my father’s home when he passed away, so with no mortgage, I made ends meet, waiting patiently for my fledgling business to grow as I honed my craft and found my style.
Initially, with little money for supplies, I was creative and used things like burlap, old grain sacks and twine to wrap my bouquets, marketing the look as freshly farm-picked. I’d mixed and matched unique combinations like sugarbush and eucalyptus, even adding the occasional fruit-laden branches. I used things other florists might have considered weeds, things I thought looked wild and dreamy when paired with more traditional flowers. I’d also hand-drawn each tag, giving every bouquet a unique and personal touch. My arrangements had caught on through word of mouth, and business had grown. Some days I was in my shop all morning putting bouquets together, and out all afternoon and evening delivering them. After a while, I’d secured a few parties and realized that weddings and events were where the money was. So I began putting most of my profit into advertising in bridal and local social magazines.
When brides began regularly asking me for references for other vendors, I’d thought, why not use the extra space I had to rent out to wedding professionals? We could all recommend each other and in essence, a bride need only go to one spot to check off all her vendors. The building was on the outskirts of Laurelton, Colorado where I lived and normally, didn’t bring in a lot of traffic, but if customers could come to one location to fulfill a variety of needs, it would be perfect. Or so I hoped. I was banking on it—literally.
I’d rented out the one usable space to a photographer, and with that rent, had begun to slowly create more offices and studios. The Bridal Gallery now included the original photographer, a videographer, a custom stationer, a bridal gown shop, and soon, Pastries by Baptiste, which required a space outfitted to accommodate a chef’s kitchen that would be finished in the next month or so.