Stay (Love In Montana Book 5)

Anastasia noted the familiar route with the huge ranches, mountains, meadows, gurgling creeks till they reached Dillon district in two hours and stopped at a clearing amidst the mountains. She saw the rustic cabin located on a hillside in the sunny, open prairies. Her face broke out into a smile seeing the first place she had been to with Ryder.

"Coyote cabin at last!” She exclaimed excitedly. Ryder smiled and stopped the car right in front of the property. “Has it been renovated? I don’t see that vault toilet outside?” asked Anastasia as she jumped out of the car to explore. 

“Yeah, it’s been accommodated inside the house,” pointed out Ryder, unloading their luggage. A dirty truck approached them and came to a stop right in front of the cabin. A man emerged from it and welcomed them to the property. He was the new caretaker of the property and handed them the keys. The next few minutes, he explained the rules and regulations of the place. 

After he left, Ryder and Anastasia carried all their stuff inside. There was an understated excitement in the air as both looked forward to being with one another for the first time in years. They had wanted this for such a long time! “Wow, this looks all the more better!” said Anastasia, looking around the place. Ryder placed the food parcels that he had brought in with him. 

“This is our special dinner,” said Ryder, placing food packets on the kitchen counter. “I picked it up from the marketplace. We wouldn’t need to prepare anything tonight. Just warm it before serving,” he instructed her. Anastasia nodded and helped him store the rest of the stuff. It didn’t look like they were here just for a night. Was Ryder planning to stay here longer with her? 

“This is a lot for a single night! Don’t you think so?” she asked, placing the eggs, meat and milk in the refrigerator. Ryder chuckled but didn’t answer at all much to her frustration. “Let’s go for a walk before the sun sets,” he said, holding his hand out to her. Anastasia placed her hand in his and they both walked out, locking the door after them. 

“Let’s not go far, Blue. What if a grizzly attacks us?” said Anastasia, clutching onto his hand tightly. 

“We’ll just stroll here nearby,” said Ryder. They watched the herds of elk, bisons, moose quench their thirst at the Coyote Creek before retiring for the night. The birds flew homeward while a solitary black bear walked towards the creek. Ryder pulled her closer. 

Anastasia glanced at his line of vision and her eyes widened with fear. “Shouldn’t we go back? What if it attacks us?” asked Anastasia, gripping his hand tightly. 

“Be still, I’m sure it will go away,” said Ryder but then a pack of ferocious-looking wolverines appeared at a distance and seemed to be approaching towards them. Ryder pulled her towards the cabin at top speed, making Anastasia struggle with his powerful strides. 

“Why are we hurrying?” Asked Anastasia breathlessly, rushing through the gates, up the porch. Ryder unlocked the door in his haste and pulled her inside and closed the door and locked it. 

“A pack of wolverines were approaching us, didn’t you notice?” asked Ryder making Anastasia clutch her heart with fear.

“What if they break in, Blue? I’m very scared,” she said, going closer to him and staring at the door. Ryder grinned, obviously enjoying the proximity.

“Let’s have our dinner while they’re at our door, trying to break in,” said Ryder with a wink. Anastasia clung to him for dear life. 

“Why does all our dates end up in disaster?” asked Anastasia as a tremor went down her spine. Ryder chuckled hearing her and pulled her towards the kitchen. 

“I don’t think so. It seems as if the Gods are conspiring to get us to spend more time together. With the wolverine family waiting for us outside, we might be stuck here for days,” said Ryder, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Anastasia turned to gape at him, her eyes widening with horror. 

“Seriously?” she said as a shudder went down her spine. She warmed the food while clutching onto Ryder’s shirt to stop him from leaving the kitchen. Ryder chuckled and gladly stuck to her, enjoying the proximity. They carried the food to the table and sat down to eat. A low growl and snarls could be heard as two male wolverines broke into a fight outside their cabin. While Ryder knew that they were here just for food, Anastasia was frightened beyond words. 

“What are they up to?” she whispered with wide eyes.

“Relax, they’re just fighting over a female,” said Ryder with a chuckle.

“Are you sure that they aren’t fighting to eat me alive?” asked Anastasia. Ryder laughed loudly at her absurd thought. 

“Not at all. Relax, they’ll go away in a few minutes. They might have come here looking for scraps,” he informed her. “Let’s watch a movie in the meantime to relax you and make you forget their presence,” suggested Ryder. Anastasia smiled, loving the idea immensely. They quickly cleaned up and walked towards the master bedroom room to switch on Ryder’s laptop. The cabin didn’t have any television and it seemed as if Ryder was well prepared for everything. Placing the laptop on the bed, they sat in front of it to watch. Ryder selected a movie and sat back wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close to his chest. 

As she lay almost all over him, Anastasia felt blissfully happy, warm and secure. All her fears left her and she relaxed finally and started enjoying the movie. It was a romantic thriller, and Anastasia was totally hooked. Ryder glanced at her enraptured expression every now and then, wondering if she would give him a kiss just like the female lead did in the movie. 

Suddenly a loud growl made Anastasia jump and climb onto his lap. “What’s that, Blue?” She said, trembling with fear. Ryder held her tight in his arms and paused the laptop and placed it away since he wasn’t interested in the movie any longer. He tried to listen to the source of the sound. Again a loud growl and heavy footsteps could be heard from outside. Anastasia had her face into his neck out of fear, her heart beating rapidly out of panic. 

“It’s a grizzly, I think. He might have come here for food,” whispered Ryder. He wasn’t scared at all since living in Fordsville, he had seen many grizzlies before. However, he was extremely conscious of their position and her warm, curvy body clinging to his made something stir deep within him. It was a fire lying dormant within him for years. 

“I don’t think I can sleep tonight with wild beasts roaming outside, Blue,” she whispered, shuddering a little.

“Don’t worry, they’ll go away once they realize that they won’t get anything here,” said Ryder. Anastasia suddenly became acutely aware of their position and blushed to the roots of her hair. She tried to get down but Ryder’s steel-like grip didn’t let her budge even an inch.,

“Stay close and I’ll protect you, Annie,” he said, his eyes darkening to a shade that looked like a turbulent sea. Anastasia was lost in their intense depths. With their faces inches away from one another’s, her breath hitched when he licked his lips, his eyes falling to her luscious ones with lust. At that point in time, Anastasia forgot about the crazy grizzly roaming around outside, the pack of wolverines fighting outside. All she could feel was Ryder’s hot breath on her face and she was lost. She touched his cheek tenderly, like a soft caress. 

“Blue, I love you,” she whispered huskily. Ryder tangled his fingers into her hair and tilted her head to crash his lips to hers. A soft sigh of pleasure escaped Anastasia as she opened her mouth to his probing tongue. He plunged into the sweet recess and devoured her with a hunger that robbed her of her senses. It was more passionate, more possessive, hungrier and wilder than ever yet there was a lingering quality filled with longing. It touched Anastasia’s heart. She knew that this was for life although she had tried to deny herself for so long. But not any longer. She would fight for what they had. She would fight for their love. The thought unleashed a new energy in her and she kissed him back with more passion. It was a battle of their mouths while Ryder crushed her to his body, grinding his growing hardness against her. 

Could he give in to his desires? Was she ready for him? After waiting for so long, he was unable to restrain himself any longer. He needed her, now! He released her mouth and slowly laid her down on the bed. “I want you, Annie. Do you want me?” he asked, trailing a finger down her neck. 

“Yes,” said Anastasia shyly.

“I want to show you how much I love you. I want to be inside you. I want to make love to you, Annie,” said Ryder hoarsely.