The Snowstorm

This story was inspired by some time I spent living in Oregon and having to cross snow covered mountains. While everything here is fiction there are several places on the road to Mount Hood from Portland that I had in mind when I wrote this.

I had intended for this story to end somewhat differently than what it did but as the characters came to life the story took a turn in a somewhat different direction. If I get enough positive feedback on this I may turn this into a chapter one of a series. I know this is long and since I didn't use an editor any and all mistakes are totally mine. Please forgive the mistakes but I do hope you enjoy the story.

Cknthisout

*****

The trip across the mountains was supposed to be an easy one but the return trip was proving to be quite difficult as the weather had turned nasty bringing a blizzard in from the west. The heater on Marc's 4x4 was doing a sufficient job keeping the windows clear and him warm but could do nothing to help him see out of the windshield. The mesmerizing view before him made it difficult to see the road he was desperately trying to stay on. Even with the studded tires, the treacherous conditions made his progress slow. The blackened sky made it seem much later than the four o'clock in the afternoon that it really was.

As he rounded the bend he saw the white SUV buried in the snow on the side of the road. The tires were spinning but the vehicle wasn't budging. A hooded figure emerged from the door and walked around looking at the predicament that she found herself in. Mark saw that while she did have on a long coat with a hood that she was inappropriately dressed for traveling across the mountain pass in the snow. He eased over behind her, turned on his flashers and got out of his 4x4.

As he approached her he noticed her dark brown eyes. Her eyes were so dark and deep that it appeared that she had no pupil. They appeared to be pools of liquid darkness. Her breath was escaping between the threads of the scarf covering her face sending little clouds of condensation into the air.

She thanked him for stopping and asked if he could help her get her vehicle out. He walked around the SUV surveying the damage and looking to see if there was a way to pull it out without damaging the vehicle further. After a quick examination he determined that by using the winch on the front of his truck that he would be able to pull her out using the receiver for her trailer hitch. He invited her to sit in his truck to keep warm while he pulled her vehicle out.

He carefully connected the winch and slowly backed up pulling her SUV from the snow bank. After several feet of movement he stopped, got out of the truck and checked her car and the cable. He walked around the SUV once again and when he returned to the truck and climbed in her told her that he had some bad news for her.

"It looks like your right front tire has a bent rim. It would be dangerous to try to drive with it in good weather and certainly not in a snowstorm like this."

She asked him what she could do and he said that he could call a tow truck and have it taken to a garage to be fixed but with the weather it could be a while before the truck could get there. He told her that there was a small diner with some cabins nearby, that she could spend the night at, while she waited for her wheel to be repaired.

It took about 15 minutes to contact the tow company and tell them where the SUV was located. They told him that the snowstorm had caused some small avalanches in the area and that the road was blocked in several places but that they should be able to get to in within a couple of hours. They agreed to call when they had picked up the SUV and to bring Deanna, he finally found out her name, to the garage when the repairs were complete.

Satisfied that the vehicle would be taken care of, he put the truck in gear and headed up the mountain road, into the snowstorm, towards the diner.

With the worsening weather it took almost forty five minutes for them to reach the diner. Deanna didn't speak much except to thank him for his help. He could tell that she was somewhat nervous at being all alone with a strange man in such unsettling circumstances. He tried to relax her by telling her about himself and his life. He was married, had been for 23 years, had kids but they were all grown and moved out of the house. He had been across the mountain to do some contract work and was on his way home when he spotted her.

They arrived at the diner and as she exited the truck he saw that she looked small and frightened. As she walked toward the door, she clutched her coat tightly around her. The blowing wind and snow as well as the ice on the parking lot made the walk inside very unsteady. He made the decision that he would stay and make sure that she would be ok until she got her car repaired and back on the road. He quickly called his wife and explained the situation to her and she told him to do whatever was necessary to insure that that young girl was taken care of.

He shut off the engine and quickly rushed inside. The diner was rather full due to the traffic and Deanna had not been seated yet. He walked up behind her and quietly spoke to her.

"You seem like you are so lost in this situation. I would like to offer my help to make sure that you are ok until your car is repaired and you are on your way." he told her.

She turned around and he saw the dried tear tracks on her face. She took a deep breath and gathered up her courage and told him that it was unnecessary, that she could take care of herself.

"Deanna," he began, "You really seem out of your element here, and while I have no doubt that you can take care of yourself, you seem like you could use a friend. Being stuck in a strange place all alone is not anybody's ideal situation, and I am just offering to be a friend to you to help you get through this ordeal. Let me buy you dinner and then we can see if there are a couple of available cabins to stay in till morning."

Deanna looked up into his face to see the sincerity of his offer and was able to manage a small smile as she agreed to let him help. He told her that he had already called his wife and explained the situation to her and that she told him to help her out in whatever way was necessary. At the mention of his wife she seemed to relax and finally seemed to let go of the nervousness that she had been holding onto.

They were seated after a few moments and as they sat down and she removed her overcoat, he saw that she was wearing a light dress that was more appropriate for summer than for a winter storm. She saw the puzzled look on his face and realized why he thought she needed someone to help her. She was totally inappropriately dressed for this weather. She looked like she had no clue as to what the weather was or that it was even winter. As this realization came to her she let out a small laugh.

As they sat down she explained to Mark that this was not her normal winter outfit but that she had been doing a photo shoot for a spring layout when her ex-boyfriend had busted in and trashed the place and that she had left out in such a hurry that she hadn't taken the time to change clothes but had just grabbed her suitcase and headed back home across the mountain.

Mark learned that she was 28, single and a part-time model. She had not been married and had no kids but was hoping to find someone that would love her and that she could love but the past several boyfriends had proven to not be that kind of guy.

As they ate dinner she seemed to relax more and began to open up to him and to inquire about his life. He told her that he had retired after 35 years of working for others to open his own consulting business and while he wasn't getting rich, he was making enough to be comfortable and to allow him and his wife to live in the high desert on the other side of the mountains.

They quickly finished dinner and Mark paid the bill. Deanna thanked him for his generosity as he helped her get her coat on. As they walked across the parking lot to the office for the cabins, the vacancy sign changed to no vacancy. Determined that she should have a place for the night, he rushed her into the office.

"I'm sorry sir but with the avalanches and the storm, the cabins are all filled up." The clerk told him when he inquired about a place to stay.

"Look, this young lady here has no clothes to change into and her car is being towed into the garage tonight to be repaired in the morning. Don't you have anything that she could use for the night?"

"Well I am not supposed to rent it out because it is under renovation, but there is one more cabin. It is a little further back into the woods and there is no power to it right now. There is wood and a fireplace that you can use and one bed. There should be sheets and blankets in the closet that you can use."

"She'll take it."

Deanna whispered into Mark's ear that she couldn't stay alone in that cabin. She wasn't the camping type and didn't know how to build a fire. Mark said that he would get the fire started and make sure the cabin was warm before going to sleep in his truck.

He turned around and paid for the cabin settling the issue. The clerk gave him the keys and a map to the cabin.

As they got into the truck Deanna told him that she couldn't let him sleep in the truck knowing that he had paid for the cabin. That he should stay in the cabin with her, especially since he had paid for it. That way he could make sure that the fire didn't go out. He reluctantly agreed and drove down the trail to the empty cabin.

Apparently the clerk hadn't been to the cabin recently as it appeared that most of the renovations had been done and the rustic look had been almost completely restored. After a quick check of the cabin they did discover the sheets and blankets for the one bed as well as for the futon that was in the living room. There was electricity, but the heater was missing so a fire was going to be the only heat they had for the night. Fortunately there was a nice pile of wood outside and the wood bin inside was completely filled including having kindling and matches.

Mark quickly got a fire going and as the place warmed up took a better look around the cabin. He noticed a propane tank behind the cabin and went to check to see if it was full. He discovered by the tag on it, that it had been recently filled, probably in anticipation of the cabin being reopened, and saw that it was just turned off. He also discovered the main water valve was turned off, probably to keep the pipes from freezing until the heater was installed. He saw that the drain valve was opened and decided to close the drain and turn on the water for the night. The heat from the fireplace should be enough to keep the pipes from freezing and they would at least have water.

After turning on the water he went inside and found the water heater and saw that it was gas. He checked the place where the heater would be installed to make sure that the gas valve there was cut off so that he could get some hot water for a shower. Once that was accomplished he went back inside to light the hot water heater. He found that while he had been taking care of the water, Deanna had taken the time to make the bed and the futon.

Mark told her about the possibility of a hot shower. She told him that she appreciated him helping her out but that her taking a shower was out of the question as she had left her suitcase in the trunk of her car and had nothing to change into.

Mark told her that he kept emergency clothes and supplies in his truck and that he probably had something that she could use for the night. With that said he headed out and retrieved his emergency supplies which included some food as well as some warm clothes. Deanna looked through his supplies and found a set of thermal long johns and a flannel shirt that she thought she could wear and took them into the bedroom to change.

Mark looked through his supplies to find the coffee and headed off to the kitchen to make them something warm to drink. He lit the stove and found a pot to make the coffee in. He saw that the cabin was stocked with dishes and silverware so he was able to wash up a couple of cups and within a few minutes had poured them both the delicious smelling brew.

As he walked back across the room to sit by the fire, Deanna emerged out of the bedroom dressed in long johns and flannel. She took the hot coffee and sank into the large cushioned chair near the fire. She curled her legs underneath her and pulled the throw off the back of the chair and used it to cover herself.

"I am finally starting to get warm." She said as she sipped her hot brew. "Thank you so very much for being such a gentleman. I didn't realize that they still existed. From my experience most men are such jerks."

"You must not have met the right men."

She agreed and fell silent. Mark thought that he must have said the wrong thing and decided to avoid that subject with her. As the silence ensued he took a closer look at this strange young woman. Her dark eyes were such a contrast to the light brown hair that flowed around her face. And what a beautiful face it was. He nose was small, but not too small, slightly turned up at the end. He lips were full but not overtly so and the way she occasionally bit her lower lip when she was thinking just added to her beauty. Even though she was wearing one of his flannel shirts he could tell that she was probably a C cup. Her legs were slender but toned and her feet were delicate and dainty. He could understand what the photographer had seen, to want to photograph. She was beautiful. But she was also half his age and he was married. He tried to push those thoughts out of his mind so he turned to look at the fire and placed his concentration on that.

Deanna was at a loss of what to say. She sat there thinking that this kind man must think she was a total loser. With an ex-boyfriend that had busted up her photo shoot she wondered if she would be able to get another modeling job. If she wasn't able to model she knew she wouldn't make enough money to support herself in the high desert. She would have to move back to the city and take one of those jobs that her parents had always thought that she would get after graduating from college. But she enjoyed her work with the horses and was building a reputation of being very good with them.

She looked over at Mark. While not what she had always thought of when she looked at men, she saw something in him that she found appealing. His dark hair with a slight mix of gray was full of curls that covered his head. His round face had a kindness to it that was personified by his treatment of her. While somewhat paunch she realized that he was somewhat of a handsome man. Why couldn't she find someone like him she thought to herself?

With Deanna being quiet Mark began to feel uncomfortable, especially with the thoughts of her that had been crossing his mind. He decided to get up and fix them a snack, stoke up the fire and then get ready for bed.

As he walked across the cabin he realized that the wind had picked up and that the storm was roaring. He looked out the window and discovered that he could not see but a couple of feet until it turned into a wall of white. He saw the snow piling up on the porch and realized that this was turning into a full blown blizzard and that they might be stuck there for a couple of days. He poured himself another cup of coffee and brought the pot back with him. He told her the bad news about the storm as he refilled her cup and said that they might be stuck together for a couple of days.

She took the news in silence so he figured that he would try to call his wife and see if she had more information on the storm. It took a while for him to get through and when he finally did the connection was not good. He was able to learn that the storm had stalled and was expected to dump several feet of snow on the mountain and wasn't expected to clear out for a couple of days. Before he had a chance to find out anything further the call dropped and what little signal he had had moments before was now completely gone. With the news of the storm he decided that they would need to conserve food as he had only enough for one person to last about a week.

Mark decided to check to see if they had hot water yet and was glad to discover that they did. He let Deanna know and asked her if she wanted to shower first. She nodded in the affirmative and he pulled out his bag with his soap and shaving supplies and handed it to her. She got up and headed into the bathroom. As she closed the door she looked out and saw Mark sinking into the chair beside the fire. He had gone out of his way to make sure that she was ok. He really seemed like a good guy. And he made her feel safe and secure. She stood there a moment watching him wondering what he thought of her. She had probably not made the best impression and she decided that when she got out of the shower she would do better to be nice to him.

She closed the door and turned on the water. It only took a moment for the steam to fill up the shower stall. She took off the warm clothes that Mark had loaned her and draped them across the counter to keep them from getting wet so that she could put them back on. She was grateful that he had been so generous, especially with his other clothes, to keep her warm and dry.

As she stepped into the shower she noticed her reflection in the mirror. A thought flashed across her mind that seemed to come out of nowhere. She wondered if Mark would like to see what she saw in the mirror. She was surprised at the thought and just as quickly as it came she pushed it out of her mind. He seemed to be a happily married man. He had not shown her anything that would cause her to think that he was the least bit attracted to her. Then the thought crossed her mind that his wife must be getting the same dick that she had gotten for the past 23 years. If they were still having sex that is. She could not imagine getting the same dick for more than 18 months since that was the longest that any of her relationships had lasted. She seemed to easily tire of the men she had dated. Especially since most of them had been like her last one and turned out to be such asses.

She pushed those thoughts out of her head and began to wash. Pouring some of the body wash into the rag, she began to rub it on her body. As her hand crossed her breast, her nipples began to harden. She wondered how it would feel if that was Mark's hand washing her tits causing them to expand into eraser shaped points.

"What would it feel like to have his lips sucking on them?" she wondered.

The warm water caressing her body and the thoughts of Mark sucking on her nipples left her in a dream state in which she imagined giving herself over to him completely.

The sudden knock on the door brought her back to reality and she removed her fingers, (now how did they get there?) from her wet pussy.

"Hurry up. The storm is getting worse and I don't want to take a cold shower." Mark shouted through the door.

Deanna quickly washed her hair and finished rinsing off. She turned off the faucet and squeezed the water out of her hair. As she stood there with the water dripping off of her body she wondered if Mark would like seeing her like this. She could feel the ache between her legs and wished that she had been able to finish herself off before he knocked on the door. Instead she was thinking about this much older married man and wondering if he would like her naked body.

She stepped out of the shower and began to dry herself off with the towel. As she ran the soft but course fabric across her body she imagined that it was Mark's hands caressing her. She finished up and wrapped her hair in the towel so that she could get dressed. She picked up the clothes she had on and smelled them. She could only smell the fragrance from the wash and the light fragrance of perfume that she had on. She had no clean underwear to put on so she slipped on the just shirt and long johns before washing the ones she had been wearing in the sink and hanging them up.