Rocky Mountain High Pt. 01

This is the first in a new series. I hope you like it. I'm looking forward to how this story will continue but since it has taken me over half a year just to write this first part, it may take awhile. Enjoy.

*****

She'd said it would take about an hour or so to get there.

They stood arm in arm on the empty terrace overlooking the bay, her head on his shoulder, listening to the gentle sigh of waves on the shore. Moonlight sparkled on the surface of the water. It was a beautiful place, ideal for a wedding, and Claire's luck had held; it had been a gorgeous late autumn day - clear skies, warm sun. Perfect. She turned to him, took his hands in hers, "Ryan, again, thank you so much for being here. I know it was a lot to ask, especially right now. Mom was willing to walk me down the aisle on her own but having you there, that meant a lot to both of us. Thank you." She looked back toward the open doors, then quickly rose up on her toes and gave him a lingering kiss, a very un-sisterly kiss, her breasts and hips pressed against him, her hand on the back of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, his hand slipping down to where a brother's hand shouldn't go, as the memory of their first time ran through his mind...

They separated, he held her hands. "Crossing that many time zones was a small price to pay, Claire. You know I wouldn't have missed it for the world. My own sister's wedding? No way. And thank you for letting us use your place next week. I think Mom really needs this right now. It'll be good for her."

"I made sure the kitchen was well-stocked before I left; you shouldn't need a thing. Oh, and I had them clean and prep your skis, yours and Mom's. They're holding them at the club. Rumour has it you'll see lots of snow up there, lucky you. And listen, I know it's not all that far from here but if the weather turns, wait it out, okay? They'll let you stay here. Don't try to drive up that road if it's snowing. Promise me?"

"I'll be careful, Claire. I promise."

In the background, the muted sounds of laughter and music fell quiet. The emcee had the microphone, telling the crowd that the bride and groom were about to leave. She turned to see her new husband waiting at the broad French doors, silhouetted by the light from the dining room. She picked up her bouquet from the low parapet that bordered the terrace and sighed, "I guess that's my cue. I'd better be going." Her eyes glistened in the dim light. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, wrapped her arms around him and squeezed hard. "I miss you already, my darling big brother. I love you so much. Take good care of Mom. I'll be home soon." With a twinge of jealousy, Ryan watched them disappear together into the old mansion. By the time he walked round to the front entrance, everyone was gathered beside the limo waiting to take the happy couple to the airport. Farewells and rose petals surrounded the newly-weds as they skipped down the broad stone steps. His mother followed them to the car for one last kiss and hug, then came and stood beside Ryan as they waved good-bye. They watched the car lights fade into the darkness. He felt her squeeze his arm. She looked into his eyes, smiled and without a word turned back toward the house.

He held back, just beyond the light of the open doors, and watched Diana move through the dispersing crowd. The way she handled herself, the way she put people at ease, making each one feel special - she seemed to have an endless supply of grace. He was so proud of her. Even after all that had happened this year, even after such a long, difficult day she still had a smile for everyone she spoke with. He headed off again to the terrace overlooking the water. The last of the guests were gathering their things, finishing the final glasses of champagne, saying their farewells and thanking him for the wonderful time. He made sure Claire and Diana got all the credit. Really, all he'd done was show up. Finally alone, he looked out at the night sky and saw that the stars on the horizon were beginning to disappear. The predicted storm was gathering. He went looking for his mother and found her with some of the few remaining guests, an older couple, long-time family friends who'd flown in from Monaco just for the wedding. He joined them, laughing and chatting for a few minutes, then turned and touched Diana's elbow. "Mom, I'm sorry to cut this short but it looks like we ought to be on our way. Claire heard there might be some bad weather coming soon. We should try to get there before it hits." There were a few continental kisses, a few hugs and then they bid farewell.

They wove their way through the quickly thinning crowd, kissing cheeks and shaking hands, back into the house to make sure the event crew had everything in hand. They followed the last of the guests out to the car park, the security detail standing discretely in the near distance. Diana held Ryan's arm and leaned into him as they walked. "Take me away, Hon. I'm completely shattered. I don't think I can survive one more minute in these shoes." He watched her slide into the passenger seat as he held the door for her. That familiar wave of pride washed over him again, plus a brief thought that was a little less appropriate. My god, she's gorgeous. And that body, those legs...

And so there he was, in the dead of night, driving his sister's car up a narrow winding road deep in the Rockies, not really sure of where they were. In his hurry to get to the wedding he'd managed to leave the charging cable for his cellphone at the hotel. Diana tried to navigate using her phone but frequently lost the signal. She'd finally given up and was now doing her best with a map she found in the glove box, at the same time trying very hard to keep the jet-lag at bay. They thought they'd been lucky, dealing with only a heavy rain squall as they approached the steep hills but it was now past one o'clock in the morning, the temperature had plummeted and they were trapped in a full-on blizzard. He'd been driving white-knuckled for the last half hour, crawling along, barely able to see beyond the hood of the car, the swirling snow hypnotic in the headlights. It was getting harder to drive the low-slung sports car through the deepening drifts, impossible to do more than edge their way along without the risk of going off the road or smashing into an unseen vehicle. In these conditions, they'd never make it to his sister's place that night.

Claire had said the drive would probably take about an hour or so. If it weren't for the sudden snow storm, they would have already been there.

He nudged the sleeping woman beside him. "Mom, this is getting pretty bad. We should look for somewhere we can wait this out 'til morning. I can barely see anything out there."

Diana moaned, sat up straight and held the map to her reading light. She pointed to a tiny dot. "There's a little town here - looks more like a village really," she yawned as she held it up for him to see. "It's a bit of a wild guess but it looks to be just a little way up the road."

Ryan nodded, "If we're lucky, maybe there'll be a coffee shop or something. At this point, I'll settle for anything that gets us off this road."

They crept along for another twenty hair-raising minutes. Ryan thought, prayed, they must be getting close. Almost as if on cue the headlights picked up a road sign just as they passed it: 'Pine Haven - Next Left'. He was about to tell her they'd made it but he saw her eyes were closed again; she was leaning heavily against the side window, fast asleep. He turned onto the narrow sideroad and drove another hundred feet or so toward the small collection of structures that were drifting in and out of sight. To his right he caught a brief glimpse of light barely visible through the window of a long, low building. He pulled over and inched his way toward it. By now he didn't care if it was a biker bar; they needed to get out of this storm, somewhere they could get some rest and wait it out. He reached behind his seat to retrieve his suit jacket, regretting they hadn't taken the time to change from their wedding clothes into something more appropriate for the trip.

The blast of freezing wind and snow hit him like a body-blow as he stepped out of the car and headed for the building. He found a railing, stumbled onto a low porch to a door with a rustic sign nailed up beside it: Pine Haven Lodge. Surprised and relieved it was open at this hour he quickly stepped inside, shivering, shaking the snow from his hair and clothes. The door slammed shut behind him. A couple of old kerosene lamps flickered in the dim, tiny lobby. Two men were staring at him.

"Sorry. The wind..."

"No problem, man. It's a tough night out there, 'specially for a guy only wearin' a suit." The voice came from the big bear of a man leaning on the counter. He looked like a character straight out of The Call of the Wild. "C'mon in. We don't have much light, power's out but there's a fire goin' and we have coffee." He pointed to another small room off to the left, a sort of pub where a handful of other people were sitting. The light he'd seen earlier was from a roaring fire in the giant stone hearth. "Go on in there, warm yourself up. What in hell possessed you to be out on a night like this?"

"Better question," Ryan replied, "is how is it you're open at this time of night?"

"Oh, I live just out back; I'm here all the time. This storm brought a few stragglers to my door." He jerked a thumb toward the other man, "And as usual, this guy is keeping me up all hours." He turned to him. "George, I swear, someday I'm gonna leave you out there to fend for yourself. I'm gettin' too old for this."

George laughed. "Hey, if you want the roads plowed round here, you're gonna have to put up with it as long as I'm in the truck. You know I can't be out there in this kind of stuff. I'd kill somebody."

Ryan spoke up. "Well, let me tell you it is a huge relief to find this place. We've been driving for quite awhile, coming from my sister's wedding. We're on our way to a place up the road for a few days."

"We?" the man at the desk frowned. "There's somebody else in your party still out there?"

"Yes, my mother's with me. She's asleep in the car."

"She'll freeze out there, man! C'mon, I'll help ya."

He pulled a flashlight out from under the counter, grabbed a bright red parka from a hook on the wall and pushed Ryan out the door. Already, the car windows were iced up and half-covered with snow. The big man cleared the passenger door and pulled on the handle. It wouldn't budge. Ryan pressed the unlock button on the key fob. The man pulled again. Still no luck. "Must be frozen. Try the other door."

Ryan ran around to the driver's door and yanked it open. The blowing snow swirled around him into the car. He leaned in and gently shook her shoulder. "Mom? Hey, Mom, we need to get you out of here. This place is open, come inside where it's warm."

She kept her eyes closed and mumbled, "Ryan, I'm exhausted. Can't we just stay in the car?"

The man spoke up. "No ma'am, you can't, not in this weather. You gotta get in where it's warm."

Diana groaned and pulled the door latch. Nothing. She pulled it again, putting her shoulder to it. Still nothing. It was well and truly frozen shut. Ryan held out his hand. "You'll have to climb out my side, Mom. And hurry, I can't feel my hands anymore." She grabbed her Birkin from behind the seat, then swung her legs up over the console and slid across into the driver's seat, giving Ryan an upskirt flash of her black panties as she did. The hem of her dress caught on the gearshift and the further she moved, the higher it slid up her legs, up and up until the tops of her stockings came into view. She either didn't feel it or was too tired to care. If she kept going, it would soon be up around her hips.

"Uh, Mom, hold on, your dress is caught." Ryan reached past her and untangled the fabric, quickly pulling it back down to shield her legs from the cold - and from the eyes of the man standing over his shoulder. She stood up.

"My god, it is so cold out here!" The cold wind cut through the thin fabric of her dress. "Inside, quickly, please!" She wrapped her arms around herself and stumbled along, Ryan's arm around her, as the big man guided them to the door. A moment later they were back inside, once again stamping their feet and shaking the snow from their clothes. She was shivering madly, teeth chattering. She'd been back in the country for only a few days and still hadn't adjusted to the colder climate, especially not this climate.

The man held his parka out to her. "Here, ma'am. Put this on. It'll warm you up." He wrapped the thick coat around her shoulders and pointed to a table in the other room. "Take a seat there, I'll get something to dry you off." Her legs were wet, her dress spattered with melting snow. She sat down and pulled her Blahniks off, her sheer stockings glistening in the low light. A moment later she was dabbing her legs with a bar towel, still shivering. Ryan took another towel and dried her shoes. As he did he noticed the two men were watching, no, staring at his mother. He sighed - he'd seen it before, so many times. People couldn't keep their eyes off her. Diana had a face and figure that could stop traffic. She turned heads wherever she went and it looked like even tonight would be no exception.

"Here you go, Mom. Put these on again, keep your feet warm." Ryan knew stockings were a big turn-on for some guys - including him. Given the situation, the sooner she covered her slender feet, the better. She stood up and slipped back into her shoes, growing four inches taller as she did.

"Not the most practical shoes for a night like this, ma'am," the big man said, eyeing her legs. "By the way," he held out his hand, "my name's Dave. I run this place."

"Hello, Dave. Diana," she replied as she took his hand, "and this is my son, Ryan. Thank you so much for allowing us in at this hour. We're sorry to be such a bother."

"No bother at all ma'am. This kind of thing happens more often around here than you'd think. Just part of the territory I guess. Besides, how could I turn away such a pretty lady?" He grinned and winked at her. "Can I get you folks some coffee?" He brought two cups to the table, an old glass carafe in one hand. "It might be a little burnt. The power's out, so the coffee-maker ain't workin'. All I got is my old percolator."

Diana shook her head. "Thanks awfully but the last thing I need right now is coffee. I'd kill for a bed though. Is there a chance we could have a room for the night?"

Dave shook his head, "I'm sorry to tell ya but that big van full of tourists out there pulled in about an hour ago. They beat ya to it and filled the place to the rafters." He pointed to the three men sitting at a table across the room, "Didn't even have enough room for those poor guys. They got the short straw, gonna spend the night right there. That'll teach 'em to go ramblin' through the mountains at this time of year."

Diana whimpered, "Nothing at all? Not even a couch and a blanket? Is there somewhere else?" She looked at Ryan. "Do you think we can go a little further?"

"No ma'am, you can't," Dave said firmly. "That road's closed now. You got nowhere else to go." He was quiet for a moment then suddenly snapped his fingers. "Wait a sec! There's one thing I didn't even think of 'til now. It's kind of a long shot though." He looked over at George. "Hey George, what about the bunkie?"

George shrugged. "Hell, I don't know. Sure wouldn't be my choice. I'd sooner stay right here but if you can warm it up, I suppose maybe."

Dave turned to Diana. "Ya know, I didn't even think to offer it to the others but if you're really sure you're desperate I just might have one more bed. Sit tight, I'll be back in a minute." He held out his hand, "Ma'am, if I may, I'll need my coat for sec."

"Oh yes, of course. And thank you, I feel much warmer now." Dave watched closely, surveying Diana's figure as she slipped the parka off her shoulders and handed it back to him. "Thank you."

He pulled it on. "Ah, the warmth of a woman," he sighed, wrapping the coat tightly around himself and winking at her. A moment later he disappeared into the storm. Diana looked at Ryan and rolled her eyes.

"Pardon my French but you two were god-damned fools to be out on a night like this. That road was closed almost an hour ago." The older man had been leaning against the doorway, watching them. He straightened up and walked over. "By the way, I'm George," he said, holding out his hand. He gave Diana's an extra squeeze.

"You're right about that," Ryan nodded. "They warned us at the wedding that there might be some snow but we didn't expect it to get this bad so quickly. How did you end up here? You said something about a snow plow?"

"Yeah, I drive a highway plow for the county. If it gets real bad, they close the roads and we have to come in. Dave makes like it's a big deal but it happens plenty around here. We've spent more time waitin' out storms in this place than I care to remember." He sat down close to Diana, his hand on the back of her chair, his eyes on her breasts, and spoke quietly, "I'll tell ya though, even if Dave don't have any more room, we'll take care of ya, for sure. There's worse places to pass the time than right here in this room." He winked at her. Diana felt sure that if they had been alone he'd be trying to grope her. She shifted away from him and smiled stiffly. "Uh, thank you, George." She stifled a yawn and leaned heavily onto the table, trying to put more space between them. "Please don't be offended but I really hope we don't have to spend the night in here."

Ryan cleared his throat. "Yes, it's been a tough day for my mother here. If there's a chance to get some sleep, we should try."

George held up his hands. "Hey, do what ya gotta do. I'll tell ya one thing though - that bunkie Dave's checkin' on? It ain't exactly the Ritz. Folks like you gonna find it pretty rough."

Dave stamped his way in through the door, shedding snow all around himself. He tossed his parka onto a chair. "Oh man, oh man, it's gettin' real bad out there. Okay, here's the deal: I got a little cabin in back that we rent out in summertime. I opened it up but there's no heat nor light in there and it's just the one bed. I'd offer a roll-away for ya but even they's all taken up by those others. I can give ya one of these lamps here and an old heater but it'll be plenty frosty, I can guarantee ya that."

Diana turned to Ryan. "What do you think? Worth a try?"

"That's up to you, Mom. If you're willing, I guess I am."

"Let's go then." She picked up her handbag and stood, "Dave, would you lead the way?"

"Sure thing Ma'am. Gimme a sec, I'll grab that heater." He disappeared into a back room.

George spoke up, "You heard there's only one bed, right? You two gonna keep each other warm?" He raised his eyebrows, staring at Diana.

"Ah, no," Ryan interrupted. "We'll work something out. The floor will do just fine for me."

Diana turned to him, indignant. "There's no...," then held her tongue. She quickly realised that arguing in front of a stranger about her son sharing a bed with her might be taken the wrong way. "Yes, I'm sure we can sort it out."

Dave walked in with an old kerosene heater in his arms. "Ryan, grab that lamp there. Let's get you brave souls settled in for the night." He tilted his head toward his parka, "Diana, seein' as you're not exactly dressed for the weather, put that on. It'll keep ya warm." He winked at her and looked down, " 'cept for those pretty legs of yours. Them fancy shoes'll be fun to walk in. I could carry ya out there if ya want." A wide grin spread across his face.

"Hmm, thanks for the offer, Dave, but I think I'll try it on my own." She shuddered and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get this over with."