John looked at his watch and fought the urge to sigh. He didn't know why he had ever agreed to open his cabin up like this anyway. Actually he did know, he owed Robert a favor and Robert had cashed in last week asking him to allow an actress friend of Mary's access to the cabin and him for a week so she could research a role she was doing for a movie. So here he was, waiting for this actress to show up and she was already 30 minutes late and if she didn't show up soon, John was going to call the whole thing off. He was just about to reach for his cell phone to call Robert when he heard a car coming up the dirt drive. He shook his head as he took in the small red sports car. If she thought this was the car to drive up to a rural mountain cabin they were both going to have a long week.

She wasn't even dressed for the outdoors, wearing a white shirt with a black blazer and black slacks. As he watched her walk towards him he couldn't help but notice she was beautiful with long blonde hair blowing in the breeze. He watched as she navigated the stony terrain in her high heels and mentally sighed, he had a feeling this was going to be a very long week.

Anna walked slowly toward the man on the porch. He didn't look happy to see her which immediately put Anna on edge, more than she already was anyway. She had already dreaded coming up here to meet a complete stranger. Mary had described him as grumpy and reclusive, but had also said he had a heart of gold when it came to people he cared about. She had to admit he was handsome with his dark hair and beard, not that it mattered, she was up here to research a role and that was it. She smiled up at him when she reached the landing, putting down her suitcase and holding out her hand, "Hi, I'm Anna Smith."

John reached out to grasp her small hand in his much larger one, "Hello, I'm John Bates."

"I'm sorry I'm late, I had car trouble-"

John interrupted, "Well with that little red toy car I'm not surprised, it isn't exactly outdoor friendly."

Anna shook her head, "That isn't my car, I have a SUV, but it wouldn't start this morning so I had to borrow Mary's car."

John was relieved to hear the car wasn't hers, maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all. "I'm surprised it even made it up here."

Anna laughed, and John couldn't help but be distracted at how her blue eyes lit up when she did. He quickly shook his head, refocusing on what she was saying.

"I'm afraid she will have a fit when she sees what the road did to her tires."

John chuckled, his eyes crinkling in the corners and Anna found herself wondering how a person's eyes could be so many colors at once.

He picked up her suitcase. "Are you ready to go in?"

Anna nodded and John moved aside so Anna could enter. She looked around smiling at the coziness of the cabin. It wasn't large, but it was open and inviting, full of comfortable looking furniture. It looked well lived in and cared for.

John gave her a moment to look around before speaking. "The living room, kitchen and bathroom are downstairs, and the upstairs loft is the bedroom. It's not much I'm afraid and probably a lot less than you are used too."

Anna shook her head as she looked around, "No I think it's beautiful. You built this yourself?"

John nodded, "I did, about fifteen years ago. I was coming off a bad marriage and wanted to escape it all."

"I can see why this would accomplish that. It's amazing."

John smiled, "You're one of the few who thinks that, most people think I'm crazy for enjoying this place as much as I do."

"I'm sorry I am invading your space for the week and making you stay in town."

John shook his head, "It's fine, I'm happy to help." It sounded like a standard line, but he was surprised to realize was the truth. He hadn't been keen on the idea but after meeting Anna he was more than willing to help her out. She wasn't at all like he had imagined. She was warm and friendly and didn't same phased at all about the change in lifestyle she was about to undertake. It was probably a good thing this was only for a week, he didn't need any complications in his life and he had a feeling Anna Smith could be a big one.

"So what do I need to know?"

John walked towards the fireplace, "Probably the most important thing is how to light the fire. This is where all your heat will come from. It's not too cold now, but the nights get chilly and you will definitely want it lit. I'll walk you through it."

Anna walked over and knelt down, she noticed John grimace as he did the same, but she refrained from asking if he was okay. Mary had mentioned he had been injured in an accident, but it was none of her business and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. She watched and listened as he went through the motions of starting a fire, and quickly repeated them back to him. He looked at her, impressed.

"Very good Ms. Smith, I'm impressed."

Anna smiled, "You can call me Anna, and I bet you didn't expect an actress who has never been in the mountains to be able to light a fireplace, did you?

John let out a chuckle, "You're right, I didn't."

Anna smiled, "The truth is Mr. Bates, while I may not have spent too much time in the great outdoors, I did have a fireplace growing up and I remember watching my Dad build one often."

John stood up slowly, his knee groaning in protest. He offered his hand to help Anna up, but he pulled her up a little too fast and she stumbled into him. He reached out his other hand and placed it on her waist to steady her. Anna found herself level with his chest and couldn't help but notice that he smelled like peppermint and wood. She quickly took a step back, causing his hand to fall from her waist.

"Thank you Mr. Bates."

John released her hand, "Anna you will be staying in my cabin for the week, you might want to start calling me John."

She smiled up at him "Okay John, what else do I need to know about living in the great outdoors?"

John shook his head, while he was glad she was calling him by his first name, he missed the way she said Mr. Bates, drawing out the letters in her delightful accent. "I thought we'd start by taking a hike to the lake. Have you ever been fishing?"

Anna shook her head, "No, but I've always thought it looked fun!." She looked down at her outfit, "I better change into something more useful, I was already running behind and didn't want to make myself any later so I didn't change after my breakfast meeting. Thankfully I remembered my hiking boots as well, I've been wearing them around the house to break them in."

John watched as she walked away. Anna Smith was showing him that you should never judge a book by its cover.

She returned a few minutes later wearing worn jeans and a red flannel shirt along with the aforementioned hiking boots. She looked adorable and he couldn't help the smile that broke across his face. "You're definitely not what I imagined Anna Smith."

Anna smiled in return, "I'm full of surprises. Shall we go catch some fish?"

John watched her walk out; he had a feeling this was going to be a very interesting week.