Page 18 of Rescued By the Mountain Man

“Sorry,” I replied. “I don’t make it a habit of keeping strong alcohol around. There are times I have to take medication, and booze and pain pills do not mix—well, not if you want to be functional the next day.”

I kept a hand on her, not sure if her knees would get out from under her or if she would faint. Then I remembered the broken window: “Don’t go near the kitchen barefoot. The wind flung a rock into the window, and it’s all in pieces.”

She blinked. “I thought I’d heard something shatter. Was—was that it?”

“Yes,” I gestured to the pullout bed Laura had graciously given me. “I can take the couch again.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s fine; I know the couch makes you stiff, so I’ll take it.”

I looked over to her while filling the kettle. “You noticed that?”

She shrugged and curled up on the couch, making herself into a ball and covering her tiny frame with her blanket. “Well, I mean, I don’t think you realized it, but every time you got off the couch, you rolled your shoulder and twisted your back. Is the?—”

Thunder boomed, and she jumped.

Swallowing, she continued. “—old injury acting up after sleeping here?”

“At times,” I replied while taking down a cup. “It’s why I scrimped and saved for months to buy myself one of those pillowtop beds that give good lumbar support. It hurts like hell when my sciatic nerve gets pinched.”

“Then I’ll take the couch,” she said, eyes flying to the window.

Why is she so scared? I’ve never seen someone this scared by a thunderstorm.

Her scream about going to fucking die made me wonder why she had chosen those words. She’d said she had a nightmare, so she could have been reacting to that. I’d had some visceral nightmares myself and woken up wondering where the line between the dream and reality was.

I handed her the cup and sat near her. “Did something happen when you were young to make you scared of thunderstorms?”

“No,” she shook her head. “It’s not that.”

My brows dipped. “What is it then?”

Cradling the cup, she kept her eyes down. “I’m just not fond of loud cracking noises,” she murmured and unconsciously licked her lips, her gaze darting away. “I get nervous easily.”

Why do I think that is half the story?

I don’t know what was happening, but I did wrap an arm around her shoulders. I wanted to comfort her and tell her that whatever had happened, it would be okay.

My gaze dropped to her wide mouth. The bottom lip was fuller, and just made to be sucked on. I wonder how swollen her lips would look after I kiss her…

My head jerked back; where did that thought come from?

She tipped her head up until there was an inch of space between us, and her warm breath washed over my face…and a sudden, unexpected need pinged through my gut. Temptation warred with common sense in my head. We could kiss, and it would be scintillating…but I knew how three seconds could wreck one’s life.

Things were already strange between us. No need to make it worse.

Turning away, I cleared my throat, “Are you going to be all right?”

She nodded and looked down. “I’ll be fine when this damned storm stops.”

I hoped the lights would stay on even with this raging storm and went over to slip between the sheets. Turning my back to her, I closed my eyes and forced my thoughts away from that almost moment we’d had to what stress I’d face by morning.

The fairgrounds were bound to be flooded, the equipment damaged, and God knows what I’d find when this storm passed. Hopefully, those lightning rods would do their job and redirect any devastating strike away from anything expensive.

Those thoughts sobered my blood, and I slipped to sleep, not willing to see what would meet me the next day.

The morning was wet, and while the town’s businesses had weathered the storm, the fairgrounds were soddened and dreary. My boots sunk three inches in the oversaturated ground, and while I plodded on, Zara struggled behind me. Never having navigated wet terrain like this, she inched her way around.

Some of the stall owners were there assessing the damage, but by some fluke of luck, there was not much structural damage. A few things needed to be replaced here and there, but nothing much; needless to say, we would have to wait it out a few days to start the festival.

---