Page 167 of Mountain Men Heroes

Nothing would have made leaving this place better than seeing the woman who lorded my mother’s reputation over me for years fall on her ass, but she righted herself just in time before eating the hard wood.

Bummer. I never wished anyone harm, but just this once...just this once.

I sighed heavily. I guess I had to settle for walking out and never returning.

Good thing I had kickass bitch heels to do it in. I turned on my spiked heel and marched to the break room to get my stuff. In less than a minute I was stomping toward the door, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead, more than ready to put this place behind me for good. I’ve been fine without Sawyer Becker in my life until now and just because he wounded my heart a little tonight didn’t mean I would spend an ounce of my time crying.

Then why did my eyes sting so damn hard?

“Trinity!”

I didn’t recognize the male voice calling my name just as my feet hit the gravel of the parking lot.

Glancing over my shoulder, I caught sight of Sawyer’s brother Mac, walking in my direction.

Great. Just what I needed. One more Becker hassling me. I picked up my pace and all but jogged past a couple of rows of parked cars, not an easy task in heels.

I tugged the collar of my denim jacket tighter around my neck, bracing myself against the cold breeze that stung my cheeks and nose. Cursing Mother Nature again, I hurried through the lot, more than ready to go hide out in my apartment and lick my Sawyer Becker-inflicted wounds while I figured out how to replace the income from my job at this stupid bar. The Sugarbush Hot Cocoa and Coffee didn’t do nearly enough for my pocket.

“Trinity, damn girl, hold up. I need to talk to you,” Mac called out.

While Sawyer went off and did God knows what, his brothers and best friend had stayed in the service, coming home on leave every so often until they finally all got their discharge papers a couple of months ago. It was big news in a town this small. I should have known Sawyer wouldn’t be far behind, but I’d missed all the signs.

I slowed to a stop, my shoulders dropping, tilting my head up to the sky as if the answer to my question could be found there.

“You okay?” Mac lugged his big frame to a stop at my side. I didn’t know why but the men in this town seemed larger than normal. Every single one of them looked to have shoulders made for carrying timber and arms thicker than my thighs. And that’s saying something. Curvy, tall and ample were words my best friend, Madison, liked to use to describe me and aptly so.

I slid my eyes his way without moving my head. He stood at my side, his head tipped back, studying the sky as if he was trying to figure out what I was looking at.

I twisted my head to look at him. “You’re not going to find any answers up there. I already looked. Millions of times. Trust me. Don’t waste your time.”

Mac turned toward me. “Huh. Well, that depends on the question in my experience. But since you didn’t find anything up there, maybe I can help you with those answers down here.”

He offered me a grin that invited me to share his joke. I couldn’t help but smile back. I’d always liked Mac. He’d graduated from high school before I got there, as did Sawyer.

Mac always seemed to have a joke to tell and a smile to share. He’d never been anything but kind to me. That had always made it easier to talk to him than most of the locals. I figured a bit of honesty couldn’t hurt at this point. I’d be leaving town as soon as I could manage it. What could it hurt to tell him what was on my mind?

“Okay, you want my questions. Here’s one. What is up with you guys tonight. Unless I’m serving beer or breakfast, most of the men around here ignore me. But tonight I can’t seem to turn around without running into one of you.”

Mac’s eyes filled with confusion. “Breakfast?”

“Yes, breakfast. You know. What you tend to eat in the morning. I serve beer at the Rusty Nail at night, breakfast with coffee and hot cocoa at the Sugarbush Hot Cocoa Stand in the morning and afternoon. ”

Mac’s expression cleared. “I had no idea you worked two jobs.”

I nodded. “Since I was in high school. I thought everyone knew that. But it’s not like we’ve had a lot of time to talk. You Beckers don’t stick around long enough to know much and hot cocoa really isn’t your thing.”

I shrugged away his stunned silence. “Forget it. A few more months and I’m leaving anyway.” If it killed me, I’d find a way to stick to my timelines. I didn’t think I’d survive if I had to postpone my escape.

“You’re leaving town?” Mac matched his steps to my stride, walking down Sugarbush Lane with me.

I shot him a look. “I don’t need an escort.”

“I don’t mind.” The amusement was back in Mac’s voice.

“Great.” I shifted my gaze straight ahead and kept going. The sooner I got to my door, the sooner I could shake the annoying mountain man at my side.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Mac said, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

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