Page 229 of Mountain Men Heroes

My senses picked up on something else too. “You guys got pizza from Mama’s?”

Dyson dropped his hands to my hips, a small smile playing over his lips. “We did.”

“I hope you saved me some.” As if on cue, my stomach gurgled. “I’ve been out chasing a baby dear all evening.”

Eeli and Dyson sat up straight, their gazes coming to me like laser beams.

“And the mother?” Dyson asked.

I shook my head slowly. “Bear got her most likely. I got a call that the baby got hit by a car and ran off into the forest. I wanted to go check on him to make sure he didn’t need medical attention.”

Dyson growled and his hands at my hips turned into vises, locking me onto his lap. My eyes widened as I sat up straight. “What? What’s wrong?”

“You went after a wild animal on your own?” Eeli clipped out.

I gave a small shrug and wrinkled my brow. “Of course. Who else would do it?”

“Do you know how dangerous that is? What if the bear that got the mother was still around?” Dyson growled.

“Taking care of the animals is my job. I’ve been doing it forever. I think I know how to deal with the local wildlife.” And I did.

I had been doing this job since I was a kid. It was more than a job. It was a calling. The same way I knew instinctively Dyson and Eeli were meant for us, I’d known as a young child that I was born to care for animals.

Something both of my men knew.

“Why would you put yourself in danger like that?” Dyson asked.

I tilted my head to my shoulder. “You know the answer to that already, Dyson. It’s my job. I was careful. I know what precautions to take and I did.” In fact, I took extra precautions, thinking I wouldn’t want to ever worry these two men more than necessary.

“You can’t do things like that, Clara,” Eeli said.

I tore myself from Dyson’s grip and stood by the table. I plunked my hands on my hips and as my anger grew, I could feel my bear’s ire growing right along with my own. “Excuse me?”

“You can’t go off and put yourself in harm’s way like that.” Dyson’s voice suddenly seemed so calm and reasonable. Not to mention firm. Like he was giving me instructions he expected me to obey, no questions asked.

“So you guys are giving up the bounty hunting side of your job?” I asked, doing my best to match Dyson’s calm tone.

Eeli stood. “Don’t be ridiculous, Clara. That’s part of our job. We’re trained to do it.”

“Okay. By that logic, you should have no trouble with me taking care of local wildlife. It’s my job and I’ve had years of practice doing it as well.”

“It’s not the same.” Dyson leaned forward. “You’re ours to protect. You can’t put yourself in danger. We won’t allow you to. We just found you. Found us.”

My head was spinning. There was so much in those sentences I didn’t know where to start. I sank down to the coffee table as my knees threatened to give way underneath me.

“Yours,” I stated simply.

Dyson reached forward and stroked my cheek. He pressed his lips together and studied me for long moments before he spoke. “Ours.”

Oh my God. Those words hit my heart with all the power of a freight train behind them. I felt them everywhere in my body.

“That means we need you to keep yourself safe for us.” Eeli sat beside me on the table, both of us facing Dyson.

I nodded. I could understand that. Because as I sat there thinking of all the logical arguments for continuing to do what I always did, part of me understood their fear for me. I held the same fear thinking of them chasing bail jumpers and providing security services that might put them in danger.

I rested my head against Eeli’s shoulder as my already long day caught up with me. “I think this is something we’re going to need to work out. But could we save it for tomorrow? All I want to do now is eat and go to bed.”

Eeli pulled me close and pressed a kiss against my temple. “Anything for you, beautiful.”

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