Page 42 of Mountain Men Heroes

“Remy, what I want with you is beyond simple desire and lust. I don’t know how to fucking handle that shit. Having you close to me is like having heaven within reach and hell chasing and nipping at my heels.”

She pinned Ethan with a hard look. “I guess I’m not worth the risk, right Ethan?”

She looked down at her hands, her fingers finding the edges of the scarf she used as a makeshift bandage. She’d wrung it out and tossed it over the back of the couch as she helped Ethan get comfortable after their shower. A stain, large and purple against the blue scarf caught her eye. She turned the cloth over in her hands and dried petals tumbled out to land on Ethan’s legs and her lap.

She held up a hand for him to wait.

Hope rose. “When I first bandaged your leg with this back in the woods, I saw odd burn marks I know where not made by you getting shot. But when I got you back here and, in the shower, they had faded from angry red to a dull pink. I didn’t know why at first. But this…” she held up the dried petals. “This could be the answer.” There were still a couple of tests to do before she would know for certain but if she was right, they’d stumbled onto what would counter-act the poison Brax had dumped in the lake.

She could see his mind working. “When he shot me, I fell into the water. Some of whatever he dumped could have gotten on me, but I had my clothes on.”

“You had a hole in your pants and the poison had yet to disperse in the water so you got a strong dose of it on your calf and possibly in your wound.”

Remy turned his leg slightly and peeled back an edge of the bandage so she could see the outer part. Just as she thought.

“See these petals?” She held up the tiny wilted leaves that looked like nothing more than weeds that had dropped from her field bandage. “I found them wrapped up in this and it appears they came in contact with the burns. They must have stuck to my scarf when I fell to the ground in the field.”

Darkness clouded his eyes, so she pushed forward quickly. Careful to not aggravate the area any further, she gently removed a side of the bandage and found the edges of the bullet wound not as angry and puckered. “You’ll still need stitches, but how is the pain level?”

“Throbbing, but manageable if I don’t move too much. You did a good job with bandaging me up.”

“Good. Now, I have to take samples of the water and with what I have in my field kit I can run some tests here that will at least tell us if what Brax dumped is lethal to humans, or aimed more toward the wildlife of the area.”

“That’s possible?”

She nodded. “If you know what you’re doing, yes. Just like nature can heal, it can also take lives. And can be altered to target specific DNA. Animal and human DNA can be specifically targeted. But, that’s probably way too sophisticated for the likes of a man like Brax. I think what has been dumped in the water is plant-based and why it’s been so hard to trace. I’ve been looking for the wrong signs. I should have known.”

“You look adorable when you turn all geeky doctor on me.”

She smiled and pushed on. “And with this,” she held up a long cotton Q-tip, “I’ll confirm what I already believe to be true.”

“Remy, you’re not doing what I think you’re saying you wanna do. Forget it, woman.”

Remy pushed to her feet and anchored her hands on her hips. “It’s not like you’re going to do it for me. Besides, I’m a big girl. And it could mean lives, Ethan. Even if they are only animals to you, they are precious and their lives matter too, you know and?—”

“That’s not what I meant,” he cut in. “I’m talking about yours, Remy. Your life is the most important to me.” His anger was growing and his words turned into growls. “So forget it. I might have a wounded leg, but I’m not down for the count. You try to walk out that door and I’ll fucking take you over my shoulder and make sure you listen to fucking reason.” He grabbed a fist full of cushion and hauled himself to his feet. He swayed but held a hand up for her to leave him be.

Stubborn to the core. She fought to contain her frustration and the need to scream. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d stomped her foot, but the infuriating man made her feet itch to do some pounding.

“You even touch that door handle, woman, and I’ll have you wrapped around me so damn tight you won’t know where you end and I begin from now to the end of time.”

“Really?” He could try.

He chuckled darkly. “Take it as a promise.” The stubble on his chin gave him a true mountain man look, but the wildness in his eyes is what had her heart nearly stopping.

“I will not let you put yourself in danger.”

Her mouth fell open. “And that’s the only reason, right? To keep me safe. Gotta keep your Boy Scout badges well-polished and shiny.”

He slammed a fist down on the dining room table where she stood organizing the gear she needed for the tests. He moved fast for an injured man. She’d do good to remember that. “Damn it, Remy, look at me.”

Anger made her movements jerky, but she turned to him. Big fat freaking mistake. Her heart lurched in her chest and did a freaking nosedive to the pit of her stomach without stopping so she could catch her breath.

He stalked forward, able to put a little more pressure on his leg than he had when they first walked in the door.

He palmed her face and angled her head to where all she saw was his searing gaze.

“If you go out that door and get hurt, I’ll fucking kill someone or something. Then probably fucking die in the process.”

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