Page 15 of Protected By the Mountain Man

“Another use? What are you talking about, Dad?”

“Just a stomach bug,” he replied, too nonchalant for my liking. “I'm sure it'll pass.”

“Come on, out with it.” I knew there was more; he had that tone in his voice—the one that said he was up to something.

There was a pause, and then he sighed. “Alright, Gabe. Why don't you take that food over to the Martin place, check on the girls?”

The girls…Kat and Olivia.

Of course.

My hand went to my forehead, fingers pinching the bridge of my nose. “Dad, you had me worried sick here,” I scolded.

“Sorry, son,” he said, and I could hear the genuine apology in his voice. He'd mellowed a lot since his stroke; the gruff, hard edges smoothed into something gentler. It got to me—every single time.

“Look, Dad,” I started, shifting the phone to my other ear as a group of teenagers burst into laughter behind me, “I don't think dropping by the Martins’ is such a hot idea. Last time I set foot on their property, Kat said she would shoot me, and I don’t think she was kidding around.”

His laugh crackled through the speaker, too hearty for my comfort. “Gabe, Gabe, Gabe,” he chortled, “since when did you start taking threats like that seriously?”

“I'm dead serious, Dad. She looked about ready to turn me into Swiss cheese.”

“Ah, son, but the fastest way to a woman's heart is through her stomach,” Dad stated with a knowing tone that suggested he'd unraveled the mysteries of the universe.

“Is this really the hill you wanna die on?” I asked, exasperated.

Knowing him, it probably was.

“Son, if there's one thing true about me, it's that I'm stubborn,” he declared. “Everyone knows it.”

“He’s right!” I heard Mandy call in the background.

I sighed and shook my head. “Fine. I'll drop off the food. But if Kat decides today's the day to pull the trigger, I'm coming back to haunt you. You got that?”

“Deal,” he said, the grin practically audible. “But you won't have to. Trust your old man.”

I ended the call and looked up to find Betty, her knowing smile just shy of mocking. “You’re in luck,” she said, the twinkle in her eye doing nothing to soothe my nerves. “Kat's usual is the burger you got for your dad.”

“Great minds think alike, huh?” I muttered, but the way my chest tightened told me it wasn't mere coincidence. No…my dad had planned this from the outset and dragged me all the way out from my cabin just to bring Kat dinner.

Damn it.

“Could you also whip up Olivia's favorite?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. “You know her better than I do.”

“Sure thing,” Betty replied, her voice warm and matronly. She scribbled onto her notepad before turning to the kitchen window to call out the order. “Chicken tenders with gravy, coming right up!”

“Thanks, Betty,” I said, though my gratitude was laced with a sense of impending doom. Dad's schemes had a way of throwing me into the deep end.

“You got it, kid,” she said with a wink, then busied herself at the counter, leaving me to stew in my own thoughts.

The diner hummed softly around me, the familiar scent of fried food and strong coffee unable to comfort the twist of anxiety in my gut. Kat Martin. The girl I’d bullied relentlessly in high school, pushed around, called names…now my greatest obsession.

And here I was, about to waltz onto her property with a peace offering of burgers and chicken tenders.

Bag in hand, I left the diner, the door chiming overhead. I got in my truck and hit the road, passing by the middle school…

…and who did I see but Olivia Martin.

She was sitting on the curb, looking solemn. She should have gone home long ago—and I didn’t see the school bus around. I knew Kat would have a conniption if I did what I was about to do…but I couldn’t just leave her there.

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