Page 50 of Protected By the Mountain Man

“Sure thing,” Clay agreed, though his gaze suggested dinner wasn't all he was considering.

I made a mental note to keep an eye on that one.

Gabe hoisted me back up to avoid any injuries, taking me away from the half-built barn and the cluster of townsfolk who were hammering and sawing with a sense of purpose I hadn't seen in Silver Ridge for years. “Wait,” I said. “I should stay…help out.”

“Kat,” he murmured, “you should be in bed, or at least wearing some shoes on your feet. And those burns need more time.”

I looked down at my pajama-clad self and couldn't help but agree. The cool dirt beneath my feet and the sting of the sun on my bandaged arms were reminders of just how unprepared I was to face the outside world.

“Right,” I sighed as we reached the porch steps, Bandit trotting loyally behind us. Gabe set me down and Bandit licked my hand—as a show of support, I guess.

“Thank you, Gabe. For all of this.” I gestured vaguely back toward the barn, feeling a lump form in my throat. The sight of the community rallying around me…it was overwhelming.

Gabe just shook his head, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Don't mention it. Now, let's get you inside before you catch a cold.”

“Or before Clay offers to carry me back in his big, strong arms,” I quipped, the smirk on my lips belying the flush of heat that Gabe's proximity brought to my cheeks.

“Over my dead body,” Gabe muttered, though I caught the ghost of a smile. His hands found their way to my shoulders, thumbs gently rubbing circles into the fabric of my top.

The air between us crackled, a current that had nothing to do with the dry, mountain wind. Even in all the chaos, I hadn’t forgotten what we’d been about to do…what we’d done in his truck. He leaned in, and I tilted my chin up, my heart pounding a reckless rhythm?—

A burst of laughter erupted from the direction of the barn. We pulled away, startled out of the moment.

“Sorry,” Gabe mumbled, scratching the back of his neck, eyes darting away from mine. “We should?—”

“Focus on the barn. Right.” The words came out more sharply than I intended. A part of me burned to close that distance again, but another, louder part screamed caution.

Every time we got close, chaos wasn't far behind.

It had happened twice now—our first time distracting me from protecting the ranch from Everett Jones, and the last time the barn catching fire. But even as I stepped inside, leaving the threshold—and the almost-kiss—behind me, I couldn't shake the feeling of being perched on the edge of something vast and unknown.

With Gabe, with Silver Ridge, with everything.

We could tell ourselves over and over not to get distracted…but me and Gabe were hurtling toward each other, no matter what promises we made.

I just had to make sure that didn’t get anyone killed.

NINETEEN

Gabe

It felt like—maybe—things were finally going to be okay.

Clay was putting the final touches on the barn; Kat was outside meeting up with Jake O’Hara’s ranch hands to get the horses settled back in, watching their trucks and trailers come up the driveway.

Meanwhile, I was putting security cameras all over Kat’s property.

Yeah…”okay” is a relative term.

“Hey Kat,” I called out, thumbing the last screw into the camera mount on the porch by the front door. “All set. This place is Fort Knox now.”

She turned—and I tried not to let her smile knock me off my feet. She was excited about getting her horses back. “Thanks, Gabe. After what happened, I can't take any chances.”

“Understood,” I replied, hopping down from the ladder as the O’Hara hands parked in front of the house.

Kat strode towards the trailer, her steps quick with anticipation. The doors swung open and Sundance, her chestnut mare, whinnied softly. Kat reached up, gently stroking the horse's muzzle, a tender reunion unfolding before my eyes.

“Hey, girl,” she whispered, lacing her fingers through Sundance's mane. “Did you miss me?”

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