Page 70 of Protected By the Mountain Man

I was warm…safe.

Held in the embrace of the man I loved.

Snow was still falling when I woke in the early hours of the morning, the sky bright with that post-blizzard glow. The fire had died to embers, but even naked I was still so warm, Gabe’s steady breathing disturbing the hair at the nape of my neck.

I couldn’t believe I loved him.

It had come on suddenly…like the first autumn snow. Gabriel Mitchell, of all people.

I thought we might have something.

Something real…something good.

I didn’t wake again until dawn, to the sound of my phone ringing from the coffee table. Gabe’s arm was a vice around me, his breath steady against my hair. I fumbled to reach for it as Gabe groaned in annoyance, holding me closer.

“Hello?”

“Kat?” Sheriff Callahan's voice cut through the fog of sleep. “Sorry if I woke you…”

The sheriff’s voice had shaken off any remaining tiredness. “Don’t be sorry,” I rushed out. “Is it Livy?”

“No, no…” Callahan said. “Didn’t mean to worry you. I was just calling to tell you we caught the guys who broke into your house.”

Gabe saw the change on my face, my eyes going wide. “What is it?” he whispered.

I put my hand over the receiver. “They caught the home invaders,” I said. Then, to Sheriff Callahan, “Where?”

“A few counties over, close to the Idaho border, heading west,” he said. “They’re still there, but we got mugshots. I’d like you to come down to the station if you can get through the snow.”

“Sure,” I said, sitting up straighter. “I'll be there as soon as I can,” and I hung up.

Gabe rubbed his eyes and sat up too, his gaze fixed on me. “You want me to go with you? I told my dad I’d swing by and help him out with some stuff around the house, but…I want to be there for you.”

“Go,” I assured him, though part of me screamed for him to stay. “Your dad needs you. I'll handle this.”

“Okay,” Gabe said, but he hesitated, his eyes searching mine. He leaned in, kissed my forehead. “Be careful, okay? Call me if you need anything.”

“Will do,” I said, squeezing his hand. The warmth from the fire had faded, and a new kind of chill took hold.

I was about to find out who’d broken into my house…and maybe who’d killed my brother.

After we got dressed, I grabbed my coat, and we headed outside. A thick blanket of white greeted us, the snow giving way under our boots. It was light enough that it was already melting under the blue sky; at least it would be easy to get out.

“More snow tonight,” Gabe grunted, squinting against the light. I looked at the snow clouds over the mountains. Good to get everything done today then, and I needed to grab Livy anyway while I was in town.

“Looks like it,” I replied.

We got to work, shoveling a path from the front porch to where our trucks sat, buried under inches of fresh powder. My breath came out in sharp clouds as I lifted and tossed shovelfuls of snow to the side. Gabe worked beside me, silent except for the occasional grunt.

“Remember when we'd race doing this as little kids?” I said, breaking the silence between us. “Before everything went to shit.”

He chuckled. “You cheated every time.”

“Did not,” I shot back with a smirk, tossing a playful scoop of snow his way. “You’re just mad because I was so strong.”

“Yeah, and you knew where the lightest drifts were,” he said.

The cold air nipped at my cheeks, and my muscles began to protest, but the sight of the clear path we’d created spurred me on.

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