Page 47 of Protected By the Mountain Man

His hands were on me again, this time lifting me clear off my feet. My head lolled against his shoulder as he carried me. Gabe was moving fast, too fast for me to understand that we were now outside, away from the immediate danger. He set me down gently on the grass, my body feeling disconnected.

Everything hurt. My lungs, my throat, my eyes, my hands.

“Kat?” His face hovered over mine, eyes scanning my features, brows knitted with concern. “Can you hear me?”

“Y-yeah,” I managed to gasp out, though it sounded more like a croak.

“Stay with me,” he urged, his hands brushing over my face, checking for injuries. “Just stay with me.”

Sirens wailed in the distance, a sound that had become all too familiar lately. It seemed every time I turned around, there was another disaster, another reason to be afraid. They were getting closer, promising help, but at that moment, they felt like just another reminder of how much could go wrong.

“Damn sirens,” I muttered, feeling Gabe's steadying presence beside me, the warmth of his body cutting through the cool night air. “Can't they give it a rest?”

“Help's coming, Kat. Just hold on.”

“I’m not dying,” I muttered, propping myself up on my elbows. I’d inhaled a lot of smoke, yeah, but I wasn’t going anywhere—not until I’d found out who was responsible for all this. “We really need to stop meeting like this.”

Gabe stared at me, eyes wide…then he let out an incredulous laugh.

“Yeah,” he said. “We really do.”

EIGHTEEN

Kat

Somehow, we’d all gotten out alive.

But that didn’t mean we’d escaped without scars.

When the EMT’s and the fire department got to the ranch, the fire had already destroyed most of the barn. They managed to control the blaze before it spread across the field…but they hadn’t gotten there in time to stop me from putting myself in danger.

That meant I had a few bad burns, a ton of smoke inhalation, and a body that ached like hell.

It also meant that I had to stay in bed for a few days, even though I knew there was work to be done.

That was probably the hardest part.

“Kat, you need to rest.” Gabe's voice was firm, and definitely not a request. He towered over my bed like some kind of mountain-man sentinel, his hands planted on his hips.

I squinted up at him, the pain meds making me feel like I was trying to focus underwater. “Work isn't gonna do itself.”

“Your health comes first,” he shot back, and there wasn't any room for negotiation in those four words.

Damn, if his stubbornness didn't match mine every step of the way.

“Fine,” I conceded with a huff, sinking deeper into the pillows. But as soon as his back was turned, I'd be up.

…or so I thought until a wave of dizziness glued me to the bed.

“Sleep,” he ordered softly, brushing a lock of hair from my forehead—a touch that lingered just a second too long.

“Bossy,” I accused.

“Guilty.” His lips twitched in that semblance of a smile I'd come to know. Then he was gone, leaving me to the mercy of the meds coursing through my veins.

One day melted into two, and two into three. My consciousness ebbed and flowed, dreams tangling with reality until I couldn’t tell one from the other. Gabe was always there, a constant presence. Sometimes I’d wake to find him changing my dressings, his touch gentle yet efficient, his brow creased with focus.

“Shouldn't you be doing…I dunno, manly stuff?” I teased once, my voice weak but my spirit still kicking.

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