Page 3 of Claimed By the Mountain Man

I’ve been scared before by a man. One who was much smaller than this giant and didn’t hold half the power this man does. I was so scared that I ran away and hid in a small town in Montana miles away from my home.

This man, however, doesn’t scare me. Not in the way he does with the others. The effect he has on my body is what terrifies me the most if I’m being honest.

“Should I be scared of you?”

There is a small twitch at the corner of his mouth before it’s gone but I see it. “No, never of me,” he says gruffly before adding. “I’ll have a double cheeseburger with fries and water.”

I nod before walking away to hand his order to the chef. My legs are shaky as I walk away, and I have no idea how I even makeit to the counter without plummeting to my face. I look around the diner as I wait for his order and notice people hunched over, probably discussing him. Even Mr. Wilford seems to be gossiping with Wendy as she pretends to be wiping down his table and I can’t help but wonder what that would feel like.

Unlike the giant who seems to be the center of attention, I’m the girl who has always fallen in the background. Born and raised in the system, I was one of the millions of kids without families to celebrate Christmas with. Even at the orphanage, there were so many of us that we all became numbers rather than faces and names.

I wonder if the giant feels as lonely as I do. Being the center of everyone’s attention while, at the same time, having no one by your side.

I know that feeling all too well.

The chef calls out my order and I grab it, tossing him a quick smile before running it over to the man’s table. I’m tempted to walk away right after, but something stops me.

Walk away, Emily. Heavens know I cannot afford to engage this man everyone is terrified of, but for one insane moment, I feel a sense of kinship with him. I awkwardly stand next to his table as the man grabs the burger and takes a massive bite.

“Is it the food to your taste, sir?” I blurt out.

“It’s a burger all right,” he says, and I bite my lip to fight back a smile. I know the burgers here are not the best, but Dan’s Diner is the only place that serves them in this part of town. “And my name is Callan Graham.”

Callan, Huh. Not what I was expecting. I had him pinned for a Bob or Blaze or something macho but Callan fits.

Now that I know his name, I should leave. I’ve engaged the man for much longer than I’ve ever seen him talk to anyone else before however, I find myself frozen to the floor, unwilling to leave.

I hug the tray to my chest and take a deep breath before I finally decide I need to break the silence. “So… uhm, you grew up in this town, right?” I ask, oblivious to the shift my question brings. “. I have a day off tomorrow and would like to do something fun. Do you have any activities you could recommend? I moved here a few months ago, but really haven’t had time to explore much.”

Silence.

A long, tense silence that unnerves me. The man’s expression morphs from a blank canvas to a look that’s colder than the deep ocean as he drops his burger back to the plate. I watch with horror as his jaw tenses up and nostrils flare. For the first time, I catch sight of the man everyone is terrified of.

I realize two things simultaneously. One, whatever I said seemed to strike a nerve and two… I probably should have walked away before I knew his name.

Chapter Two

Callan

I’m scaring her.

I can tell from the way she backs away from me. Goddamn it, I’m scaring her which is the last thing I ever wanted to do. The truth is, I hate it when my connection to this town is brought up. I loathe being associated with this place in any way.

It’s a stupid thing to have such a huge reaction to an innocent question from the girl whose ground I worship and I’m trying to control my feelings. I hold a lot of anger against Sweetheart Falls and most of its people. This is the same town that turned their backs on my brother and me when we lost everything.

My parents were locals who donated generously to several charities, they fed, clothed, and housed anyone who showed up at their doors with need. We were raised to be kind and generous and yet, after the accident, they all turned their back on us. Expressed disgust at our scars and even tried to steal assets left to us. I had to fight off the people who tried to rob us of our inheritance at our lowest point, fight people who seemed to think my brother was an easy target for their amusement.

I don’t just hate the town. Every moment spent here chips away at my sanity.

This is me controlling my feelings, but it seems I am not doing a great job of it as Emily backs away another step and I can readit in her eyes. A fear that was not present before. If I let her run now, she’ll never let me anywhere near her ever again.

“Wait!” I call out, the sound carrying out through the diner, louder than I had intended. Everything stills and I feel all eyes turn to stare at me, but I don’t take my gaze off the beautiful angel standing only a few feet away from me.Too far away from me. “Wait,please.” My voice is softer now, coaxing -- practically begging her to stay. The sound is unfamiliar even to my ears. I’ve never used such a tone on anyone before and I can tell it takes her by surprise.

Emily watches me for a moment before approaching my table once more and this time, she slowly slides into the empty seat across from mine. I shift my gaze from hers and glare at the people watching us which snaps their attention away from us. I take a slow look around the room before turning back to Emily, satisfied that everyone was back to minding their own.

I can’t afford to scare this girl away if I want her to be mine. She’s the only thing keeping me here. In all of my thirty-five years, I have never experienced anything remotely close to how I feel for this girl. Not even when I joined the Marines did I carry half the passion I’ve put into pursuing her.

She’s everything.

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