Page 25 of Saved By the Mountain Man

What the hell is wrong with you? Her problems are not yours.

But that was bullshit. Her problemsweremine, because I would rather die than see her suffer.

You have to choose what you’re willing to live for. Willing to die for.Bear’s words echoed in my mind again.

“I’m not taking the bed—” Rae started arguing, standing in the process. When she did, she winced and fell back onto her chair. “Shit.”

“What?”

“My ankle. It’s so much worse than earlier.” She pulled up the sweatpants. Her ankle was bruised and swollen. “I didn’t think the sprain was that bad.”

“Come,” I said, pulling her up. I slid my arm around her waist, and she put an arm around my neck. Her body was warm, delicate against mine, but her muscles were tight, her body tense. I helped her hobble to the bedroom.

She didn’t argue. I helped her onto the large double bed I’d built. It was sturdy, with a thick mattress I’d had to buy and fur blankets I’d made.

I tucked her into bed, and her eyes fluttered shut.

My heart constricted. She looked like she was in pain, and her vulnerability made me want to fight off the hell she was going through—whatever it was.

“I’ll be out of your hair in the morning,” she mumbled sleepily.

“We’ll see how it goes.” I pulled the blankets higher, tucking them around her.

She was asleep in no time, her body giving in.

I watched her for a moment, my heart aching. I wanted to protect her, to keep her safe. But I knew that wasn’t enough. She needed answers, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to give them.

The storm continued raging outside. I sat by the fire, watching the flames, listening to the crackle. Memories of our time together flooded back. We had been so good together once. She’d been my everything.

The fucking air I breathed.

And now she was in my bed again, small, fragile, hurt.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, and found another fur blanket. I put one more log on the fire and got onto the couch, settling in for a long night where the storm inside me raged louder than the storm outside.

The storm had transformed the forest into a muddy mess, the ground slick and treacherous.

Rae’s ankle was worse than expected, swollen and bruised. She couldn’t walk on it, and I couldn’t let her leave in this condition.

I sat her down on the couch, elevating her injured ankle and wrapping it with an ice pack. “You need to rest this,” I said firmly. “You’re not going anywhere for a few days.”

Rae looked at me, her eyes wary. “I can’t stay. I have work, and I won’t invade your space.”

“You’re not,” I replied, my voice softer. “I’ll take care of you. And I’ll talk to Hank.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. She didn’t trust me. It stung, but she had every right not to trust me. I had to earn that back if I wanted her to feel differently about me—less hurt.

“I’m headed into town now, and I’ll stop at the store,” I said. “I’ll get some extra food for us up here, talk to Hank.”

“And Laken,” she said. “She’ll worry.”

“Fine.”

She nodded, settling back against the cushions. I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.

“Thank you, Tanner,” she said quietly.

I stepped outside, the remnants of the storm still lingering in the air. The sky was gray and threatening, with more rain still to come.

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