Page 5 of Stubborn Mountain Man

“I’d look it up, but no internet access,” she said. “So I’ll just have to give it a try and see what happens.”

I hesitated before pulling open the cabinet where I kept the liquor. It was next to the pots and pans. If the lady wanted to follow over-the-counter pills with alcohol, who was I to say something about it?

But the truth was, I wanted to protect this woman. I wanted to put my arms around her and keep her safe from everything.

And that was a problem. I couldn’t even keep my mom safe. I have no right taking responsibility for someone else. That included a wife and children.

As I handed her the bottle of tequila and watched her press those kissable lips to the rim, though, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to fight this attraction. It went beyond attraction. I had to find a way to get her out of here before I got addicted to her.

3

GILLIAN

Drinking tequila was like taking a big swig of rubbing alcohol.

But after three swigs, my ankle was no longer hurting. And I was no longer nervous about my conversation with the hottie in the gray T-shirt.

“Do you always take your shirt off to chop wood?” I asked as I grabbed another pretzel from the small bowl in my lap. “Seems dangerous.”

He had his own bowl, which was perched on his lap as he reclined in the big, cushy chair nearby. He’d left the sofa to me and my injured ankle.

“It’s hot out there,” he said with a shrug. “I can’t see why it would be dangerous. I know how to use an ax.”

“I know how to walk, but you see how that worked out for me.”

I gestured to indicate my ankle, which seemed to be even bigger than it was thirty minutes ago. It was swelling. Great. Maybe I should have tried to get out of here before the situation got worse.

“Exactly why were you walking through the woods?” he asked, grabbing his beer bottle from the table next to him to take a sip. “You kind of strayed from the trail.”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. What could I say? I’d gotten lost? I thought the trail veered this way? That wouldn’t work—no way in heck would anyone believe someone would mistake a path between trees as an actual hiking trail.

“I heard a weird noise,” I finally managed to choke out. “I was curious.”

Being nosy, in other words. He would have every right to point that out, but instead, he continued to stare at his beer bottle as though lost in thought. As though what I’d said required thinking over.

“You heard the sound of an ax chopping wood and thought exploring it would be a good idea?” he asked.

He looked up at me then, and my heart skipped a beat. There was a fire in his eyes I couldn’t quite define.

But then he spoke again, and I knew exactly what it was. Protectiveness.Fierceprotectiveness.

“Sweetheart Falls is a pretty safe place,” he said. “But there are still dangers. I’m not sure where you’re from, but?—”

“I’m from here,” I said. “I grew up here. Moved away to go to college, but my parents still live in town. My college roommate and I got an apartment in Bozeman after graduation, but I’d love to move back. I just have to find a job that’ll let me work from anywhere.”

“What is it you do, exactly?”

He lifted his bottle and drank from it without taking his eyes off me. His stare warmed me all over.

It wasn’t just lust, either. I felt comfortable and protected when he looked at me.

“I’m a data analyst for a bank,” I said. “Exciting, I know. They let me work from home most of the time, but they require us to come into the office at least one day a week.”

I shrugged as if that could explain it all. The truth was I couldn’t really explain why I didn’t like my current living situation. For most people my age, it would be a dream. But my roommate was into the social scene, while I was more of a homebody. On weekends, she routinely dragged me out on the town with our other friends when all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch and binge-watch episodes of whatever show I was streaming that week.

“So, you probably feel pretty safe on these trails,” he said.

I nodded. “We were walking them when I was in elementary school. Some of my best memories are of hikes my family took up these mountains on that very trail.”

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