Page 29 of Ten Mountain Men

“I don’t mind keeping her company,” Lynx pipes up, “if you have other things you need to do, Rusty.”

I want to introduce his face to my fist.

“We all have other things we need to do,” Luke says, then sends a dark look in Rose-Gold’s direction, hell-bent on making her as unwelcome as possible. “But it is what it is, I suppose.”

“Why do you hate me so much? You don’t even know me.” The hurt in Rose-Gold’s voice makes me want to pick her up and cuddle her to my chest.

“I don’t feel one way or another about you specifically, ma’am,” he says. “It’s your kind in general being on my mountain I take issue with.”

“My kind? You mean people who make the honest-to-God mistake of thinking that, from a bit of a distance, you’re Sasquatches? Maybe if you groomed yourself a little—”

Luke draws in a breath that shuts her up fast, and the rest of us freeze. Lynx’s hand is hovering midair, poultice dripping from his fingers.

“Our grooming is just fine. Believe me when I say, it’s outsiders nosing where they don’t belong that’s the problem.”

“Okay, yeah, if you’re happy with how you look, that’s definitely what matters most, I agree. But if you just cleaned up a bit, it’d make a world of difference. You’re all a little rough around the edges, but I can tell you’re all hot as hell underneath. Ooh!” She sits up straighter, beaming. “I could give you makeovers to pay you back for your hospitality—”

“Like Luke said, outsiders are the problem,” Ash says with a scowl. “We’re just fine with how we look.”

Luke storms out, and Ash follows. Buck watches Rose-Gold, opening and closing his mouth like he wants to say something, but after a moment, he and Ranger head out too.

Lynx finishes tending to Rose-Gold’s ankle in silence.

“It’s swelling a bit more than I’d like,” he says without looking her in the eye. “We’ll keep watch on it. Rusty, how about get her an ice pack for that forehead, huh?”

Then he leaves too, and it’s just me and Rose-Gold.

“I don’t need an ice pack,” she says softly.

“You sure? That’s some goose egg.”

“I’m sure.”

A pang of sympathy rings in my chest for her. Luke’s bark is worse than his bite, but Rose-Gold doesn’t know it, and yet she’s keeping her chin up. Brave, though I catch her eyes flash with hurt. Rejection sucks, and I can’t imagine she has much experience with it.

I study her a moment longer, taking in the delicate curves of her flushed cheeks. I imagine brushing the curls that have loosened from the rest off her face. I can almost feel the warmth of her skin against my fingertips, and I make a fist to stop myself from acting on impulse and making a move to tuck the errant strands behind her ear.

I shift uncomfortably, suddenly feeling the need to fill the void in our conversation with words.

“Sorry ’bout Luke,” I say, breaking the silence. I should probably apologize for myself too. “He’s…well, he’s got his ways. We all do. And none of us are used to outsiders, especially not ones with…well, with ideas like yours.”

Rose-Gold offers me a small, grateful smile. “It’s not your fault. I can see I’m not your typical visitor, and I suppose I am interrupting your life, screwing up your daily routine—”

“You aren’t,” I insist. I mean, she is, but in the very best way. Though I was strictly in Luke’s corner at first, I just want to make her feel at ease now. “Sometimes when I look in the mirror, for half a second I mistake my own reflection for a Sasquatch, so don’t feel too bad about it.”

One corner of her mouth lifts in a smile, but I can tell she’s not convinced.

“Really. I holler in abject terror. All my brothers come rushing in to make sure I’m okay. It’s downright embarrassing.”

She winks, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. “Well, the offer for the makeover still stands.” She pauses. “If you really want me to.”

“A makeover, huh? Might take you a few weeks to get an unhewn fella like me gussied up. You sure you feel up to the task?”

“Well, I’m only staying a night, remember?”

I really should shut myself up faster, because a makeover would probably require her touching me, standing close, maybe even brushing against me with those tits…

I shake that thought from my head, then I nod. “Right. So we probably wouldn’t have enough time.”

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