Page 2 of The Mountain Man's Siren

He disconnects the call and I lean against the backseat, feeling drained from the conversation. I didn’t realize my whole life could change in the blink of an eye.

“It’ll be alright,” Morgan says from her place in the front seat. “Your father’s been in worse scrapes before.”

I try to smile at her, but I can’t quite manage it. I wish my mom were still alive. She’d know what to say. She always found a way to soothe me. She never thought I talked too much or chided me for being too loud. She simply accepted me.

About halfway up the mountain, Morgan pulls the limo over. She makes a clucking sound. “The roads are too icy. We won’t get up there in this thing.”

We get out and she reaches for my suitcase, but I shake my head. “You should go back down while you can still get out. You said it was only half a mile further. I jog a couple miles on the treadmill every day. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

She hesitates. “Are you sure?”

“I want him to have as many of his friends around as possible,” I explain. Morgan might be dad’s driver, but more than that, there’s a deep friendship between them. She’s a part of our family and dad could probably use the support right about now.

Morgan gives me a quick hug before she gets back into the limo and reverses down the mountain.

As soon as she’s gone, an animal in the forest howls and a shiver goes down my spine. I grab my bags and start walking toward the cabin all the while praying that a wolf doesn’t eat me along the path.

Owen

I stepfrom the hot shower and sling a towel around my waist. Sleet knocks against the windowpanes of my remote cabin on Mount Bliss, making me wonder if I’ll have electricity in the coming snowstorm. It’s the first one of the season, and it’s predicted to be a whiteout.

Still, the generator and massive fireplaces in the living room and bedroom will keep me warm. I have a split second of longing for a woman to keep warm with. I dismiss the idea as quickly as it comes.

But someone up there must have been listening to my thoughts because when I step into my spacious bedroom, there is a woman nestled on my bed.

She’s curled up on her side, her honey blonde hair flowing across my pillow. Even in sleep she’s frowning, and I long to reach out and ease those frown lines. She’s underneath thecovers but her shoulders are bare, leaving me to wonder if she’s naked beneath my sheets.

Seeing her in my bed fills me with a sense of peace that I haven’t had in a long time and definitely don’t deserve.

Before I can figure out who she is or better yet how the hell she got in here, her eyelids flutter open.

She gazes at me sleepily for a moment before frowning and scrambling up into a sitting position. The blanket drops in her haste and I catch sight of her bare breasts, her pink puckered nipples making my mouth water.

“Who the hell are you?” She screeches as she tugs on the blanket, hiding my view of those beautiful tits. “Did you follow me? Oh, shit. I’ve seen this movie. The dumb blonde always goes into the basement. But I’m not in the basement so the hot mountain man shouldn’t be allowed to kill me.”

I cross my arms over my chest and scowl at her. “What the hell are you doing in my bed, Goldilocks?”

2

EVERLY

“What the hellareyoudoing here?” I demand, trying to add outrage to my tone and hoping it hides my fear. “This is my bedroom in the cabin my uncle rented. You’re a terrible host. You should at least knock before barging into a guest’s room.”

The ad my uncle texted me didn’t say anything about a hot mountain man being the host of this beautiful, massive cabin in the woods.

I wasn’t counting on seeing another human being for a few days. The thought of being alone in a remote location had kind of freaked me out. Until I saw this big, gruff man looming over me in nothing more than a towel. Now I’m freaked out for a different reason.

I grope beneath the sheets, trying to keep my movements small. Maybe if I can call Uncle Micah, he’ll get me out of here.

The mountain man’s expression changes from anger to grim disapproval. “Amos sent you, didn’t he? This is that fucker’s idea of a joke.”

“I don’t know an Amos,” I admit as I grab my phone. I glance away from him long enough to pull up the messages with my uncle.

“Well, you can tell him it’s very funny and I was quite amused. Now get the fuck out of my cabin and my life.” He points toward the bedroom door.

Tapping on the picture of the ad, I hold out my cellphone with shaky hands to the stranger. “See? I have a legal right to be here. My family rented your big cabin. I’m not some weird joke that your—who is Amos? It doesn’t matter. I’m not part of whatever weird game you two play. I’m just a guest for the week.”

He snatches the device from me then mutters another string of swear words. I don’t think I’ve ever met a man that cusses more than this one. Or that has a better six pack. He’s so rippled that I long to lean out and touch him. It’s a strange urge that has me suddenly aware that I’m naked under the sheets.

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