Page 56 of Shared By the Mountain Men

“I’ll bet you were,” he muttered.

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he muttered, taking another swig of whiskey.

The grumpy tabby jumped up into Jack’s lap, kneaded with his claws for a moment, then curled into a ball and fell asleep. I stared at the cat, then looked up at Jack with a grin.

“Don’t,” he warned.

“Seems like the cats like you,” I said casually. “Like you’re more than just the guy that puts food out for them.”

“I mostly ignore the cats, which apparently draws them to me,” he said dryly. “That doesn’t mean I like them.”

“Sure,” I said doubtfully. “What did you mean just now? When you saidI’ll bet you were?”

Jack looked down at the cat in his lap, took another pull of liquor, then slid the bottle back at me like he was done with it. “What are you and Noah doing?”

I gave a start. “If you want the steamy details, you’ll have to ask him.”

He shook his head in annoyance. “I don’t want the fucking details. I mean what are you doing with him? What are you trying to get out of this?”

“Why do you think I’m trying to get something out of it?”

“Because that’s how the world works.”

“I don’t want anything.”

“Bullshit,” he replied.

“I’m serious. It’s just a fun little fling until my ankle heals. It doesn’t have to mean anything. As soon as I start my hike again, it’ll be over.”

But even as the words left my tongue, it didn’t feel like the truth.

“How soon until your ankle is healed?”

I extended my leg and flexed my foot. “However long it takes for me to move it like this without pain. Noah says a few more days, a week at most. Why? Eager to get me out of that cabin?”

“It’s not about the cabin.”

“Because if you want to rent it out to customers, I can leave…”

“I don’t give ashitabout the cabin!” he snapped.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Then what is it about?”

“Noah doesn’t know how to docasual. And I don’t want you hurting him.”

Hearing that gave me a thrill of excitement, but I tamped it down. “Noah is a grown man. He knows our fling has an expiration date.”

“What the head knows, and what the heart feels, are completely different things.” He leaned forward in the chair, arms flexing in the porch light. “Don’t you fucking hurt him, Melissa.”

“Excuse me?” I shot back. “You seem a little too obsessed with what I’m doing.”

“I care about my friend.”

“Is that it? Your friend? Or is it something else?”

His eyes flared with anger. “What are you implying?”

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