Page 13 of A Mountain Man Christmas

Reluctantly, he settled back on the ground next to her, glowering into the darkness. It took him a few seconds to realize his fists were clenched at his sides. He’d thought his life had been headed downhill before, but ever since this woman crossed his path and tried to thwart his escape, the hill had gotten even steeper.

He couldn’t wait until morning. Then, they would break these shackles, and he would be free of her and able to move quickly. Then, he would not be so bothered by this irksome woman…or the sensations that filled his groin when she drew near.

Chapter Five

Detective Jensen, Bovine Dung Sniffer

One might imagine that being handcuffed to an alleged murderer would be enough to make someone keep one eye open all night.

Lyla slept like a frozen log.

It was with a gasp that she awoke the next morning, not shivering from the cold as she had the past couple of days, but because her arm was pressed uncomfortably behind her back. It took her drowsy brain a moment to notice the arm draped over her torso, wrapped around her back. The feeling of cold metal against her wrist reminded her that she was wearing a handcuff bracelet. Ah, yes. She’d slapped the bracelet onto her wrist yesterday after slipping the other on the wrist of…

Shit!

Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself staring into Tristan’s sleeping face.

It was his arm draped over her, she realized with a chill, wrapped almost protectively around her.

He does feel warm…the sleepy part of her brain thought.

But she was pretty sure her cuffed arm had fallen asleep behind her back.

“Hey—get off me!” she hissed, trying to shove him off her. She snapped her fingers before his face. “Tristan!”

His eyes flickered open then, black as his beard, and her heart nearly skipped a beat.

He’s not Theophilus Hill,she reminded herself.He’s just a more handsome, possibly less insane version of him.

Those dark eyes narrowed, and he immediately took his arm off her, although their wrists were still bound together. “You were shivering and muttering in your sleep. It was getting annoying, so I did what I could to help.”

“I didn’t need your help,” she snapped. “And I don’t need you holding me like that. It’s bad enough that I’m handcuffed to you.”

“And whose fault is that?” he countered swiftly.

Lyla’s face grew hot despite the chill that swept into the cave. “It doesn’t matter. We’re getting these cuffs off today. There’s more light now.”

She gestured toward the cave entrance, from where pale sunlight steaked in, affording her a better view of his face. He looked somewhat like Theophilus Hill, except the coldness in his eyes was missing. This man looked less like he took joy in slashing senior citizens to bits and more like he was considering retiring himself. A faint glint filled his eyes. She noticed a grey streak in his hair that she hadn’t noticed earlier. There was some grey in his beard, too. If she had to guess, he was somewhere in his fifties. Maybe fifty-two or fifty-three.

A very attractive fifty-three, she thought, then immediately gave herself a mental kick.

She let her gaze travel downward. He had on a large fur coat that was probably handmade. It was hard to imagine that anyone actuallylivedon this mountain, but here he was, undeniable proof of that. He was clearly a survivor. Amountain man.

It was from the same fur coat that he soon withdrew two packets of food for them to eat. More breakfast. Reluctantly, she took one from him and ate, deciding his cold meat was a better option than her protein bars. Besides, he hadn’t poisoned her.Yet.

They ate in silence, which Lyla was grateful for.

“We need to move,” Tristan said suddenly. “By now, Angus’s men will have continued their chase.”

“I wonder what they’ll do to you when they find you,” she teased.

If looks could kill, she’d be a cadaver in forensics by now.

They left the cave and continued traveling downhill. In the morning light, Lyla could see the expanse of the mountain before them: snow and trees and rocks and even more snow. It was infinite, Tristan had said. No way off.

Just perfect.

They traveled for a while before Tristan said, “Here.”

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