Page 14 of A Mountain Man Christmas

He stopped in his tracks, pointing at a large, snow-covered boulder ten feet away. Beyond it, further down the mountain, she could make out more trees, even denser than the woods she’d been in yesterday.

He took his time searching for a smaller rock, tossing his options aside before finally holding up a jagged rock nearly the size of her head.

“This will do,” he said with a slight grin.

“I’m not sure I like that gleam in your eyes,” she said warily.

“I’m about to get my freedom,” was all he said.

With that, he held up his shackled hand and placed it against the boulder, forcing her to do the same. Lyla kept her wrist as far away from his as she could as he positioned the jagged rock to strike.

Tristan heaved with all his might.

Clink!

She blinked. “It didn’t work.”

“I can see that.” He scowled, his jaw clenching as he struck again.

Clink!The chain linking their wrists remained intact, with barely a scratch on it.

“Uh…I don’t think that rock is doing any damage.”

He cursed, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he brought the rock down again.

Clink!

“Jeez, you really are desperate to get away, aren’t you?”

Clink! Clink!This time, the rock came precariously close to her wrist.

“Careful with that! Are you hoping you’ll miss the chain and hit me?”

“Shut up, or I just might miss,” Tristan snapped. With a groan of frustration, he tossed the rock aside. “It’s not working.”

“Yeah, I think I figured that out like three attempts ago.” She lifted her cuffed wrist. “Looks like you’re stuck with me a little longer, Mr. Mountain Man.”

“You think this is funny?”

“Trust me, I’m enjoying being handcuffed to you just as much as you are,” she assured him. “We’ll have to figure out some other way to get these cuffs off.”

“Yes. In the meantime, I need to keep moving. I must get to Ariadne before…” He seemed to rethink whatever he’d been about to say. “I won’t allow anything or anyone to stop me, especially not you.”

Lyla groaned inwardly. “Fingers crossed; I won’t be legally insane by the time we take off these cuffs.”

***

“Who’s Ariadne?”

“She’s my sister,” came the hushed reply.

“Oh.” Lyla frowned. “How come you don’t live in the same village?”

“Shh!”

“I’m just saying. It seems a bit weird. Suspicious, even. I mean—”

“Are you trying to starve us both to death?”

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