Page 27 of A Mountain Man Christmas

It was Tristan. The men holding Lyla raised their weapons, but he moved like lightning. A moment later, both men lay sprawled in the snow.

Tristan marched over to Angus, grabbing him by the coat. Fear shone visibly in the village chief’s eyes.

“Touch her again,” Tristan snarled, “and I just might kill someone.”

He let go of Angus, who sank back onto the pile like a sack of potatoes.

Lyla gazed around. Angus’s men were all scattered about in the snow, either unconscious or groaning in pain. Her eyes landed on Tristan, who looked murderous. The second he met her gaze, his expression softened.

“Let’s get out of here,” he told her. “We need to keep moving.”

***

By the time they stopped to rest, the sun had begun its descent below the horizon. They paused by a tree, panting with exhaustion and relief.

The sunlight cast an orange tinge across Tristan’s face as he stared at her, his dark eyes searching. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You must be—”

“Tired,” she finished for him. “Yeah, I am.”

“I was going to sayhurt.” He was at her side in an instant, cupping her jaw in one hand. A shiver traveled through Lyla’s body as his heated gaze traveled from her forehead to her neck. “You’ve got a few cuts and bruises.”

The dismay in his voice nearly stopped her heart. Slowly, she nodded. “I think I am injured under my coat, too. I didn’t even notice until now.”

Not all of her injuries had come from the skirmish with Angus and his men, she realized. Her little interaction with the big bad wolf from last night had caused a lot of cuts and bruises. She’d been so determined not to end up as the wolf’s dinner that she’d barely felt anything. Now she did—dull aches and pains in different parts of her body.

Was it just her, or did guilt flash across Tristan’s face?

He let go of her, and she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “You must be injured, too,” she said.

Tristan shrugged. He glanced through the woods behind them. “They should be far behind us now.”

“With the injuries you gave them,” Lyla replied, “I’d be surprised if they still bothered to chase us.”

“They will. I attacked Angus and probably wounded him. The next time he finds us, he won’t bother taking us back to Elron. Angus wants blood, and he’s not going to stop until he gets his wish.”

Images flickered through her mind: Tristan knocking Angus down away from her. Tristan picking Angus up.

Tristan with a ferocious look on his face.

Touch her again, and I just might kill someone.

“What are you grinning about?”

She blinked, heat rising to her cheeks. “What? Nothing.”

He stared at her for a moment, which did nothing to settle the warm flutter that had arisen in her belly.

“We need to get to my sister’s as soon as possible. Hopefully, she’ll give us sanctuary.”

Hopefully?“Whatisthe deal with your sister, anyway?” she wanted to know. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. “You never did tell me.” A thought occurred to her, and she decided to back down. “I guess it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”

They sat in silence for the next few seconds—or was it minutes?

Tristan broke it first. “My sister hates me.”

She frowned. “Whatever for?”

“She blames me for the death of our brother, Jason.”

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