Page 5 of Mountain Captive

“Why not?”

“I just... I’m not interested in a relationship.”

“Neither am I,” he said.

“Why not?” She hadn’t meant to say the words out loud, but seriously, the man was gorgeous. A doctor. He appeared to have a decent personality.

“I’m a trauma surgeon. I have a terrible schedule. I can’t even get a dog, my hours are so unpredictable. Any woman in my life invariably ends up feeling neglected and resenting me.”

“Then why ask me out? I don’t do one-night stands either.”

That little barb didn’t faze him. “Everyone can use a friend,” he said gently.

She hugged her arms across her chest. “You don’t want to be friends with me.”

“Why not?”

“I come with a lot of baggage.”

He laughed. A loud, hearty guffaw. The sound elicited a sharp rebuke from Harley.

“It’s okay,” Rand said to the dog. He crouched and offered his hand for the dog to sniff. Harley approached cautiously, then allowed Rand to pet his sleek side.

Chris glared at him. “What’s so funny?”

“Show me a person over twenty who doesn’t have baggage, and I’ll show you someone not worth knowing,” he said. “Come on. Have a burger and a beer with me.”

The offer tempted her, if only for the chance to have an evening outside her own head. She took a step back. “No. I think you need to leave now.”

She expected him to argue, to turn charming or pleading. Instead, he only stood and took a card from his wallet and offered it to her.

She stared at it but didn’t take it. He laid it on the table beside the sofa. “That’s my number, if you need anything.” He shrugged. “In case that guy shows up, for instance.”

“What are you going to do if he does?”

“I could probably persuade him to leave you alone.”

From anyone else, the words might have come across as a brag. From Rand, they rang true. He wasn’t an overly big man, but he had a wiry strength, and the attitude of someone who wouldn’t back down from a fight. “Thanks,” she said. “But I’ll be fine.”

He nodded and left, letting himself out and shutting the door softly behind him. She locked up, then leaned against the paneled surface of the door. If Rand could find her so easily, Jedediah could too. The thought ought to have renewed the terror she’d felt earlier, but instead, the idea annoyed her. She had told her mother the truth when she said she was tired of running away. Jedediah had been powerful and threatening when she had known him before, capable of hurting her. But she wasn’t a child anymore. And she knew the truth behind the lies he and others had told. She didn’t have to keep running. She could stay and resist.

This time, she might even win.

Chapter Three

The parking lot at Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue headquarters was full by the time Rand pulled in Thursday evening. He had just had time to grab a quick shower and a sandwich before leaving for this first training meeting. His adrenaline was still revved when he stepped into the cavernous garage-like space and studied the group arranged in an assortment of chairs and old furniture angled toward the front of the room.

He spotted a few faces familiar to him from the previous Saturday’s rescue, but found himself searching for Chris. He spotted her in a far corner, at one end of a sofa, her dog, Harley, at her feet. He took the empty seat beside her. “Hello,” he said.

She eyed him coolly. “Hey.”

Harley approached and Rand petted the dog. He wanted the animal to trust him, even if his mistress didn’t. “How are you?” he asked.

“Fine.”

She wasn’t exactly unfriendly, just...guarded. Which only made him want to break through her reserve more. “I saw some of your paintings at a restaurant in town,” he said. “I really like your work.”

“They’re all for sale.”

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