Page 49 of Mountain Man Daddy

“No,” she answered with a tremor in her voice. “I’m not ready.”

“This is hard for me too, Avery. It’s not like I have a lot of trust in people now, especially cops, but we must do this. I’ll give you time. We’ll wait a few days, but you can’t keep living like this and Alex, or Peter, no matter how much of an asshole, needs to be put to rest.”

“You promise not to do anything behind my back? You’ll give me the time I need?”

“I will.” He leaned forward and kissed her head. “Now, I think I’m ready for a snack, and I know exactly the thing you need to get your mind off this for now.”

* * *

When she woke groggily to Mike’s voice outside, she was disoriented. She sat up, naked from a night spent in his arms, and threw on one of his flannel shirts. She padded to the kitchen in search of coffee and then him. It was eight o’clock, but they’d stayed up late playing cards, talking about their lives, and exploring each other’s bodies. She told him more about growing up in Iowa, and he told her about his family and several amusing stories of his teen years including that he found out he was adopted when he was looking for booze in his dad’s desk. They’d laughed, and she’d cried as they talked into the wee hours. It had been a special night for her. She’d never had that before.

She poured two cups of coffee and went to the door to slip on his shoes. Coffee on the porch watching the mountain come awake sounded like the perfect way to rouse, especially with the sun bright and the birds chirping.

Mike and two uniformed men stood outside on the lawn near his chopping block. Mike’s face pulled into a tight scowl and his hands gesturing wildly. As he pointed toward the cabin, the men turned to look, and she ducked just in time. They looked equally unhappy. Coffee splattered on her feet, seeping through Mike’s shoes, and she whispered a curse. New Brunswick cops? Theirs weren’t like the black RCMP uniforms or Riley’s though, but they had guns and tactical belts, so they were obviously officers. Why were they there? Suddenly her mind flickered back to the moose on the road and the words that rang out in her head all those weeks ago sounded again.Don’t be like Alex and take another innocent with you.

She set the mugs on the floor and crawled to the kitchen.

They had to be there to arrest her. Mike couldn’t stop them, and knowing him he’d try. She didn’t want him arrested too. And look at what she’d turned his life into. She wiped her watering eyes. His quiet mountain—his secluded life was crawling with federal and provincial cops, and quite likely murderers as well. She loved this man, and she’d ruined his life, and no matter how much he said he was ready for the trouble she brought to his mountain, it was selfish of her to let him take on her burdens.

Her heart slammed against her ribs, and air whooshed in her ears. She couldn’t be the reason Mike went to jail. And she couldn’t take away the peace he’d worked so hard to achieve. Avery loved him too much. Panic coursed through her and she nabbed his jacket off the chair and crawled to the bedroom. There was no time to look for supplies, but she grabbed her purse out of his wardrobe. She lifted the window slowly so it wouldn’t make noise, popped the screen, and climbed out.

Cougar or not, police or not, Moe and Eddie or not, she had to make a run for it. For a moment, her bottom tingled at the memory of his discipline when she’d taken off before, both times, but this time she wasn’t running from him. She was runningforhim. He’d have to understand that, and shedidhave the gun.

This time when she made her escape, she walkedupthe mountain, instead of down it. It would take longer going up and then down the other side to get to town, but there was less chance of running into anyone who wanted to sniff around by the wreck. She’d been walking for twenty minutes, obsessing and mourning both the loss of Mike and the return of the nomadic life she’d hated when she heard the rustle of a bush behind her. Her heart was in her throat when she spun, jamming her hand in her purse for the gun, but remaining empty-handed. Her eyes widened, expecting the cat, but saw Rocky instead. She exhaled in relief. He chuffed, fell onto the ground, and rolled on his back like a dog.

“Rocky, you scared the hell out of me.” The bear got up and lumbered toward her, snuffling wetly in her outstretched palm as she riffled through her bag for the gun. Mike must have taken it.Shit!She reached to pat Rocky’s head, looking around nervously, but taking a moment to scratch behind his ears and comb her fingers through his thick, bristly fur. As comforted by his presence as she was, he shouldn’t be with her.

“Go back to Mike, Rocky. He needs you.” The bear groaned and nudged her legs, almost knocking her down. “Fine, but don’t blame me when you can’t find your way back.”

She began climbing again, and the bear followed. She felt safer with Rocky since the cougar had already proven she didn’t want to tangle with him, but she figured he’d turn back soon enough. She’d watched him and Mike enough to know they wouldn’t leave each other for long.

After a particularly steep section of the mountain, Avery stopped to catch her breath. She took out the binoculars in Mike’s coat and looked down at the cabin. Smoke puffed out of the stack on the top, and she saw the solar panels that gave him electricity. He wasn’t outside now, at least from what she could see. Had they gone inside to get her? Her heart blipped at the thought.

She scanned the land around the cabin. She should be moving. It would probably take all day to get to town, and the temperature dropped at night. But there was a sinking in her gut. Not only did she miss Mike intensely but she suddenly doubted her decision.

She had promised to trust him and wasn’t accepting his decision to help, protect, and be with her, part of that? He’d never decide something like that lightly. He was her daddy, and she was his little girl and her running, even for the right reasons, was wrong—she had essentially given him consent to make their decisions, and by leaving for him she was deciding for him. Taking away that control was like reneging on their unspoken commitment to each other. If she was hurt, caught on the run, or captured by Alex’s killers, he’d feel responsible because he’d made himself her protector.God, how could she be so stupid? After what he’d been through with Ella, that would kill him.

“Come on, Rocky. We’re going back.” The bear ousted himself out of the bush and followed her.

She started to run, and Rocky barreled ahead of her. She didn’t stand a chance of keeping up with him, but she was okay with that. A shot rang out, and she dropped, rolling down the mountain with the momentum of her pace. The sound echoed in her ears, and she was confused by both the sound coming from behind her and Rocky falling in front of her. She screamed and scrambled toward the bear’s unmoving form, ignoring the pain of sticks and stones digging into her knees.

“No! You shot him! He’s not a wild bear, he’s Rocky!” She looked back at the man in hunting attire, aware of the ridiculousness of her words, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered is that he didn’t shoot again. Just as she got to the bear, a tug on the back of her jacket yanked her to her feet.

“I don’t think so, missy.” She was jostled around to face the hunter, or rather, Henry. At first, she thought he’d shot the bear to save her from a wild creature, but there was a cruelty in his features that made her gut roll. There was an ugliness to him that wasn’t physical, and she wondered if it had been there yesterday and how she hadn’t noticed it.

“Henry?” She glanced back at the bear, still confused. “Why?”

He smiled politely and released her. “I apologize for the abruptness.” He shoved his weapon into his belt.

“Why did you kill my bear?” She was still shocked and confused. His brow shot up at her question. “That bear, although not yours, would surely have ripped me to shreds had I not taken him down. I’m an acquaintance of Michael Hunter, Avery.” He gestured down the mountain toward the cabin. “I’m afraid he’s rather indisposed right now, and that’s my fault, but it was necessary. Don’t worry though. Michael is quite capable, and your husband doesn’t stand a chance.”

“What?” Her brow wrinkled in confusion. How did he know her name? And what did he mean ‘her husband’? He handed her some binoculars. “Look for yourself.”

She ignored his outstretched hand holding the binoculars and pulled Mike’s out. She peered through them. Mike was standing with his hands raised. Another man stood across from him.A frigging ghost.Avery felt as if her blood was draining. Alex Donovan stood across from her daddy and was holding a gun.

She started to run again but was quickly yanked off her feet and landed with an oomph on the ground. She gasped for the air that had been knocked out of her.

“We’re going for a little trek here, and I expect you to cooperate, or things will get rather unpleasant.” He pulled her up to her feet. Letting go of the scruff of her jacket, he grabbed her hand instead. His grip was tight enough to hurt, but she ignored the pain.

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