Page 61 of Mountain Man Daddy

“Aspecificbear.”

“Oh, my God!Rocky? Are you saying Rocky’s alive?” She clutched Mike’s shirt with her fists and pulled him close. “Please tell me he is!”

“That bloody bear ran me right up a tree and sat there all night, daring me to come down.”

Avery’s hand found her mouth and her eyes welled, both tears of joy and laughter bursting from her simultaneously.

“And I held him there with this.” Annie walked in with a shotgun propped over her shoulder. “No hoodlum’s gonna get his hands on my Yukon Jill.”

Alex started thumping something beneath them, and Annie walked over, dropped the hatch, and pointed the shotgun at the hole. She looked back at Avery.

“I’m sorry, Yukon Jill. I didn’t know you had your hands full in here. I shoulda left Rocky on duty and checked on you.” She peeked back down into the cellar. “Shut your damn pie hole, or I’ll shut it for you.” She yanked the door closed with a thud and twisted the lock. “Can’t hear myself think. Trying to tell a story here,” she muttered to herself. Mike chuckled before he spoke. “I found them this morning,” Mike said, nodding his head toward Riley and Annie. “Rocky had no wounds. Just a little tranq dart stuck in his ass and Annie, well, she had nothing wrong with her either unless you count that scowl on her face.” He beamed at Annie.

“Oh, thank God!” Avery said and rushed to hug Annie. When she let her go, Riley spoke. “I kept telling her I was a cop, but she didn’t believe me,” Riley huffed.

Annie snorted and set the gun down beside her like a walking stick. “I’ve seen better fake badges out of cereal boxes, boy.”

“I thought you’d been eating oatmeal your whole life?” Avery challenged. Annie guffawed and waved off her comment. “I think my work’s done here.” She looked closer at Avery. “You okay, Yukon Jill?”

She nodded. “I’m better than okay, Annie. Thank you.” Mike put his arm around her shoulders. “You can thank me by helping me with my garden later this week. For now, I’m going home. Damn geese’ll be having a fit with the rooster crowing for his breakfast. Gerdy hates that ol’ bird.”

Riley went to the bathroom while Mike walked Annie to the porch. Avery put on a pot of coffee, her mind on Prescott. Was it finally over?

Mike came up behind her and put his arms around her waist just as the coffee started to drip.

“Tell me what happened. You caught him?” she asked and Mike led her to the couch, sitting first and pulling her into his lap. Then he told her everything.

“He was your brother?”

“Honestly, I don’t know if there’s any truth to what he told me, although my gut says there is, but I don’t want to know. I’m just glad it’s finally over.”

Mike looked to the kitchen when he heard the muffled yelling start up again. “Care to explain that?” He looked at Avery with a lifted brow.

“I caught something too,” she said with a grin. Mike’s mouth twisted.

“A douchebag,” Avery blurted and Mike’s face split into a huge grin and he kissed her.

“Let’s have a look-see.” Mike went to the kitchen, opened the hatch, and peered down. “We’ve got a rat, I see.”

“A big one.”

Mike left the hatch open and went back to Avery.

“Seems the whole family had a successful hunt tonight…” Riley walked out of the bathroom just as he spoke. “Even Rocky.” Mike chuckled at Riley’s disgruntled expression. “Sorry, buddy. He apparently doesn’t like strangers hanging around his master’s girl.”

Avery leaned close and whispered, “Ooh, am I the master’s girl?”

He growled, covered her cheeks with his big hands, and kissed her hard. His lips found her ear.

“Nope, you’re Daddy’s little girl,” he whispered back. “One in need of a spanking.” He pulled back and winked, and she felt her face burn. Her stomach flipped at the thought of being over his knee.

“Among other things. Many other delicious things,” Mike added out loud and shot a look over his shoulder at Riley. “Things our mountain’s way too crowded for currently.”

Riley cleared his throat and stared at the noisy floor.

“Any chance you want me to get rid of the rat in your cellar? Sounds like a big one.”

Avery laughed, loving the description. She was no mouse, but he was definitely a rat.

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