Page 17 of My Surly Valentine

As we drive toward the ski resort, I reach out and squeeze her hand. “I should warn you, we might get a few funny looks. Nobody has ever seen me with a lovely young lady on my arm before.”

“Or smiling, apparently.” She squeezes my hand back and gives me a look. “The woman in the bookstore seemed interested to see you doing that.”

Shit. I knew she was going to hear about it anyway, but I wish it hadn’t started so soon.

“I really don’t want to discuss this today, but some things happened in the past that put me in a dark mood for a long time. I’m snapping out of it, though. Can we leave it at that for now?”

“Sure.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes.”

We pull into the lot, and my mood suddenly lifts again. I’m about to walk into a crowded room with the most beautiful girl in the world.

I park and start to get out of the truck to walk around and help Hazel down. Before I can even reach for the handle of my door, hers is being opened.

“There’s my girl! Thanks so much for getting a ride with one of the locals. You must be as excited for this dinner as I am.”

A scrawny man in a suit grabs her by the waist, setting her on her feet.

Another man is touching my girl.

Even worse, instead of being outraged, she seems to be cringing.

As if she expected this to happen.

11

HAZEL

There’s probably a fancy, super-long German word meaning “the feeling of hoping something wouldn’t happen but kind of being afraid that it might”. And another for “the way your blood runs cold when it takes place”.

They’ve got long words for everything.

“It’s wonderful to see you, Hazel.” Fern’s smile is a bit too wide, like it always is when he’s networking.

This is awful. There’s no way that Axton is going to believe that I didn’t ask Fern to come here.

His hands are still around my waist. Gross. I adjust my coat and purse as I step back, wondering if Axton has noticed. I’m not positive he’s the possessive type, but given how single-minded he seems to be, my guess would be yes.

All I can do is hope that he doesn’t act like too much of a caveman. If that got back to Dad, he might call in the freaking National Guard to rescue me, or some other dramatic crap.

I can feel Axton approaching from my left as he walks around the truck. I glance over, almost audibly gasping when I see the hard, dangerous look in his eyes. Somehow, I already know thatthis is closer to his usual expression when I’m not around. It says he is walking, talking trouble, and not to be trifled with.

Swallowing hard, I try to smile slightly. “I thought I told Dad we should reschedule for next month when the weather is better.”

Fern shrugs. “I’m not a patient man. I’m sure you know that by now.”

My left ear picks up a low mutter that might have been, “Not a man at all, for fuck’s sake.”

“Fern, I’d like you to meet…” Axton steps closer, towering over Fern by four or five inches. It’s not just the height. It’s the width. The bulk. The sheer size of my mountain man.

Not to mention the way his mouth has settled into a grimace, the tightness of his square jaw, and the imposing, raw power emanating from him.

He grabs Fern’s hand. Hopefully he doesn’t crush it, although Fern definitely winces. “Axton Turner. Yes, Hazel told me about her…father’s friend’s son.” He spits the words out as if they taste like dirt.

Fern’s eyes are huge as he looks back and forth between the two of us and watches Axton slowly place his hand on my lower back in an intimate gesture that suggests we’re together.

---