Page 9 of Mountain Boss

Relief crashesinto me so hard I nearly collapse.

I’m staying.

I suck in a breath.

I get to stay.

Pressing the tip of my thumb into the tip of my pointer finger at my side, I school my features.

I’m a professional.

“Thank you.” I heave out the words. “You won’t regret this.”

Mr. Black grunts, indicating that he already does.

“Can you show me to the Bunk House?” I prompt when he continues to stare at me.

His intense glare makes me want to look away, but if I do that, I know my eyes will drop to his exposed chest, so I hold his gaze.

“I already told you. You’re not staying in the Bunk House.” He turns away from me. “You’ll be staying over here. Alone.”

With that ominous statement, Mr. Black starts walking.

I press my lips together to keep from saying something under my breath and hurry to follow.

Our footsteps are out of sync, sounding loud in the quiet, and it reminds me of those two men I saw earlier.

I have no idea where they went, but I suspect they didn’t go far.

Jogging a few steps, I catch up to my boss’s long stride, then keep pace behind him.

He’s heading for the big cabin, the one I watched him exit when I first pulled up.

He wouldn’t…

No. There’s no way he’ll try to make me stay in there. With him.

Right?

I mean, maybe there are extra rooms in that house, but he came out half dressed. He has to live there.

Maybe there’s a Mrs. Black in there too?

And he said he had a Bunk House for his employees.

There’s no way he would have me sleep in his home rather than the employee building.

Before I can spiral further, he turns away from where those other men were walking, off the other side of the driveway.

I’m gonna need a damn map of this place.

I watch my step as we go, avoiding the occasional tree root that sticks up through the packed dirt.

“This is you.” Mr. Black gestures as he comes to a stop.

I lift my eyes from the ground and find that we’re stopped in front of a cute little cabin.

It’s the same mahogany brown as the other buildings I’ve seen. Same rectangular windows with the trim painted a forest green.

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