Page 76 of Mountain Boss

Oh right.

Without thinking, I bend over and grab my clothes.

Those big hands leave my back and grip my hips. “Christ, woman. Do you have no survival instincts?”

Chapter 54

Sterling

I give her hips a squeeze,and Courtney straightens up, her clothes in her arms.

“Sorry.” Her apology is a huff as she turns in my hold to face me. “Not all of us are survivalists or whatever.”

“I don’t need you to be asurvivalist or whatever,but I do need you to survive.”

Her stance changes. From defiant to defeated.

And I fucking hate it.

“What just happened?” I shift closer.

She shakes her head, her braids bumping against her shoulders.

I reach out and loosely grip one of those braids, slowly dragging my hand down the length like I’ve wanted to since I first saw them.

I open my mouth to demand she tell me what she’s thinking.

“Hey! Everything okay?” Fisher shouts from somewhere in the dark.

I let the braid slip from my grip. “Go to bed, Courtney.”

Without responding, she rushes past me, disappearing into the night just as Fisher appears.

“Coulda sworn I heard someone scream,” Fisher says, looking around.

I bend to grab my flashlight and shotgun off the ground, confirmingCourtney’s lack of awareness since I’m certain she didn’t even notice the firearm. “Court had a run-in with a bear.”

“Oh shit,” Fisher breathes out. “She okay?”

I want to grip him by the front of the shirt and tell him thatsheis none of his fucking business. But instead, I let out a chuckle that I hope sounds convincing. “She scared herself as much as she scared the damn bear.”

Fisher shakes his head. “Sounds about right.”

I dip my chin. “Turn your flashlight on.”

I know he has one on him. All the guys do.

Then I look in the direction of the Laundry Cabin.

Not a survivalist, indeed.

Chapter 55

Courtney

My nerves are litup as we wait for the guests to arrive.

Talking to Cook this morning while I made the communal coffee, I found out that just two of the cabins will be in use tonight, but then there’s another group coming tomorrow. They’ll overlap some, and then they’ll all be gone by the end of the weekend.

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