Page 5 of The Mountain Man's Girl

Gross. I’m not going down on him. He was hiking all day yesterday, and I’m sure he was sweating between his legs. Besides, he doesn’t deserve it. He can take care of himself with his grimy hands. Or go see if Kelsey will suck him off. I’m sure she’ll be more than willing to bow down.

“I didn’t sleep last night, Carter.” It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth. Every sound kept me awake and made me nervous. Not to mention all the snoring. All three of them sounded like a choir of sputtering engines, drawing any native, or wild animal right to our location. “I want to get some coffee, take in some fresh air, and enjoy the view before we head back down.”

“We’re not going back down,” he grunts. “We’re going farther up.”

What? Since when?He told me we would be walking downhill today. There’s no way I’m going farther up the mountain. I saw another private property sign when I went off to do my business after dinner, so I know we shouldn’t be here. With three signs nailed to trees, I fail to believe it’s a prank. Someone went to a lot of trouble to mark their property.

“But this is private land, Carter.” For the fiftieth freaking time.

“If anyone was out here, they would’ve come out and shooed us away last night, but they didn’t, did they? We’re fine. Private property or not, they’re never going to know we were even here.And it’s not like we’re harming anything. We’re taking all our trash with us.”

They may not know we were here, but we may get harmed. I’m not really interested in being sacrificed to some moon god by a native and become the next ghost whispering on the wind.

“I still think we should air on the safe side and go back down. I’m sure there are tons of beautiful spots on a different mountain.” Though, I have no interest in climbing another trail for hours today. The thought actually makes me want to cry. It’s breathtaking out here. Quiet and peaceful, but the backpack—and the people I’m with—definitely detract from the experience. I think this will be my maiden and final voyage. Backpacking is definitely not my jam, and neither is Carter.

“We’re not going down. We’re going up.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not going that way.” I reach for the zipper of the tent and crawl out, finding myself faced with Kelsey’s nasty glare.

“Don’t be stubborn, Tarryn,” Carter calls out, sounding pissed. He’s really not who I thought he was. “You’ll never make it back by yourself. You’ll get lost.” Then he should be a good boyfriend and come with me.

“You’re being such a fucking buzzkill,” says the girl who was supposed to be my friend. She’s proven in the last twenty-four hours that she is not a girls’ girl. Friends don’t try to steal their friends’ boyfriends.

“And you’re being such a bitch.” I’m done with her walking all over me. We’ll see how much she likes a taste of her own medicine. By the offended look on her face, I can tell she doesn’t care for it so much.

“You’re killing the whole vibe, Tarryn,” Carter snaps as he climbs from the tent, defending the one who is not his girlfriend. I think they may be perfect for each other. “This was supposed to be a fun trip, but you’re making it miserable.”I’m makingit miserable?I beg to differ. This giant backpack and these two meanies are the ones making it miserable.

“All we need to do is go a different way. That’s all I’m asking.” This mountain range is huge, and I’m sure there are plenty of other spots just as beautiful.

“You said you were up for an adventure,” he argues, still unbending.

“Yeah, but I never said I was up for trespassing on someone’s land. Now, can we pick a different route?”

Or just put an end to this entire trip right now, because I’m done. With all of it. And with him.

“No. We’re going this way. If you want to go back, fine, suit yourself. But the rest of us are going up.” Carter turns and starts packing up the gear. His decision is final, and he’s not even going to consider my opinion. If he thinks I’d want to date him after dismissing me like this, he’s delusional.

His two minions follow suit, both narrowing their eyes on me as they tear down the tents. Kelsey bumps into my arm, looking smug. She’s happy Carter sided with her. I look back down the trail, wondering if I could make it back on my own. But even if I did manage to find my way down, how would I get home? Carter drove, and there’s no way he’ll give me the keys to his truck. And I doubt Uber even exists out here.

Dread sinks my stomach. I have no choice. I turn, reaching for my heavy pack and begin shoving all my stuff inside. I didn’t even get my coffee.

They’re all geared up, the silence still thick between us. Them versus me. They turn to start hiking up the mountain, and I look back down the trail one last time, wishing I’d never come on this trip. I turn and start trudging up after them, already struggling to catch up. Watching my every step so I don’t fall. I don’t need to give them any more reason to be annoyed with me.

“You should’ve listened to her.”

My head snaps up at the sound of the deep voice. There’s a giant of a man blocking our path, holding a shotgun in his hands. If it weren’t for his eyes, I’d think I was staring at bigfoot. The guy has to be at least six and a half feet tall, and his chin is covered in hair. His muscles look like they were carved from stone, like he’s straight out of the cavemen era. Maybe he is.

“Like the girl said, this is private property, and you’re trespassing on my land. Do you make it a habit of not following authority?”

I freaking told them, but they didn’t listen. And now look. Some crazed man is going to murder us. I should’ve told my dad where I was going. He’s not going to know where to look for my body. And by the time he realizes I’m missing, the birds will have eaten my corpse.

“You can’t own a mountain.” Carter crosses his arms, acting ignorant again. He’s the stupid one, going up against a madman with a gun. “It’s part of a national forest.”

“You aren’t very smart, are you, boy?” the beast grits through his teeth, narrowing his rigid brow right on my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. Carter needs to keep his mouth shut. He should be apologizing and turning around to leave. He should be telling the man he’ll never do it again, but instead, he’s facing off with the guy who is easily twice his size in strength and a foot taller.

“We’re sorry,” I sputter out.

The giant’s head cocks to the side and nowI’mcaught under his scrutiny. His dark eyes are locked on me for what feels like an eternity. I think my body is shaking. I’ve never been so terrified in all my life. He looks like he might be certifiably crazy. A really good-looking crazy man.

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