Page 2 of Sheltered By the Mountain Man

“Right. Motherly lecture over. You're welcome. I gotta go. Gideon needs me to hold his hand on something.”

I hear a few muttered curses in the background. There's a smile in Derek's voice when he says, “Send me copies of the agreements.”

“You got it.”

“And Mason? Keep in touch. If I have to come up there to make sure you're okay, I'll kick your ass.”

My chest warms. Yeah, I love these guys as if they were blood brothers. “Okay, mom. I promise to call you and Aunt Gideon soon.”

Derek laughs, and we disconnect the call.

A woman is not in the cards for me. I know that. Especially sweet little things like the one from the bank. Keeping up with these guys, that's doable. I grab my coat and Nitro's leash, opening the front door. Those clouds are definitely darker. “Come on, boy. It's going to have to be a short walk. There's a storm coming, and I have to make sure there's enough firewood to keep your fuzzy ass warm.”

Nitro jumps up and runs to my side, tail wagging. His nose twitches as he sniffs the air, and his eyebrows go up when he looks at me.

“I know. That's why you have to get your business done.”

The German Shepherd trots down the steps of my small front porch and circles the house to his favorite spot out near the treeline. I bring the leash, even though I've never needed it. Nitro is well-trained. He picks a spot to do his business, still sniffing the air.

There's a crispness to the day that's invigorating. The trees have fresh growth, and a few flowers are attempting to brave the frost lingering in early spring. The air's clean. Soothing. I let the peace of the forest seep into my soul, hoping it eventually dulls my ragged edges. Maybe it will, but I doubt it. There's something missing. For all the quiet of the forest and the days without traffic and people and conflict... it's not enough. Some part of me isn't whole.

Nitro's nose is back to the ground, sniffing as he runs along the edge of the woods.

“All done?” I ask him. Looks like I need to split more wood. What I have now should be enough to get us through the storm, but I like to have more chopped just in case. I don't have many neighbors up here, but if anyone needed anyth—

Nitro's ears go up and his body leans forward. In a flash, he launches into the woods. Something large pushes through the bush, snapping twigs and branches as it goes. Nitro growls, letting out a sharp couple of barks as he chases.

“Dammit, dog! We don't have time for this.” The clouds are darker by the second, and he's rushing off after what? A deer? He sees them all the time up here.

Muttering a few more curses, I run after him. I can't leave my boneheaded dog out during an intense Pacific storm. From what Ezra told me, they can have high winds and drop loads of snow or rain in a short period. He could get hurt or trapped out here.

“Nitro!” His trail heads deeper into the forest. If he hears me, he's ignoring me. “I should have gotten a cat!” I yell after him.

He yips in excitement, sounding closer.

“Come on, buddy!” Branches slap at my jacket as I push through the dense forest and up a slope. In the distance, I heara rumble of thunder. The temperature is dropping. The fucking storm is here a day early, and my dog is going for a walkabout. I stumble into a clearing in time to see my dog's tail disappear into the brush on the other side.

“Nitro!” I push for more speed and charge after him. From now on, he's going on a leash for every walk. Fuck, I must have dropped it somewhere. Hopefully, it's in the yard at the house. I'm going to buy ten more as soon as I'm home.

My dog finally hears my grumbling and stops at the top of another slope, looking back at me. He tilts his head, his ears perked, as if he's surprised I'd catch up.

“What were you chasing? A deer?” I yell as I stomp closer. “You could get hurt out here.”

He sits, tail wagging slowly, waiting for me. He looks... proud of himself.

I blow out a hard breath and approach slower, afraid he'll bolt again if he realizes how irritated I am. “There you go, good boy. Stay.”

Nitro bobs his head and paws the ground, wagging his tail harder.

“What is that?” I frown. “Is that a boot print?” I take the last few steps, reaching for his collar as I crouch to get a better look. The worn tread leans heavier on one side. But just the one set, heading away from the trail. Odd. Hikers usually—

The ground shifts out from under my foot.

Whatever Nitro was trying to show me is lost as the embankment we're on gives way. I release his collar and grab for the branch of the nearest tree. It snaps in my hand.

Then I'm falling.

I hit the ground hard in a shower of dirt and debris, somersaulting once and landing hard on my hands and knees. I slide another ten feet, rolling, and land on my back. Nitro is barking like mad, an edge of panic in his yips.

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