Page 13 of Married in Misty Mountain

“So you recognize me.”

“Of course. You still have those meaty hands and that bossy voice,” she snorts.

“You remember that from fifteen years ago?”

“Some people never change. Others of us move on.”

“Speaking of change, what the hell did you do to yourself, girl?”

Shenna sits up and looks down at me in the dark. “I take offense to that. I like my blonde hair.”

She’s got it all wrong. “Do whatever you want with your hair. Makes no difference to me. But you gotta take out those crazy colored contacts and lashes. You look insane.”

She’s quiet for a long time.

“You, of all people, should know just how dangerous it is when you leave…certain situations,” she whispers.

“I didn’t leave. They kicked me out. Remember?”

She fidgets the blankets. “I do remember that. And I’m sorry they did that to you. You were how old?”

“Sixteen.”

“Where did you go?”

I don’t know how much to tell her. I’m not proud of what I had to do to stay alive. But I don’t want to talk about that.

“Here and there. But tell me something. What the hell are you doing here, Shenna?”

“I’m on the run from my fiancé.”

It’s exactly as bad as I’d figured. I’d hoped it wasn’t the case, but I’ve heard many stories of would-be brides running away over the years. I knew Shenna was on the run as soon as I saw her fake contacts and dyed hair. Not to mention learning she had an alias.

“You’re safe here in Misty Mountain. You’re safe with me.”

After a short pause, she lays back down and snuggles under the sleeping bags. “I suppose you’re working with one of those rescue groups now. Well, I didn’t come here to get a free handout.”

I reach over and dare to squeeze her shoulder.

“That’s not it at all. I’ve never rescued a single soul in my life, and I never intended to, except for clients on these expeditions that do stupid, dangerous shit. When I saw you, I told myself, I can’t let this suffer like I did. It seemed like there was a reason we ran into each other.”

“Literally,” she says with a laugh. “I almost killed you with nonperishables.”

“You have to marry me, Shenna.”

The suggestion comes out of nowhere and hangs in the silence between us for a good long while.

But if I’m honest with myself, I know it’s not coming out of nowhere. The last twenty-four hours have been building up to this moment. The thought was there as soon as I laid eyes on Shenna, though I was trying to deny it.

“Are you out of your damn mind, Hurley Hanlon?”

I double down. “You know they’re going to keep coming for you, and there’s only one way they can’t touch you. You have to be married. That’s the only way to protect you, and you know that’s the truth.”

She is silent for a long while. Finally, she rolls over to face me.

“Why would you want to marry me? You don’t even like me that much.”

I smile and reach for her hand. “It’s not about whether we like each other. It’s for your protection.”

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