Page 12 of Orphan Girl's Mountain Men

Unfortunately for him, I'm not a sensitive guy. So instead, I say, "Did we get enough feed from Mrs. James?"

He nods and scoops some more beans into his mouth. "She warned me they're going to be upping the prices starting next month. Supplier issue."

Shit, I think. This is a bad time for her to be raising her prices. Not that the herd is struggling. We're doing well so far, growing our cattle severalfold. The problem is that we needmore land. Most of all we need access to drainage in the winter and to water in the summer.

I glance back at the cottage and the small parcel of land surrounding it. For sure it's not huge, maybe ten percent of our own two hundred or so acres, but size isn't everything. It's adjacent to our land and more importantly, the Black Bear river runs straight through it. Not only that but it even has a lake on it, with fish and everything. It would make a perfect addition to our own site and it would mean we'd be truly independent when it comes to water. Plus, I am partial to a nice trout or perch for supper. I've been patiently waiting for the owner to sell for years. At first, it was hard even tracking them down, until I found the details from the land registry office. The paperwork trail showed the owners were a suburban couple who lived far away in Aurora, and as far as I could tell, they had no plans for the place. After getting their number, I called them, and though the lady on the phone was nice enough, she let me know it wasn't for sale.

"It was my sister's," the woman had said. "She and her husband left it in their will for their daughter. I'm only holding it until she's old enough. I don't have the right to sell it."

I accepted that and let it go.

Now, things have come full circle, and the sad-eyed girl in my car must be this ‘daughter’ she had mentioned.

She's here because of death.

I've seen lots of deaths in my lifetime, far more than I should have. I've witnessed many people who have lost family and loved ones. Sometimes, I've been the one who had to give them the bad news. That is never an easy task, nor a pleasant one, but I thought I'd grown immune to it. But something about the way she said it and smiled bravely right afterwards still chipped at my damn heart.

‘You'll be okay.’The words wanted to leave my mouth, but thankfully, I held them back. They were stupid words, dishonestwords. Words that probably wouldn't help her deal with her grief. I don't have the right words for her. I never do.

I'm not a talker. I might talk more than Lennon does, but most often, my talking leads others to draw the wrong conclusion. Part of it is being a former SEAL platoon leader and doing that for any length of time means that almost anything I say sounds like an order, even when it's meant as a suggestion. I simply don't have the gentle touch required for things like comforting the bereaved. So, I prefer to say as little as possible, so nothing can be misconstrued.

Meeting the legitimate owner of True Heart Lodge makes things easier for me. It also helps that she looks like she doesn't know the first thing about running the place. With a bit of luck, her land will be mine in no time.

Nevertheless, there's something about her, something almost otherworldly, kind of spiritual. I can't put my finger on it, but if I'm being totally honest, as much as I'm interested in her property, I can't deny I'm also interested in her as a woman. A damned fine-looking woman at that.

"I wonder how long she plans on staying," I say aloud.

"Hopefully long enough," Reed's voice rings out, his footsteps echoing on the floor. He appears at the end of the hallway with a suggestive leer on his face. "She's gorgeous."

"Stay away from her," I tell him, an inexplicable annoyance ringing in my head.

"Why? This one doesn't have a murderous boyfriend." He frowns. "I should ask first though, right?" He winks at me.

"I'm serious." I look him in the eyes to show how serious I am.

I should have known better. Should have realized that was entirely the wrong line to take. Reed's smile drops, and a challenge appears in his eyes. "Why? Want her for yourself?"

"No," I automatically say the word, even though I can hear how defensive it sounds, and anyway, something in the back of my mind is mocking me, sniggering at my piss-poor attempt at self-deception.

"Then why not?"

"Because she looks like she's been through a lot. She doesn't need the likes of you making things worse for her."

"Since when has being with me ever made things worse for a woman? On the contrary, most of them can't stop talking about how great I was after it's over, and how much they miss me."

I roll my eyes. Reed is an incorrigible ladies' man, and most of the time, that's not a problem, but I don't want him hooking up with our neighbor. At best, it will lead to some very awkward meet-ups. At worst, he'll break her heart and things will become even more awkward.

There's also Lennon to think about. He's not saying anything, but I know he's paying attention to this conversation as much as he pretends he isn't.

He takes a sip of his water and continues to stare straight ahead, pretending to ignore us.

Yeah, this could get messy real fast.

"Stay away from her," I tell Reed once more, and he raises an eyebrow.

"No can do, chief," he says. "My fun for the night was already ruined, but at least I got another source of fun for the next few days. I'm not letting you ruin that too."

I feel a headache coming on. I don't feel like arguing with him, but he's pushing me into it. Before I can respond, a bedroom door opens. A soft voice calls out, "Daddy?"

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