Page 7 of Protected By The Mountain Man

“That’s an hour from here. There’s no car rental agency in the world that’s going to hand deliver a key to you.”

She furrowed her brow. “Iknowthat. I’ll have to call a courier to deliver it.”

Big city women. They never have a clue about how life in the boonies actually works.

“Look, my place is in the opposite direction of the main shore. With this storm coming, we’ll likely only have time to make it to one place or the other. My cabin has electricity and running water along with an amazing grill to cook the fish I caught today. I’ve also got a special bottle of Holt’s elderberry wine in reserve, along with cell phone service. The direction you want me to go has a locked car with no key and not much else. You sure that’s where you want me to take you?”

She swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

Damn it. I was going to end up stuck in a rainstorm with this woman. I knew it.

“All right, but later on tonight, when your plan has gone sideways, I’ll be there telling you I told you so.”

I pulled the anchor up and steered the boat in the direction of the main shore. I had a feeling this pretty young thing hadn’t realized that her plan trapped me out here with her.

But I wasn’t going to force her to go home with me, either, even if it was the better decision out of the two options.

Chapter 3

Mia

The rain started pelting down on us.

What a mess I’d gotten myself into. The only upside was that my savior happened to be a rather hot specimen ofman.

West looked good standing at the steering wheel, shirtless, eyes on the lake. He was confident, hunky, and well-mannered.

Especially since I’d invaded his boat completely in the nude. I was grateful for the shirt he’d given me, even if I still dreamed of having a pair of undies or a bathing suit bottom on. I wasn’t exposed, but all my lady bits were barely hidden under the short hem of the shirt.

And he’ddefinitelychecked me out. It had been impossible not to see his eyes roving all over when I first got on the boat.

My cheeks flushed warm just thinking about it. They were the only warm thing on me. I had the strangest sensation of heat and cold from the mix of my sunburn and the chilly rain.

Overhead, thunder rolled through the sky, and I caught a flash or two of lightning off in the distance.

Everything about this experience felt surreal compared to my normal life in Chicago.

It was like the elements were more real here. Larger than life.

I stood up and went to stand by his side.

“Are you sure they were just wild pigs?”

He glanced at me for a second before dragging his eyes back to the lake.

“Yup. It’s the squealing sounds that you made that sealed it for me. No bear sounds like that. But baby pigs do when they’re following their mama.”

I grinned and hollered over the wind so he could hear me, “So I was afraid for nothing then.”

“I disagree. In the wilderness, it’s always a good idea to have a healthy dose of fear. A mama pig can weigh up to three hundred pounds and they can get aggressive if they feel like their babies are in danger.”

That sobered me right up. “I’ve never seen a real pig before.”

“We have a fairly large feral population up here on Red Oak Mountain.”

“So kayaking on my own out here might not have been the best idea.”

“Depends on the day and what you run into. We do have bears and mountain lions. Plus bobcats and coyote packs. And the pigs you met. But if you know your way around the woods, it’s pretty safe. I recommend packing some bear spray the next time you come out.”

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