Page 15 of Protected By The Mountain Man

“And if you did that, you’d probably have been fine. Swimming back in that storm, though… I think you can see now that would have been a mistake.”

Lightning flashed in the distance, driving home my point.

“Yeah. I’m glad I didn’t do that.”

“How are you so brave?” I asked her.

Not many women would have had the guts to do what she did.

“I think I just have something to prove.”

“To who?”

She pursed her lips together, then took a bite of the apple and handed it back again. “I think to myself. I feel… kind of alone, and it makes me want to try to do everything on my own. I don’t like… needing people.”

I furrowed my brow. “Why do you feel alone? You came here with friends, right?”

“Yeah. And they’regreat. I’m not talking about them. My… dad died last year. And ever since then, I’ve felt a little unmoored.”

A weight settled in my chest. “Oh. I know that feeling. That’s how I felt when my mom died.”

“Does it ever go away? I kind of need it to stop.”

I handed the apple back. “Yeah. I felt that way the first year after she died. Then, after that, my life slowly got back on track. I still miss her deeply, but I can’t bring her back. Now I try to live the life she’d want me to live. She’d be pissed at me if I put my life on hold to grieve her forever.”

Mia gave me a tiny smile. “Was your mom a spit-fire?”

“Yeah. She was a feisty one. I think that’s why I like feisty women.” I gave Mia a knowing smile. “The feistier the better.”

She laughed and put the apple aside. There was just a tiny core left. We’d eaten the whole thing down to a nub.

“I wish I had some pants for you. I’ve got the shorts I’m wearing and my underwear, and that’s it. I don’t know that offering either of those to you is a help, but if you want them, they’re yours.”

A tiny smile spilled onto her lips. “Thank you for the offer. I don’t think a man’severoffered his underwear to me before. It makes me feel kind of special.”

She snuggled closer until her head was resting on my shoulder. “But I think I’m getting used to my half-naked state. When I woke up this morning, I never imagined this was how the day would end.”

“Tell me about your dad.”

Mia grew wistful. “He was the best. When I was a kid, I was really awkward. He took me around everywhere. Business meetings. The office supply store. His favorite donut shop. It always seemed to me like he knew everyone in town. And he was so outgoing. He would talk to anyone about anything. He was just one of those men. He felt larger than life to me, even though he wasn’t a fancy man. He didn’t have a big career or a ton of money, but somehow I never noticed that. I just noticed all the things he made happen.”

“You don’t seem awkward now.”

“I grew out of that.”

“Are you like your dad? Can you talk to anyone?”

She frowned and peered up at me. “Not really. I’m not a shy wallflower, but I’m also not the center of attention. There’s room for people in the middle. I’m not afraid of connecting with others, but it doesn’t happen automatically. I’m a little selective about who I choose to spend my time with.”

I drifted my fingertips slowly up and down her arm. My voice was unexpectedly deep as I said, “I feel like we connected pretty dang fast. Do I meet your selection criteria?”

Her expression turned to a smile. “You definitely do. And I feel the same way, West. I feel like I already know you even though we just met. Isn’t it strange?”

“Maybe it’s fate.”

“Fate. Do you really believe that?”

“I don’t know. I just know that I’m the lucky man who spotted a beautiful, naked woman on the shore of Hidden Lake. And somehow I managed to entice you into my boat.”

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