Page 26 of The Mountain Man's Untamed Bride
"You're high," I said quietly.
He laughed, sharp and hollow. "So judgmental, just like your father. At least I don't hide my vices behind a pulpit."
His hand tightened slightly. "Get your things. We're leaving."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I said, looking for anything I could use as a weapon.
"Yes, you are." His fist slammed the wall beside my head. "One way or another."
"Langley, stop it."
"Maybe fear will knock some sense into you," he snarled, facade gone. "Do you know what it took to find you? The investigator I hired? The locals I paid? Did you think my connections couldn't reach you here? No one makes a fool of me, Scarlett."
I glanced toward the door, measuring the distance.
"Don't even think about it," he warned. "There's nowhere to run. No one to help you. Your mountain man isn't coming to save you."
The rumble of Bodhi's truck engine cut through the tension.
Relief washed through me, then fear—what if Langley hurt Bodhi? Suddenly, I realized with heart-stopping clarity that somewhere between breakfast disasters and failed seductions, the man I'd planned to use had become someone I couldn't bear to lose.
Chapter Nine
“Mountain Man to the Rescue”
Bodhi
"Two, please. No, make it three," I told Danny, Flint's oldest son who was working the counter at Hawk's Nest Outfitters. I pointed at the security cameras on display. "And throw in those motion sensors, too."
"Planning to monitor wildlife?" Danny asked, scanning the items. At sixteen, he was already nearly as tall as his father, with the same mischievous glint in his eye.
I grunted noncommittally. The only wildlife I was concerned with was the guy who'd left his watch on my property.
My phone vibrated in my pocket—unusual this far into town where service was spotty at best. I pulled it out, expecting Flint asking if I wanted to grab lunch.
Instead, three words from Scarlett sent ice through my veins:
SOS PSYCHO FIANCÉ HERE
My training kicked in—the Ranger I thought I'd left behind in Afghanistan surfacing like he'd never been gone. I slapped cash on the counter, forgetting the change as I bolted for the door.
"Bodhi, your security cameras—"
"Keep them," I called over my shoulder, already sprinting toward my truck.
The engine roared to life, tires spitting gravel as I peeled out of the parking lot. The road between town and my cabin had never seemed longer. Every bend in the mountain pass was an obstacle, every second that passed was time Scarlett was alone with Langley—a man who'd tracked her across multiple states.
I pushed my truck beyond what its worn suspension could handle. Langley's appearance wasn't random. The black Mercedes we'd spotted in town, the expensive watch deliberately left where I'd find it—this wasn't desperation; this was calculation.
Five miles from home, I killed the engine and coasted the final stretch in neutral. I parked behind a stand of pines, grabbed the hunting knife from my glove compartment, and moved silently toward the cabin.
The black Mercedes was parked in my driveway like a challenge. Through the windshield, I could see no driver waiting—Langley was inside. With her.
My cabin came into view, front door splintered around the lock. I circled to approach from the blind spot below the bedroom window, keeping to the shadows as I'd been trained. Eight years in the Rangers hadn't been forgotten—my body moved automatically, each step silent despite the forest floor'stendency to announce every visitor with cracking twigs and rustling leaves.
Through the kitchen window, I caught a glimpse of movement—Scarlett backing away, hands raised defensively. Langley's voice carried through the cracked window—measured, reasonable-sounding words delivered with an undertone of menace.
"...making a scene, darling. What will the congregation think? Your father had to explain your little breakdown to the church board. They're all praying for your...mental health."
