Page 6 of Branded Mountain Man
"I like the quiet," he said instead.
"Quiet's not the same as isolation."
"It is for me."
Sloan studied his face, and Colt had the uncomfortable feeling she was seeing more than he wanted her to. "What happened to your leg?"
"Accident."
"What kind of accident?"
"The kind that's none of your business."
She didn't flinch at the edge in his voice. If anything, she leaned back in her chair and got more comfortable, like she was settling in for a long conversation. "You know what I think?"
"I'm sure you're going to tell me."
"I think you're scared."
Colt went very still. "Excuse me?"
"I think you're up here hiding because you're scared of what happens if you let people get close. And I think you're in pain—physical pain—and you're too stubborn to do anything about it because taking care of yourself would mean admitting you're human."
Heat flared in his chest, sharp and familiar. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know you've been living alone for three years with expired medication and a limp you won't acknowledge. I know you built this place into something beautiful, but you won't let anyone see it. And I know you're hurting—not just physically."
"You're wrong."
"Am I?"
Colt set down his coffee mug with deliberate control, fighting the urge to throw it against the wall. "You've been here twelve hours. You don't get to psychoanalyze my life."
"I'm not psychoanalyzing. I'm observing."
"Same thing."
"Not even close." She stood up, and suddenly the small space felt even smaller. "Psychoanalyzing would be me telling you why you're hiding. Observing is me noticing that you are."
"The storm's clearing. You should go."
"Should I? Because I'm pretty sure I just told you I'm here for three days." She moved toward the window, checking the conditions outside. "And looking at those clouds, I'd say we're in for another round tonight."
She was right, damn her. The sky was still heavy with moisture, and the wind hadn't died down the way it should have if the system was truly moving through.
"Besides," she added, turning back to him with a slight smile, "I'm curious about your work up here. The tower restoration, the trail maintenance. You've done incredible work. Mind showing me around?"
SLOAN
Sloan had been watching Colt Ramsey for eighteen hours now, and she was starting to understand that her standardassessment techniques weren't going to work with him.
He was too guarded, too practiced at deflecting questions. Too used to being alone with his thoughts.
What she needed was to see him in action. See how he moved through his world, what brought him comfort, what made him come alive.
"You want to see the tower?" Colt asked, suspicion clear in his voice.
"I want to understand what you've built here. What keeps you grounded." She gestured toward the windows, where morning light was filtering through the clouds. "Call it wilderness therapy if you want. Sometimes the best way to understand someone is to see them in their element."
