Page 7 of The Mountain Man's Christmas Bride
“Come home with me, just temporarily,” I say, bracing my hands either side of her hips.
“W-what?” she stutters, eyes going wide.
I glance down at her full lips before meeting her stare. “I said: come back to my cabin with me. We’ll bring the kittens, but I can’t let you go home. Not until he leaves town.”
Sage tugs her bottom lip between her teeth, eyeing me for a moment before shaking her head. “That’s ridiculous and totally unnecessary.”
“Really?” I lean in, catching her by surprise, because she stiffens, the flush returning to her cheeks. “What would he have done if I hadn’t walked in? What if he’s waiting for you out on main right now so he can follow you home?”
Something changes in her eyes, because the stiffness turns into a visible shudder, and any bravado she had before disappears as she wraps her arms around herself. “He won’t hurt me.”
“That’s hard to believe,” I reply softly. “Desperate men do terrible things, Sage. And he’s more than just desperate. He’s delusional. And I promise you now, I will protect you from him. In any way I can.”
I watch as tears brim her eyes, a shaky breath falling from her lips. “How do you expect to help me? If the problem is him following me home, I can just go up the mountain to my sister and her husband. He has a cabin.”
“Do you want to drag her into this?” I ask honestly, because she doesn’t seem like the type of person to do that.
Sage shakes her head after a brief moment. “No, I don’t.”
“Then come with me tomycabin. I can get us a marriage license in the morning?—”
“Wow.” She holds up a hand, brows raised. “You thinkthat’sa good idea?”
“Will he leave without definitive proof that you won’t return with him? Will he leave you alone unless he’s absolutely certain he can’t have you?” My heart pounds, waiting for her to push back. Something in her eyes tells me she wants to—and she should. What I’m suggesting is idiotic.
But a marriage license is just a piece of paper she can shove into the rat’s face. And an annulment might be difficult, but I can handle everything to do with a divorce once the dust has settled and we know he’s out of her life for good.
“Do you trust me?” I ask.
Her eyes meet mine, swimming with uncertainty. “I don’t even know you.”
I release a breath, pushing away from her. “My name is Rhett, and I’ll help you, Sage. I’ll marry you and buy you a ring, because I think that’s the only way he’s going to get the message that you aren’t going back. If it’ll protect you in the long run, I’ll do it. You just have to say yes.”
Sage chews her bottom lip for a long moment, just watching me with those striking green eyes. I see the wheels turning in her head as she considers all her options—which aren’t many.
But when she sighs, I feel myself go rigid. “Yes, Rhett. I will marry you.”
FOUR
SAGE
Snow starts to fall as we pull up to my house. The flood lights flicker on, drenching the sad little garden in a soft, yellow glow. Being less than a month till Christmas, we’ve been told to expect the snow to come down more frequently.
The thought of being up on the mountain when it really hits makes my stomach twist, and yet…
My mind is a jumbled mess as the giant mountain man turns the truck off and takes in my home without a word. By some miracle, we didn’t run into Scott, though a sick, twisted feeling in my gut tells me the man beside me has a point.
Scott’s never acted like this. Jealous, sure. He used to hate a particular coworker of mine, thought he was flirting when really, he was just being nice—and gay. But this is so out of character for him. To track me down and demand I return with him? That’s not the Scott I know.
So maybe Rhett has a point. Maybe a desperate Scott will do something terrible.
Swallowing hard, I barely look at Rhett as I get out of his truck. As soon as the cool air hits me, I shiver. “I won’t be long,” I say when I hear his door open. “I’ll just pack a bag.”
The car door slams. “Need to be fast so the road doesn’t close on us.”
This time when I shiver, it’s from how close he stands as I shove my key in the lock. My heart races, not from the cold or fear burrowing deep into my bones, but because his cologne is potent, and for some reason it has my belly clenching in a way that doesn’t make sense.
Shaking my head, I manage to shove the door open. It groans as it does, just another reminder of the things that need work here.
