Page 6 of The Mountain Man's Christmas Bride
“Sage—” he starts, taking a step forward.
I block him before he can move another inch. “I think we’re done here,” I interject, circling an arm around her waist. A shiver runs through my body like a burst of electricity. There’s something about her that justfits, almost a little too perfectly. This stunning woman has a power over me, a power I’ve never allowed myself to fall for—until now.
Her ex makes a sound in the back of his throat before storming towards the door. “This isn’t over, Sage. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll get you back. One way or another.”
The threat is like a splash of cold water, and it sobers me completely.
“You need to leave, and you shouldn’t return,” I reply, voice tense.
Sage says nothing as he leaves, throwing himself into the SUV and peeling out of the parking lot. Neither of us move until his taillights disappear down main street.
“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice shaky.
Hesitating, I slowly remove my arm from around her and take a step back. “I’m sorry I couldn’t kick his ass. Didn’t seem appropriate.”
She presses her lips into a firm line, staring at me for a long moment before shaking her head. “I take it you didn’t just come in here to rescue me?”
“Unfortunately not.” I peel back the flaps of the box and show her what’s inside. “My dog, Shadow, found them.”
She glances hesitantly at me before taking a peek into the box. A soft, strangled mewl responds to the invasion, and when I check, I find myself staring down at a litter of five bloody kittens and a mother exhausted and trying her best to get her babies latching.
Gently, Sage picks up the box and takes them into the back. I can’t help but follow her, watching as her trembling ceases and she somehow shoves her fear aside.
I stop in the doorway and lean against the doorjamb, crossing my arms as I watch her. But her eyes are on me, not the momma cat and her kittens.
“Everything okay there,Sage?” I ask, cocking my head.
She quickly shakes her head, cheeks turning pink as she tears her eyes from mine.
I can’t help but miss her assessing gaze almost immediately. The pull towards her is incessant, like a rope had been tied around my heart, and every tug of it is dragging me to her.
No.I shake my head, pushing those thoughts—that feeling—aside and locking it up tight.
Chances are, the rat isn’t coming back. I doubt he has it in him to go after her again. Now that he knows there’s a barrier between him and Sage, maybe it’ll scare him off for good.
And after tonight, I won’t see her again.
But I don’t get the feeling it’ll be that easy.
Sage pulls each kitten out of the box and sets momma up on the table without a word. The little ones cry for their mother, and Sage helps them find their way back to her warmth with ease.
“Looks like they’re all responding,” she says, humming while she does a cursory examination of each kitten, weighing them, wiping them down, and making sure there aren’t any underlying issues before returning them to momma. All the while, I just stand there, watching her.
Finally, with momma weighed and cleaned up, Sage clears her throat. “Are you taking responsibility for these guys? Or are you leaving them here?”
Slowly, I push off the doorframe, moving to stand near her. Once again, that pull is there, but I somehow manage to keep it from taking over.
“I think we should talk about what that ex of yours said,” I reply, joining her by the exam table. “He threatened you.”
She doesn’t stop herself from flinching, the colour of her cheeks draining as she shakes her head. “Scott isn’t dangerous. He thinks he is, but really, he’s a coward.”
My jaw clenches as I watch her, but she won’t look at me—just the kittens. “He said he’s staying in town,” I tell her, lowering my voice. “Seems more stalker than anything else. And they tend to escalate. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was waiting around the corner to follow you home.”
Instead of responding immediately, she moves around the examination room, avoiding me and my stare. And although I need her to give me a response—because otherwise, I’m just going to have to call the sheriff and let him know about thecreepy ex—I also can’t help but just watch as she pulls out a real crate and goes about filling it with new blankets and gently getting momma cat and her kittens into it.
“You never answered my question about taking these guys,” she murmurs without looking up at me.
I heave a sigh and round the side of the bench, corning her. Only now does she meet my stare, and I can’t help but get lost in how gorgeous her eyes are. They’re like freshly cut gems, sparkling under the yellow light hanging above us. And even after a day of working with all sorts of animals, she still smells like lavender somehow.
