Page 12 of My Three Mountain Men

I swallowed thickly, dropping my eyes.

“Okay,” I mumbled, understanding his mounting aggravation.

“I get it. You don’t want her here. Neither do I. But she’s here now, and we’re stuck with her. Let’s not make this more unpleasant than it already is, okay?”

I nodded, and Ryder padded toward the fridge, pulling it open to withdraw a beer from inside. He slammed the door, popping the cap, and headed out into the living room as I remained in the kitchen, unsure of what to do with myself.

In the next couple of days, all internet connections would go down like they did when winter peaked in our area. Any potential for contact with the outside world would be lost, but that had never mattered to us before.

Shouldn’t I get a message out there to inform someone that Simone is safe? Isn’t someone looking for her?

I dismissed the thought as quickly as it surfaced. If I did that, they would be apt to start looking for her, and that might lead them to us. The best thing I could do for everyone right now was to keep my bitterness to myself and wait for these next long months to play out so our lives could go back to the way they were before.

But if she were going to be stuck here, I couldn’t privately deny that it might be nice to have some feminine energy in the place for a change. And I did happen to know that Simone Summers looked very good when she was all cleaned up.

CHAPTER6

Brooks

Tentatively, I knocked on the door of the spare bedroom and waited in the hallway for Simone to respond. There was no answer, and I tried again, balancing the tray on my hip.

“Simone?”

“Go away.”

At least I knew she was awake.

“Can I at least drop off your sandwich?”

“I’m not hungry.”

Ignoring her, I pushed open the door and ambled inside. She was back in bed, her back to me, but I could tell she was keeping an eye on me from her half-propped position against the pillows.

Setting the tray down on the nightstand, I perched on the edge of the wingchair where I’d spent the better part of two hours, waiting for her to wake up.

“Those clothes are damp and dirty,” I told her. “And probably not doing anything for your recovery.”

She scoffed softly.

“I can see what I can dig up that might fit you, and you can have a shower if you want—or a bath? That might be a better idea if you’re not steady on your feet yet—”

“Can you just go?”

My jaw stiffened. “I’m trying to help you,” I informed her. “You’re going to be here a while, so I suggest you make the best of it.”

She flipped over, her clear eyes blinking.

“Make the best of someone trying to kill me? Make the best of being kidnapped by three strangers who live in the middle of nowhere? Who are you guys, anyway? What are you doing out here?”

My whole body tensed at the rapid-fire questioning, and Knox’s suspicions flooded my brain.

“There will be plenty of time for answers after you’re feeling better—”

“No! I want to know now!” Simone insisted. “I deserve to know who’s holding me hostage.”

“No one’s holding you hostage,” I protested, leaning forward. “We already explained that no one can leave. It’s just the way things are up here. We can’t go anywhere, either.”

“You could if you tried!”

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