Page 21 of The Silent Mountain Man

His voice rumbles in frustration, and I'm pissed, too. A little confused, but mainly pissed. If he is who I'm ninety-nine percent sure he is, I have a meteor-sized bone to pick with him.

But my anger will have to wait, because despite him hurting me like no one ever has, there's a tiny part of me, a part of me that had died, and I thought was gone forever, that's stirring back to life. A part of me that feels an awful lot like hope, a throwback remnant from the time when my Eddie was able to draw emotions like that out of me.

So I stare straight into Eddie's questioning blue eyes, blow out a breath, and say, "I'm Princess."

He lets out a shocked gasp and rocks back on his heels. I lunge forward, convinced he's about to faint.

But he doesn't.

And in my haste, I overshoot my target.

The next thing I know, my large frame is crashing down on top of him and then we'rebothplunging toward the floor.

7

Eddie

My back meets the wooden floor with a loud and painful thud. But that's not the worst of it.

I've still got two hundred and thirty pounds of mountain man hurtling toward me. Harrick manages to think faster than I seem capable of and sticks his arms out, bracing for impact.

It works.

Kinda.

He still falls on top of me, but his arms cop the brunt of his weight, saving me from getting crushed under his body, because trust me, this would not be the good type of crushed. It'd be the type that involves broken bones and paramedics.

Harrick's body is on top of me, the tip of his nose inches away from mine. His warm breath cascades over my face, and he stares at me, as darkly and intensely as ever.

I try to clear my head and pretend I'm seeing him for the first time.

Are they Michael's eyes? Could they be? Or is this guy some psycho who goes around pretending to be someone else? Someone who I loved ten years ago and have never gotten over.

Maybe he is Michael…but then the beard, his hefty frame, his whole silent vibe… How is this mountain man my Princess?

He's not. He can't be.

Can he?

Now that I've gotten over the initial shock, anger burns through my chest. I slam my palms into Harrick's chest to shove him the fuck off me, the swirling emotions inside me erupting.

He doesn't move, like he doesn't even register the impact. It infuriates me even more, and I'm about to give this asshole a piece of my mind when one solitary word rolls out of his lips.

"Boyd."

I freeze.

He doesn't elaborate.

A moment passes.

His eyes fall away from mine, and I turn everything over in my mind.

He has my letter.

He said he lived on the mountain years ago, and he's returned.

He knows my surname.

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