Page 7 of The Silent Mountain Man

"Pa died five months ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss. It sounds like you two were close."

"Werebeing the operative word." He looks out the window and lets out a long breath. "It's a long story. Complicated. Anyway, he left me his house in his will, so I've come back to sell it. That is, before the weather decided to fuck with me, and I almost died."

He loosens his seat belt and turns so he's facing me. "Thank you for rescuing me. Not in anI'm a Disney princess and need to be saved by a hot mountain manway, but, like, I'd be seriously screwed if you hadn't shown up."

"Yeah. You would be." I flick my eyes over to him for a second and smirk. "You realize you just called me hot."

He smiles. "Is it really that much of a shock?"

I shrug a shoulder.

"Oh, come on. You're a freaking mountain god. Tall, muscly, your beard is perfection, and don't even get me started on your forearms."

I lift my left hand off the steering wheel for a second and peer down at my arm. "Forearms?"

"Yeah. Hello." He reaches over and traces the tip of his index finger along a vein.

A wolfish grin hits my lips. "You like that?"

"Uh-huh." He pulls his hand back. "I swear I'm not some kinky sex freak or anything."

"So it's established then," I say seriously.

"What's established?"

"That I'm not a serial killer, and you're not a kinky sex freak."

"Hmm, maybe."

"Which part are you maybe-ing about?"

Eddie starts laughing. Loudly. It surprises me, mainly because I'm not the kind of person who makes people laugh. I'm so distracted I have to hit the brakes a little harder than I want to in order to make the turnoff.

"Sorry." I apologize for the rough turn.

"It's fine."

And his laugh.There's something about that laugh. Almost as if I've heard it before…

No. That's impossible. I've never met this guy. Although, for a complete stranger, he sure has a knack for getting me to talk. And crack jokes. Gonna need to buy some throat lozenges if I keep yacking away at this rate.

I'm just trying to put him at ease, I tell myself. Once we're safe and sound in my cabin, I'll revert back to my usual quiet ways. Besides, I already get the feeling he's a talker, which suits me just fine.

"This is your place?" Eddie asks ten minutes later as I pull up out the front of my log cabin.

"Yep."

"Wow. It's so pretty. Like something you'd see in the movies," he says as we both get out of the truck.

I make my way next to him. "Pretty?"

"Yeah." He pokes my side with his elbow. "For a serial killer's house."

I shake my head. "Come on. Let's get inside."

The rain has let up a bit, but we're both soaked to the bone. I open the front door, and we step inside.

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