Page 144 of Rough and Rugged

His mind quickly flashed back to the conversation with his cousin and he let out a grunt. It had to be her. He never had random visitors, and since he’d heard a car, it wasn’t a lost hunter or hiker. He didn’t want her snooping around looking for him, so he strolled around to the front of the cabin to meet her as she pulled into the paved area where he parked his truck. Crossing his arms, he stood and stared as she exited the vehicle, a racy, metallic red Mustang GT fastback. After watching her unfold herself from the low bucket seat and stand to face him, he was taken aback. He barely recognized this Marissa. First of all, she’d always been more of a Jeep girl. Secondly, she was wearing expensive designer jeans that hugged her body like a glove, tucked into western style boots that were a fashion accessory, not built for practicality. And the curvy hips and full breasts that he used to enjoy holding onto were gone. She looked so thin that he bet her ass was no longer more than a handful, either. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he stared past her in silence. What did he care what she looked like now?

She walked toward him with her fingers wedged into the tight front pockets of her pants, her fake boots crunching the gravel of the roadway.

“Hey, Mac.”

“Hey, yourself.”

“I need to talk to you.”

“You could have called.”

“I tried that. Wasn’t able to reach you that way. Besides, it probably needs to be an in-person conversation.”

Even though he was starting to fall under the spell of the hoarse voice he’d heard in his dreams so many nights, he didn’t plan to make this easy for her. She didn’t deserve easy.

“What would you need to talk to me about? Seems to me, your feet did all the talkin’ when you walked away.” Before she could open her mouth to respond, he continued. “Say your piece real quick. I got things to do.”

He needed to get rid of her before he lost his senses and begged her to stay. It looked to him like she reared back and stood a little straighter before she answered him.She’s still a spitfire with a backbone. Not that it matters.

“I’m here as a last resort. I need a copy of our divorce decree and it doesn’t appear to be on file at the courthouse. Nor does the attorney you used have it.”

He scratched his beard, trying to appear as if lost in thought or confused. “You don’t say.” Actually, he knew exactly why it wasn’t available, but he wasn’t going to tell her that they were still married just yet. He was going to enjoy messing with her for a while. He knew just how to push her buttons.

He hid a clandestine smile when he noticed her tapping her foot in irritation.

“Mac. Help me out here, then I can be on my way. Do you have a copy you can give me? Or know how I can get one?”

“I’d need to look for it. You know I’m not organized when it comes to important papers. I’m not sure I can spare the time to try to find it right now. I’m busy.” And with that, he turned and headed toward the cabin. Once he reached it, he stepped inside and slammed the door, his way of sayingkiss my ass.

Chapter Four

Marissa

Marissastaredatthebackside of her departing ex in disbelief. Not so much because of the brief conversation they’d just had, but at the sight of him. Who was the hot mountain man with whom she’d just had an encounter? Her Mac had been a gentle giant. This Mac looked dark. Dangerous. He’d always been a large guy, but now he washuge. Muscles upon muscles. A beard that would make any woman’s panties melt, even though it was in need of a trim. And a sleeve of tats that rivaled any biker she’d ever seen. She’d also noticed stainless steel tunnel rings, indicating he’d gauged his ears, as well as a tiny ring in one nostril. His jeans were filled out in all the right places, and he covered his long hair with a baseball cap worn backward. Her fingers itched at the thought of ripping off that cap and running her fingers through his hair. Mac was the antithesis of Andrew. One-hundred-and-ten percent male. And she was turned on beyond belief.

Now what the hell was she supposed to do? He’d left her hanging outside with her mouth gaping open, likely drooling all over herself. She’d come too far to turn back now, so she gathered as much bravado as she could and marched up to the front door of the cabin, banging so hard on the solid wooden door, her knuckles hurt.

“Mac, let me in! We’re not done!”

She waited.Silence. Just when she figured she might as well get in her car and leave, she heard the heavy thunk of his boots on the cabin floor, and then he swung open the door and casually leaned into the frame.

“Darlin’, we’ve been done for a long time.”

She took a deep breath, choosing her next words carefully. She needed his cooperation, so she didn’t want to piss him off. “I’ve got some legal issues to take care of and I really need that document.” It wasn’t any of his business what those legal issues were, and for reasons she didn’t want to think about right now, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him she needed it so she could marry another man. When he remained silent, she filled the void. “Mac, please. You owe me that much.”

The moment those words left her mouth, she knew she’d screwed up. Instead of blowing up at her as she expected, he appeared calm, but she noticed the slight twitch of his right eye, as he quietly responded. “I don’t owe youshit.”

And that cut her like a knife, worse than anything he could have yelled at her.

“I know,” she whispered. And before she could stop it, a lone tear formed and slid down her cheek. As she stared at the ground, trying to figure out what to do next, she heard his loud exhale.

“Since you’re here and you already interrupted my day, you might as well come in.”

Before he could change his mind, Marissa stepped into the cabin she hadn’t been in since they were teenagers sneaking up here to make out. She looked around, taking in the contents of the interior. The old brown plaid sofa with the busted springs that had been there since the 1970’s was gone. The room had been updated with new comfortable furniture and modern appliances. The floor had been replaced with a durable and practical wood-like vinyl. She stated the obvious. “So, you live here now.”

“Yeah. Me and Mr. Rogers.”

“Mr. Rogers?”

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