Page 40 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

The smell of bacon and Gorgonzola cheese hits me in the solar plexus, making my mouth water. I’m starting to regret settling for just a bear claw. “It smells incredible,” I sigh deeply.

“Happy to share, if you’ll join me back at the station.”

“I’ll join you at the station, but not for breakfast.”

He raises an eyebrow, the fine lines around his black eyes remind me that he’s got ten years on me, ten years of reading people and identifying trouble from miles away. Close to his mid-forties, Sheriff Mills has been the backbone of this community since the day he was elected, doing his job honorably and fairly. What I like most about this guy is that he takes good care of the First Nations people, too.

“What’s going on?” Mills asks.

“Not here,” I reply in a low voice.

“Station it is then.”

I give Marie one last nod, then notice Breonna has reclaimed her seat next to Max before I follow the sheriff out of the diner.

As much as I hate to admit it, we do need help. We need to know what’s been happening in New York. I also need to know who that Max guy really is. He could be a pharma sales rep, like he says, but the paranoid side of me needs more evidence to confirm that.

9

Anya

“You went into town without me?”

I’m angry. Perhaps I shouldn’t be, but I am.

Nico, Booker, and Chance sit on the sofa, while I pace the living room like a caged lioness, trying to gather my senses and use my reasoning. There are just too many emotions pent up, though, too many questions in desperate need of answers, too many unknowns while my memory struggles to recover.

“We weren’t sure it would be safe for you,” Chance says. “It’s why we left Booker with you.”

“Why wouldn’t it be safe for me?” I ask. “All I had to do was sit in the back of your truck while you drove us into town. You reached the main road, didn’t you?”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Nico says, trying to appease me, but that’s not going to fly either. “Anya, we had a few things to take care of before we can take you into Seeley Lake.”

“What things? I don’t understand.”

“Like I said, it’s more complicated,” Nico insists.

“Then tell me!” I stomp my foot. “I deserve the truth!”

Booker shakes his head slowly. “We’re not sure if it’s wise or healthy, given your condition.”

“Stop treating me like I’m made of porcelain. The car crash didn’t kill me. You can see me, right? Standing right here? Alive and mostly well?”

But I’m also getting a bit dizzy, so I take a seat by the fireplace before they catch on. The last thing I need is the Hayes brothers telling me they have every reason to keep me up here since I’m still wobbling at the slightest sign of distress. I don’t have time to stew in the unknown. A sense of urgency has been building up inside me, and I need to do something about it.

“Anya… What happened with your car… We don’t think it was a simple accident,” Nico concedes, briefly lowering his gaze.

“I thought we weren’t going to say anything until we heard from Mills,” Chance mutters, frowning.

“We have to give her something,” Booker says and exhales loudly, “even if we don’t know much else.”

It’s a good thing I’m sitting down because the air just got knocked out of my lungs. “What are you talking about? It wasn’t an accident?” I mumble, my blood running cold.

“We don’t know what we’re dealing with at this point,” Nico says, taking over again. “Do you trust us?”

“I… Yes,” I say.

“Do you trust us to keep you safe and out of harm’s way?” he asks, and I nod once. It’s the truth. They’ve given me no reason to doubt them. However, they’ve given me plenty of reasons to fall for them, and hopelessly at that. “Then trust us to keep you safe until we’re sure we have all the information.”

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