Page 8 of Knot Her Mountain Men

My body tingled. A quiet whisper of desire I didn’t quite understand brushed up my spine. I burrowed deeper, rooting around against the wall of warmth, drifting in and out of wakefulness. A cozy weight at my back shifted and something cold stuck against my cheek, jolting me fully awake. I tugged the blankets overhead away, instantly regretting it as goosebumps washed over me. A chocolate-colored dog swiveled her head to look at me.

What the hell?

I shifted away from it and right back into what felt distinctly like bare skin. Reality descended like a sledgehammer and I leapt out of the bed, tripping over the dog in my haste. It hopped out excitedly, barking happily.

“Shh!” I hissed.

An enormous alpha sat up on the bed, drawing attention to what I’d been wholeheartedly trying to ignore. His warm brown skin was on full display without a shirt, showing off his solid, stocky form, his deep brown eyes assessing me.

“What happened? Who the hell are you?” I demanded, my voice coming out like I was fresh off a bout of laryngitis. Apparently the cold and screaming had done a number on me.

He held up one finger and got to his feet, dragging one of the blankets over my shoulders. His hands moved slowly, and it took my brain a second to wrap around a pattern.

“Know ASL?” he signed.

I nodded carefully. I wasn’t fluent, but I had taken quite a few classes. “Yes. You’re Deaf?” I signed back.

He looked instantly relieved, but shook his head and tapped his throat.

“Oh. So you can understand me when I talk?” I asked.

He nodded.

“What happened? Why am I in here? Who are you?”

He smiled softly and held up one finger, attaching his incoming answer to my first question. “I found you outside,” he signed. He held up two fingers and simply pointed to the woodstove.

“You brought me in here to warm up? Did you seriously do the whole ‘strip down to stop hypothermia’ thing?”

He nodded, and held up three fingers before spelling out “B-E-A-R.”

“There was a bear?!”

He shook his head with an amused smile.

I traced back through my questions. Thinking felt a little bit more difficult with how exhausted I was. “Yournameis Bear?”

His grin was answer enough.

“I’m Morgan.”

He wasn’t what I would call pretty, but he was solid, handsome in a rugged sort of way, exactly what I’d expect of someone looking completely at home in the middle of nowhere. His eyes were bright with curiosity as he looked at me, strands of hair the same shade of brown peeking from beneath his beanie.

The cabin was warm, but not warm enough to be down to my underwear. My nerves lit up to have his eyes on me despite him being a stranger. It should have been creepy, and would have been if it was Brandon in his place, but Bear didn’t feel dangerous.

Somehow climbing back into the bed seemed more palatable than putting on my woolen layers that had been tossed over one of the chairs. I gave in, my body still aching from my trek, and Bear paused, as if waiting for me to grant him permission to join me.

“You can lie down, but no funny business.”

He climbed in on the side against the wall so I was closer to the fire. The dog leapt joyously on top of us.

“What’s the dog’s name?”

Bear leaned close and whispered into my ear, “Pumpkin.”

I startled away from him. “I thought you couldn’t talk?”

Bear sucked his teeth, looking like he was trying to sort through how to explain. “It hurts,” he whispered. “So I don’t.”

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