Page 9 of Her Mountain Man Grump

6

BRODY

I like Tanner—he’sa good guy—but I’ve never been more unhappy to see him. My mind is still back in the bedroom with Emma, our faces inching closer, eyes locked. I almost kissed her. I was so damn close, and now my frustration is more unbearable than ever.

Fuck, this girl is making me crazy.

I’ve never felt this way before. Ever since I met Emma, I’ve been losing my damn mind over her soft curves and pretty face. She’s so damn sweet. So innocent. I couldn’t sleep last night; I was too busy thinking about her, pacing up and down my cabin to calm myself down. But it didn’t work. She’s consuming me. Protecting her isn’t enough anymore—I want to claim her. Hold her. Make her mine.

And if Tanner hadn’t come knocking, maybe I could have.

I hear Emma follow me into the living room, but I don’t turn around. I don’t trust myself to look at her. Instead, I clench my jaw tight, trying not to betray my annoyance to Tanner.

“Sorry to disturb you,” he says gruffly. “Just wanted to warn you.”

I frown. “Warn me?”

Tanner nods. “There’s a suspicious vehicle hanging around, been driving all over these parts day and night.”

I hear Emma suck in a breath from behind me.

“What kind of vehicle?” she asks.

“A red truck,” Tanner says. “Didn’t get a good look at the plates, but I figure it’s somebody up to no good.” His expression twists into a frown as he looks at Emma over my shoulder. “You alright, ma’am?”

His concern makes me turn to look at her. Emma looks tense, a hand gripping the wall beside her like she’s worried she might fall.

“I’m fine,” she says, her voice barely a whisper.

Tanner looks between us and seems to sense that he’s intruding. “Well, just thought I’d let you know.”

“Thanks, buddy,” I tell him. “I appreciate it.”

I close the door behind him as he disappears into the trees. Then I turn back to Emma, my stomach knotted with concern.

“You know who it is?” I ask. “The person in the red truck?”

Emma is quiet for a few moments, but eventually she says, “No. I saw the same truck last night and thought, maybe…but no, I don’t think so.”

Her answer does nothing to reassure me.

“Is someone after you, Emma?” I ask, taking a step toward her. “I need to know who to look out for.”

“Nobody.” She wraps her arms around herself, shaking her head. “I thought somebody might have followed me…somebody from New Mexico. But that’s impossible. Nobody was tailing me. I checked. And anyway, when I ran out of gas, I was stranded and alone for hours in the car. If somebody were following me, they would have found me then. It would have been easy.”

“But why would anybody be following you in the first place?”

I’m throwing caution to the wind by asking so directly. I’ve tried to keep my questions to a minimum, accepting Emma’svague answers instead of pushing her. But if I’m going to keep her safe, I need to know who I’m protecting her from.

I need to know, so I can fucking destroy them.

“It’s complicated,” Emma mutters, rubbing a hand over her face. “I’m sorry. I know I owe you an explanation?—”

My frown deepens at her words. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Of course I do.” She looks at me guiltily with her big doe eyes. “Look at everything you’ve done for me. You gave me a job, a place to stay, food…”

“That’s on me, Emma. I chose to do all that.” As I look at her, I have to resist the urge to reach out and touch her auburn curls. My fingers twitch at my side. “I’m not asking because you owe me anything. I’m asking because I want to know who the hell I need to bury.”

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