Page 7 of The Mountain Man's Unexpected Bride
"My Nikolai adopted my two daughters and gave them his last name."
"That's not what I asked."
"I don't know why you are asking, as you seem to already know the answer."
"Our contract says that I get to choose one of the Ivanov sisters. I see there are three. I'm ready to choose."
Savannah's eyes pop wide open in disbelief. She's grown pale and seems to be slowly backing out of the room.
"I think if you spend more time with my daughters, you'll find they are more suitable for a man like you."
"I don't believe that's necessary. I choose Savannah, and I'm taking her with me to my home in the mountains right now."
Veronika and her two daughters jump up from their seats in a huff.
"You can't do that, Mr. Masters!"
"Mother, what is he saying?"
"Why is he choosing that hussy?"
As this is happening, I keep my eyes glued to Savannah, who is still trying to leave the room. I get up and go to stop her from vanishing altogether.
"Go pack your things, princess."
She looks at me like I've grown a second head, and I hurry to soothe her.
"Everything is going to be okay, Savannah. Just bring with you whatever you can't live without. I'll provide for everything else."
Her face falls, and she looks devastated.
"There's nothing here that I'd miss. Nothing to pack. If you mean it, then we can go now."
I take her hand into mine and pull her out of that horrible house. The other women are shrieking at my back, but I don't spare them another glance. The driver sees me and hurries to open the car door for me. I usher Savannah into the car and then slide in right behind her.
When I look at my new fiancé, my heart breaks as tears roll down her beautiful face.
"Are you okay, princess?"
I reach for her hand once again and hold it tight in between my own.
"Is this a dream?"
"No. You'll never have to go back to that place ever again."
She starts sobbing and pulls her hand from mine in order to cover her face. I follow my first instinct, which is to wrap her in my arms. She feels so tiny and frail, and I mentally curse those vipers that treated her so badly for so long.
For a moment, there's a battle inside me, because this is supposed to be short-term. All I know is that I'll do anything to make sure she lives a good life away from those people, even if it's not by my side.
Chapter 4
Savannah
Ican't stop the tears from coming down. I'm so embarrassed. This man – Brock – saved me from a life in bondage, and I'm repaying him by crying all over his nice shirt. At the same time, the warmth of his embrace is enchanting. I feel safer than I've felt since my father was alive and well.
Brock smells nice, and his beard is soft against my face. I hear him say something to the driver, but I don't really make out what it is. Suddenly, a box of tissues appears in front of me, and I take a bunch of them so I can dry my tears of relief and blow my nose.
This can't be real, can it? I'm free? I don't have to obey every single whim my stepsisters have or stand by while mystepmonster degrades me whenever she's in a bad mood? Can I trust this? Can I trust him?
