Page 5 of Rugged Mountain Man
“This was really kind of you. It’s safe to say I’d be dead in the woods without you.”
Her words hit me square in the chest, and I force myself to focus on her ankle again as she sets on the couch. “You’re lucky it’s just a sprain,” I say. “You’ll be back on your feet tomorrow.”
“I don’t know,” she teases lightly, her voice dipping into something softer. “I might like being waited on.”
I glance up, arching a brow. “Careful. I might start charging.”
Her laugh is quiet, but it’s real, and it does something to me I wasn’t expecting. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone in this cabin, much less someone who can make me forget the storm raging outside with just a sound.
I stand, brushing my hands off and stepping back to give her space. “You should rest,” I say, my tone gruffer than before. “Ice it for a while. I’ll get you something to eat.”
“Do you always take charge like this?”
“Only when someone’s about to die in a rainstorm,” I reply, but the truth is, it’s more than that. She makes me want to take care of her. Protect her. Claim her.
As I turn to the kitchen, her voice stops me. “Cole?”
I pause, glancing back. Her eyes meet mine, soft but steady. “Thank you. Really.”
I nod, not trusting myself to say anything more. Because if I do, I’m not sure I’ll stop at just words.
While I heat up some leftover stew, I glance back at her. She’s rubbing her hands together, staring into the fire with a far-off look. Vulnerable, and damn cute in my oversized clothes.
I bring the bowl over, setting it on the coffee table in front of her. “Stew.”
She looks up, surprised, and takes it with both hands. “Thank you.”
“Eat,” I grunt, sitting across from her.
She takes a bite, her eyes widening. “Oh my God. This is amazing.”
“It’s stew,” I say, shrugging off her praise.
“No, really,” she insists. “It’s better than anything I’ve had in… forever.”
She looks at me like I hung the moon, and it’s doing things to me I’m not ready to unpack. “Glad you like it.”
She eats quickly, her body relaxing more with every bite. When she sets the empty bowl aside, I grab a blanket from the back of the couch and drape it over her.
“You should rest,” I say, my voice softer than I mean it to be. “Storm should pass by morning. And then I’ll get you down the mountain.”
Her lips curve into a faint smile. “You’re not as grumpy as you pretend to be.”
I snort, standing. “Don’t get used to it.”
She laughs softly, settling into the couch. “Goodnight, Cole.”
“Night.”
I watch her for a moment longer than I should, the firelight playing across her face. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s not going anywhere—not if I have anything to say about it.
She’s mine.
Chapter Three
Sadie
I wake to the scent of coffee and the soft crackle of a fire. For a moment, I forget where I am. The cozy warmth of the cabin is such a far cry from my sterile city apartment that it feels like I’ve stepped into someone else’s life entirely.
