Page 8 of Scarlett's Mountain Man
CHAPTER 3
SCARLETT
Imove my body, groaning as it protests. Why is my body hurting so much? Why am I lying in a soft, warm bed with a fuzzy blanket?
Fuzzy blanket.
Soft, warm bed.
This isn’tmybed.
My eyes shoot open as I gasp, scanning the room but trying not to move too much. The ceiling is made of dark wood with a light fixture in the center.
I move my eyes to the right, only to see a deer’s head mounted on the wall. Flinching, I let out a groan as my body protests.
“Easy,” a deep voice says.
My head moves to the left, only to see a huge, burly man sitting next to the bed I’m in.
My mouth falls open as I look at him.
“W-what?” I whisper.
“Easy, Little One. You’re okay,” he gently says. “I know you must have a lot of questions, and I’ll answer all of them.”
I blink several times searching him, assessing him. There’s a bundle in his arms, and my eyes go wide.
“I’ve got Juniper here. Don’t worry, she is safe.” He dips his body, showing me that Juniper is asleep.
“Let me put her down, and I’ll help you sit up before I give her to you,” he offers.
I watch his every step, making sure he doesn’t do anything to hurt Juniper. Not that I would be able to do much since my body is aching really badly.
He walks over to a little crib and places Juniper in it before walking over to me.
“Easy,” he gently says as he helps get resituated. “Aiden says you’re going to be a bit sore for a couple of days.”
“A-Aiden?” I stutter.
“He is a retired doctor and works here. I’m Thorin, by the way, if you can’t remember me.”
My eyes go round as I stare at him.Thorin.
The man I spoke to on the phone several times.
The man who wasn’t happy when he found out I was driving and holding the phone.
The man I collapsed on.
“Oh my goodness,” I exhale.
“Remembering everything?” he asks.
“I passed out.”
He nods as he sets some pillows behind my back, propping me up.
“You did, from the pain, blood loss, and shock your body was in,” he gently explains. “You’ll need to stay in bed for a couple of days, only getting out if you need to use the bathroom. I’ll be carrying you into the bathroom, or we can have my sister come in and help you use a bedpan.”
