Page 6 of Kissing My Mountain Man

Denny starts to point out some spots and tracks where wildlife has left its marks all around us. The brush near the path begins to thicken as we move along, and I really have to concentrate on where to step.

My breathing begins to steady out a bit as my body adjusts to this new pace of physical exertion. But I’m still very much an untrained hiker, and my body is quick to remind me of this with each step. A little stitch in my side begins to pinch, and I have to remind myself that oxygen is my friend more now than ever. My calves scream at me, and my mind slips to the hot bubble bath I’m going to take when I get home.

Almost as soon as I think about the luxuries, I get to enjoy in the twenty-first century, Clara’s face pops into my mind. It’s entirely possible that she walked this same path at some point in her sixty-two years and did it all without a premade trail. I have no reason to complain about any of this.

Clara ran a homestead alone on this mountain in the late 19th century.

I take a few steps.

She was a sharpshooter who never missed her mark.

I take a few more.

She was a woman ahead of her time.

My foot catches on a thick root poking out of the ground. With my brain lost in my own thoughts of comparing myself to Clara, I have zero time to react. My vision spins as my body falls forward, and my knee slams into the hard-packed earth. Right before my head is on a trajectory to connect with a rock the size of a football, a strong arm wraps around my waist and catches me.

Denny lifts me with ease and steadies me on my feet. My brain is still trying to process what just happened when he leans close. The puffs of his breath against my neck and hair sends tingles through me.

My own breath quickens, and this time it’s not from exertion.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

I turn my head slightly and meet his concerned gaze. “Yes.”

The deep crease between his brows makes me think that he doesn’t believe me. He studies my face for a moment, probably checking for any sign that maybe I did hit my head.

“Really, I’m fine,” I whisper. “Thanks to you.”

His grip on me tightens, and I swear I can feel the hard press of his cock against my hip. My core clenches with excitement. The pull between us is undeniable. I start to lean in to press my lips to his, but just before they touch, he pulls back.

“We should really keep moving.” He releases me and steps away.

The sudden loss of his body against mine makes me wobble, and I take a step to steady myself. But when I press my weight down on the foot that caught the root, I feel a sharp pain shoot through my foot, and I wince.

“What’s wrong?” he asks but reacts before I can even answer. “Sit down.”

“It’s nothing.”

“I’ll let you know if it’s nothing,” he says, reaching down and lifting me up into his arms.

This gruff manner would generally put me off, but this take control alpha strong man routine is more of a turn-on than I could’ve imagined, even if he did reject my kiss.

He walks us over to a nearby boulder and sets me down. I watch with rapt attention as he squats down in front of me. Carefully, he lifts my left leg and undoes the laces of my boot, and gingerly slips it off my foot.

“Does this hurt?” he asks as he holds my ankle steady and moves my foot in a slow circle.

It does ache a bit but not enough for me to be concerned that it’s broken. He looks up and studies my face when I don’t answer right away.

“Landry?”

It’s the first time I’ve heard him say my name, and it makes my heart rate double. I’ve been so consumed with school and researching everything I could about Clara Bishop that I’ve put dating on the back burner one too many times. Now here I am, face to face with a gorgeous guy, practically living out a Cinderella scenario I’ve dreamt about since I was a little girl, and I can’t find the words to speak.

“Landry.” He sets down my foot and leans forward to cup my face in his large hands. His eyes dart between mine with panic.

“It doesn’t hurt,” I rasp out. My mouth is so dry, and I’d love another sip from his canteen.

His shoulders relax. “You scared the shit out of me.”

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