Page 12 of Mountain Grump Protector

Willow is not her. It’s not the same. Everything about this situation is different.

It’s a lie, and I know it.

The cabin is quiet. I hope Willow was able to settle in okay and get the sleep she needs while I spend my evening staring at the dark road that no one will dare to drive up.

I meant it when I told Luke I didn’t think Hatch was stupid enough to make a move tonight. But that doesn’t mean I think he won’t.

It’s a matter of time.

And hopefully by that time, I’ll have figured out what the hell I’m going to do about it.

Chapter Five

Willow

The sound of the birds outside wakes me up before the sun.

Obviously, we have birds down at our shitty little rental house, too. But there’s something different about being this high up on the mountain that makes the world feel quieter somehow. Like all the noise and ugliness from town can’t quite reach this place.

The scent of something warm and masculine is lingering in the sheets around me.

Cal.

My stomach tightens at the reminder of exactly where I am.

Still, I let myself sink deeper into the pillows for one more minute and listen to the peaceful sounds outside, because I already know the second my feet hit the floor, none of that peace is going to survive the day ahead of me.

For a few minutes, I manage to keep thoughts of the night before away, but then they start to creep in.

The Rusty Nail. Hatch. The dart game. The debt that only seemed to get bigger. And finally, the big, grumpy mountain man, who had never met me, came out of nowhere to win me, handing over a couple of thousand dollars before more or less kidnapping me to his remote cabin up the mountain.

Okay, he didn't really kidnap me. But I wasn’t left with much of a choice.

Now, I’m in his bed, and I still have no idea why he did it or what he wants from me.

But I’m not naive enough to think he won’t want something. Men always do.

There’s a creak right outside my locked door. There’s a pause and then a tentative knock.

“Coffee?”

“I don’t drink coffee,” I fire back without thinking, and immediately regret my sharp response when I hear his footsteps retreating down the hall without another word.

Guilt pricks almost instantly.

Fantastic.

He’s been nothing but nice to me. Saves me from the town sleaze, gives me his bed, doesn’t murder me in my sleep, and the first thing I do is snap at him when he’s once more trying to be kind.

Nice, Willow. Real nice.

I rub the heels of my palms into my eyes and stare up at the ceiling for another second before throwing the blankets back and slipping out of bed.

The shirt Cal lent me the night before hangs past my thighs, so I don’t bother with my dirty cutoffs for the moment as I crack the bedroom door carefully and step into the hall.

The cabin is quiet except for the low hum of something from the kitchen and the occasional creak of wood settling around me.

I take a moment to look around and take in my surroundings. Morning light spills through the windows, painting the room in a soft glow that makes the cabin look much…safer and warmer than the night before.