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How long had I been out then?
The sun beaming in from the window by the front door told me that it must be close to noon.
Dang it all, I needed to get to town to contact Hilly and Maggie who probably had search and rescue teams scouring the entire mountainside for me.
Blinking hard to wake myself more, I touched my puffy ankle with a wince. It was still badly swollen, but definitely a great deal better. Whatever Bryant massaged into it worked well.
“Bear grease,” I muttered, annoyed at myself for gullibly believing his teasing claim. I’m sure he laughed his fool head off afterwards.
Clenching my teeth, I awkwardly stood and limped over to the kitchen area window and peered outside. Wearing only his leather breeks, Bryant was chopping wood, glistening with sweat from the effort, each rolling muscle bunching and straining, displaying his strength with every swing and drop of the axe onto the splitting wood.
God, he looks just like the Michael Bryant in Hilly’s museum photo.
“Holy guacamole,” I murmured.
As if sensing me watching him, Bryant stopped in mid swing and turned his head to meet my stare with his.
Caught ogling him, I quickly ducked away, then hobbled to sit in the nearest chair, stretching out my bandaged foot in front of me. A minute later, Bryant walked inside with an armload of split wood that he dumped beside the fireplace.
“Good morning,” I said. “Or is afternoon? I have no idea what time it is.”
“A little after twelve o’clock.”
“You have a watch?”
“No. I can tell by the sun’s direction. Hungry?”
“What? Oh. Yes, starved, but I’ll just eat in town. I need get back to Silver Falls right away. I’d like to leave as soon as possible, too, if you don’t mind.”
He walked over, squatted down in front of me and examined my ankle. “Sorry, darlin’, but you’re not fit to walk anywhere on that foot, much less down the mountain to town.”
“I’ll work through it.”
I clumsily stood, and he too easily nudged me back down into the chair to prove his point.
“I appreciate your concern,” I argued, “but I have to get back to town immediately. My friends will be frantic at me missing all night. They probably have every person in Silver Falls up here looking for me.”
Bryant frowned. “Will they then?”
At his hesitancy, I added, “Look, since you obviously value your privacy up here in the toolies, I’m warning you that dozens of people will soon discover your secret little fishing hideout here when they comb the woods for me. Unless I show up in town.”
“Sound reasoning,” he said, “but you’re still unable to make the dangerous hike down this mountain.”
“Hike? On foot?”
“Yes, hike, and yes, on foot unless you can sprout wings and fly. Not to worry. I’ll head to town myself and reassure your friends that you’ll join them soon enough.”
“No!” I burst out. “I mean, no, I can definitely hike down the mountain right now. Really. Besides, you wouldn’t want to leave here all alone, would you? A helpless, vulnerable woman. What if those Arcan goons found me? I’d be at their mercy.”
Since he appeared to be a male chauvinist man’s man, I decided play up the angle of being the timid, defenseless female. It wasn’t beneath me to nick my pride a bit in order to get my way when necessary.
The man eyed me skeptically. It must have been the right threat though, because he relented.
“All right,” he said, “but we take it slow. And if you falter at any point, I’m hauling you back here, even if I have to carry you the entire way. Agreed?”
This hunky mountain man carrying me through the woods and over the threshold of his cabin in his brawny arms? There were worse ways to spend an afternoon.
Still...
