The Forbidden Mountain Man

by Bonnie Paulson

  Judging by the pull between us, I would be in as much danger as her of developing feelings. If I went down that path, I’d have to protect myself. If it came down to surviving, I could do what it took.

  Stephenie would understand. She struck me as someone whose entire goal was survival.

  I tamped down the feelings of guilt as I went back into the bedroom to get some clothes out for her to wear. Maybe covering her curves with over-sized clothing would help me to keep my eye on the prize.

  Next, I’d have to figure out a way to cover her magnetic eyes.

  Chapter 7

  Stephenie

  The shower felt heavenly. When I emerged from the steamy cubicle and found a stack of clean clothes sitting on the counter, I couldn’t contain my smile. He really was going to watch out for me, instead of pushing me out.

  There was something untraditional about Carter and yet very formal. Almost like he wasn’t sure how to act with me. With his brooding blue eyes and cowboy like features, I could pretend we were riding off into the sunset instead of trapped together in a mountainside cabin, waiting for judgment day.

  What if I worked to make him love me? If he loved me, he wouldn’t want me to leave. He would help me do whatever it was I needed to do and then he’d go about his business. Not to mention, he was the family lawyer and innocent man I delivered information for. For once I had a shot at a good guy. I needed a good guy.

  Shaking my towel-dried hair behind my shoulders, I worked on getting dressed in the flannel shirt and sweat pants Carter had set out for me. I rolled up the sleeves and tied the long front panels into a knot that exposed the slightest bit of my midriff. The sweats clung to my curvy hips and I was grateful for the first time in forever that I had my nonnina’s shape.

  I cleaned up the bathroom and tossed my dirty clothes into the hamper inside the bedroom, absently noticing it was almost full. Maybe Carter would let me do the laundry to earn my keep. I could surprise him after we got back from our search.

  The water had softened my damaged skin and I tried to work around the burn in my palms, shins, upper back, and more. I wasn’t even sure of what hurt anymore. Coming from the bedroom, I moved cautiously as every motion seemed to flood me with discomfort.

  Carter still sat at the table, staring into space. I’d noticed a decided lack of computers, television, or anything resembling a phone or tablet. Was he off the grid out that way? He noticed me from the side and turned his gaze to scan me from head to toe, his gaze appreciative without being inappropriate.

  “The clothes kind of fit you. I’m glad you were able to make them look less like my style and more like yours.” His smile held a tinge of disappointment as he leaned over and patted the seat in front of him. “Here. Let’s look at your injuries now. How do they feel? Did you get them cleaned out?”

  I nodded and moved self-consciously onto the seat he’d fed me on. “Actually, everything hurts.”

  “You’re probably starting to stiffen up, now that you’re rested and fed. Here, let me look. Where does it hurt worse? Your hands? Your legs?” He snapped on a pair of latex gloves from the pile of supplies he’d set out while I’d been in the bathroom.

  Yeah, those hurt, but… “Actually, my upper back and shoulder hurt the worst.” I wrinkled my nose, pointing in the general direction of the area. Without sounding like a baby, I couldn’t help admitting the pain was strongest there in a distracting way. I sat on the chair but faced away from him, certain he’d start in the worst spot.

  Carter’s brow drew down and he leaned over me after I sat. “Let’s see.” His gentle but warm touch carefully pulled back the collar of the flannel, baring my shoulder and lower neck to his perusal.

  I looked forward, closing my eyes as his fingers moved over my skin with the gentleness of a butterfly in flight. A shivering in my stomach made me clench my fist against my abdomen. I didn’t want to like him. He should like me. He wasn’t going to be able to do what I needed him to do, if he didn’t care about me.

  None of it mattered as the husky tones of his voice slid along my nerves. “Yeah, you’ve got some pretty decent road rash. I’m going to clean it and then bandage it, okay?”

  Iodine. He was probably going to use iodine. Wasn’t that what Italian mothers brandished like swords of justice against scratches and cuts to stave off infection? Carter may or may not be Italian, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to wield a cotton ball stained orangey-red with the liquid.

  Digging my nails into my knees, I braced myself for severe pain. I couldn’t even see when he was going to administer it to prepare myself. Soft pressure on the wound on my back and shoulder was the only indication that he touched me. A cold trickle of liquid escaped and slid down the skin of my back.

  “What are you using? Why doesn’t it burn?” I expected it to sting and I still braced myself for maybe a gradual burn.

  “Peroxide. I hope it doesn’t hurt. There’s no reason to make it feel worse than it already does.” His breath warmed my skin as he spoke, little puffs of warm air skimming over me with each syllable. “Now, you should feel a little bit more of my touch. I’m applying some bag balm. It’s the only ointment I have.” His tone was more apologetic than anything.

  I sighed in relief as he finished applying the ointment and then bandaged my scrapes. As he moved down across the rest of my injuries, I realized he only left behind a soothed area rather than a more devastated batch of nerves.

  Staring at him in wonder, I couldn’t help thinking maybe I’d been brought to him for another reason other than to save him. If he could touch me with such gentleness, he’d be less likely to touch me in anger.

  Maybe.

  After he’d fixed up most of my wounds that were bad enough to be treated, we scooted to the couch and fatigue pulled me into a deep slumber. I finally felt comfortable. I wasn’t worried about people coming after me and I wasn’t worried that Carter was going to possibly kill me. Instead, I had the weirdest feeling in my gut that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

  I wished it was because of how he felt about me and not because I could clear his name.

  ~~~

  I wasn’t sure what woke me. It wasn’t pain or discomfort. Blinking into the darkness, I realized night had fallen. I must have really been tired from earlier. How long had I been chasing information and delivering it to the agent at the gym? Guilt and disloyalty had been my constant companions since starting and I hadn’t slept well since.

  A scuffing sound came from the porch and I realized I wasn’t on the couch anymore. When had he moved me and without me knowing?

  I rolled to the side opposite my scraped shoulder and stared into the blackness. A soft glow from the fire gave me a general shape of the doorway. The door had been left open about halfway. Was Carter out in the living room or was he on the couch?

  The scuffing came again and I didn’t want to sit there, afraid and alone, as regular sounds went thump in the night.

  Moving as fast as my stiff muscles would let me, I scooted from the bed and padded out to the living room.

  The empty living room. Where was Carter? The door to the dark bathroom stood open. The couch was empty. I went back to the bedroom for one final glance over, bumping into the now-empty hamper. Where had the laundry gone?

  New logs had been added to the fire, but Carter was nowhere around. Windows weren’t abundant in the cabin, but there were a couple by the door, looking out over the porch.

  Quietly, I tip-toed toward the one with the curtains half-drawn to peek outside. Was the sound from friend or foe? I wasn’t sure I had any friends out that way, but the wind could make noises like a human, too.

  All I could see in the meager light from the now visible moon was Carter’s back disappearing down a trail.

  Where was he going and why was he leaving me behind? The sudden worry that he was going to turn me in in exchange for his own freedom overwhelmed me. I bit my lip and turned back to the fire. I’d left my shoes there earlier.
I slid them on without socks and rushed out the door.

  Headed in the same direction Carter had gone, I tried to move fast despite my body’s desire to limp and go back to bed.

  The clear night left behind a cold breeze and I folded my arms across my midsection to try to conserve warmth. Yeah, I probably should have stayed in bed. If I was going to be turned in, at least I would die in comfort.

  The wet land from the constant rains didn’t allow any twigs to snap under my weight or leaves to rustle as I moved. Instead, the damp ground muffled my movements, along with anyone else who might be out there.

  Turning left and then right, the trail suddenly branched out into three different directions and I stopped. Staring forlornly down each one, I knew turning back was my only option. I rubbed my eyes and yawned, my breath clouding up in front of me.

  I stood in the center of the paths and realized I had no idea which way I’d come from. When I turned to look behind me, it looked the same as the other options to my right and to my left. A fourth option confused me further and I leaned my head back and stared at the moon directly overhead.

  What was I going to do? I had no idea where I was going. I’d barely survived the last time I’d been lost in the woods. Why did I feel like I had to try to follow Carter? There was nothing I could do, even if I caught up to him. What was I going to do? Convince him not to turn me in? I couldn’t change his mind on anything, why would I put myself in danger to try?

  If I was the praying type, I’d fall to my knees right there and beg for a sign, but my guilt over my actions always kept me from church. I couldn’t confess my sins to a Catholic Italian priest. They’d have to report me to the dom of my family. There were some things you just couldn’t stop.

  As if I’d conjured up the arms of Carter, I was suddenly wrapped in his embrace. He pushed his mouth against my ear and murmured, “What are you doing out here?”

  I sagged against him. If he was going to kill me, he’d have done it by now and certainly he wouldn’t have done it right after tending my wounds. Would he? Shaking my head, I turned in his arms, welcoming the comfort of his arms. It didn’t matter that we’d only just met. The intimacy of the situation with no one else around seemed to deem anything appropriate. “I’m lost. I… I thought you were going to turn me in.”

  Relief washed over me, leaving me weak and emotionally exhausted.

  After a slight tightening of his hold around me, Carter dropped his arms. “You’re safe. Come on, let’s get you back to the cabin. You need to sleep.” He didn’t confirm or deny what I’d suggested he might be up to.

  I felt into step beside him, my stride not as long or confident as his as I picked my way over roots and rocks that had attempted to trip me up as I’d passed over them earlier.

  “Why are you out here?” I had to ask. What else would pull him outside in the chill in the middle of the night? I wanted to beg him to give me some information so I could reduce the accusations against him in my heart.

  He had slowed his pace to stay beside me and he glanced my way with his head bent. “I usually walk the perimeter at night at different times to make sure I’m still undiscovered. With you here, I just wanted to double check. That’s all.” In the dark, I couldn’t see the blue of his eyes, but I could feel his gaze on me. “According to you, we’re not safe and there are people trying to kill you. Unless they believe you’re dead, we can’t let our guard down.”

  Carter was just trying to keep us safe. Us. I liked the way that sounded. Our guard couldn’t go down either. Having someone else to help keep me safe left me with a warm feeling in my chest. I wasn’t alone anymore. At least not for the next few weeks.

  That was worth the road rash and the car accident. I’d been lonely for far too long. I couldn’t ask for a better isolation partner than Carter.

  Clenching my jaw, I realized that I would need to protect my heart while I went after softening Carter’s. Things couldn’t be more complicated.

  Chapter 8

  Carter

  Finding Stephenie so soon after hiding the bag almost gave me a heart attack. What if she’d seen me dump the bag against a tree and wedge it down between the roots of the large elm?

  I hadn’t taken the chance to inspect the contents like I wanted to, but I’d have to be fine with that. I couldn’t risk her finding it in the house after I’d told her I hadn’t seen a bag and then maintained the lie that I didn’t know where it was.

  On the path headed back to the cabin, I reached out, pulling her against my side as we walked back. The moon was at its apex. We both needed to get some sleep, no matter how distracting it was to have a woman like Stephenie sleeping in the next room.

  I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that administering ointment and bandages all over her body hadn’t left me breathless and painfully aware that I’d been on my own for months at that point. I wasn’t the type to chase after women without a possibility of commitment. Stephenie Rossi was as far from possible as I could get.

  Back at the cabin, I made sure Stephenie was ensconced in bed before I returned to the couch to stare at the flames of the fire. The night was quiet but I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were changing, shifting as we got closer to the trial. Stephenie was there for a reason, but I couldn’t make out what that could be.

  I wouldn’t be able to sleep that well, but at least I was warm and knew that Stephenie was safe. For now. That would have to be enough for me.

  ~~~

  It felt like someone stared at me. I blinked until my vision cleared and I jerked back into the pillow on the couch.

  Standing above me, Stephenie studied me, a slight smile on her lips. She held a plate and a steaming mug in front of her. “Morning. I made you breakfast and I would have waited to wake you, but I noticed you don’t have a microwave out here. I didn’t want to give you a cold breakfast.” She bit her bottom lip and brandished the plate closer to me.

  Pushing myself to a sitting position, I blinked as I took in the bright sunlight streaming through the front window and the cleanliness of the cabin. Rubbing at my eyes, I yawned and slowly accepted the plate and cup from her. “Thank you. This is… unexpected.”

  The washing machine shifted modes; the sound noticeable even with the door closed. I jerked my gaze to Stephenie’s face, but she’d moved to sit on the other end of the couch with her own plate and cup. She cut the pancake into bite-sized pieces before eating them.

  I glanced at my own plate, focused intently on the knot tightening in my chest. If I hadn’t moved that bag the night before, Stephenie would have found it that morning. She would have known I lied to her. The more I got to know her, the less I wanted her to think bad of me.

  She pointed her fork at her plate and nodded at mine. “I hope you like your eggs medium. I wasn’t sure and figured that was as safe as anything. Unless you prefer sunny-side up.” She wrinkled her pert nose at me.

  Lowering my plate, I studied her, shifting the topic without thinking. “Not many women are beautiful with no makeup on. I think you pull it off nicely.” Embarrassed by my stumbling compliment that I didn’t plan on paying, I returned my gaze to my plate. I wasn’t comfortable talking to normal people. I did my best interacting in the courtroom, controlling the jury, the judge, and the audience.

  One on one wasn’t my forte and I slightly resented the seclusion for enhancing that fault of mine, especially with a woman as beautiful and sweet as Stephenie.

  She cleared her throat. “That was sweet, thank you.” Had we hit a patch in our relationship filled with discomfort and misdirection? I thought that was only for married couples or those involved in a long relationship with no real sense of commitment.

  Certainly not for a couple of people who didn’t know anything about each other and who shared a cabin out of necessity and survival.

  Suddenly, Stephenie laughed, shaking her head. “We sound like a fighting married couple.” She rolled her eyes. “Thank you for the compliment. I’m not used to being
told that I look nice without makeup on. It’s kind of… an unspoken rule in Little Italy. You get made up to go swimming.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that. The women always look like they’re going out to dinner at a five-star restaurant. Why is that?” I shifted on the couch until I faced her at a more comfortable angle and cut a bite off the pancake on my plate.

  Stephenie mimicked me, settling with her back against the end armrest. She tilted her head to the side while she gazed toward the ceiling. “I think it’s because we’re afraid we’re going to die at any moment and we don’t want to head toward heaven or hell without looking our best. There’s a lot to be said for first impressions, you know.” She winked as she looked at me and grinned.

  Captivated by her wit, I couldn’t help smiling back like an idiot. Yep, an idiot I was proving myself to be. “How are you feeling this morning?” Maybe shifting the conversation yet again would help me save face. I was at a distinct disadvantage and I’d never felt it so acutely before. Somehow, I had to get my standing back in my head.

  “I feel better, thanks for rescuing me last night. That seems to be your MO.” Stephenie widened her eyes and lowered her fork. “Do you think today we can look for my bag? I feel better and I really need my toothbrush out of it.” Pink flushed her cheeks.

  Shaking my head, I sipped my coffee then lowered it. “I’m so sorry. I don’t have an extra one. You’re welcome to use mine, if you need to.” I fell silent, aware how intimate the offer was. We hadn’t even kissed and there I was offering up my toothbrush like we were a married couple or something. Rather than try to explain my offer, I nodded in the direction of the door. “Yes, let’s go out after breakfast. There’s nothing else to fill our days with.”