Page 49 of The Mountain Man's Mail-Order Mafia Princess

Talia climbed beneath the sheet and patted the mattress beside her.

I joined her without making her ask twice.

We slept tangled together.

The following morning, we left the cabin with packed sandwiches, bottled water, and enough heat already rising from the road to promise a long afternoon.

Talia wore dark jeans, a fitted white tank, and her brown ankle boots. Gold bracelets circled one wrist. Her curls fell loose around her shoulders.

“The day’s going to be hot,” I said as I opened the passenger door.

“I have a hair tie.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You were about to.”

“That’s still your line.”

“It remains useful.”

I held out my hand.

She took it and climbed into the truck.

The property sat on the far side of Promise Ridge, where the mountain road widened around scattered houses and older cabins. Dry grass covered the slope. Pine needles had gathered in deep rust-colored layers beneath several trees near the house.

The woman who owned the property waited beside the front walk. She was small, gray-haired, and dressed in a long denim skirt despite the heat.

She glanced toward Talia.

“This is Talia,” I said. “She’s staying with me.”

Talia raised her eyebrows.

The woman smiled. “I didn’t know you had company.”

“I didn’t either.”

Talia stepped forward and offered her hand. “That explanation requires more time than we have in the sun.”

The woman laughed and shook it.

I took my gloves and measuring tape from the truck.

“Stay near the porch while I check the trees. Don’t go near the equipment.”

“I can manage that.”

“I know you can.”

“Then try to sound less surprised.”

The property owner pointed toward a group of tall pines near the back of the house.

“Those are the ones I’m worried about,” she said. “A neighbor told me they’re too close together.”

I walked the perimeter, checked the lower branches, and examined the dead growth packed beneath them. One pine had bark damage near the base. Another leaned toward the roof but remained healthy enough to preserve if we reduced the fuel around it.