Page 5 of The Mountain Man's Hunted Bride

“Now see, that’s semantics.”

“What kind of trouble is she in, and who is ‘they’?”

“You remember Millard Stump? He had three boys with his first wife. Little bastards just like him. His second wife had a son, Joey. Good kid stuck with asshole stepbrothers and stepfather. People like to say he’s just like them but he’s not. You were already gone when he took his next wife. She had a little girl, Tawny. He killed her mother about four months ago, just like he beat his first two wives. Accident they called it. Now he and the older sons are coming after Tawny.”

“How old is this girl?”

“Before I answer that, I’d like to remind you of your own youth. You joined the military at seventeen but due to your upbringing you were mentally well into your twenties by then.

“This girl has traveled the same path. She’s mature for her age, but her proper education was lacking. She just turned eighteen.”

I run a palm down my face. “That’s damn near a twenty-year difference. She’s a child. A mail order bride contract is the last thing she needs.”

“Age is relative and you know it. When you started army bootcamp, did you feel younger than the other boys?”

“Hell no. Half of them had never worked a day in their lives, had no discipline or stami?—”

She smiles. “It’s not the years it’s the miles you’ve traveled.

“The girl never really had a childhood. I’m not going to tell you her story, she needs to do that once she knows she can trust you. Just like you need to share yours.

“If you go through with this contract, you both might find some peace. If nothing else, you’ll keep her safe for a little while. Might get you outta your shell.

“We brought lunch. How about we all sit at the table and chat a bit. Then you can make up your mind. And so can she.”

“Gerdie, I don’t like people...”

“That’s a lie and we both know it. Half your team followed you to Oregon. You see them every two months. You like quiet and solitude, you like structure. You like control. You like honest people not users and manipulators. You’re also a protector by nature. It’s why you did so well in the military.

“You hide out here because chaos makes you crazy. As do liars. This was your safe place growing up while you dealt with your reckless mother. If you help this girl, even if it’s just for a little while, you may learn there is more to relationships thantaking. Hell, yours and Tawny’s histories are damn near the same. You should understand each other.

“I’m telling you the truth, and I know it’s not fair, but this girl needs protecting.”

“Why not just relocate her to some other town. Let her have a new start.”

“She’s got no money. She’s got no family. She’s innocent in a lot of ways and it would be easy for her to trust the wrong person. She needs someone who can protect her, look out for her, and give her a chance to grow into the woman she’s meant to be. You’re a good man and would do right by her. You won’t take advantage of her.

“I don’t want to see her become another victim. Another statistic.”

CHAPTER 4

Tawny

I get restless just sitting in the cab of the truck. Russett doesn’t help, coming to my door and whining, running away and coming right back bringing a stick I suppose he wants me to throw. Gerdie said it was safe here.

After I exit the truck cab, Russett drops the stick at my feet, does a circle, and eagerly studies me.

“You want attention don’t you, boy? Can you fetch?” Picking up the stick, I give it a short toss. In his excitement he trips himself, rolls and refocuses on where the stick landed. With the stick between his teeth I swear he’s smiling when he trots back and drops it at my feet.

The road to this cabin is hidden around a bend. The cabin sits in the middle of a clearing wide enough it would be almost impossible to sneak up on the inhabitants. I feel safe for some reason.

Gerdie had me hide in the back seat as she drove through town and farther up the mountain opposite of where I lived withthe Stumps. She said they wouldn’t even think to look for me here.

She explained that now I’m eighteen, even if Millard Stump came up with fake adoption papers, my marriage to this man would take precedence. One of the advantages of the mail order bride contract is I have ninety days to back out. She also assured me she’s known Gray since he was a boy and he’d keep me safe. Give me time to really think about what I want to do and where I want to go.

WhatdoI want to do? Or want to go? I like Cogburn. It’s a small town, not big and scary. At school there were two girls who talked to me at lunch. They were shy, too and insisted we were friends. They would ask me to go to the library with them, but Millard wouldn’t let me do anything. I’ve never had a real friend.

Thankfully Mom enrolled me in school as soon as we moved in with Millard or I’m sure he never would have let me go. According to him, women are supposed to just stay home and take care of the house and kids. Once the town knew about me, he had to let me continue.