Page 4 of Her Forbidden Mountain Man

My attention flicks toward the market.

The man with the scar is moving again toward us.

I lean across Sophie, catch the seat belt, and pull it over her. She twists beneath me. The front of my body brushes hers. It is brief and accidental but it is also enough to send heat through every nerve I possess. My hands shake for the first time in years.

I click the buckle into place. Her fingers grab my shirt.

“Samuel—”

“Stay.”

“I’m not a dog!”

I slam the door. The scarred man is twenty feet away. He sees me looking at him. His pace slows.

My jacket hangs open now, giving him a glimpse of the weapon at my side. That alone tells him enough. I’m armed. I’ve identified him. I’m watching his hands. He changes direction, moving past the front of my truck as though he never meant to approach it.

I memorize his face.

Before I realize it Sophie has opened the passenger door. I spin just as she jumps down. She runs. For one hopeful second, she heads toward the families near the hayride. If she reaches them, she might buy me enough time to deal with the men.

Then the man in the dark jacket steps from between two parked SUVs right into her path.

Sophie slows. He smiles at her. I see his hand move beneath his coat. Sophie sees it too—Her entire body goes still.

I cross the space between us in seconds.

“Get away from me,” Sophie says to him. Her voice trembles, but she stands her ground.

The man holds up his free hand. “Easy. I only want to talk.”

I hit him before he reaches her. My shoulder drives into his chest. We slam against the side of the SUV hard enough to rock it on its tires.

He reaches for his gun. I trap his wrist, wrench his arm upward, and bury my fist beneath his ribs. Air explodes from his lungs. The pistol slips halfway out of its holster. I shove it back in and twist his arm until something pops. He drops to one knee with a strangled sound.

People scream.

“Sophie!” I bark.

She stares at me. The bald man is coming from the other side of the lot.

“Truck. Now.”

For once, she listens. She turns and runs.

The man beneath me tries to rise. I drive his face into the SUV window—not hard enough to kill him, but hard enough to make him reconsider.

“You follow us,” I say quietly, “I’ll finish this.”

His gaze meets mine. All I see is hatred… and maybe recognition? I release him and run for the truck.

Sophie is inside with the doors locked. I yank the driver’s handle. It doesn’t open. She stares at me through the glass, breathing hard. The bald man reaches beneath his jacket. I slap my hand against the window.

“Unlock it.”

Sophie looks past me.

She sees him. The locks click. I climb inside, throw the truck into gear, and stomp on the accelerator. Gravel sprays behind us. The rear tires fishtail before catching. I wrench the wheel, narrowly missing a tractor decorated with fake cobwebs, and aim for the exit.