Page 39 of Mountain Men’s Nanny

Gunner wrapped his arm around my waist protectively. “Those tracks are from hours ago. If we seriously wanted to catch something so close to home, we should have been out at sunrise.”

We stood watching Lexi remember the things Gunner had taught her on their previous trips. She checked the trees for markings, ran her hand over the bark, then returned to the track marks.

I leaned into him naturally, my body just about melting into his. There was something romantic about being out here. Without even knowing how it happened or ever deciding to, I looked up at him. Our eyes met, then our lips easily followed.

A soft kiss, our lips pressed against each other until they softly parted. I could taste the coffee on his tongue, the heat between us both, hands moving slowly over my waist.

The bushes rustled ahead of us, and I pulled back quickly, following Lexi, who by now had gotten further from us than I was comfortable with. I hurried toward her, not wanting to lose sight of her.

One moment I was walking quickly, and the next I felt a root over my boot. By the time I felt it, it was too late to step over it. The root hurled my body forward. I fell, tumbling down steep ground. I felt helpless. Everything I tried to grab onto slipped from my hands until I came to a painful stop.

I was dizzy, disoriented. I looked up to see Gideon standing over me. Either I had hit my head on the way down, or he’d been tracking us this whole time and we didn’t know.

“For fuck’s sake, Gunner,” he grunted as he bent down to lift me off the ground with ease.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he trudged back up the hill to where Gunner and Lexi were waiting, shocked and afraid.

“Get Lexi, we’re going back to the cabin,” Gideon barked. “I knew you were stupid, but this? I should never have let you take the girls out here on your own.”

Gunner lifted Lexi onto his back and trudged toward the truck. He didn’t make any jokes or even try to run and play. My fall had silenced him and Lexi too. We climbed into the truck and drove back to the cabin in silence.

I bit down on my lower lip, holding back tears that burned at the back of my eyes more from shock than actual pain. It was only my leg that hurt. I was lucky to get away with just a sprained ankle and a few scratches. It could have been much worse.

Gideon insisted on carrying me all the way into my quarters. He walked slowly, carefully, even though I told him I had only sprained my ankle. His brow was furrowed with concern. His eyes searched my face every few steps for signs of pain and concern.

He wasn’t angry anymore. But after I examined my sore leg and figured it was just a sprain, nothing some rest wouldn’t fix, Gideon was still worried. He fussed over me, holding me steady in his arms, cradling me so I moved as little as possible.

I knew how he was about Lexi and even Tobias, fiercely protective. It was his personal business to keep them safe, and a personal failure when something went wrong. Something had gone wrong, something out of everyone’s control, but I could see he considered it a failing on his part. He was doing everything he could to make up for it. I could tell, even though he didn’t say it, the way he had looked at Gunner. The way he looked at me.

I had no idea his protection extended to me too. It warmed me to know he was looking out for me, too. He held me gently, like some fragile thing that could break if he walked too fast, and smiled back at me with the worry still etched on his face.

“You know I can limp there,” I said softly. “It might even be faster than the way you’re walking.”

Gideon smiled a small, gentle smile. “I wouldn’t risk that. I already took a big enough risk letting you go out hunting this morning.”

He struggled with the door, refusing to put me down so he could open it. Finally, we were in my room. Gideon placed me gently on the bed and arranged the pillows so I could sit up with my injured leg elevated by one big pillow. He looked around for a blanket and settled for the throw that was on the armchair.

My job had always been taking care of others. I did it in the city and out here. For the first time in a long time, I was the patient being tenderly nursed while in bed.

“I’ll take care of you,” he whispered, caressing my face. “You’re going to be okay.”

19

Crossing A Line

~

Tobias

I was looking over statements on my laptop when Lexi ran into the cabin, upset. She ran straight past me and up the stairs. I got up quickly to catch her, then Gunner walked in, downcast, shaking his head, and muttering to himself.

My first thought was that she had been upset when everything became too real. Hunting meant death, and maybe that was too much for my little girl, but when I saw Gunner, I knew it had to be something else.

“What happened?” I asked, grabbing his arm.

“It’s Brie,” he said, still shaking his head. “I don’t know how it happened. She was following Lexi when she tripped and fell.”

My mind raced. Brie had fallen, and now she wasn’t here. Lexi and Gunner had come back without her. It was as if an icicle had hit my heart. In the few moments of silence between Gunner and me, I had already imagined the worst.