Page 1 of Claimed By The Mountain Man

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I ran from one man trying to own me… straight into another who actually will.

Scout

I should have known something was up when my father started acting nice and caring toward me.

He’s never been the nurturing type. He’s never really paid me much attention at all, too busy hiding from loan sharks or drinking himself to sleep.

Still, when he starts to pay attention to me, I can’t deny that a part of me is hoping our relationship might finally be improving.

Then he leads me into the chapel and informs me that I’m there to marry one of the loan sharks he owes.

So, I do the only thing that I can.

I run.

When my car breaks down on the side of the road, I think I’m screwed.

Then he shows up, and I know I am.

Carter

I’m enjoying the peace and quiet of my cabin when a car breaks down out front, and out steps an angel.

An angel in a wedding dress.

I know right then and there that fate has brought me this girl, that she belongs to me.

I don’t know who was stupid enough to lose her, but I won’t be making that mistake.

This girl is mine.

She’s in my cabin, sleeping in my bed, wearing my clothes.

She thinks she can’t leave because I need to fix her car. She’s about to learn that I’m never letting her go.

I’ve found my dream girl.

Now all that’s left is for me to claim her.

1

Scout

I’m way too young to feel this bone-tired. I’m twenty-three, but I feel like I have the body of a sixty-year-old. It’s not even six p.m. yet, and I’m already ready to crawl into bed.

I know that something needs to change. I can’t keep working two jobs only to barely scrape by. I need to find a different job, maybe finish college. I need to move away. Deep down, I know that staying in this town and living with my dad are the things holding me back. He’s the reason I have to work so much. I don’t know why I even try to help him at this point.

My mom died in a car accident right after I was born, so it’s always been my dad and me. You’d think that would have made us close, but the truth is that my dad has never paid much attention to me. He’s never been the caring, nurturing type. Instead, he was always more focused on his next big idea, on gambling, or on going out drinking with his friends.

By the time I was seven, I was making myself dinner and putting myself to bed. When I got my first period, I had to spend my babysitting money on pads and figuring out how to use them. I’ve been self-sufficient for most of my life, and I’m tired of it. Some days, I would give anything to have someone to lean on, to help out, to make the hard decisions.

But I don’t. I have an alcoholic, degenerative gambler as a roommate and father. I wonder if he even has any money to help out with rent this month. I doubt it. He’s been out a lot in the last two weeks, and that means he’s been getting into trouble. Trouble that I’m getting sick of bailing him out of.

I should leave. I should pack up and go. I could find another job, another crappy apartment, another roommate.

What’s stopping me? I wonder as I park my beat-up car out front and trudge up the steps of our apartment.