Ruthless Mountain Man - Ava Grace Page 0,2

fuck with me.’

Yet despite her apparent toughness, there was also something very vulnerable about her, and I hadn’t missed the way she’d looked over her shoulder as if to check she hadn’t been followed. When you added in the fact that she hadn’t answered any of my questions, my curiosity about her was through the roof.

Who was she?

And what in the hell was she doing running through the forest alone and without the proper clothing to suit the weather. The evenings got cold up in the mountains. She wasn’t even wearing hiking boots, just a pair of sneakers that looked as if they had seen better days.

She was a complete and utter mystery.

It was a good thing I enjoyed solving puzzles.

“It’s just after these trees,” I said over my shoulder. “You’re welcome to use the telephone if there’s someone you’d like to call to come and get you.”

“Thanks,” she replied succinctly.

Her one-word answer frustrated the hell out of me, but I said nothing further as I led the way to my house. One thing I could tell about her through the couple of sentences she’d uttered was that she wasn’t local.

She had a southern accent—New Mexico or Texas, maybe.

The most likely scenario was that she was on vacation with her boyfriend or family members and had gotten into an argument and run off. Although that didn’t ring entirely true. If that was the case, why was she constantly looking over her shoulder with a scared look on her face?

Who was she running from?

Was her boyfriend abusive? Had someone hurt her? The idea that someone could have laid their hands on her made my blood boil. Whoever he was, he’d better not show up here or he’d get my fist in his face. I took in a few deep breaths to calm down. I’d struggled with anger issues when I was younger, and I’d paid the price for them. I rarely got angry anymore, but the thought of a man hitting a woman made the rage I used to feel rear its ugly head again.

I hurried my pace when a chill wind whipped across my face. Scarlett was cold and I wanted to get her into the warmth and safety of my house as quickly as was humanly possible.

“Here we are,” I said, nodding to my cabin when it came into sight. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

It was a small cabin, with just two beds and one bath, but I’d maintained the property since my dad had died, and it was warm and cozy. I lived alone and it was more than big enough for my needs. I wondered what Scarlett would make of it. I’d never worried what people might think of my home before, perhaps because I’d grown up in town and everyone had always known where me and my dad lived, but for some reason, I wanted this woman to be left with a good impression of me.

“I like it,” Scarlet declared, causing me to let go of the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “It’s got character.”

Oh, it had that in spades.

The steps that led up to the porch creaked as I climbed them. I headed for the front door. I hadn’t bothered locking it. There wasn’t any point. My nearest neighbor was a few miles down the road and I’d only actually met him once. He didn’t live there full-time, it was a vacation property. I didn’t get any visitors and hikers never ventured this far from the trails.

I stepped into the house then held the door open for Scarlett. She hesitated on the porch before following me inside. She glanced around then her eyes fixed on something on the sofa.

“Who’s that?” she asked.

I followed her line of sight and a grin tugged at my lips. “Oh, that’s Jake.” I nodded to my big lump of a ginger tabby. “Be careful with him, he can be an asshole.”

Jake let out an indignant sounding meow then jumped off the sofa and circled Scarlett’s legs, rubbing himself up against her.

“Well, he’s just darling!” she said, before reaching down and picking him up.

I nearly had a heart failure.

“Wait, he doesn’t like to be picked up!” I said in a panicked voice.

I didn’t want Jake to lash out and for Scarlett to get hurt.

She didn’t.

Jake became like a puddle of mush in Scarlett’s arms and his purr sounded like the hum of a machine. I scratched the back of my head as I blinked at my obstinate cat