The Forbidden Mountain Man

by Bonnie Paulson

  She nodded, turning around to warm the roundness of her derriere. I didn’t focus on her shape, but light from the flames flickering behind her accentuated curves I didn’t want to accept.

  “I do. I need to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.” She snapped her lips shut as if she’d said more than she wanted to. After a minute, she glanced at the door and then back at me. “You’re not going to let me go outside, now, are you.” It wasn’t a question.

  Shaking my head, I half-shrugged. “Sorry, princess. There’s too much at stake. I’ll help you look for your bag, but you’re not going outside without me.” How was I going to make sure she stayed in the cabin when I wasn’t out front? I had to sleep some time. I would have to use the john at some point. The logistics of keeping her prisoner without tying her down might be more work than staying alive was worth.

  The windows were sealed shut so I didn’t have to worry about that. Just the doors, except I didn’t think I’d have a problem with the backdoor which was actually a hidden trapdoor under the bed. Unless she knew what she was looking for, she wouldn’t be able to find it.

  “Tell you what. I’m going to start sleeping out here and you’ll take the bedroom. I just need to make it more presentable, then you can move in. Do you need to use the restroom while I make some adjustments?” I couldn’t let her leave until I knew just what she was running from. I couldn’t risk her lying to me.

  There were too many lives at stake.

  She nodded, casting her eyes downward as she moved to the end of the couch.

  I motioned toward the hallway to the side of the kitchen. “First door on the right. You can’t miss it.” While I watched her curves walk in front of me, I crossed my fingers and hoped that the bathroom wasn’t a massive mess I’d have to explain away. I hadn’t had company in quite a while.

  Once I knew she was safely secured in the bathroom, I ducked into the bedroom. I couldn’t close the door in case she decided to try to sneak out while I was in there. Grabbing up the jacket I’d removed from her, I gathered it on top of the sheets and blanket I’d been using. I’d have to wash them before putting them back on the bed.

  I grabbed her bag from under the bed where I’d shoved it. The opening tilted as I stood and a pile of stuff fell to the ground with a loud clatter. Holding my breath, I crouched down and stared across the bed at the door to see if she would come out while I cleaned it up.

  After I’d collected everything and pushed it back into the bag, I zipped it shut. Wrapping the entirety in a towel I’d used the night before after a shower, the edges still damp, I clutched it to my side and glanced around the room one last time.

  My things were in the closet but I didn’t have much. A few flannel shirts and pants that I could just come in and borrow after a shower or whatever. I needed to find a hiding spot for the bag where I could study the contents without her discovering me, but where?

  The handle to the bathroom rattled and I tossed the entire mess of blankets, sheets, and towel-wrapped bag into the hamper beside the bedroom door and moved into the hallway.

  She came out, her face freshly washed and her hair plaited into a French braid.

  I motioned toward the bedroom. “I just need to put clean sheets on the bed and then you’re good to go.” She didn’t limp with her injuries but I needed to look them over. If infection set in, there’d be no way I could help her without taking her into the city. That was out of the question. “Why don’t you sit on the couch. I’ll get my first aid kit and look at your injuries after I get us something to eat.” If I continued to give her directions, maybe she wouldn’t come up with something else to do on her own.

  Like run.

  Chapter 5

  Stephenie

  For whatever reason, Carter seemed to think I might be an enemy because I was a Rossi. But I wasn’t. I just hadn’t legally changed my name to De Borgi. Plus, I mean, of course, I was a Rossi, but not in the way that my brothers and sisters were. Even my full-blooded sister, Adele, was wrapped up in the Rossi family more than I was.

  I didn’t blame her, though. Our mom hadn’t even told me what had happened to the Rossi marriage. They’d seemed happy, until I’d found the pictures my mother’s private investigator had captured of The Rossi embracing another woman. Naked.

  That had been more information than my younger mind had needed. I couldn’t see my father the same way since. I knew what had ruined our family and destroyed my mother. The woman he’d been with in the pictures had become wife number three and I could barely tolerate her presence.

  My half-brothers and sisters, however, all tried to acclimate to being a Rossi the best way they knew how. Some of them followed in the footsteps of the family business as was expected, like Angelo my oldest brother. Others, ran from who they were, like me and Mia. Then there were the ones who wanted to succeed in life despite the stigma of being in an Italian organized crime family, like Allesandro another brother.

  I moved past Carter into the bedroom and stared at the bare queen mattress on a simple frame and no headboard. A small nightstand on one side of the bed held a lamp and a digital clock with blue numbers on the display. Closet doors blocked my view of the inside of the closet, but I couldn’t imagine there being anything revelatory inside.

  For whatever reason, Carter believed me to be the enemy. No. Not for whatever reason. My last name was giving him enough reason to believe so.

  Rattling of pans and other dishes in the kitchen made me relax. I thought for sure he’d followed me into the bedroom to watch me. He couldn’t hold me hostage and yet, he had no reason to trust me. I could see that.

  I left the room, moving past the hamper sitting beside the door and trailed my fingers along the wall. He had the perfect little setup out there in the woods. I wasn’t sure how he had fresh water and plumbing and lights, but the bathroom had been equipped with a modern toilet, a sink, and against the far wall a small washer and dryer stacked unit. It wasn’t anything fancy, but with wood floors and a fireplace in the front room, it seemed like the conveniences of life had been thrust into the middle of nowhere.

  Moving again into the living room, I carefully walked to the couch and sat down, more than aware of his eyes on me. The man was attractive as sin and I hated that I wanted him to watch me, wanted him to see me and not the name.

  Letting myself rest on the couch, I worked to accept the pain riddling through me. Not a big deal. I could handle it. Plus, he’d said he had a first aid kit. I could wait for that.

  Staring at the flames, it hit me. I didn’t want him and I to be enemies. He was safe out there, holed up with only the simplest of conveniences until who knew when. I needed to stay out of sight until the trial in three weeks. My information could be delivered then. Plus, if I never showed up, then they would believe I’d died in the crash and maybe they would loosen their protection detail a little bit more.

  “You know, I think you’re looking at this all wrong.” I licked my lips, and turned my head carefully toward him to avoid jarring the sore muscles in my neck. He shot a questioning glance my direction then went back to cracking egg shells. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Isn’t that how it goes? If the Rossis are your enemy and they’re mine as well, then maybe we can be friends.” Or allies, or anything that would get him to accept the idea that I should stay there with him.

  He moved slowly while he considered my words. After opening the door on the oven and then shutting it, he wiped his hands on a towel and approached the end of the couch. “The Rossis are your family. Isn’t that like a loyalty thing in Little Italy? I’ve seen people die for scratching near the area of being disloyal, they hadn’t even acted on their thoughts to betray the family.” He studied me like he wondered just what game I was playing.

  I wasn’t playing any game. I was trying to survive and I had no idea how to convince him of that. I changed the subject. “Why are you out here in the middle of nowhere? What was with the freak out over my last name?” There had t
o be something that would convince him to let me stay there. I just needed to figure out what it was he wanted and offer it to him.

  “Honestly, I’m surprised you don’t remember my name. I was the family lawyer for a long time, until… I suddenly wasn’t.” His brow furrowed and he braced his arms on the armrest of the couch, studying me intently. “Has your father mentioned a trial or anything in three weeks? Does anyone know about this or are they talking about it?”

  The trial. As a woman I shouldn’t know about it, but I did. I was very good at getting information from my father when he easily ignored his children. Sometimes, I would just go and sit in his house, acting like I was painting or embroidering while just listening. For all the beautiful angles and features of his home, the walls were very cheaply made and I could hear so much while just sitting in silence.

  Of course, I knew about the trial. The trial was taking place because of me. I was the informant everyone couldn’t find. I’d heard the family had suspected multiple men but only one of them had gotten away and he was the one they’d pegged all the betrayal on. The man’s disappearance had gained me a little more in the way of room to maneuver, but the Rossi family had continued watching.

  “The trial.” I sighed and leaned back, slumping against the couch. “I’m the cause for the trial. There’s an innocent man my family is after and if I don’t get these documents to the lead prosecutor or the FBI agent leading the case, then he’ll die or go to prison where he’ll die.” I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose. “I hadn’t meant for any of this to happen, but there it is, you know?”

  I didn’t want to look at him and find judgment in his eyes, but I couldn’t help it. I opened my eyes and rolled my head to the side. He watched me, his piercing blue eyes captivating me.

  A minute passed and then two. He finally spoke, his voice low and uneven. “Yeah, the man they’re after is me.”

  Jolting upright at the revelation, I stared. I’d betrayed my family and this man’s life was on the line. My actions had put him into danger. I blinked back tears. The last thing I needed to do was appear weak in front of a man I needed to believe I was strong. If I couldn’t deliver the information that exonerated him as well as testify, then he wouldn’t survive the trial.

  I shook my head. “I’m so sorry. That’s why I need the bag. The information that will set you free is what I was chased off the cliff over and it’s in that bag.”

  He had to let me go look for it, if for no other reason than we both needed the bag to outlive the spring. Would he be able to trust me or would I have to hurt him to save him?

  Chapter 6

  Carter

  How was I going to convince Stephenie to stay with me? Her confession cemented my decision to keep her at the cabin with me. I just didn’t want to have to watch a prisoner for the next three weeks.

  Everything became clear after she’d revealed she was the informant. She was the reason my life was in danger and I’d had to hide away from the rest of the world just to survive.

  The smells of bacon cooking filled the small cabin and my stomach growled. Stephenie glanced past me, her eyes widening. “That smells delicious.”

  “Are you hungry?” Where I should probably have more of a sense of urgency about finding the bag, I was more interested in seeing just what angle I would need to take to get her to trust me enough to stay with me. Plus, I already knew where the bag was and it wasn’t out in the woods.

  She nodded, glancing at the door in desperation. “I’m starving, but I need to find that bag. I can’t tell you how important it is.” She had no idea how much I understood. There was nothing more important to me than exonerating me. Maybe I could get my life back, if everyone knew Stephenie was the traitor and I’d been unjustly accused.

  “Let’s eat and let me look at your wounds first. Then I’ll feel more comfortable letting you trample around the woods.” I grinned at her, motioning toward the small table. “Grab a seat. I’ll have eggs and toast with the bacon in just a few minutes.” I still wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure she wouldn’t run, but I had to take that chance as I ducked into the bathroom and pulled out of the linen closet my large orange first responder bag.

  Carrying it back to the makeshift dining space, I set it on the extra chair beside the one she’d taken. The bacon had a few more minutes to go and then I could start the eggs with the cooked-off bacon grease.

  I hadn’t looked too closely at her last night or even that morning as I tried to figure out who she was. Now, though, as I claimed the chair to the right of her, I took a visual inventory on her physical well-being.

  Large stripes of dirt tracked along her leggings and the front of her shirt. Where the jacket had protected her the shirt was still clean, although stretched and loose. Her hair, while long and thick, had a hint of wild to its curls and she continued to push the mass behind her. She probably stored rubber bands or something in her bag to help maintain the tumbling mass.

  “Okay, I’m going to need to see your legs.” I reached into the orange duffel while giving her a moment to push up the pants. She rolled the tight material up her calves and knee. I tried not to stare and busied myself pulling out antibiotic ointment, gauze, and bandages. Once upon a time, I’d been an EMT while putting myself through school.

  The scrapes along her shins didn’t detract from the dainty turn of her ankle or the graceful curve of her calf.

  I pointed along the ridge at a scrape and murmured, “This doesn’t look too deep. It’ll be better before you know it.” I studied her and realized she would be better to take a shower before I applied anything. I set the first aid items on the table and shook my head. “Okay, change in plans. Let’s eat breakfast and then you’re going to take a shower. I have some antibacterial soap in there you can use to wash your wounds. Let me see your hands.”

  She held out her hands and sighed. The skin had taken a beating, little pieces of gravel still stuck in the soft red patches where the abrasions were. Taking a small square of gauze, I gently moved the material across the tops of the black gravel bits to remove them from the wounds. Stephenie didn’t make a sound even though it had to hurt as I worked.

  “I feel like you’re procrastinating going after that bag.” Her soft words washed over me and I glanced up at her in surprise.

  “Trust me, doll. There’s nothing I want more than that bag. But you getting an infection isn’t going to help either of us.” I stopped moving the gauze as I released the last bit of gravel and then I rested my elbow on the table, studying her. “Look, I don’t know if you need to hurry back to town or not, but I have a feeling – call it an instinct or whatever – that you need to stay here until the trial.” Laying everything out there was one of my tricks in the courtroom.

  I didn’t believe in subterfuge. Not when the truth would get you what you wanted. I was a rare lawyer and I’d been told that more times than not. The accusations by the Rossis had stung, and now I was staring at my redemption and trying to convince her to stay with me. I needed her to stay alive almost as much as I needed to survive.

  She studied me, her large onyx eyes giving me pause. “Do you really think that’s safe? I mean, I’m sure they’re going to be looking for me when they realize the car is empty. If you’re trying to stay hidden and they find me… they find you.” Her lips parted and she pulled the soft mauve of her lower lip between the pearly squares of her teeth.

  Even though she was right, I had to go with my gut. “You’re right, but I can’t take the chance that something will happen to you before the trial. If you return to town, another accident could occur and then what? You’ll be dead and I’ll be in jail. That doesn’t sound like something either of us would want.” For some reason the thought of her dead left me feeling hollow inside.

  I released her hands, careful not to react to the sudden empty feeling in my fingers as her warmth disappeared. “So, I’m thinking you take a shower and clean up your wounds after we eat. Nothing looks lif
e threatening. I’ll get you some warmer clothes, they’ll be big, but warm, and then we can go out into the woods and retrace your steps from last night to find your bag. Does that sound okay?”

  As she nodded, I stood, leaving the first responder bag on the side of the table we wouldn’t use for eating. After we ate, Stephenie disappeared into the bathroom and the sound of water running filled the cabin. The sensation was weird.

  I’d been alone for months with the rare visit from my contact with the US Marshals’ office who brought me supplies and updates when he could make it out. The sound of the water running in the cabin was enough to make me realize I wasn’t alone anymore.

  Stephenie wasn’t necessarily my friend, but she couldn’t be my enemy either. Like she’d said, the enemy of my enemy was my friend. I had to be careful with this one, though. She had the potential to come to mean something to me and that wouldn’t do anyone any good.

  How was I going to be able to inspect the contents of the bag before being forced to hide it in the woods so she could find it out there? The fledgling trust between us couldn’t be risked at that point. What if she changed her mind about helping me? Before she’d known who she was helping, the man had been innocent in her mind.

  Now, though, she knew me and if she suspected I wasn’t as innocent as she’d been told, she might decide that putting herself at risk to save me wasn’t worth the effort.

  I still wasn’t sure just how much I was willing to testify to as it was. With Stephenie Rossi staying with me, who knew what the possibilities were.

  All I knew was that the hope in me getting exonerated was enough to make me consider plans.

  Hope. That’s all I’d been looking for and it had shown up attached to the daughter of my enemy with her big brown eyes and curves that wouldn’t stop.

  One way or the other, I had to make sure she didn’t change her mind about helping me. I needed my future back. I wasn’t ready to die. Maybe I needed to romance her until she cared enough about me to do whatever it took to save me.