The Beast of the Mountain (Mountain Men of Whispering Winds #9)

1. Riley

Riley

This is how I die.

I’m at least a million miles from civilization on an old mountain road with no cell reception, no survival skills, and no chance of making it back down the long, winding road to Whispering Winds without becoming a wild animal’s next meal or a serial killer’s next victim.

My car puttered to a stop fifteen minutes ago, and after popping the hood and poking at some wires, bolts, and shiny metal doohickeys, I’m no closer to getting this car started again than I am finishing my next book before my deadline. Although…

Note to self: If I make it out alive, my next thriller will take place in the mountains.

A woman, estranged from her husband and daughter, retreats to her family’s old cabin in the woods to battle her demons.

Paranoia or a drinking problem? Maybe… both.

Unreliable narrator? Check. Scary mountain man neighbor?

Hmm… yes. An old small-town murder mystery she finally solves from clues she discovers in her family’s cabin? Sounds good to me.

Okay, it needs work but the creative juices are flowing.

I guess I wasn’t too far off when I told my agent I needed to get away for a while.

I’ve always loved the energy and vibrancy of a big city, but lately, I’ve been blocked.

It’s like someone took a cork and plugged up the hole for my creativity and the words refuse to flow.

A cabin in the woods. No internet. No distractions.

Nothing but me, nature, and a looming deadline threatening to crush my soul.

It was a spur-of-the-moment idea, but after sleeping on it for a few days, the seed of an idea blossomed and I found this gorgeous listing and went for it.

I’ve never been very spontaneous but I figured a little adventure might knock loose whatever is blocking me.

Unfortunately, I don’t use my car much, so I’ve been neglecting its routine maintenance, and the steep incline and winding road into the forested mountainside was too much for her.

As it turns out, even Francine the Forester struggles with forests after routine oil changes have been pushed off for… years?

Yeah. Not good.

I sigh, pulling my head away from the steering wheel. My forehead is throbbing, and when I glance at the rear-view mirror, I see why. I poke the thick red indentation across my brow.

Cool. No one’s around to see it anyway. As I take in my surroundings again, my anxiety swells. I’ve been here for almost twenty minutes and I haven’t seen a single car. The only sign of life I’ve seen are a few birds and a couple of chipmunks scurrying up one of the pine trees next to me.

Nature used to be calming, but right now, I’m on edge.

It’s too quiet. It’s too calm. But at least it’s not dark.

If I hadn’t decided to get an early start on the day, I’d be stuck on the mountainside in pitch darkness with only the flashlight on my phone to guide me.

If the bears didn’t get me, the mosquitos would have.

I’ve only stepped out for a few minutes but I swear I must be giving off a fresh meat signal because I was bitten in rapid succession along my arms and legs.

And, as I stare at my reflection, on the tip of my nose. Grrrreat . Riley the red-nosed writer.

I check my phone again. No bars. I fling my head back against the headrest, closing my eyes as I let out a raspy sigh. I can’t stay here. It could be hours before someone drives by. I’m not certain I want to be found by someone this far from civilization.

Who lives this far out? Someone escaping a long string of unsolved murders, probably. There goes my imagination. Why couldn’t it work when I was back in my apartment in the city?

After taking a few more quiet moments to myself, I shove a few snacks and a water bottle into my purse and hop out of my car. I look left. I look right. Up and down. But there’s no one in sight that could help me. I’m all alone and the heaviness of the situation begins to weigh on me.

Frustrated, I scream—full-throated as I throw my head back and arms to my side. I can’t remember the last time I screamed like this before. Have I screamed like this before? I’m not sure, but honestly, it makes me feel a little better.

A few deep breaths later, I make my way down the road, opting not to lock my car because my screaming fit made me realize it doesn’t matter. No one’s going to ransack my car because no one is here.

This wasn’t the sort of hike I expected to take when I decided to head to the mountains, but as I continue making my way down the road, the fresh air and tall trees calm my nerves.

But only for a while.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as tension rises in my stomach. It feels like someone’s watching me. I spin around, glancing up and down the road and into the thick brush of the forest, but there’s no one around. I don’t hear anything but branches and leaves rustling from a soft breeze.

Maybe my imagination could take a break until I get a hold of my agent, a mechanic, or a tow. It’s been dormant for nearly six months, maybe chill for a little while longer?

Eventually, I see a bar flicker on my screen. After taking a few steps back, there it is again. I call my agent in a hurry, hoping that she’ll be able to find someone to rescue me because I’m sure a stiff breeze will carry this bar away along with my hope of making it back to town before dark.

It rings. It rings and rings and rings. Okay. I know for a fact that her phone is surgically attached to her hand, so why isn’t she picking up?

A few more rings and the call connects but I can’t hear anything but crackling and buzzing—robotic noises that undulate in pitch and volume and seem to be coming from inside a long tunnel.

“Vera! Vera, Vera, Vera,” I repeat rapidly into my phone, hoping that she can hear me. I wait but the only response I get is a garbled mess. And music? Whatever.

Rather than waste what precious few seconds I have left of this reception, I launch into a plea for help.

“Vera, my car broke down. I’m stuck on this mountain and it’s a long, long way back to civilization. Whispering Winds. That’s the town. I sent you the cabin in an email. Call a mechanic, a tow, the National Guard—something to get me out of here!”

I pause, taking a deep breath as I look around again. I don’t see anyone but I swear something’s off. It’s a gut feeling that’s waking up a primal part of me. Danger — get out now!

“I think someone’s watching me, Vera,” I whisper into the phone as though it matters.

“I think— ohmygod —someone is watching me and they’re headed straight for me.

” I consider running but nix the idea. There’s no way I can outrun that man.

At least, I think it’s a man. Bigfoot? I can’t rule out the possibility.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if I took off running, he’d drop down on all fours and bound toward me, closing the gap in no time.

“I’m going to stay on the line. In case things go— click.”

The line goes dead along with any chance of losing this man. Target acquired: Me. The fraction of a percentage chance I had of losing him in the forest is gone. Maybe if I stand still he won’t see me. That’s how it works? Please tell me that’s how it works…

Where the hell did he come from? Did he wander out of the forest? Does he live in the forest? Is this it for me?

It’s hard to make out his features with the sun in my eyes but the broad strokes don’t comfort me. He’s the size of a linebacker for the NFL with the height of an NBA player—well over six feet tall and with arms and legs that resemble tree trunks. Long scraggly hair. A beard.

To be honest, I was only kidding when I brainstormed a scary mountain man for my book idea.

I had no idea they actually existed. I swear, if an eagle lands on his shoulder or I see a chipmunk scurrying through his beard, I’m going to risk everything and book it into the forest. I’m not about to be a savage mountain man’s next— oh, hello.

Okay.

What is going on with my body right now?

As the man approaches, I’ve never felt so…

disoriented? Agitated? Flustered? I don’t even know.

All I know is that this is the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Seriously. Did this man time travel from the age of Vikings?

Is he a Norse god who fell from the heavens?

His eyes are deep blue. Icy blue but there’s nothing cold about his gaze. It’s searing as he takes me in, traversing down my neck before meeting my eyes again. Big, blonde, and beautiful.

It’s insane having this kind of reaction to a man.

It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

I’m burning up and trembling. I’m rapidly breathing but I’m out of breath.

What is happening to me? I might be awkward when it comes to men—spending all my time in front of a keyboard does that—but I’m not this awkward.

And no man has ever made my body react so strongly.

“Hello,” the man rasps as my ovaries swoon at his gruff baritone. I’ve never heard anything like it before but my body is craving to hear more. “That your car back there?”

Yessssss….

I nod because my voice is gone. Obliterated like all coherent thought as I let his voice wash over me.

He crosses his arms in front of his broad chest, muscles bulging beneath his flannel shirt. His collar is unbuttoned and his sleeves are ripped at his shoulders—most likely because the sleeves wouldn’t fit his biceps.

“Not an easy mountain to climb. Plenty of city folk get stuck out here. What brings you up my mountain?”

I blink a few times because I must have misheard him. His mountain?

“Your mountain?”

He nods as he grunts—a deep rumble I feel all over my body.

“Must have paid a lot for it.”

“Birthright,” he says, gruffly. “My family’s lived on this mountain for generations.”

I’m not sure that’s how land ownership works, but I’m not about to make this big guy mad. He’d probably take offense, throw me over his shoulder, and abscond with me into the woods. A secluded cabin. No one around. No one to hear me scream as he…

Phew. Okay. My imagination is clearly working now. Maybe he’ll let me leave his mountain. No harm. No foul.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

I swallow hard. I’m not sure if I’m scared or horny. Scorny? Is that a thing? No, probably not, but it’s definitely scary how turned on I am.

“I’m renting a cabin. I was on my way to it when my car died.”

He grunts again, and again, I feel it all over my body.

“There are no cabins to rent on this side of the mountain.”

“I paid for a month.”

“You were scammed. Plain and simple.”

No. There’s no way.

“Look, I have the listing right here.”

I pull out the printout from my purse and hand it over to him. His fingers brush mine as he grabs it, sending off a chain reaction in my body. Tingles radiate all over my body as air leaves my lungs. I clear my throat, blinking up at him as he glances at the paper.

A snort. A grunt. He hands it back to me and says, “Like I said, you were scammed.”

“How do you know?”

“That address is mine, but there are no cabins around that look like that. The only place to rent cabins is on the other side of the mountain. Aiden builds them but none like that. I’m sure someone grabbed a random address in the mountains and added some fake photos.”

It feels like the ground opened up beneath my feet as the realization sets in. It was too good to be true. So now I’m lost in the middle of nowhere with a Norse god.

So… not that bad? Maybe?

“You’re sure?”

He nods. “I am. I’m taking you back to my cabin. You can see the address for yourself.”

“You’re what?”

He takes a step forward and I take a step back as he smiles.

“I’m not sure why you’re confused. We’re not going anywhere in your car, and my truck’s back at my cabin. The only way we’ll be able to get you back to town and set up a tow is if you come with me.”

“Oh, right.”

My body relaxes after that, although a part of me kind of wanted him to whisk me off to his cabin and have his way with me.

Crazy.

“I’m Bear, by the way.”

“Bear?”

He nods. “Bear Adams.”

“Not related to Grizzly Adams by chance?”

“Who?”

I shake my head. “Never mind.”

“And what’s your name, city girl?”

“I might be a city girl, but I’m tough. Riley,” I add after a beat.

Bear’s eyes travel the length of me as he says, “Riley. I like that. It suits you.”

I don’t usually like men openly checking me out, but my body is craving Bear’s attention. And when he offers me his hand, I leap at the chance to touch him again. A brush of fingertips was not enough.

“Let’s get you home,” Bear says in a tone that makes me wonder if he’s talking about his cabin.

“Thanks,” I say, our hands finally dropping.

As we head back to my car, my body feels on edge. It feels like I’m balancing on a steep cliff, adrenaline shooting through my veins. It doesn’t abate when we reach my car.

“Take what you want. I’ll carry it for you.”

“You don’t need to,” I say, reaching for my suitcase. “I packed light.”

“We’ve got a long hike ahead of us, Riley. I don’t want to… wear you out.”

I set my suitcase on the ground next to us and Bear snatches it.

“Just how long?”

Bear grunts in response and then moves around the car toward the forest.

“Bear?” I ask, following him tentatively. “Just how long?”

Bear reaches the edge of the forest before turning back to me.

“It depends on how many mountain lions we come across.”

“How many? You don’t mean if?”

“I’ll protect you, Riley,” Bear says, stepping into the thick brush.

I believe him.

But I also don’t want to test that belief any time soon.

Mountain lions?!