Chapter 4
four
Emma
When Asher gets up to answer the door, I release a deep breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Holy cow the man is intense and gorgeous in a growly-bear type of way.
His dark brown eyes have a thin gold ring around the pupil that seems to glitter when he focuses on me.
But the worst is when he tells me to do something.
I swear I could come just from him ordering me around. It’s crazy. Maybe I’m just losing it.
I finish the rest of my water while he stands in the doorway.
I can’t hear what he’s saying just multiple male voices.
His shoulders stiffen and then relax. What the heck is going on?
He turns to look at me, probably checking to make sure I’ve listened.
I don’t want to put weight on my ankle if I can avoid it.
But I don’t want to go to the doctor, either.
My research must come first. With only two weeks to get enough data for my thesis, I can’t waste a minute of time with my plants.
If his brothers are here, will they make him let me stay?
Or will they agree and send me home? I have the dang email on my laptop.
Why didn’t I print out a copy to keep in my pack?
It would have proven my claim right away.
Then again, I wasn’t expecting Asher the Bear to come at me.
Hmm, Asher the Bear…Ashbear. I like it! Even better, he’ll probably lose his mind when I call him that.
Yup, if he’s going to call me Raindrop, I’m calling him Ashbear.
He’s lucky I don’t just keep calling him fartknocker.
Although, as he opens the door wider and two of his brothers walk into the cabin, I lose some of my bravado.
Frack. Might be time to put my dad’s favorite saying into play—vivere in tempore—live for the moment.
“Emma? Are you okay?” Asher asks when he stops in front of the couch. I wonder whether he’s called my name more than once. This isn’t the time to get lost in my head.
“Yes, I’m fine. Although I’d prefer to be in my tent right now.” I know I’m poking the bear—Ashbear—but hopefully his brothers will tell him I belong here and they’ll let me go back to my camp.
“Hi, Emma. It’s nice to meet you in person. I’m Andrew, the oldest. This is Adrian. We’re two more of the Gallants. I’m the one who gave you permission to be here.”
As he says that, he gives Asher the side-eye. I’m so relieved I giggle, which draws everyone’s attention back to me. Holy shiitake mushrooms.
“That doesn’t change anything. Your hands are scraped up, and you can’t walk on that ankle. At least not until Doc Winston checks it out.”
“What? No. You don’t understand, I only have two weeks.” I look over at Andrew. “That’s all he gave me to study the mountain sweet pitcher plants. My thesis is based on them. I can’t just lounge around. This is important, it’s my future we’re talking about.” He winces.
Whoa. Who am I right now? I’m usually Miss Invisible and perfectly happy that way.
A nerd and proud of it. But that means I don’t do confrontation, which is exactly what I just did.
All three of the brothers are intimidating, but Asher looks wilder, a true mountain man. The other two seem more refined.
Andrew looks more sophisticated. His beard is close-cropped, and his hair is pulled into a ponytail. Adrian’s hair is short, and the smile he flashes me makes his blue eyes twinkle.
“Stop staring at my brothers,” Asher growls, making me jump.
“What? I’m not staring. Why does it matter anyway?”
He doesn’t answer, just does that grumpy bear thing that makes my panties wet. Sheesh, if I don’t get away from him, I might spontaneously combust right here on the couch.
“Are you going to let me go back to my campsite?” My gaze roams between the brothers.
“No,” Asher says.
“Yes,” Andrew replies at the same time. “But one caveat, or maybe it’s two.”
Beggars can’t be choosers. As long as I can complete my research, I’ll agree to just about anything.
“First, we take you to get X-rays to make sure you didn’t do damage to your ankle. You did it on our land, we’re liable, and my attorney would have a shit fit if we didn’t take care of this.”
Okay, I guess he has a point. I hold my breath, waiting for the second condition. Something tells me I won’t like whatever he’s about to say. My gaze lands on Asher’s frown. Uh oh.
“The second is that you’re staying here with Asher since he caused all of this.”
“But…”
“Hold on, he’ll take you to do your research. You can stay on the land until you finish, so you don’t have to worry about taking a few days to recover. Do we have a deal?” Andrew gives me a million-dollar smile. Heck, he probably wins over his whole board with that grin.
“Do I have a choice?” I want to argue, but I’m not stupid. There’s no way I’ll win against the three brothers.
Andrew answers, but it’s Asher I’m staring at. His eyes narrow as he looks at me, but his lips remain firmly pressed together. It feels like electricity is crackling in the air, and the hairs on my arms rise. I’m in deep poop now.
“No, you don’t. It’s a matter of liability. If you want to stay, you need to go to the doctor so he can check you out. Then you follow his orders.”
“Fine. But I do I really have to stay with Ashbear?”
Adrian howls with laughter. “Did you just call him Ashbear?”
Oh fudge. It slipped out. “Umm, yeah. He’s always growling and grunting like a bear.”
Andrew grins. “You nailed it on the head. And yes, you’re staying with Asher. He’s the most protective of all of us, and that’s saying a lot. You’re in good hands.”
When Asher smirks, I sink deeper into the couch. Oh yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.
“C’mon, Raindrop,” Asher says as he sits down on the coffee table again to slip my sock over my sore ankle. Then he leans down and picks me up.
“Wait. I can walk.” Probably not, but it’s better than being this close to him.
“No, you can’t. You’re not putting any pressure on your foot. I’ve got you.”
Sighing, I realize how tired I am. It’s been a long day. I got up at daybreak and spent it with the plants. I haven’t eaten in hours, but all I want is to close my eyes and sleep. This is too much.
My head drops to Asher’s shoulder as he pulls me onto his hip. Dang. He smells so good.
“Did you just sniff me, Raindrop?” Asher whispers into my ear, so only I can hear him.
“Nope.”
Before he can say anything, my stomach growls so loudly that there’s no way his brothers didn’t hear it.
“Change of plan. First doctor, then dinner,” Andrew says. “You can bring her to the main house, and she can meet everyone else.”
Asher makes a grouchy face but nods.
“I’ll drive you. We can drop Andrew at his cabin on the way,” Adrian says with a grin.
“I can take her in my truck. You don’t have to babysit me. I’ll bring her over for dinner.”
Andrew and Asher exchange a look I can’t read, but I swear they have an entire conversation in a couple of blinks.
“C’mon, Adrian. We’ll see you and Ashbear in a little while, Emma,” Andrew says with a wink, then leaves the cabin with a chuckling Adrian behind him.
“Ashbear? I suppose you think that’s funny, little Raindrop?”
“I do. It makes sense and fits. Better than Raindrop. That doesn’t even make sense unless you’re talking about when I thought you were a real bear and cried.”
“Is that what you think? I’d never tease you for being scared. No, little one, it’s because when I picked you up, you smelled like spring rain—one of my favorite scents in the whole world.”
“Really?” There’s surprise in my voice. He thinks I smell good, too. Pheromones are a serious business. But this instant attraction is just scary. My stomach takes that moment to growl again. It’s getting as bad as Asher.
“Yes, really. Now, let’s bring you to see the doc, and then we’ll feed the beastie in your belly.”
All I can think about as he carries me out to his truck and buckles my seatbelt is, when did the scary bear turn into a teddy bear? And how the heck do I keep from falling for him?
The drive down the mountain is anticlimactic after the last few hours. I don’t know what time it is, but I’m surprised the doctor’s office is still open. It’s got to be way past normal closing time.
Asher parks in front of a brick building on Main Street with a sign hanging over the door that says Craig Winston, MD. I don’t even realize I’m wringing my hands until Asher puts his warm one over both of mine.
“Dr. Winston has been the doctor in Maple Creek since before I was born. In fact, he delivered me and my brothers. He’s a good one, but he doesn’t take any backtalk. If he says you need to do something, he expects you to do it.”
“Seems like that’s a trait of all of you mountain men,” I murmur, not expecting him to hear me.
His smirk when his eyes meet mine tells me he did. “You ready to go in?”
The deep brown looks like molten chocolate in the light from the street lamps, and I melt. “Yes, Ashbear. Let’s get this over with. I’m starving.”
If I wasn’t sitting down, his smile would have knocked me over.
It’s the first one he’s graced me with, and it’s a killer.
Holy cow. This man is like sex on a stick, and I’m falling a little more every time he shows me more of him.
I knew this trip would change my future, but I didn’t have a clue how much.
When I finally leave Gallant Mountain, I’ll never be the same.