Mountain Wild (Harlequin Historical Series) by Stacey Kayne Page A

of this will matter.
    She picked up his dish towel and was surprised to find he’d nearly completed the outline. Not the straightest or most even stitches, but decent. For a man.
    “Be damned,” Garret said, having pulled the door open to a bright night sky. “It finally stopped snowing.”
    She tucked the towel into her basket and joined him at the door. Her breath hit the crisp air in a puff of white. The storm had dissipated, but the cold hadn’t. She crossed her arms to block the chill as she watched Boots run beyond the clearing Garret had shoveled, all but disappearing into the deep bank.Moonlight glistened against snow, silhouetting the rim of mountains surrounding her cove. Her stomach clenched at the thought of Garret walking through the gap beyond the forest of trees.
    He’s going to find out who I really am. It’s time to move on anyhow.

Chapter Seven
    A minty scent hung in the air as Garret stepped inside. Grace stood at the pantry, tucking a slender canister onto the shelf. Tooth powder.
    “Did you just brush your teeth?”
    “Yes,” she said, clutching a quilt around her shoulders as she looked up at him. “I should have offered you a toothbrush. I have a small supply and you seem to be one of the few men I’ve known who’d use one.”
    “That I do. I used some of your baking soda before you woke.”
    Her pretty white teeth flashed behind her smile as he went to the stove. He stoked the fire and added another log. He turned to find Grace sitting in the chair by the table. Her moccasin-covered feet propped on the chest, her sewing basket on the table beside her. She paid him no mind as she pulled green thread through the cloth.
    If she intended to sleep at the table again, she was in for a fight. She’d already worn herself down taking care of him. The woman needed some solid sleep before she ended up sick.
    “You’re sleeping in the bed tonight, Grace.”
    Her needle paused as she glanced up at him.
    “I’ve put you out for long enough.”
    “I’m fine right here.”
    “Like hell. You’re going to get sick if you don’t get some rest. You’d be warmer here in the bed.”
    “You’re the one with a long walk ahead of you tomorrow.”
    “All right, then. We’ll share the bed.”
    She gaped at him before her eyes narrowed. “We tried that once.”
    “I wouldn’t knowingly disrespect you. I swear you can trust me.”
    “I’ll be fine right here. Go to sleep, Garret. ”
    Her haughty tone snapped the last shred of Garret’s patience. Just because her man had treated her with neglect didn’t mean he’d follow suit. He’d weather her rage to keep her warm.
    “You’re getting a good night’s sleep,” he said, watching her eyes round as he plucked the cloth from her hands then scooped her slight weight into his arms.
    “Put me—”
    He dumped her onto the bed. “Scoot,” he ordered, and piled into bed beside her.
    “I won’t—”
    “Yes, you will.” He latched his arm around her middle as she moved to leap toward the foot of the bed. He dragged her down and locked her against his chest. “The only warm place in this cabin is in this bed. Might as well hunker down because you’re sleeping right here.”
    She shoved at his arm and tried to surge up. “If you think I’m going to—”
    “I’m going to make sure you do,” he said, shifting on top of her. “You’ve been taking care of me for days.”
    “Get…off…me,” she said through gritted teeth.
    “I won’t hurt you, Grace.”
    “If I thought you’d hurt me you’d have bled out by now!”
    Her shouted words eased some of his tension. Fully aware of her blade pressed to his hip, he hadn’t been certain she wouldn’t try to gut him. The woman was a mind-bending combination of compassion and defensiveness.
    “If I feared you,” she said in a milder tone, “you wouldn’t be in my cabin, much less my bed.”
    “So relax,” he said, easing his hold and shifting onto his side. “I’m not fevered out