Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,42

self-esteem every chance he got.

I hung up but didn’t take my eyes off the truck. The truck and its mystery occupant were still sitting across from my property. There was nothing but woods across from me, no reason to stop and sit there.

And I didn’t trust Greg one little bit.

I went back inside, but only temporarily. I went straight for the baseball bat I kept beside my bed. I didn’t want guns in the house with Skyler, so it was the best I could do. I took the bat and walked back outside, ready to fight.

Mason

I squinted, trying to make out the shape moving toward me. It was clearly Danielle. What was she doing outside?

“What is she carrying?” I muttered out loud.

She walked quickly too, all things considered. She made good time and crossed the road, and that’s when I realized she was carrying a baseball bat. And she was walking directly toward my brand-new truck.

I hopped out of the seat with my hands in the air as if being pulled over by a cop. “It’s me,” I called, making sure to stand back regardless. Just in case it was me she was aiming at.

She halted abruptly. “Mason? What the hell are you doing out here?” The bat was still held high and ready to go. I didn’t dare take a step closer, just to be safe.

“I—well, I don’t really have a good reason for it. I just drove around to clear my thoughts and found myself out here. I didn’t want to disturb you since you’d asked for some space, so I just sat outside.”

Her face softened and she dropped the bat to her side, no longer threatening me with it. In that moment, she looked utterly defeated.

“Jesus, do you have any idea what I thought?” she asked, and there was a cracking in her voice. “I thought you were—” She cut herself off, and instead of words, there were sobs.

I carefully closed the distance between us, and once I was close enough, I took the bat from her. She handed it to me freely. I placed it on the ground before asking, “Do you mind if I hug you? You seem to really need it.”

She nodded her head, and I assumed that meant it was okay. The tears streaming down her cheeks killed me. It was like she’d smacked me in the stomach with that bat. Hell, I would have preferred that over seeing her this unhappy.

I wrapped my arms around her, and she fell into me, her face nuzzled against my chest. Her entire body trembled in my arms.

“Who are you afraid of, Danielle?” I asked her, stroking her hair as I continued holding her.

“No one,” she said between sobs.

“Then why were you coming out here with a baseball bat looking for a fight? Who did you think I was?”

Her body stiffened and she pulled away from me, straightening her posture as she wiped at her eyes. “No one in particular. I just thought you were a creep or something,” she said, and I knew that was a bald-faced lie.

“When you stomped out here,” I said, keeping my voice calm, “you said, ‘Do you know what I thought? Who I thought you were?’ What did you mean by that?”

She sighed and averted her gaze. She crossed her arms in front of her and shook her head stubbornly. “It’s none of your business, Mason.”

“Like hell it ain’t,” I scoffed. “You’re carrying my child, Danielle. Your business - especially when it comes to your safety - is my business now.”

She looked at me as if she saw me for the first time. Her eyes wide, her mouth open as if she wanted to object to me, but no sound came out.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said it like that,” I said. “I’m tired of this, Danielle. You keep pushing me out of your life, which I understand is your right. But we’re going to have a baby together. I’m part of your life now, whether you like it or not.”

She sighed and nodded. “I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just a long story,” she said softly.

“I have all night.”

She rubbed at her bare arms as if chilly, even though the air was a balmy seventy degrees. She glanced around as if expecting someone to be watching us.

“Can we take this inside, please? I don’t like being so exposed.”

“Of course,” I said, taking note of her wording.

She felt exposed outside, out in the open? Who was she worried about seeing her?