Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,91

all the thunder, nature continued unscathed and unbothered.

The leaves glistened in the late morning sun, birds chirped a welcome to the world, ruffling their feathers and enjoying the rays that sliced through the crisp air.

Nature continuing its pursuit regardless of all the chaos.

If it wasn’t a damn metaphor for my life, I didn’t know what was.

In the distance, I heard rumbling a third time, a thick sound, like a giant clearing his throat. The ground beneath my feet trembled, and I heard branches cracking. Scratch that, whole fucking trunks cracking.

As I watched, the forest a few feet ahead of me started shifting.

At that moment, I knew this was no average mudslide.

It didn't reach all the way up to where I was standing. And that was just a happy fucking coincidence.

The rumbling and groaning of the earth redecorating itself was overpowering. I watched as the giant hand of nature clenched a fist, crushing whatever was in its wake.

Any humans would be pulverized. This part of the mountainside was mine, as I’d come to see it, and it was deserted, so I didn’t have to worry about any deaths and the crowds of investigators and rescuers that might bring.

I let my eyes slide over the part of the mountain that had yet to be transformed. Natural disasters were a kick. Everyone hated them –they were right to. They weren’t called disasters for nothing.

But I liked that there was something bigger and more powerful than me. It was rare.

I liked being reminded that no matter how awful things got, the world still kept turning. And that no matter what a disgusting son of a bitch I’d been once upon a time, in the grand scheme of things, life went on as if I didn’t matter.

The balance, the perspective, kept me sane.

I wanted to see what disasters had fallen near my cabin.

As I meandered through the trees, some upright, some hanging by roots, I cast my eyes in all directions. My eyes landed on a green truck, a little beat up, the paint worn. Sometimes I came across old cars abandoned by their owners decades ago. But this one was new and had no business being in the middle of a mudslide. And it sure as shit wouldn’t be there much longer.

As I gazed at the truck curiously, I heard something I’d least expected. Someone else was here - and they were in trouble. A yelping sound came from the distance.

And then I saw her.

F*ck what the hell is she doing here?

Her auburn hair streamed behind with abandon as she ran with all her might. Whoever this woman was, I could tell she had fight in her, but there was no fucking way she was getting out of the path of destruction in time.

I dropped my axe and ran in her direction. A demented smirk overtook me as I was reminded of my true nature. I always run toward danger and not from it.

The ground started sliding beneath my feet. I worked hard to keep my footing. At 6’6” and mostly muscle, I didn’t go down easily, but the area was dangerous and getting more so by the second. Logs fell across my path, rocks tumbled down. I ducked to avoid a thick branch hitting me over the head.

For a moment, I lost sight of her. I followed the sound of her shouts, something primal in me forcing through the danger to get to her. The strange woman needed help, and I was the only person for miles. I’d grill her later about why the hell she was out here in the first place.

When I reached her, I was just in time to yank her out from underneath a falling tree that crashed to the ground. She spun around when I grabbed her, green eyes bewildered. She was a looker, that I was certain. And her reaction to me was defensive, though not afraid.

“Whoa! Who the hell are you?”

“We’re getting out of here, now!” I shouted.

She shouted something in return, but a loud crashing drowned out her voice. A branch crashed down, followed by mud and dirt. I tried to get away, but the ground gave underneath my feet, and we were stuck. I tucked her against me and turned my back. The branch landed on me with a noise like a train wreck. I gritted my teeth as a searing pain throbbed into my shoulder. But the woman was safe. I squeezed my eyes shut as more debris fell around us. A few