Mountain Man's Accidental Surprise - K.C. Crowne Page 0,19

I don’t even have a scratch on me, thanks to you,” I told him, smiling thankfully.

He gave me an adorable cock-eyed grin. “I’m glad I could be of service.”

I felt like I was falling into the depths of his eyes for a second, completely forgetting everything going on around me until my phone buzzed telling me that my Uber was on the way.

Graham glanced down at my phone with me and his smile quickly faded. “Nope. No way you’re taking an Uber. Cancel that and let me give you a ride home.”

I bit my lip as I stared at the phone. “I can’t, Graham.”

“What do you mean, you can’t? If there’s a fee, I’ll cover it for you, but the last thing you need is to ride home alone with a stranger right now.”

“No, I mean I can’t go home. I don’t live in Liberty,” I said. I turned my eyes up to meet his gaze.

He nodded. “So you’re staying at the hotel? I’d rather you not be alone—”

“I’m staying with a friend,” I said quickly. Liv was still on her honeymoon, but she hid a spare key on her property, and even though I hadn’t been able to reach her, she’d told me her place was always open for me. That’s why she’d left the key and told me about it.

“Well then, I’ll give you a ride to your friend’s place,” he said. “Go ahead and cancel that.”

My finger hesitated over the cancel button, but only for a second. I hit the button and turned to Graham. “Alright. It’s done. I’ll let you give me a ride home.”

“Good,” he said, motioning for me to follow him to his truck.

The rain had stopped for the time being. Water dripped down from the overhang and everything was soaked. A section of the parking lot was completely flooded. The sky was still murky and grey, and the smell of rain was in the air. The storm may have passed temporarily, but I knew, before long, we’d be ravaged by it again.

In a way, it felt like a perfect metaphor for my life. For now, I’d rest at Liv’s, but only for the night. Antonio and my father would know to look in Liberty. It wasn’t really hiding, staying at my best friend’s place. But I also had to figure out how to get a rental car without using my debit card, which was likely shut down as soon as my father realized I was gone anyway.

I knew that it might feel calm at the moment, but the storm was approaching. I just hoped I’d be able to find cover before everything went to shit.

Graham

“Where is it— It’s gotta be here somewhere.” Emmy was digging around in the rocks making up the walkway to a gorgeous two-story home.

“What are you looking for exactly? Maybe I can help you.” I scratched my beard as I watched her, bent over and picking up each stone one-by-one before tossing it aside.

She’d told me goodbye in the truck, but I’d waited to watch her go inside. I wasn’t about to just leave her, not knowing if she was safe or if her friends were even home. The place looked empty to me.

She stood up and sighed, her hair falling into her eyes. She pushed it back, tucking it behind her ear, but a second later, it fell forward again. She growled to herself as she reached into her purse, digging around in there now.

“What are you looking for?” I asked again.

“Right now? A hair tie to control this mess,” she muttered, pointing to her head. She pulled out a black hair tie and wrapped it around her hair, creating a messy bun on top of her head. Tendrils of her curls slipped free and fell around her face, but for the most part, her hair was up and out of the way. She continued digging through the rocks.

“And what are you looking for now?” I asked.

She didn’t answer me, just kept turning every stone over, digging around in the gravel a bit as if she was looking for gold.

“I guess they mean it when they say leave no stone unturned,” I joked.

She looked up at me with a scowl that would make weaker men tremble in their boots. Hell, even I knew to step back and give her some space, and I was by no means weak.

A phone went off, and Emmy stood up and dug around in her purse some more. She was muttering to herself,