Hero (Alpha Mountain 1)

Not wanting to linger because, this time around, I didn’t relish being caught naked in Ford’s house–again–I finished up and used one of the towels I found stacked on a shelf to dry off. I’d probably have to take another shower at home with a ton of conditioner to untangle my bedraggled hair, but at least I was clean. I wrapped the sheet around my body and marched back down the stairs with my damp clothes. Ford was there waiting for me, but Kennedy had disappeared. So had Roscoe.

Ford took my things—with his eyes focused anywhere in the room but at me—and stalked away to the laundry room. When he returned, he took a mug out of the cabinet. “You want something warm to drink? We have coffee. No tea. Hot chocolate because Kennedy has a sweet tooth.” He raised an unruly dark brow. “So do you, if I recall.”

I ignored the liquid warmth that spilled into my gut at the fact that he remembered anything about me at all, other than the bedroom incident I wanted to permanently delete from both our minds.

“It’s a summer storm, not a blizzard.”

I had this inane need to prove to him that I was no longer the kid sister. He may be a former Navy SEAL, but I was damn capable myself. I led all kinds of wilderness trips during the summer and took outdoor adventurers on cross-country ski trips in the winter. In fact, during the busy season, I was in the backcountry more than I was at home. This rainstorm had caught me on a solo, for-fun hike on one of my days off.

He stepped closer, close enough that I had to tip my head up to glare back at him. “Well, you still look cold.” He brushed one finger over the goosebumps on my arm. His touch made every inch of skin on my body tingle. Every nerve-ending fire.

My lips parted, and I suddenly found breathing impossible.

“Come on, Indi. We don’t need to have a stand-off on whether you drink hot cocoa in my kitchen or not.” He still sounded gruff, but his tone was softer than before. Probably in the range of conciliatory for him. “Truce?”

Truce? Could I let what happened all those years ago just… go away? I wasn’t the same person I was then. Neither was Ford. He looked nothing like the clean-cut SEAL with that beard. It might be trimmed and neat, but I was sure it didn’t match Navy regulations or the man himself.

“Fine. Hot chocolate...” I swallowed down the unsettled emotions Ford brought out in me. “...sounds good.”

Still, I stepped back. A truce didn’t mean I wanted him touching me because I’d felt way too much with that one simple caress. Stupid, traitorous body.

He narrowed his eyes like this was an important point. “With milk or water?”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that tumbled from my lips. “Milk. I need all the calories I can get after today’s hike.”

He turned and pulled a gallon jug of whole milk from the fridge and poured it into the mug. “What were you doing out there alone?” He glanced at me over his shoulder as he popped open the microwave and placed the mug inside then turned it on.

I shrugged. “I prefer hiking alone.”

His brows popped at that. “Yeah?” He leaned back against the counter and folded his arms over his chest. He’d put a t-shirt on while I’d been in the shower, but the thin fabric didn’t hide how strong he was. How fit. He might’ve been out of the Navy, but there was no question he kept up with PT. He looked more lumberjack than sailor. Maybe he chopped wood for exercise. There certainly wasn’t any ocean to swim in.

“It’s better than entertaining a group of hikers for hours on end,” I explained then adjusted the sheet.

“With the outdoor adventure company in town.”

I shouldn’t have been pleased that he was aware of what I did. Sparks was a small town. Everyone knew everything about each other. But he and I hadn’t had a single interaction since he returned. As far as I knew, he’d been holed up here on his property like a wild mountain man. His grandfather had died a few years ago, so he lived here with his grandmother. And now, I learned with three other men.

Which seemed…odd. I hadn’t stopped to wonder what Ford was doing up here. Apparently, more than just living off his pension or the land. Especially if he had some kind of sensor or something that picked up I’d crossed his fence line. And the lock on the greenhouse. Who needed to lock up gym equipment five miles outside of a tiny Montana town?

“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong—I’m grateful I can make a living doing what I love. But I don’t need a buddy on my days off.”