Mountain Wild (Harlequin Historical Series) by Stacey Kayne

be leaving.”
    Realizing the rudeness of her words, she looked up. His blue-green eyes sparked with amusement. Of course he’d find her amusing, and not at all ladylike.
    Damn it!
    “Thank you,” he said, his steady gaze holding hers.
    Be normal. She forced a smile. “You’re welcome.”
    There, that hadn’t been so hard.
    His lips shifted slightly, and the heat blossoming inside Maggie warned her that nothing was going to be easy in his presence.
    “Grace, would you mind returning the rest of my gear? If I can’t head out today I’d like to at least get ready and my revolver likely needs cleaning. You can hold on to the bullets.”
    Cleaning the gun would keep him busy and stationary. “All right,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron—yet another item sacrificed from her winter bartering supply. “I’ve stored them outside.”
    “In the box against the house?”
    Her breath stalled. She hadn’t even thought about him digging out the storage chest.
    “It was locked,” he said.
    Oh, thank God.
    “If you want to give me the key—”
    “No,” she said, ushering him back as she moved toward the shelf. “Excuse me.”
    He stepped back as she reached for a cup near the top shelf. She dumped out the slender key. “Wait here,” she said before pulling on her coat.
    “Mind if I refill my tea?”
    “Tea canister is above the stove. Help yourself.” She slipped outside and shut the door firmly behind her.
    What had she been thinking to let him come out here with a shovel? She dropped to her knees before the storage box and brushed the fresh powder from the lid. She lifted the cold lock and tugged it open without use of the key. The temperamental thing wouldn’t always open and she’d gotten used to leaving it unlocked. A partially closed lock was enough tokeep out critters. The tap of a shovel would have clicked it open and all her effort would have been wasted. Just as Ira had told her, a safe place wasn’t something that lasted—it was something to be found. With folks crowding her every turn, it was getting harder to find peace, even in the wild.
    She glanced at the door, making sure Garret didn’t take a mind to join her as she opened the latch and lifted the lid on her old livelihood. Hinges creaked as the odor of bear hide rolled out into the whip of wind. She pushed the thick brown pelt aside, uncovering traps and snares and various tools. She’d also tucked her rifle inside for good measure. With her shotgun inside for protection, she didn’t want to chance Garret recognizing the Winchester carbine she’d had that day in town. Folks didn’t tend to look too closely at her, but she didn’t doubt Garret had noticed her rifle.
    She tugged his chaps and holster out from the far end. Setting the holster aside, she sniffed the buffalo hide, making sure they hadn’t absorbed Mad Mag’s odors. Wasn’t nothing compared to the stench that old coat could give off in the warmth of spring.
    “You ever smell a b’ar?” Ira had said to her when she’d first complained about his foul odor. “They don’t smell invitin’ for a reason.”
    She sure missed him at times. And he’d been right of course. Folks didn’t come within six feet of her. The few her coat didn’t discourage, her rifle did.
    All but Garret. He’d actually touched her. Her eyes burned at the thought of him knowing she’d been the one standing beside him that day.
    “Stay in there,” she said, tucking in the telltale signs of Mad Mag before clamping down the lid.
    She had him fooled. One more day and he’d be gone.

Chapter Six
    G arret stood at the open door. His muscles flexed beneath his shirt as he gripped the door frame overhead and stared out at steady snowfall. Maggie could feel the restless tension rolling off him from her spot on the bed. The entire day he’d been a mess of pent-up energy. The task she’d hoped would keep him busy all day had taken him an hour.
    The backpack she’d given him sat beside the