Page 86 of Beneath the Mountain Sky

The voice from the darkness makes me flinch.

Shit.

I turn my head toward the sound of approaching footsteps and find Connor and Liam almost to me.

And I didn’t even hear them coming.

God, am I fucking out of it…

Up here, always being alert, always being aware, is what keeps you safe and alive. Any number of threats linger in the darkness. Bears. Bobcats. Poisonous snakes.

My brothers…

But that woman in the cabin has all my focus.

Which could be very dangerous.

I scrub my hand down my face as Connor takes a seat to my left, and Liam settles into the one on my right. Connor reaches into the small cooler near my feet, grabs two beers, and pops the tops off on the arm of the chair, rather than using the opener.

“Hey, man! What the fuck?” I point to the wood Liam meticulously crafted into the beautiful custom piece of furniture. “You’re going to leave gouge marks in that.”

Liam smirks at me from my other side, leaning forward to snag a beer from Connor. “I’ll make you a new one.”

Connor hands it to Liam, and they sit back, both releasing a little sigh at finally getting off their feet after what was undoubtedly a long day at the lumberyard.

Where I should have been.

Just like I should have been there yesterday.

And all the other days I’ve spent on the mountain, completely ignoring my responsibilities to the company and our employees.

Thank fuck I have them to pick up the slack…

Still, guilt eats away at me for having my attention split between my responsibility to McBride Mountain, my employees at the timber yard, and my obsession with solving this mystery for Willow.

Because it definitely hasn’t been split equally.

Not even close.

Since the moment I dragged her from that river, my entire focus, all my energy, every waking moment has been about her.

My knee bounces uncontrollably, the tension twisting inside me seeking any outlet it can find, and a peaceful silence stretches between us as we enjoy our beers and the evening.

But it won’t last with these two sitting with me.

Liam finally clears his throat, and I can feel his gaze on me. “Was it that bad?”

Hell.

He doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone. If he even remotely suspects someone is keeping something in that’s eating them alive, he’ll dig until he reveals whatever it is. Like it’s somehow his role on this planet to ensure no one wallows in their own misery.

I take a long sip of my beer, staring up at the sky, ignoring the heat of his eyes on me. “Was what that bad?”

He snorts. “Being up there with her. That’s what has you all messed up in your head and sitting out here looking like that, isn’t it?”

Too damn perceptive.

The kid always saw too much, even when he was little. And as he’s grown into a man, so has his intuition, and his desire to fix everyone else’s problems.