Page 9 of Comforted By The Mountain Man (Eden Ridge: Hunter Brothers #1)

ASHER

W est is explaining the monthly inventory system when I notice Sierra's entire body go rigid beside me.

One moment she's relaxed, even smiling at something Ezra said about the whiskey aging process, and the next, she's transformed into a statue.

Her breathing becomes shallow, controlled, like she's forcing herself not to hyperventilate.

I've seen this before. In combat veterans, in abuse survivors, in people who've lived with constant threat. Fight or flight response kicking in, adrenaline flooding the system.

My eyes sweep the bar, looking for whatever triggered her. West's place is mostly empty at this hour, just a few locals nursing beers and watching the game on the mounted TV. Nothing that should cause this level of alarm.

But Sierra's scanning the room like she's looking for exits, her hand gripping the edge of the table so hard her knuckles are white. Whatever she's afraid of, it's real to her.

"Sierra?" I keep my voice low, non-threatening. "You okay?"

She turns to me, and I can see the panic barely contained behind her eyes. "I need to leave. Now."

"What's wrong?" West asks, immediately picking up on the tension.

"Nothing," Sierra says quickly, but she's already reaching for her purse. "I just remembered something I need to take care of."

It's a lie. A transparent one. But before I can question her further, she's standing, swaying slightly like her legs aren't quite steady.

"I'll drive you," I say, rising with her.

"No, I can walk. I just need some air."

Like hell. Whatever spooked her, she's not going anywhere alone. Not in this state.

"Ezra, we'll catch up on the numbers later," I say, already moving toward Sierra. "West, thanks for the tour."

My brothers exchange glances but don't argue. They've learned to read the signs when something's wrong, and right now, every instinct I have is screaming that Sierra's in danger.

I place my hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward the exit. She doesn't pull away, but I can feel the tension radiating through her body. Outside, she takes a deep breath, but her eyes are still darting around the street like she's expecting an attack.

"What happened in there?" I ask once we're away from the bar.

"Nothing. I just felt dizzy for a second."

Another lie. This woman is terrible at deception, which should be reassuring except for the fact that she keeps trying to do it.

"Sierra." I step closer, forcing her to look at me. "I've been watching people my whole life. Reading body language and picking up on tells. Whatever just happened in there, it wasn't nothing."

She opens her mouth to argue, then closes it. I can see the battle playing out on her face, the desire to trust warring with ingrained self-preservation.

"Someone was watching me," she finally admits, her voice barely audible.

My blood runs cold. "Who?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see them clearly. But I know what it feels like to be hunted, and that's what just happened."

Hunted. This isn't just paranoia or trauma response. Someone is actively pursuing her.

"We need to talk," I say. "Somewhere private."

She nods, still pale but some of the panic leaves her eyes now that we're away from the bar.

I guide her down Main Street toward Rosetti's, the Italian place that's been a Hunter family favorite for decades.

More importantly, it's the kind of place where Tony Rosetti will give us a private corner booth and make sure we're not disturbed.

The lunch crowd is light, and Tony greets me with the kind of warmth reserved for customers who've been coming here since they were kids. The restaurant is all warm brick walls and soft lighting, with checkered tablecloths and the smell of garlic bread hanging in the air.

He takes one look at Sierra's face and immediately ushers us to the back corner booth, the one tucked behind a decorative wooden screen painted with Italian vineyard scenes. It's completely hidden from the main dining room, our own little private alcove.

"You want the usual, Asher?" Tony asks, but his eyes are concerned as they flick to Sierra.

"Two of whatever's good today," I say. "And Tony? We need some privacy."

He nods, understanding immediately. "Of course. I'll make sure you're not bothered. The osso buco is excellent today, and I'll bring some of my wife's fresh bread to start."

Once we're alone, Sierra slumps back against the burgundy leather booth like all the fight has gone out of her. The dim lighting from the wrought iron wall sconces casts shadows across her face, but I can still see the exhaustion etched in every line.

"Tell me," I say simply.

She stares at her hands for a long moment. "Ryder's father was involved with a motorcycle club. Not the weekend warrior type. The real deal. Drugs, weapons, territory disputes. Bad people doing bad things."

My jaw tightens. I'd suspected something like this, but hearing it confirmed makes my protective instincts flare.

"You lived with them?"

"At their clubhouse. For five years." Her voice is flat, emotionless. "I was nineteen when I met Oscar. My father had just kicked me out for getting pregnant, and Oscar promised me safety. A home. A family."

"But it wasn't."

"No." She finally looks up at me. "It was a prison. I was Oscar's property, Ryder was a burden they tolerated, and I was always one wrong move away from being discarded or worse."

Tony appears with a basket of warm bread and small plates of olive oil and vinegar, setting them down quietly before retreating. The interruption gives me a moment to process what she's telling me, and the rage building in my chest.

The urge to reach across the table and take her hand is overwhelming. This time, I don't hold back. I cover her trembling fingers with mine, and she doesn't pull away.

"What changed?" I ask gently.

"Oscar got greedy. Started skimming money from the club's operations. I helped him with the books, so I knew what he was doing but I couldn't stop him. When they found out..." She swallows hard, her hand tightening under mine. "They killed him. And they decided I knew too much to be trusted."

"So you ran."

"A woman called me in the middle of the night, no doubt one of Oscar’s mistresses, warned me they were coming for me.

I had maybe two hours to get out with Ryder.

" She's looking at our joined hands now, like she can't quite believe she's letting me touch her.

"We barely made it to the safety deposit box Oscar had set up.

The cabin deed was inside, along with keys to that old truck. "

"Sierra," I say softly, and she finally meets my eyes. "You saved your son. You saved yourself. That takes incredible courage."

A tear slips down her cheek. "I was so scared. I'm still scared. Every day I wonder if today's the day they find us."

Tony returns with steaming plates of osso buco, the rich smell of braised meat and wine sauce filling our little alcove. He sets them down with practiced quiet and disappears again, giving us our privacy.

"You're not paranoid," I tell her, my thumb stroking across her knuckles. "Your instincts kept you and Ryder alive for four years. If you felt like you were being watched, you probably were."

"What am I supposed to do, Asher? Run again? Keep running until they give up or find us?" Her voice breaks slightly. "I'm so tired of being afraid. So tired of Ryder never having a real home."

Every protective instinct I have roars to life at the thought of her running again.

Of losing her just when she's starting to trust me, starting to let me in.

But I can see the fear in her eyes, the way she's already mentally planning escape routes, and I know I have to be careful here.

The last thing Sierra needs is another man trying to control her choices.

"No," I say firmly, but keep my voice gentle. "You're not running anymore. But Sierra, that cabin isn't safe right now. Not with a broken door and the structural issues from the water damage."

She blinks, like she hadn't even thought about that. "I can get a new lock..."

"It's not just the lock." I lean forward, making sure she's hearing me. "The door frame is compromised. Some of the floorboards are warped from the flooding. And if someone is watching, they know exactly where you are."

I can see her starting to panic again, so I squeeze her hands gently. "Hey, look at me. I'm not saying this to scare you. I'm saying it because I have a solution."

"What kind of solution?"

"Stay with me. At my place." The words come out in a rush, and I see her eyes widen. "I have plenty of room. Three bedrooms, and it's secure. Better locks, alarm system, and it's far enough up the mountain that no one can approach without me knowing about it."

She's shaking her head before I finish. "Asher, I can't. That's too much to ask."

"You're not asking. I'm offering." I gently squeeze her hands again. "Sierra, I broke your door trying to help you. I'm partially responsible for you not feeling safe there. Let me fix this."

"It's not about the door..."

"Then what is it about?"

She looks down at our joined hands. "I've never lived with a man who wasn't... who didn't expect things from me. I don't know how to do this without losing myself again."

My heart breaks a little at the quiet admission. "What if I told you that you'd have your own space? Your own room, your own bathroom. You and Ryder would have complete privacy whenever you want it. I'm not asking you to be anything other than exactly who you are."

"And if I need to leave?"

"Then you leave. No questions asked. Your truck will be in my driveway, keys in your hand. You're not a prisoner, Sierra. You're a woman I'm starting to care about who deserves to feel safe."

She searches my face, and I can see her weighing her options. "What about your brothers? What will they think?"

"They'll think I'm doing the right thing. And honestly? I don't care what anyone else thinks. This is about keeping you and Ryder safe."

"Just until the cabin is fixed?"

The hope in her voice tells me she wants this as much as I do, but she needs the safety net of a timeline. "As long as you want to stay. Could be a week, could be a month. However long it takes for you to feel secure again."

"Asher..."

"Think about it practically," I continue, sensing her wavering. "Grace is right up the mountain at Beckett's place if you need another woman to talk to. Ryder would have space to run around safely. And you wouldn't have to worry about every sound in the night."

Tears well up in her eyes. "You really want this? Even knowing how complicated it could get?"

"Especially knowing how complicated it could get." I bring her hand to my lips, pressing a gentle kiss to her palm. "I want to wake up knowing you're safe. I want Ryder to have a place where he can just be a kid. I want you to have time to breathe without constantly looking over your shoulder."

"What if whoever was watching finds us there?"

"Then they'll have to go through me first. And I promise you, Sierra, that's not going to be easy for them."

She looks up sharply. "Asher, no. I can't ask you to put yourself at risk. You barely know me."

"I know enough." I lean forward, both hands covering hers now.

"I know you're a good mother who would do anything to protect her son.

I know you're stronger than you realize.

I know you bite your lip when you're concentrating.

" Her eyes widen at that observation. "I know you deserve better than what you've been given.

And I know that somewhere along the way, you've become important to me. "

The admission hangs between us, more honest than I intended to be. But seeing her sit here, finally trusting me enough to share her story, I can't hold it back.

"Important how?" she whispers.

"In ways I'm still figuring out." My heart is hammering now, but I push forward. "I know it's fast. I know you have every reason not to trust another man. But Sierra, what I'm feeling for you... it's real. And I think you might feel something too."

She's staring at me like I've just offered her something she'd stopped believing was possible. "I haven't let myself feel anything for anyone in four years."

"Maybe it's time to start."

Tears well up in her eyes, but she doesn't pull her hands away. "I don't know how to do this. How to let someone close. How to believe it could actually work."

"We'll figure it out together. One day at a time." I keep running my thumb back and forth over her hand. "You don't have to have all the answers right now."

"What if I'm too broken? What if I mess this up?"

"You're not broken," I say fiercely. "You're surviving." I pause, making sure she's really hearing me. "I'm not going anywhere while you figure it out."

She nods slowly, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I want to try. I want to be brave enough to try."

"You already are," I tell her, and reach up to brush away her tear.

The touch is gentle, innocent, but it charges the air between us. Her eyes flutter closed for a moment, leaning into my touch, and when she opens them again, I can see something new there. Trust. Hope. And something that looks a lot like longing.

"Asher," she breathes, and I can hear everything she's not saying in that one word.

I lean forward slowly, giving her every chance to pull away. But she doesn't. Instead, she tilts her face up toward mine, her eyes fluttering closed again. The space between us shrinks to nothing, and I can feel the warmth of her breath against my lips.

Just as I'm about to close the final distance, Tony's cheerful voice breaks the moment.

"How's everything tasting? Need more wine?"

Sierra jerks back, her cheeks flushing pink as we spring apart. Tony's standing beside our table with a wine bottle, completely oblivious to what he just interrupted.

"Everything's perfect, Tony," I manage, my voice rougher than usual. "Thanks."

He beams and tops off our glasses before disappearing again. Sierra won't meet my eyes, suddenly very interested in cutting her meat into precise pieces.

"We should probably get going soon," I say, checking my watch even though I know Grace isn't dropping Ryder off until four. "Get you settled at my place before Ryder gets back."

She nods, still not looking at me, but there’s a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Whatever just happened between us, she felt it too. And that's enough for now.