Chapter Two

Country

The cabin is dark and the only sound for miles is the crickets that chirp outside the window. I'm used to this kind of isolation, but I don't like the idea of Daisy being out here on her own without a gun.

She's sweet, innocent, fragile, maybe even a little na?ve. Sure, we've seen each other around town, and I've been watching her for a while, but she shouldn't have let me in. I could be anyone. I could do anything. Technically speaking, I'm already thinking filthy thoughts. Thoughts I shouldn't have about a woman her age. Thoughts I shouldn't have about a woman in her position. She needs support right now, not some asshole trying to dick her down.

I draw in a heavy breath and stare up at the ceiling as I attempt to think of anything but Daisy. The MC, the weather tomorrow, the new exhaust pipe I ordered for my bike. Unfortunately, my creativity is limited and within seconds, my mind is back on the innocent, curvy little thing asleep in the next room.

Dirty, filthy thoughts twist in my mind. My hand on her throat. My cock on her lips. Her thick frame bent over as I slide into her slowly.

How the fuck could anyone hurt her?

The soft sounds of her feet as they patter down the hallway and into the kitchen makes me smile. Her hair is a wild mess and the t-shirt she's wearing as a night gown hangs off one shoulder. The robe is missing, and I love the way her hard nipples pebble in the early morning chill of the cabin.

"You're up early." I lean up from the couch, causing it to groan again.

She sighs and glances toward the clock on the oven. "I never fell asleep. Turns out, having a strange bounty hunter with a gun in your living room isn't the sleeping pill I'd hoped for."

"Sorry about that. I know this is uncomfortable."

Her curved frame leans against the back counter as she stares at me. In this light, she's even more innocent looking. Thick curves, long dark hair, the richest eyes. "You're staring at me." She pushes away from the counter, grabs a blanket off the edge of the couch, and curls up on the opposite side, leaning her head against the back cushion.

"Don't you have other things to do?"

The truth is, I have a million things to do, but this feels most important right now. I couldn't handle it if this dude showed back up and hurt her in any way. "Just fishin' and keepin' you out of trouble," I say. "Thankfully, I already got all the fish I can handle right now."

Her eyes close and I want to wrap her up in my arms, hold her safe, let her know that some men aren't like the asshole she knows.

"What are you going to do when I have to go to work in the morning?" She wets her lips. "Or when he doesn't show up for weeks? Surely, you'll need to go fishin' before then."

"Are you makin' fun of my speech impediment?"

Her eyes open wide. "Oh my God! I didn't know. I thought it was just an accent. I'm so sorry."

"I'm just messin' with ya. This right here is a drawl from the great state of Georgia."

"Then what are you doing up here? Don't you miss the hot, swampy summers?"

I laugh. "No. Not at all."

"So, you're here strictly for the mountain views and the MC?"

"You could say that. I moved to the mountain about six years ago to try somethin' new. Found a group of like-minded folks, and got into bounty huntin'. Got lucky when they decided to settle in Rugged Mountain."

"Really, though, don't you miss Georgia?"

I glance away and back again, wondering how much I should say. I've kept my history quiet for the most part, but I figure I gotta tell her something or she won't open up to me. "I needed a fresh start."

"That's never good. What happened?"

"I was seein' a woman about six years ago. She got pregnant, then she told me she wanted to give it up for adoption. I got all kinds of confused on what my rights were and all that, so when she told me if I gave her money, she'd let me keep the baby instead of givin' it to these other people." I drag in a deep breath. "She signed a contract, and we agreed to part ways afterwards so as not to confuse the kid. Well, she had the baby, took the money, then told everyone I was crazy, that I made her sign the form, and she never got any money. It got even worse when she started sendin' men over to the house to fight me to make me go away. Now I know these boys were doin' what they thought was right, but after sendin' a few of ‘em to the hospital, I realized I needed to do somethin' a little more permanent."

"Oh my god." Daisy leans in, her tone empathetic as she says, "What happened?"

I drag in a deep breath. "I went to jail for six months on possession charges, and she went to jail for attempted murder."

"What?" Her eyes widen. "Woah… drugs? Who'd she try to kill? You?"

I nod. "Me. My momma watched over my daughter until I was out of jail. When she passed away, I packed up and moved. Fresh start."

"How did the woman try to murder you?"

"She had one of her many boyfriends cut the lines on my bike. I ran into a tree and broke both arms and fractured my clavicle. On one side, I was lucky. They got video of him doin' it. When he got popped, he showed the cops all the texts she had sent tellin' him to do it. And when they focused on her, they found the trail of the money I sent her as part of the contract. The bad news, as I was laid up after surgery, they found a fair amount of drugs on my bike. So, when they let me out of the hospital, it was right to jail."

"What kind of drugs?"

"Weed. I don't smoke around the kid. I cook it down and make candy to have when she's asleep. It's for relaxing. I'd just picked up a load from my dealer the morning of the accident. Georgia is pretty tough on weed, but I got a sympathetic judge. I was lucky to get off with six months, and the fact I got to keep my daughter."

She crosses her arms over her chest, and I expect judgment, but her face softens. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. I don't get the weed thing. It's the same as alcohol, if you ask me." An inquisitive smile lifts to her face as she says, "I can't believe you have a daughter. Where is she?"

"My buddy, Ink, swung over to keep an eye on her yesterday. I'm sure he wants some relief anytime now."

"Yeah." She leans forward and rubs her eyes. "You should definitely go and take care of her. Thank you for… everything last night and sorry for giving you a hard time."

I stand from the couch and reach for her hand. I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I know I need to be close to her.

Her small, soft hand tucks into mine. Her tone is smooth as she says, "Everything okay?"

"I don't want to leave you."

Our gaze meets and something happens. I can't look away. Worst yet, she doesn't respond. She stays stuck on my stare with parted lips as though she's feeling the same thing I am.

What the hell is happening? Am I still asleep?

My hand cups her face and I brush my thumb against her cheek. "What are you feelin'?"

She shivers against my chest and wets her lips. "I'm not sure, but I like it."

"Me too." My heart slams against my chest, as my cock presses against my zipper. I lean in closer, desperate for her lips. A second later, I'm interrupted by the phone buzzing in my front pocket.

Daisy glances down at the screen. "It's your friend. You should probably answer it."

I don't want to answer it. I wanna let it go to voicemail and ignore everything and everyone until I've properly made this woman mine.

That said, Daisy seems to have moved on. Her focus is solely on the screen lit up on my phone.

I blow out a heavy breath. "I should probably head home. He needs to get to work, and I have a meetin' this morning. I'll check on you tonight." I pull out a card with my name and number. "Call me if you hear anything else. Don't try to handle it yourself. Promise me."

She pinches her lips together and nods. I don't want to leave her. I want to haul her over my shoulder and take her with me, but that's not realistic.

I should've at least gotten information on where she works or any details at all about where she'll be today. But as I turn back, the door is already closed, and Ink is ringing my phone for the third time in a row. Hopefully nothing is wrong.

"Hey, man. All good there?"

"Yeah. Belle was getting antsy, is all. Well, I am too." He sounds tired. "I've got a bounty today. I love sitting here, but it's been all night. Where you been?"

"Sorry, man. Thanks for takin' over for me. I've been at that girl's house. The one with the ex who sells the guns."

He laughs. "Yeah? All-nighter? You clean the pipes or—"

"Jesus. No, I didn't clean the fuckin' pipes." I leave out the part about how I wanted to. "She's fucked up, and the dude is super fuckin' abusive. I couldn't leave her. Sorry. I shoulda called and told you more. It was a whirlwind. I spent half the night on my phone, diggin' through any other known contacts for the asshole."

"Find anything?"

"Nope. How's my girl?"

"She's good. Did her homework, took me fishing, made me play princess dress up. We had fun."

"Cool, man. Thanks again. You know I appreciate you."

"Uncle Ink to the rescue. No big deal. Who's this girl you didn't shack up with? I gotta look her up."

Ink has been a close buddy of mine since I came to town. He's had his own run-ins with the law and has a backstory that puts mine to shame. That said, the man carries himself with pride and he's worked hard to turn himself around.

"Daisy Fraiser. Twenty-five."

"Who is she? Maybe I know something. I hear a lot down at the tattoo shop."

"Daisy Fraiser. She's—"

"Did you say Daisy Fraiser?"

I don't like the way he repeats it. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, either there's two Daisy Fraiser's on Rugged Mountain, or she's your daughter's third grade teacher."

"What? No, she's not." I don't actually know that Daisy isn't a teacher because I didn't ask her what she did all day.

Great hunting on my part.

"How do you miss your daughter's teacher's name? She's been in her class for nine months." Ink laughs. "It's on every paper stuck to the fridge and I'm sure it's on that slip Belle brought home for her performance meeting. Which is today, right?"

I drag in a harsh breath. My job is to look at details. If I miss them, I miss out on the bounty. It's that simple. "There's gotta be some mistake. The paper says Daisy Fraiser? Not Ms. Fraiser? Since when do teachers use their first name? It can't be the same person."

Ink laughs. "Bro, get your shit together. I'm just reporting the news, not trying to ruin your day."

"I know. I'll be there in a few minutes." Thought after thought kicks my ass as I drive home. I don't have a clue what the fuck it is I'm feeling. Most of it has to do with the etiquette of dating your daughter's teacher, because that's where I want this to go.

No, it's where I need this to go.