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“Oh god. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. Happened a long time ago. Before Felix was born. Well, Mom. We lost here when I was fifteen. Right before Ginger left Winter Lake. Mom had a series of strokes over a few days. Dad lasted a couple more years, and now that I think about it, Felix was born before we lost him, although he never met his grandson. Didn’t even know about him.”

I can see the wheels turning, her thoughts spinning as she tries to work out the full story behind my words. It’s not a secret but I guess it’s not well known either. Like me, my parents stuck to themselves. Neither of them left the mountain often. I doubt their deaths made the gossip mill. Besides, Brooke’s the same age as Felix, there’s no way she would have heard about either of my parents’ deaths.

“Ginny left a month after we buried Mom. Dad didn’t take that well. They had a big fight and as far as I know, they never spoke to each other again. Probably why she didn’t tell anyone about Felix until she came home for Dad’s funeral with a two-year-old on her hip.”

“Wow. I can’t imagine not telling my family I had a baby.”

“Yeah, well, her ex isn’t a nice guy. Yours reminds me a little of hers.”

Fear flashes in her eyes before she smooths out her expression and I want to kick myself for putting that back in her head. “Is he still around? Felix’s dad.”

“No. She left him behind in California and he’s never come sniffing around. Good thing really. I own a lot of land out here. Plenty of places for someone to get lost and never be found.”

Tilting her head again, she narrows her eyes and studies me intently. More than last time.

I wait her out. I can easily imagine what she’s thinking.

“Is that why you wanted me to move out here? So if my ex shows up, he could get lost?”

I shrug. “If he shows up here and something makes him run off into the forest, I’m not going to chase him.”

“So you’ll leave him to the elements?”

I want to say no. Tell her I wouldn’t leave a man to the mercy of Mother Nature but I can’t honestly say which way I’d go. “I don’t know what I’d do. I know what I want to do.”

“Please don’t do anything that would get you in trouble.”

“There are signs posted all around my property warning against trespassing.”

“Granger. Please.” She places her hand on my arm, her fingers cool against my skin. “I don’t want you to do anything stupid. One stupid man in my life is enough.”

I grin. “I will protect you any way I have to. But I promise I won’t break the law to do it.” Maybe.

She knows I haven’t actually said I won’t cause him to run off into the forest. I hope it doesn’t come to that but I will not play nice with a man who has proven he has no intention of doing it either.

“Come on. Let me give you a tour then leave you to get settled while I finish fixing dinner.”

I don’t wait for her to agree or follow. I walk to the guest suite across the room and push the door open, step back, and let her peek inside.

“It has its own bathroom?”

“Yes. And a walk-in closet.” I give her a few more seconds but when she doesn’t step inside, I say, “The rooms upstairs are bigger, have closets and a bathroom too.”

“I don’t need much space.”

“Come see the others anyway.” I step back. “After dinner I’ll show you how to use the security system and where all the panic buttons are.”

“Panic buttons?”

“Yes. They send an alert to me if I’m not here, Felix, and the company he works for.”

“Seems like overkill.”

“Felix likes to test things. I let him use my house to do some of it.”

“What exactly does he do? I thought you said he was going to look into my ex.”