Take Me To The River: A Mountain Man Romance (Mountain Men of Whiskey River Book 1)
Take Me To The River: Chapter 22

I start working on jerky the day after we go hunting. We’ll be being going into town soon to place an order for the things Emelie needs to make her lights. She has been talking about the different designs she wants to try, and I’m excited for her.

Also, we have to make plans to get her stuff. I’d like to do that soon, so we can be done with her ex and pretend he never existed. Forget that his name got to touch my Little One. Because when I remember, I want to beat him to a pulp.

I look over at her in the living room. She’s laying on the couch reading and looking peaceful. I know the orgasms I have her this morning down at the river are part of the reason, but I know the other part is just being here.

My serene moment is gone the moment the front porch creeks. I don’t even get out of the kitchen, before someone is pounding on the front door.

‘Police, open up!’ They yell.

Emelie looks at me with fear in her eyes, and I vow whoever caused that will pay.

‘It’s okay. I got this,’ I tell her.

When I open the door, the two cops that stand there take a step back with wide eyes, as they take in my size. Few times in my life, have I been thankful for my size, and this is one of them. Their hands grip their guns a little tighter, and judging by the pulse points on their necks, their hearts are racing a mile a minute.

Good, let them fear me. If they fear me, they will leave my Little One alone.

‘What can I do for you?’ I growl.

That causes one of them to take another step back, but the one who stood his ground speaks.

‘We got a report that you are holding a young lady here against her will. An Emelie Owen?’ He says.

His voice is shaky, betraying his fear, but points to him for not backing down.

Before I can speak, my girl is at my side.

‘Just because I didn’t want to go back with my cheating ex-boyfriend doesn’t mean Axel is holding me against my will.’ She crosses her arms and glares at them.

They look at each other and then turn back to her. She’s in one of my shirts, and I hate their eyes on her.

‘Eyes on me,’ I growl, and their eyes snap back to me.

‘We need you both to come down to the station for questions and to give a statement.’ The one who stood his ground tells me.

As I glare at them, wondering if anyone would miss them, Emelie places a hand on my arm.

‘It’s okay, Axel, we had planned to go to town in a few days, anyway. Let’s go clear this up, and then do what we have to do.’

I take a deep breath and nod. ‘Go get dressed, Little One,’ I tell her.

Not moving, I just stare the cops down, until she comes back out and hands me a shirt and socks.

We get dressed, and the cops take me down to their car on foot, and my girl takes the four-wheeler down to my truck and meets us there.

These may be Whiskey River cops, but they aren’t used to coming out here and dealing with us that live on our own up in the mountains. They don’t even hide how uncomfortable they are.

The cops are parked just on the other side of the gate.

‘She’ll need to follow you in, as she still doesn’t know her way around very well,’ I tell them because the last thing I want is her getting lost on her way into town and me not being able to help her.

‘That’s fine,’ the one who hasn’t spoken yet says. They struggle to get me in the back of the cop car. Thankfully, I’m not handcuffed, so it makes maneuvering a bit easier.

Once in the back of the car, I turn, so I can watch Emelie. She pulls onto the road and gets out to lock the gate just like I taught her. Good girl, I’ll reward her, when we get back to the cabin.

The cops drive slowly, and Emile follows behind us. I stay looking back, never once taking my eyes off her. Though she looks worried when her eyes drift to mine, she gives me a strained smile, and I’ll ease her fears the best way I can.

When we stop at a stop sign, I mouth ‘I love you’ to her, and she says it back. That seems to relax us both, knowing we are in this together, no matter what.

As we pull into the station, the car I’m in goes through a gated area and Emelie parks in front of the building.

That’s the last time I see her before I’m hounded with questions.

Emelie

As I sit in the bare room with nothing but a chair and table, I look around, replaceing a camera in the corner that I smile sweetly into. The row of mirrors across from me I know is one way, and I wonder who is on the other side.

Will Chris be watching this? I kind of hope he does. When I parked, I saw his dad’s car in the parking lot, so I hope his dad is back there as well. I wonder where Axel is. I had a feeling they would keep us apart, and as much as my skin is crawling at the separation, I know he’s just as bad.

They leave me sitting a good twenty minutes before a uniformed officer walks in. He’s large, larger than most men I’ve seen, but he’s still not as big as Axel.

‘Ms. Owens. I’m Detective Greer,’ he says in a way of a greeting.

I nod to the mirrors in front of me.

‘Chris and his dad watching?’ I ask.

He doesn’t say anything, but the look in his eyes tells me they are.

‘Good. Let them finally hear the truth. I can’t wait for Mr. Wyatt to see his son for who he really is,’ I grimace.

Not only had I forgiven Chris, but I had actually started to forget about what he did. It led me to Axel, so I couldn’t be mad about it. Until today. Until he tried to manipulate things and get Axel in trouble.

Game on.

‘Ms. Owen. How do you know Mr. Wyatt?’ The cop asks.

‘You may call me Emelie, and which Mr. Wyatt are you referring, too?’

‘Chris, ma’am.’

‘Chris Wyatt is my ex-boyfriend.’

The cop starts writing it on the paper he’s reading.

‘And how did you end up at the cabin of Alex Ingleson?’

‘That’s a bit of a story. Are you ready?’ I ask.

The cop nods, and then I look right at the glass.

‘Hope you’re ready too, Mr. Wyatt.’

I clear my throat and smirk, wishing I could watch Chris’s face pale and see how pissed his father gets.

‘I was camping with Chris. We had just gotten the campsite set up when he went to go get firewood. As I was figuring out what to make for dinner, his phone kept blowing up. His phone, the one he insisted on bringing, even though I left mine in the car. So, I check it, and it’s a girl named Roxy, sending boob shots to spice up his family camping trip.’ I use finger quotes around the last part.

Pausing, I take a deep breath. ‘The texts went back months, and it was clear he had been cheating on me all that time. So, when he got back to the campsite, I confronted him, and he tried to go off on me for reading his texts. To cool down, I went for a walk and to figure out my next move, since Chris and I lived together, and I had nowhere else to go.’

‘Is that how you met Axel?’ He asks.

‘Not quite. I decided to go back to the campsite and ask Chris to take me into town. Since I had enough money to stay at the bed and breakfast for a few days, I could figure out what to do, and maybe, replace a job that included room and board. I wasn’t sure. So, I turned around and went back to the campsite, only it was empty.’

‘You ended up at the wrong campsite?’

‘No, it was the right one. The pile of wood Chris had collected was there. Chris had just packed everything and went back to the car, leaving me nothing, not even water. Knowing I couldn’t stay, I started towards the car, figuring if he wasn’t there, then I could at least flag someone down to call for help or get a ride into town.’

‘And you found Axel on the road?’

I glare at him to just let me tell my story. ‘No. Only I ended up walking the wrong way. It was almost nightfall, and I had walked for hours when I stumbled across Axel at the river. I begged him to help me, and he agreed. As he was taking me to his cabin, it started raining. Going to town wasn’t an option. It wasn’t safe to drive, so we stayed put at his cabin.’

‘That storm was pretty bad, and there was flooding all over town.’

‘It rained for three days, and when it stopped, we tried to see if we could get to town, but the road was washed out. Then, the second storm came, and by the time the road cleared, it had been almost three weeks. During that time, Axel showed me more kindness than I’ve ever known, even though Chris’s parents were very nice to me when they took me in.’

‘Took you in?’

‘My parents died, when I was sixteen, and they were my foster parents. Chris and I started dating after I turned eighteen and started working for his dad. I stayed with Axel, and I’m choosing to remain with Axel, because this is the life I want. Since I’ve already told Chris that staying was my choice, I’m not sure why he’s here, filing a false police report. I’m in love with Axel, and I’m not leaving him.’ I say the last part, as I stare right into the mirrors.

Not once did I say I loved Chris. He said it a few times, but I never believed him, not the way I do Axel. Chris always felt more like a friend that I lived with and had sex with, not a boyfriend or a romantic partner.

‘Did Chris show up at Axel’s cabin at any point?’

‘Yes, he did. Right after the roads cleared. I told him then I wanted nothing to do with him. We were over, and I was staying with Axel. I made it clear I would be by to get my stuff, and then he was told to leave.’

‘Did you ever go get your stuff from your place in Billings?’

‘Not yet. I plan to in the next day or two, as it will be an all-day thing there and back.’

‘Did Axel ever hurt you or force you to stay? Threaten you to stay?’

‘No, he gave me a choice and made sure it was what I wanted time and time again. He was worried I wouldn’t want to live in the mountains.’

‘But you do? It’s a big change from the city.’

‘It is. But I’ve never felt more myself out here.’

‘You’re sure he never forced you to stay?’

Is this idiot deaf?

‘No, he did not force me to stay. The storm that washed out the road forced me to stay, but every single day, I’m glad it did.’

He looks me over and seeing I’m visibly irritated, he sighs.

‘Okay, hang tight and let me see if we have any more questions,’ he stands.

‘When can I see Axel?’ I ask.

‘He should be finished answering questions soon.’

‘And Chris for filing false charges?’

“If you wish to pursue it, that’s up to you. It is a crime.’

I look back at the mirrors, hoping they are still there.

‘I’ll let you know.’

He leaves the room, and I sigh. I’m completely and utterly drained, and I just want My Giant to hold me and take care of me. Then, I want to go home and spend the rest of the night in his arms, the one place I feel safe.