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Chapters (86)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Booklist
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
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  10. 6
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  12. 8
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  14. 10
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  41. 37
  42. 38
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  54. 50
  55. 51
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  61. 57
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  64. 60
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  72. 68
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  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“How did they die?”

He couldn’t help it. The bitterness crept in. “Stupidly.”

“Tell me what you’re afraid to say.”

58

GOD, NO. ADAM DIDN’T want to tell her. But for some reason known only to his subconscious, he’d begun this conversation with his confession. Now he would follow through, and when he was done, Elle might finally see why he was the best man to keep her safe—and why he was the man to avoid ever after. “You wondered why I was a survivalist. Why I make every preparation for every possible disastrous occurrence. Why I watch the horizon and listen when my instincts warn of danger.”

“I suspected a difficult childhood.”

“Yes. Difficult. That’s one way to describe it.” It was close to noon. The sun shone on his shoulders and on hers. Overexposure to sunshine could lead to dangerous burns and potential skin cancers. “When I was a kid, eight years old, my parents decided to abandon civilization and live off the land.”

“Oh!” Clearly, she hadn’t expected his story to start like this.

He pulled a long-sleeved shirt out of his emergency backpack and helped her into it. He placed a broad brimmed hat on her head. Then he did the same for himself. “They found a decrepit log cabin in the Colorado mountains. Later I found out it was deep into Forest Service land. For three years we lived undisturbed except for the occasional hiker or biker, and when they got a look at us, they fled.”

“You looked scary?” Her voice contained a fair amount of caution.

“After a few months, my dad looked like a wild mountain man, tangled hair and beard. I was growing so fast, I grew out of my clothes and my legs and arms stuck out like... One biker called me a hillbilly.” He handed her a tube of sunscreen.

She looked at it as if she didn’t remember what SPF 50 meant.

“We planted a garden, hunted illegally, chopped wood, made candles—no electricity for us!—and we survived the first winter. And the second. My parents had brought clothes and food staples to help them through the first winter. Good thing, because my mother never got the knack of tanning hides. We ate beans, root vegetables, venison and bear meat.” He looked sideways at her. “In case anyone ever offers you bear meat, keep in mind it gets bigger the longer you chew it.”

She squirted sunscreen into her palms and everything not covered by clothing got a thorough treatment. “I don’t remember much, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never eaten bear meat.” She offered him the sunscreen.