Page 1 of Sizzling In the Mountains

CHAPTER ONE

Victoria

“And that, my friends, is how you train a unicorn.”

All of the adorable children sitting at my feet groan when I close the book.

“Can you read it again?” Carly, the little redhead asks. Several other small heads nod in agreement.

“No, but you can take turns bringing it home,” I tell them with a big smile. “And we have a whole bunch of other wonderful books full of adventure and fantastical stories for you to choose from.”

They all leap up and start scouring the bookshelves for their next hidden gem. I can’t help but smile as I watch them go.

“Thanks, Victoria,” Carly’s mom says to me. “Story hour is such a great idea. Thanks for starting it.”

“It was my pleasure!”

“You’ve really made Carly love books and any second she spends reading is a second she’s not terrorizing her older sister.”

I smile as I watch Carly grabbing an armful of books off the shelf. Two fall down and bounce open.

“That makes me so happy to hear,” I say with a hand on my chest. All I want to do in life is get kids reading, so working at the children’s library is the most fulfilling job in the world. I couldn’t believe it when I was hired.

I was browsing for librarian openings back in my boring hometown in South Dakota when I spotted an opening in the Greene Mountains, Montana. The library looked so cute. I would have been happy with any library, but a children’s library? Especially one that was built in an old railway station and surrounded by breathtaking mountains? It was my dream come true.

I applied, thinking nothing of it, but then three weeks later they contacted me for a video call. I spoke with Gabby and we immediately hit it off over our love of books. She’s the head librarian, but her arthritis is making it harder for her to work, so she needs some help. She offered me the job and before I knew it, I was moving to Montana. The town is adorable. It’s surrounded by the most spectacular mountains in the world and you can’t throw a quarter without hitting a fresh river, a sparkling lake, a hundred-year-old oak tree, or a big hulking mountain man. I’m not sure what they put in the water up here, but good Lord. The men here are something else.

It’s been a wonderful month living in the Greene Mountains and I keep thinking that my good luck can’t possibly last. Something’s gotta give. I mean, dream job in a dream location? Who gets that lucky?

Since I arrived, I started all sorts of initiatives to get the local kids and tweens reading. I started reading to the children on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, I’m trying to get a pre-teen book club going, but it’s been difficult to recruit members, and I also began putting tables outside with rows of books to entice people driving by to stop and see what we have.

Gabby said that checkouts have increased by twenty-three percent since I’ve been here and I’m thrilled with the progress.

It’s just the cutest place. It’s all old wood and ancient stone with these big curved windows and lots of little cozy nooks everywhere that are perfect for snuggling up on the pillows and getting lost in a book.

We even have a rare first edition signed copy of Charlotte’s Web. There are only three in the world and we have one on display. It’s behind glass, but every once in a while, I’ll put on the soft white gloves, take it out, and show the kids. I always love how their eyes get so big when I show them the old ink signature. It’s one of our town’s proudest landmarks.

The moms and kids start checking out their books and I chat with each one of them while they’re at my desk. I know all of their names.

Cynthia’s mom, Lauren is last. She’s the manager of the big luxurious lodge in town. I process her books and she lingers around. “Hey, are you looking to get set up?”

I cough, nearly choking on my saliva. “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry,” she says with her cheeks starting to blush. “I didn’t mean to pry. I just… I know you’re new in town and… What’s your type?”

“I’m still getting settled in,” I say politely. “I’m not looking to date.”

“Oh, okay,” she says, looking disappointed that I won’t play matchmaker with her. “It’s just… I can ask around for you. If you want. I know a lot of people from the lodge.”

“I’m good, thanks,” I say, smiling even though I kind of want to crawl under the desk and hide.

“Come on, Cynthia,” Lauren says offering her hand. Cynthia runs over and grabs it.

She waves at me as she leaves. “Bye, Miss Hester.”

“Bye, Cynthia. See you next time.”

I take a deep breath as they walk to their car.

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