Page 7 of Waiting for the Mountain Man

“Bucks Pools and Spas,” Cassie said. “Ten miles up the interstate. They’re holding some for us.”

I stared at her, this time in awe for completely different reasons. She’d asked me a bunch of questions about the size and type of tarp, then headed outside. I just assumed she was trying to look for it online. But that was a last resort. Rain was blowing through town tonight, so we needed to avoid further damage to the interior.

“Are you serious?” I asked.

She nodded, already backing up. A smile spread across her face as she spun and started walking forward, toward the exit.

“I could kiss you right now.”

Those words spilled out of me as I followed her. She might not be facing me, but her footsteps faltered a little, making it clear she’d heard. She kept moving, not even looking back.

Yes, I definitely could kiss her right now…and a whole lot more than that. And not just because she’d saved the day by tracking down tarps.

She’d said she wanted sex. I could definitely give her that. The problem was, I wanted more.

“I called a bunch of places,” she said once we were in the truck. “One of the smaller hardware stores in town suggested I try this pool place. I thought it was a long shot, but sure enough, they have tarps.”

“Thank you for doing that,” I said.

My tone sounded a little on the chilly side. It was my body’s way of trying to put some distance between us.

“No problem,” she said in her usual upbeat voice. “It’s just amazing.”

I glanced over at her as I pressed the button to fire up the engine. “What’s that?”

“The way you guys pitch in and help people. You’re going to so much trouble for someone you barely know.”

I knew the son of this particular homeowner, so that wasn’t entirely true. But the general idea of what she was saying was truer than she even realized.

“People look out for each other in Rosewood Ridge,” I said. “It could be a complete stranger stranded at the side of the road and we’d stop.”

“I have a feeling you’d do that even in a big city, though,” she said.

I nodded. “But the problem is, in a big city, you’re surrounded by people who wouldn’t do that.”

I knew that from experience. I grew up in downtown Chicago. Even rode the train to school every day. There was a sense of isolation when you were surrounded by people who didn’t even talk to each other. I didn’t like it.

So it was funny that I’d chosen to move here to isolate myself. Maybe I just liked the comfort of knowing people were nearby if I needed them.

“It’s this exit,” Cassie said, pointing.

She pulled me out of my thoughts, and I realized I’d almost driven right past it. This woman was a distraction in every kind of way. In fact, even as I took the off-ramp, I found my eyes drifting to those bare legs. She wore modest shorts and a T-shirt, but she may as well have been in a bikini, as close to an erection as she’d had me all morning.

The parking lot was completely empty when we pulled in. There was a giant above-ground pool covering half the parking lot, but the building itself looked like a warehouse.

“Is this place open?” I asked.

“If not, we’ll bang on the door until someone comes and brings us our tarps.” Cassie was already reaching for the door handle, ready to hop out, before I’d even come to a full stop. “I can just run in and get them.”

“No way.” I shook my head. “I’m going with you.”

She gave me a strange look, and I couldn’t blame her. I was feeling way too protective of her, considering we’d just met. It wasn’t like we were in a dangerous situation. But I’d be damned if I could figure out what was going on, so I shoved those thoughts aside and hopped out of the truck, following her to the door. It opened easily with a tug, and I held it for her, waiting off to the side as she breezed through it.

As soon as I stepped inside, I was met with a blast of chilly air, along with the smell of chlorine. Did these pools actually have water in them? Maybe it was an air freshener they used to put people in the mood to buy.

“Hello?” Cassie called out. She came to a stop, then turned in a semicircle to face me. “Are we supposed to go to the back?”

I shrugged. “Let’s go take a look around.”

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