Page 2 of Wishing for the Mountain Man

His t-shirt readRRVF, and I wondered what that stood for. Was it a military thing? Or did the first two letters of that mean Rosewood Ridge?

I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. Well, I tried to do that, anyway. I nearly dropped my phone in the process. I’d forgotten I was holding it. The whole move just looked awkward.

But when I returned my attention to his face, I thought I saw a hint of a smile. Just a hint. Barely noticeable. He seemed like a guy who wore a permanent scowl.

“You here for a business conference or to help with tornado recovery?” he asked.

His gaze lowered to my outfit, and I realized how it probably looked. We’d all gotten dressed up for dinner, but we’d been the only ones. Even the women who’d come to town looking for the guy standing in front of me seemed to know to keep things on the casual side. Well, except for the woman who dressed like she was going clubbing.

“I’m here for cleanup,” I said. “Recovery, I mean.”

Crap, I was bungling this big time. I wanted to tell my friends about meeting this guy. It felt like I’d won some sort of prize just by having a conversation with him.

But what if it was more than that? What if I accomplished what we’d all four come to town to do? What if I lost my virginity to the hottest guy any of us had ever seen?

“I just needed some fresh air,” I said. “There was a big dinner back at the retreat center…”

My voice was shaky, and I suddenly couldn’t seem to make eye contact. It was like the guy actually knew what I was thinking. I was probably even blushing at this point. The curse of having a fair complexion.

His gaze scanned my body, and warmth went straight to the area between my legs. “You don’t seem dressed for a hike.”

I had to resist the urge to cover up. Suddenly I felt naked, even though most of my body was covered—well, except my arms. And my neck. And my head.

“I needed to get away,” I said. “And I’m rooming with someone, so I can’t just hole up there and hide until morning.”

At those words, he seemed to study me, and I wondered about that. Was he developing an appreciation for me as a fellow crowd avoider?

I actually didn’t mind being around people, though. In fact, I couldn’t imagine isolating myself in the mountains like these guys did. I loved having a grocery store and restaurants within a few miles.

“Well, as long as you’re okay,” he finally said, and he took a step back. “I’ll let you continue your hike.”

I opened my mouth to tell him I was heading back to the retreat center. It was safer than being out here with bears and any other mountain men who might be lurking.

But the words wouldn’t come out. The last thing I wanted to do was let him walk out of my life.

“There’s a lake near here, right?” I asked. “I’d love to see it.”

Not exactly my most brilliant move. He could easily point me in the general direction and head back to wherever he was going. But it was too late to try another tactic, so all I could do was stare at him, holding my breath, until he spoke.

“That’s where I just came from.” He gestured as he turned and started walking up the mountain. “Come with me.”

2

JAX

The internet was ruining my life.

I’d been grumbling all day about the fact that a bunch of women had come to town looking for me. My buddy, Kane, warned me about it. He didn’t even live here. He lived in a mountain town in Montana called Sweetheart Falls. But we’d stayed in touch after our time in the military together.

So when the video of me cleaning up after the tornado went viral, he’d sent it to me. And he’d warned me this morning that commenters on the video were saying they were coming here to look for me.

And that was why I’d hidden in my cabin all day. But now, I was leading a redheaded knockout to the pond behind my house. That was where I’d been fishing when I heard her scream.

Was it a scream or a yell? It was more like a yell. Whatever the case, it was clear that a woman was in distress. Only she wasn’t.

“So what’s the story with the yelling?” I asked as I came to a stop on the bank next to the large pond behind my house.

“Frustration,” she said, stepping up to stand next to me. “Ahh.”

---