Page 10 of Wishing for the Mountain Man

Was that an accusation? I would have been there every day, covered in dirt and working until I practically fell over, if all these women hadn’t shown up. But if all these women hadn’t shown up, the town would have had fewer volunteers, so I couldn’t complain. In fact, I was grateful they were here.

“Yep,” was all I said.

Did that answer the question? What was the question? Tess was even closer now and her nearness scrambled my brainwaves.

“Excuse me.”

Even over all the noise, I heard Tess saying that. That was because she was pretty much yelling it, having said it several times. The women in the front row were not budging.

I nodded toward Tess. “That’s my girlfriend.”

I glanced at the women in front of me, noting their changing expressions. Smiles fell, mouths dropped open, and heads turned.

Tess looked just as surprised as the rest of them. Her eyes widened as she stared at me. Yes, I’d just called her my girlfriend, and I’d only done it in part to get these women off my trail. Shewasmy girlfriend, and she’d be my wife soon enough. And she knew it.

The announcement had the desired effect. Two of the women who’d turned to look at Tess angled their bodies so they left a little space. Tess took advantage of it, pushing her way through.

I didn’t waste a second, pulling her into my arms for the same kind of passionate kiss we shared last night. The noise around us seemed to have faded away, but I couldn’t tell if that was because everyone was watching us or because my entire world was centered on this kiss.

The stress I’d felt when I’d seen the crowd was gone now. It wasn’t the cure, though. I knew I’d have to work on it. It would take time. But it was progress.

“Come on,” she said.

Taking me by the hand, she pulled me through the crowd. It was much easier this time since everyone had gone back to their previous conversations. As we got closer to the group she’d been standing with, I saw a group of men. They were toward the back of the room, gathered with their beers and drink glasses. They didn’t seem to even notice that attention had shifted to me a few minutes ago.

I shook hands and nodded to Tess’s friends—Sloane, Cassie, and Ashton. They didn’t seem surprised that I had finally shown up, and I wondered if that was because Tess had been talking about me. I liked to think that was exactly what it was.

“Do you know Mac?” Ashton asked, gesturing toward the men.

I looked at the group of guys. A couple of them looked familiar, but I couldn’t name a single one.

“They’re dating now,” Tess explained. “And Cassie is dating Denver.”

“And I’m dating Bryce,” Sloane said.

The guys’ names didn’t sound familiar, but I had a feeling I’d be getting to know them. The chances that all four of our relationships would work out were slim to none, but I knew ours would, and at least one of these women would move to Rosewood Ridge to be with her man. That gave me hope Tess wouldn’t find it boring here.

“Let’s go,” Sloane said, grabbing Cassie’s hand, and soon we were all heading over toward the group of guys.

“Great to see you again,” Mac said. “Want a beer?”

Someone went off to fetch one, and I settled in next to Tess. As the conversation rolled around me, I felt an odd sense of belonging and community. Why had I avoided this for so long?

“You know, we could go back to my room,” Tess said once the topic of conversation turned to how fast Mac’s new motorcycle could go.

We were still part of the circle, but everyone seemed caught up in the conversation. They weren’t paying attention to what was going on with us.

“Sounds good to me,” I said. “But what about dinner?”

She looked up at me, pure adoration in her eyes. “We’ll order room service.”

“They have room service here?”

Tess nodded. “I just have to tell my roommate to stay away a little while.”

She handled that while I squeezed through the crowd. Women still stared at me as though I were some kind of celebrity, but they’d all be gone soon enough and life could get back to normal.

There was one problem with that, though. I had a feeling the guys around here would never let me live down the nicknameCyclone Stud. The better I got to know them, the more they’d probably rib me about it.

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