Page 2 of Kept By The Mountain Man

“Actually, I’m not single. Like some of you,” I say, aiming a pointed stare at Claire.

“Really?” she asks, her voice dripping with skepticism.

“Yup.”

“Who? Who would possibly date you?” Martha asks.

Then, I do something that I regret instantly.

I say, “With Hendrix. We’ve been seeing each other for a bit now. Surprised that you haven’t heard.”

Instant regret.

I’m freaking out, wondering what possessed me to say that, but on the outside, I remain calm. I paste on a fake smile and hold my head high as I turn and march out of the bookstore. Seeing their shocked expression feels good, but not enough to stop my freak out.

“What the hell did I just do?” I ask in shock as I stop at a red light.

Sweetheart Falls is a small town, and it doesn’t take me long to make it back to my apartment. I park and hurry inside, slamming the door behind me and sucking in a deep breath.

“Why did I say that? What the hell do I do now?” I ask as I start to pace back and forth.

My apartment is tiny, so the pacing is really just shuffling two steps forward, turning, and repeating it back to the front door.

Well, Hendrix never goes into town, so maybe he’ll just never find out about what I said. I mean, it’s not like he has a ton of friends in town, and he hates gossip and small talk, so the chances of him learning about us dating are slim to none.

I start to relax and I let out a deep breath as I sink down onto my thrift store couch. My phone rings, and I tense, wondering if it’s Hendrix, but when I look at the screen, I see my friend, Olive’s name instead. I smile as I answer.

“Hey, you! I’ve been meaning to call you,” I tell her.

“I beat you to it,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.

That’s Olive for you. She’s always smiling, always happy. It’s one of the reasons why I love her. She always sees the best in the world and in people.

“How’s Xavier?” I ask her.

“Good. He’s grumbling to himself as he makes us dinner as we speak,” she says with a laugh, and I can’t help but join her.

I’ve known Olive for most of my life. We grew up together, and after high school, we both left town and went our separate ways, but stayed in touch. I tried to take a trip across the United States. I wanted to travel and experience the world a little bit. It was working out well, until I went to Montana and ended up losing my purse. That’s how I wound up working for Hendrix and living in Sweetheart Falls.

I’m close to having enough saved to quit and leave town. I’m actually looking forward to heading home. I plan to join Olive and her sisters in Wolf Valley, Oregon, and start to put down real roots. I just need to put up with Hendrix and this place for a little bit longer.

“What about you? How have you been?” Olive asks me.

“I’m okay. I’ve been working a lot. I’m hoping that I’ll be home before the holidays.”

“No way! You’ll have to come over and spend it with us!”

“That sounds great,” I say honestly.

When I left town a few years ago, I was so excited to get out and away from home, but the more time that I’ve spent away, the more homesick I become. I just want to be home with people that I love and who love me. This trip has started to become lonely, and I just want to be back where I belong.

“I’ll get the guest room ready for you,” Olive says, and I smile.

“It’s still going to be at least a few weeks,” I tell her, but she ignores me and keeps making her plans.

“How’s work?” she asks, and I sigh.

“The same.”

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