Page 31 of Ten Mountain Men

Of course, it would help if I had access to a wider range of tools and products than what I brought with me, but I’ll make it work. I always do.

I add some curl cream to my handful of toiletries. I’m thankful that Rusty and his brothers all have wavy hair, if not full-on curls like I do. My cream may not be optimized to their individual hair texture and thickness like I would like, but my haircare routine will work just fine for them.

Though he is a rough-hewn mountain of a mountain man with calloused hands and shoulders so broad I could probably stand on one of them, there’s something boyishly sweet about Rusty that makes me forget we’ve just met today and causes a surge of affection to wash over me when I look at him. I want to give him an impulsive hug before we begin, but I resist.

He has the sweetest smile. He also looks like he could impregnate me by looking me in the eyes. Whew, the testosterone in this cabin! I fan myself.

“Are you warm? We have an oscillating fan somewhere…I could find it and fetch it…”

“I’m fine, but thank you. You don’t have any shampoo preferences, do you?” I ask because, sure, mine will be better, but I don’t want to make any assumptions. I mean, I know Hunter said they don’t have any shampoo or conditioner, but I still find that hard to believe. This place is like the ark. They probably have two of everything without even realizing it. Or two dozen.

“No.” He looks around like there might be a bottle or two of shampoo floating in the air. “We have some of the stuff for babies around somewhere. The kind that’s not supposed to cause any tears. From back when we were kids. Mostly we just use washing-up liquid for everything now.”

“And the bubble bath,” I remind him with a smile.

“Yes.”

He doesn’t elaborate. Dammit. The ultrafeminine bubble bath is so incongruous in this cabin, and with these men. I want to understand why they have it in the first place. And I want to know what kind it is and where to get it.

“I really liked the bubble bath,” I say casually, leaning over to arrange my bottles on the coffee table.

“It smells nice,” he agrees with a nod.

Okay, clearly I’m not going to learn the story behind the bubble bath without straight-up asking, and I don’t want to do anything to put Rusty off right now, when we’re making progress.

“Well,” I say. And then I tell him, hoping to hell that I don’t sound condescending, what to do with each of the products I’ve laid out. “Then, after you’ve washed your hair, we’ll talk about what kind of results you want from your makeover.”

He hesitates.

“Did I talk too fast?” Sometimes I do.

With a shake of his head, Rusty says, “I can’t wash out my hair, is the thing. I mean, I could do it in the sink, I guess, but first I’d have to clear out all the dishes. I guess I could put them on a tarp in the backyard to get ’em out the way. But I can’t wash it in the tub because I’m not supposed to leave you alone.”

“Ohhh, right. You’re babysitting me. Because Grumpy Luke said so.”

Yes, I overheard that.

The corner of his mouth tips up in a smile as he shrugs helplessly. “Luke just doesn’t want you poking around.”

I do hope he appreciates the finely arched brow I give him. “Why? Do you have bodies hidden in a secret basement?”

“Yes. Yes, we do.”

His lips are twitching. I burst out laughing and he joins in. It’s like an earthquake of joy. I love it.

“What if I promise I won’t get off this couch?”

“How do I know you’re a woman of your word?” he counters.

“Okay,” I say, letting out a little sigh. What does Luke think I’m going to do? Rob them blind of all their knickknacks? It’s not like I could get a U-Haul up here, and it would take one to even make a dent. I sigh again. It’s their home, not mine. I need to stop being so damn judgmental.

Then it hits me. “What if I come into the bathroom with you? I’ll close my eyes the whole time so I won’t be able to see you, but you can keep an eye on me.”

“How do I know you won’t peek?”

I grin. “Would you care if I did?”

“Only if you weren’t impressed,” he says, and then the parts of his cheeks that aren’t covered by his beard flush. It’s adorable.

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