Page 2 of Alone with the Mountain Man

Did he really think I was old enough to be their mom? I was only twenty-three. I did some quick math and realized if I’d had Aiden when I was fifteen, I could technically be their mother, but that would’ve meant being sexually active at fourteen. I shuddered at the thought.

“We’re going over there,” Harper said. “That’s where my daddy is.”

“My stepbrother works for the fire department,” I explained.

The guy’s eyes widened. “What’s his name?”

“Wyatt Owens,” I said. “He’s a single dad.”

What difference did that make? This guy would know that if they worked together, anyway.

“Can’t say I recognize the name,” the guy said. He crossed his arms over his chest and let his gaze scan my body. “And who are you supposed to be?”

“Aunt Aurora,” Aiden said. “I told you already.”

He sounded a little exasperated. It almost made me giggle.

“I’m a witch,” I said, shrugging. “It was a last-minute costume.”

“I like it.” He smiled. “Well, head over to the fire station and I’ll track you down there. I owe you some candy.”

His eyes didn’t leave my face as he said those words, and it sent warmth straight through my body. Holy inappropriateness. There were two kids here. I was the worst aunt ever, getting all hot and bothered over a guy who was keeping things G-rated.

“Can we ride in the fire truck?” Aiden asked.

“No, but I heard they’re going to let kids climb up in it,” he said. “They might even let you hit the sirens.”

“I want to go now,” Harper said, looking back at me again.

“Me, too,” Aiden added.

“We’re going to finish up our trick-or-treating here and head to the station,” I told both kids, feeling the guy’s eyes on me as I spoke. “That’s the plan, remember? Let’s go.”

I held out a hand for Aiden, and he took it. But before I turned to leave, I nodded at the hunky firefighter.

“I guess we’ll see you at the station,” I said.

His eyes were locked on my face, and I went a little weak in the knees under his stare. It wasn’t just that it was intense. I sawa warmth there that I hadn’t expected to see when I first spotted him.

Underneath that gruff exterior was a big teddy bear. I’d seen that with the kids, but now, looking at him, I could see how he might be that way with a woman he cared about too.

And I wanted to be that woman.

The kids would rush me to the fire station, and I couldn’t say I’d blame them. I was looking forward to it myself.

2

NASH

The woman in the witch costume was hot. So hot, she’d turned me into a big pile of mush.

It wasn’t even the raging erection that was a concern, especially since these pants did little to conceal it. It was that face, which was stuck in my mind like someone was holding a picture of her in front of me. No matter where I looked, I couldn’t get away from it.

The surprising thing was, I didn’t want to.

“Schroeder!” one of the guys yelled out as I made my way across the small, paved area in front of the open garage.

Kids were running around in their little costumes, big smiles on their faces. Their hands gripped the cheap handles on the red plastic helmets the department had purchased for kids to drop their candy into.

---