Page 10 of Scent of Home

“I’m not scared of a mountain man,” Erin says firmly. There is so much confidence in her voice.

I raise a brow as Finn looks at me again. Yup, we aren’t scared of your mountain man!

“Great! The cabin is yours. There’s a nice queen-sized bed for you to share, a fridge, fireplace. It’s got the best views.”

I pause and glance at Erin. She cocks her head at me and grins. It’s sultry, sexy, and full of hidden messages I receive loud and clear.

“We shared a seat, I’m sure we can share a bed,” she teases.

I exhale roughly in relief. “Yeah, we can do that. Perhaps, this time, I can sleep on your,” I bite my lower lip and look her up and down, “anywhere.”

Finn glances between us. “Sounds like a story.”

“We met on the bus, no story,” Erin says, effectively ending any line of questioning. I brush my shoulder against hers. Solidarity. “Tell us about Twin Rivers.”

“Ah, well, my town is really big on celebrating. Any excuse to get together, really. Each year, the mountain snows melt, and the rivers fill. It’s during this time that we have this celebration, one of five annual celebrations, mind you.”

Finn walks us past the people and banners, the stalls and signs, and points up. My mouth opens wide, my eyes grow large.

The view is spectacular, it’s inspiring, my brain’s already searching for the right words to describe it. I drum my fingers against my leg.

“It's beautiful,” Erin whispers.

“Yes, it is. Not many people know just how perfect it is up here. But we do.” Finn glances back with a reassuring smile. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride out to the cabin and show you around. This will all be here tomorrow or tonight.”

He walks to an old truck and opens the door. Erin glances at me and shrugs. She gets in the truck.

Where she goes, I have to follow. There’s not even a question about it. I would follow this alpha into hell.

And that scares the shit out of me.

But I still follow.

I slide into the truck and sit quietly as Finn starts the truck and drives us towards those mountains and that bright blue sky.

Chapter four

Finn

My mother would haveloved Locke, she would have seen him and snapped his stunned, suspicious, charming self up under her wings and dragged him home. The thought makes me ache. I miss her. I miss them.

I keep up a constant stream of conversation, telling them about the town, about the festival. I barely know what I’m saying. Locke, the man in the back, is so different from anyone I’ve ever met. The fire in his eyes is intriguing. The hurt under the surface drags out my protective instincts. He is as much the opposite of me as Brayson is. But I have never felt such an instant connection. It was immediate.

But she is exactly my type. Almost. It wasn’t until I got in the car that her scent and designation hit me. Alpha. She is mouthwatering. She’s curvy with fire inside her. Erin might look cold, but I bet she goes absolutely up in flames when she lets go of her control. An alpha. Amazing.

I lean my elbow on the truck window and slow the car to a gentle crawl as we get to the wooden bridge. This is one of the best views as we cross the river, on one side you have the sharp ascent of the mountains, and on the other side, the thick forest and the road back to town, the only sign that you’re still on the same planet.

“This is lovely,” Erin says from the passenger seat. Her voice is filled with awe, and this is what I love so much about this place. This moment. Because you can’t not be awed when Mother Nature is all around you.

“Yes. It is incredible, exceptional. It’s home.” I breathe out, feeling that familiar contentment. I will never live anywhere else. Twin Rivers and these mountains are my forever.

The man in the back shifts his weight and leans forward, breaking the peace. His inability to sit still is something I see a lot with tourists. The twitching, jittery movements that never stop. Always reaching for a phone or trying to type a message. I’ve seen a million of him.

And yet, he stands above and apart from them.

“Who was that man?” He asks, and it comes out like an accusation, but do I detect a hint of longing?

I grit my teeth. I don’t want to talk about Brayson. He’s a pain in the ass. In particular, he makes it his absolute mission in life to irritate Shane and I. Brayson is everything that’s wrong with this world, and in particular, this small town.

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