Page 24 of Shared By the Mountain Men

“You look absolutely perfect.”

“Have fun you two,” Jack said, his tone implying he wanted the opposite. A cat curled around his legs and arched its back.

I was close to calling him out on his crappy attitude, but I didn’t want to make a scene in front of Noah. Besides, I was in too good of a mood to let Mr. Grumpypants ruin it.

“Have fun with your cats,” I said, lacing my arm into Noah’s.

Jack’s jaw clenched. “They’re not mine.”

I flashed him a final smile before leaving with Noah.

11

Melissa

Noah drove us to town, parked on one of the side roads, and then led me to the main street with all the restaurants and bars. The restaurant he had chosen was calledBonez, and had a huge outdoor patio situated next to the creek that ran through town.

“You going to be okay if we sit outside?” he asked.

I hefted the sweatshirt under one arm. “I’ve got this just in case.”

Noah flashed me his perfect white smile. “Surprised you had enough room for that in your hiking pack.”

“It was for camp,” I explained. “I usually get chilly after hiking all day, and needed something warm to wear while sitting around at camp at the end of each day.”

The hostess seated us at a cute two-person table right on the edge of the patio, giving us a gorgeous view of Main Street. I ordered a margarita, and Noah held up two fingers to order the same.

“Okay, so I’ve got a question for you,” I said.

“Yes, I’ve had a lot of patients at the clinic with objects shoved up their butts,” Noah immediately answered. “Alot.”

Laughing, I said, “Thanks for that mental image. But I was going to ask about Ash. You know him pretty well?”

“He’s one of my best friends.”

“Is there something wrong with his mountain bike?” I asked. “Ash lent it to me to get around town, but when Jack saw that I was using it, he laughed.”

Noah’s eyebrows rose. “He lent you his bike? The yellow and black one?”

“Yeah,” I said carefully.

The waitress returned with our drinks, and then took our order. “What’s up with his bike?” I asked when she was gone.

“The yellow and black one is his baby,” Noah explained. “Calls it his bumblebee. He’s let people borrow his other bikes—he’s got four—but heneverloans out the bumblebee.”

“Not even to you or Jack?”

Noah barked a laugh. “Yeah, right. If I evenaskedto borrow it, Ash would give me a look that could strip paint off a wall.”

“I’ve seen that look,” I admitted.

“He seriously let you borrow it?” Noah asked, cocking his head.

I nodded. “I didn’t even ask. He just gave it to me.”

Noah stared off for a few seconds, then shrugged. “He has trust issues. I guess he’s learning to share. It should’ve happened when he was ten years old, but better late than never.”

“All right, enough about Ash,” I said. “Cheers. To our date.”

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