Page 124 of Shared By the Mountain Men

“Ash isn’t my full name. It’s short for Ashley.”

He said it so matter-of-factly. Like he was commenting on the weather. The rest of us turned to stare at the big, tattooed man.

“Seriously?” I said.

“You have a girl’s name?” Jack asked.

“It’s a man’s name, too.”

“Yeah fucking right.”

“Lots of men are named Ashley. Look it up.”

It was cute how defensive he was being.

“So your full name,” Noah said, “is Ashley Jameson?”

Ash hesitated for a heartbeat before saying, “Yes.”

“Why did you hesitate?” I demanded. “Wait. What’s your middle name?”

“Don’t have one.”

Jack reached over and grabbed a wallet off the bedside table. Before Ash could stop him, he had procured a driver’s license.

Jack started laughing. “Oh my God.”

“What?”

“AshleyLaurieJameson?”

I gasped. “Laurie!”

“Oh my God,” Noah said between bouts of laughter. “This is the best thing that has ever happened to us. And I’m including Melissa’s arrival.”

“Fair,” I said.

“Laurie is a man’s name too,” Ash muttered.

Jack tossed the wallet back onto the table. “It definitely isn’t.”

“You haven’t readLittle Women?”Ash demanded.

“YouhavereadLittle Women?”I countered.

Ash clenched his jaw. “This is why I don’t share things.”

I rolled onto his chest and kissed his chin. “I love your name.”

He grunted.

“Seriously, I love it. And here’s something you three don’t know about me. I know I said I was going to try a bunch of different towns, but I’ve settled on Crested Butte. This is where I want to live.”

Jack smiled. “Yeah, I figured.”

“Same,” Ash said.

“You love it here now,” Noah pointed out. “But maybe get through your first Colorado winter before you make a decision.”

I sat upright in bed, shocked. “Oh crap. I forgot all about the winter.”

Their laughter filled the bedroom, and Noah grabbed my arm and pulled me over to cuddle. I reallyhadforgotten about the winter. Maybe that part would suck.

But I was certain of one thing: I was happy with the three of them, no matter the weather.

The future wasn’t guaranteed, but the present? It was pretty much perfect.

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