Page 19 of Her Silver Fox Mountain Men

“You’re a long way from home,” James replies.

A curious glimmer lingers in the deep green pools of his eyes. I offer a nod. “I guess. But the view is worth it.” I point over to the dining room window, where a gorgeous western evening sky settles over the sharp ridge. “Nothing beats that.”

“Not even the overly friendly mountain lions?” Oliver quips.

“You’d think they would’ve made me hightail it back to Chicago!” I laugh. “No, sir. I like it here. Not leaving anytime soon.”

“Good,” James says. “We’d hate to see you go.”

“You would?” I ask, surprised.

Janice’s gaze bounces around the table. I’m pretty sure she can read the room almost as well as I can, except I’m unable to read her thoughts, and I wish I could. The attraction is undeniable, at least where I’m concerned.

It’s also not the best idea.

“We like having you here,” James says. “And Tricia and Ainsley definitely enjoy having you around.”

“You barely know me,” I mumble, lowering my gaze.

“They don’t need to know your blood type or your Social Security number to tell that you’re a good person, Elise,” Janice interjects, the corner of her mouth tested by a smile. “I’ve seen you around town as well. The folks at the diner love you. Forgive me for asking so many questions. I’m just forever fascinated by people who drop the big-city life in favor of a small town in the mountains.” She pauses and takes a sip of her wine. “Do you ever miss it?”

“Chicago? Sometimes. But I like living in Rustic better.”

“Except for the mountain lions. She doesn’t like the mountain lions,” Ainsley says.

I laugh lightly. “Actually, I like big cats. Just not in my house. It’s spiders I’m deathly afraid of.”

“How’d you fare this summer, then?” Roman asks. “These parts are rife with them.”

“Lots of repellent spray,” I say with a shrug. “Autumn is just around the corner. They’ll be gone soon enough. I mean, I don’t mind a daddy longlegs or any of the small ones. It’s the critters that are as big as my hand that make me run screaming for the hills.”

Tricia leans in to tell Ainsley a secret, though we can all hear her. “We’re not using the spider decorations this year for Halloween, you got that?”

“Not even the spider webs?” Ainsley sounds disappointed, scrunching her freckled nose.

“You need the spider webs,” I say. “I’m not afraid of make-believe spiders, just the real ones. You’re cool with whatever you had planned for Halloween, I promise.”

“Are you sure?” Tricia asks me.

“They’re so considerate,” Oliver says, completely melting over the girls while I’m melting over him, Roman and James—three grown men swooning over the twins with the brightest, sweetest smiles that make my insides squirm in all the right ways.

I give Tricia and Ainsley a reassuring nod. “I promise, I’m going to be okay.”

“You won’t scream?” Tricia asks.

“Nope.”

“Okay. ’Cause we like you. We don’t want you to go away,” Ainsley says.

Now it’s my turn to melt altogether. These girls aren’t just incredibly articulate and cute, they’re also adorably kind and affectionate.

James gives me a look that sends my pulse racing. There’s a depth in the green of his eyes that wasn’t there before, the golden flakes amplified by the flickering candles and the amber overhead light. I can almost hear his heart throbbing, echoing mine, as the whole world stops spinning for a second.

Just one second.

9

Elise

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