Page 11 of My Mountain Man Valentine

Instead, around mid-morning, Levi walked in. A prickle of anxiety tugged at my stomach, because I knew he’d probably seen me and Ryder last night. He headed straight to the counter, his brow furrowed.

“Hey,” I said softly, bracing myself. “Everything all right at the bar?”

“Sure,” he said, but the tension in his eyes told me otherwise. “I just…wanted to talk.”

My gaze flicked around to ensure no one else was near. “We can go to the reading nook,” I suggested. He nodded, so I led him to the quieter corner where the two plush armchairs waited. He sank into one, leaning forward with both elbows on his knees. “I saw you with Ryder last night, Tessa.”

I swallowed, trying to maintain an outward calm. “I figured you did.”

“You two looked…close,” Levi continued, his jaw tight. “Are you really dating him? Because this seems kind of sudden.”

At that, my chest constricted with guilt.We are…but not really?I thought. “Levi, I know this might seem out of the blue. But we’ve known each other forever. We all grew up together, remember? Well, we’re not little kids anymore. Ryder and I ran into each other the other day and started talking. One thing just led to another, and we agreed to meet up for dinner. It was nice.” Understatement of the year, I added silently, recalling Ryder’s lips brushing my temple.

Levi’s gaze hardened, as though searching my face for cracks in the story. “And Angelique being in town has nothing to do with it?”

My spine stiffened. I tried not to let panic show. “I mean, she’s part of Ryder’s past, sure, but this is about him and me. I’m not exactly letting Angelique run my life.” Again, no outright lies, but carefully steering away from the fake arrangement truth.

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “I just don’t want you roped into some drama you’ll regret. You know how reckless Ryder can be, and Angelique does have a social media following. I wouldn’t want them to put you in any situation that could possibly jeopardize the bookstore.”

A spark of defensiveness flared inside me. “Ryder’s not the same teenage boy who used to jump off rock ledges into freezing lakes, Levi. He’s…matured a lot. And so have I. Give us some credit.”

A muscle in Levi’s jaw twitched, but he pushed himself to his feet. “Fine. Just be careful, Tessa. I don’t want you hurt.”

For a moment, I felt a pang of tenderness for my brother. He’d stepped into a protector role after our parents died, and old habits died hard. “I know,” I said gently, standing as well. “But you have to trust me to make my own decisions.”

He studied me for a moment longer, then gave a curt nod. “All right. Let me know if anything weird happens with Angelique. She was asking around at Skyline about you two.”

“Wonderful,” I muttered, a knot forming in my gut. “I’ll let you know.”

With that, Levi left, tension still radiating off him. I pressed a hand to my chest, inhaling slowly to steady my nerves. If only you knew the half of it, I thought grimly.

About an hour later, just as my anxiety threatened to spiral, Ryder showed up. The store had quieted after lunch, leaving only one or two browsers flipping pages. My heart gave an involuntary leap at the sight of him—windswept hair, sturdy boots, and that self-assured way he moved.

“Hey,” he greeted softly, stopping near the local history section. “I tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail.”

“Oh…Sorry,” I said, fishing my phone out of my apron. “I must’ve left it on silent.” My nerves about Levi and the mysterious Valentine had pushed all thoughts of phone calls from my mind. “Everything okay?”

He tucked his hands in his pockets, glancing around to ensure no prying ears were too close. “Yeah, just wanted to checkon you. After last night…well, I saw Levi’s face. Figured he might give you a hard time today.”

I couldn’t help a small laugh—relieved that Ryder was so attuned. “He did stop by. Let’s just say my brother’s less than thrilled but not forbidding me from seeing you.” I paused, feeling my cheeks warm at the word seeing. It sounded so…real.

Ryder’s lips curved in a small grin. “That’s better than I expected. Levi usually doesn’t do ‘middle ground’ too well.” He moved closer, lowering his voice so no passing customer could overhear. “If anything about last night has you spooked…especially Angelique nosing around town…just let me know.”

His concern made my heart flutter again. I hated hiding the truth, but it was necessary. Besides, the biggest thing on my mind right now wasn’t Angelique at all, but the secret Valentine note I’d found that morning. “I will,” I promised, forcing a lightness into my tone. “And thanks. Last night…it felt easy. Almost too easy.”

Ryder gave a gentle chuckle. “Yeah, I’m starting to think we’re pretty good at this. Maybe too good.”

Heat rose in my face. “Well, as long as it convinces your ex we’re for real.” I caught myself and shrugged. “Anyway, I should get back to work. I’ve got some new titles to shelve.”

He nodded but didn’t move for a moment, gaze lingering on me with quiet intensity that made my stomach flip. “Text me if you need me,” he said at last. “I’ll probably be out guiding a short hike later, but I’ll be free this evening.”

“Okay,” I said softly. I found myself wishing we didn’t have to hide behind the word fake. Part of me wanted to pull him into the stockroom for a stolen kiss. But that was ridiculous. We were just…acting, right?

He offered a subtle grin and stepped away. I watched him leave, taking in the broad line of his shoulders and the confident way he walked. Then I turned, heart pounding, to ring up the next customer, forcing a professional smile even though my mind buzzed with thoughts of him.

That afternoon, traffic in the bookstore slowed. Around closing time, I took the trash out to the alley. A biting breeze whipped through the narrow passage, carrying a faint swirl of snow. As I returned, I spotted something on the ground near the back door—another pink envelope with my name in that same looping script.

A shiver coursed through me. Carefully, I picked it up and ducked into the warm interior of The Velvet Book, glancing around to ensure no one had followed me. My heart pounded. Two in one day?

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