Page 9 of My Mountain Man Valentine

“Hey,” she breathed, looking up at me with those warm brown eyes. “Sorry I’m a bit late. Had to finalize some receipts before closing.”

I waved off the apology. “You’re fine. I just got here.”

She slipped into the booth across from me, and I followed suit. Levi was watching from the bar, eyebrows angled sharply. A surge of adrenaline shot through me—this was it, our first public move.

“Can I get you two something?” The waitress, Pam, stopped by with a notepad. Pam was in her mid-forties, sweet as pie but as prone to gossip as anyone in Hope Peak.

Tessa looked at me, then back to Pam. “I’ll have a light beer and maybe a cheeseburger, no onions?” She cut a quick glance my way, as if worried that wasn’t “date meal” enough.

“I’ll do the same but with onions,” I said. “And an IPA.”

Pam scribbled down the order, her lips curling as she studied us. “All right. I’ll get those right out. Good to see you two…together.” Her tone held a tinge of curiosity, as though she was already prepping to share the news with half the town.

Once she left, Tessa’s shoulders relaxed incrementally. “I guess we’re doing this.”

“Yep,” I agreed, letting my hand drift across the table. My pulse kicked up a notch when she shifted her fingers slightly closer, but for now, we left it at that. “Might as well lean in a bit, you know, so it looks real,” I murmured.

Her cheeks pinkened, but she nodded. We scooted closer on our respective sides, just enough that it seemed like two people who wanted to talk intimately rather than across a gulf of space. I noticed Levi scowl in our direction, then he turned to serve another customer. We’ll deal with that fallout later.

“So,” Tessa said softly, her gaze flicking around as if checking who might be watching. “If Angelique hears about this…”

“She will,” I cut in. “Half of these people probably follow her on social media already. Word travels fast. By tomorrow morning, she’ll know we had dinner together at Skyline.”

Tessa swallowed, clearly unnerved. “And that’s…good?”

“That’s the plan. She’ll back off if she thinks I’m off the market. Or she could try another tactic that doesn’t involve medirectly.” I hesitated. “She can be vindictive. I just don’t want her harassing you.”

Tessa’s jaw tightened. “I can handle her,” she said quietly. “I’m not the same frightened girl I used to be. If she tries anything, I’ll stand my ground.”

Admiration flared in me. “I know you will,” I said simply, letting the truth of it settle between us. Tessa’s strength wasn’t always obvious to people, but I’d seen glimpses of it over the years. It made me wonder how much else I, and everyone else, had missed.

Pam appeared with our drinks, setting them down along with a basket of fries to tide us over. “Enjoy,” she chimed, throwing us a knowing smile before bustling off.

“So,” Tessa said after a beat, taking a sip of beer, “we just… talk like normal?”

“Yeah,” I said, biting back a grin, “except maybe hold hands or something once in a while when people look our way.”

She glanced around and noted a couple of quick stares from a table by the dartboard. “They’re definitely watching,” she muttered, shifting in her seat.

I risked sliding my hand across the table, palm up. She hesitated only a moment before placing her smaller hand in mine. Heat rushed up my arm as our fingers curled together, and I wondered if her skin was this soft all over.

“Like normal,” I teased, my voice low. “Right?”

She rolled her eyes, but a shy smile tugged at her lips. “As normal as a pretend relationship can be, I guess.”

We fell into a rhythm that felt surprisingly easy—talking about the bookstore, her plans for a new romance display, my upcoming weekend tours, the goofy antics of some past clients. Laughter spilled out here and there, genuine and unforced.I found myself forgetting that we were performing for an audience, because the conversation just flowed.

When the burgers arrived, we let go of each other’s hands to eat, but our knees brushed beneath the table occasionally, sending little jolts of awareness through me. I snuck a glance at Levi, who was eyeing us in between wiping glasses and pouring beers. Sorry, buddy, I thought silently, but this is happening whether you like it or not.

As we finished our meal, Tessa wiped her mouth with a napkin and shot me a conspiratorial look. “Levi’s going to corner me about this later, you know.”

I nodded, suddenly serious. “We’ll handle it. Maybe he’ll just assume we’ve kept our feelings hidden.”

Her cheeks colored again, and I couldn’t help but think how pretty she looked with that soft flush. “It’s going to be weird, but… hopefully it stays civil.”

The beep of the register drew our attention. Angelique wasn’t here in person—thank God—but half a dozen people had likely texted or tweeted or whispered to each other that Tessa Voss and Ryder Hawke looked awfully cozy. Exactly what we wanted.

We lingered a few minutes after finishing, letting the tension of the moment settle into something more relaxed. Then I asked Pam for the check, insisting on paying. Tessa started to protest, but I quickly reminded her, “Let me play the role of doting boyfriend, at least this once.”

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