Page 10 of My Mountain Man Valentine

She huffed a small laugh but didn’t object further. By the time we slid out of the booth, Levi was busy restocking behind the bar, and the place had grown even more crowded. That was fine—more witnesses to see us walking out together. Tessa tucked her arm through mine, an uncertain motion that feltsimultaneously awkward and intimate. My heart pounded in my chest like I’d just finished a steep climb.

“Night, Levi,” I called over the noise. “Food was great.”

He paused, staring hard at the two of us. “Goodnight,” he said evenly. Tessa offered a quick smile, and I gently guided her toward the exit.

Outside, the cold smacked us like an icy wall, but I barely felt it. We paused under the warm glow of a streetlamp, the wind stirring Tessa’s hair against her cheeks. For a split second, I wrestled with an insane urge to lean in, to kiss her right there and complete the illusion. But we hadn’t discussed that, and I wasn’t about to cross a line without her say-so.

Her eyes flicked to my lips anyway, and I wondered if she’d had the same thought. Instead, she cleared her throat, voice slightly breathy. “That was…interesting.”

I chuckled softly. “It went better than I expected.”

“I guess so.” She rubbed her gloved hands together, breath visible in the frigid air. “I’ll, um, head home now. I have a pile of new orders to process tomorrow morning.”

We both hesitated, the lamppost’s light casting our shadows onto the snow. Then, gathering my nerve, I bent down and brushed a faint, gentle kiss across her temple—just enough to sell the act if anyone peered out of Skyline’s windows, but also because… well, I wanted to. She smelled like winter air and a hint of vanilla, and it nearly drove me wild.

“Goodnight, Tessa,” I murmured, pulling back. The subtle tremor in her expression told me she wasn’t entirely unaffected by that small gesture. We lingered a breath longer before she exhaled and stepped away.

“Night, Ryder.”

As she walked off toward her car, my pulse roared like a waterfall in my ears. Every sense felt heightened—the crunch of snow under her boots, the swirl of her dark hair as the wind caught it, the lingering warmth of her skin on my lips. I stared after her until she climbed in, headlights illuminating the street as she drove away.

Only then did I turn toward my own truck, breathing unsteady. This was supposed to be fake, and yet it felt more real than many of my past relationships ever had. A dangerous line to walk, especially with Angelique lurking in the background and Levi’s disapproval looming ahead. But I found it hard to muster any regrets.

Slipping into the driver’s seat, I let the engine idle for a moment before pulling away. The quiet streets offered no answers, just the glitter of fresh snow and the steady glow of passing streetlamps. Fake or not, Tessa Voss was quickly becoming the only thing I could think about. And I liked it.

Chapter Five

TESSA

I opened my eyes to the pale light of morning beginning to edge through my curtains. Normally, I savored that gentle start to the day—letting my mind wander in the warmth of my blankets before the bustle of the bookstore took over. Yet today, my thoughts zeroed in on one thing: the memory of last night’sdatewith Ryder at Skyline Bar & Grill.

For a fake couple, we’d sure managed to feel authentic. My cheeks still heated thinking of how seamlessly his arm had slipped around me in the booth, or the way he teased me in a

low voice that only I could hear. More than once

I’d caught myself laughing in genuine delight, forgetting this was all for show. But the real highlight—and the part my heart refused to forget—was when he brushed a featherlight kiss on my temple as he said goodnight. I could practically feel the imprint of his lips even now.

Shaking off the lingering warmth, I got up and got ready. My reflection in the bathroom mirror looked a bit too flushed for someone who was pretending.Stay focused, I told myself as I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail.Angelique is the whole reason for this plan. If we convinced her we were serious, she’d back off Ryder. Simple as that.

Or not so simple, a little voice inside me countered. Because the more time I spent with Ryder—real or pretend—the more complicated my own feelings became.

The bookstore felt extra cozy this morning, and I had just turned on the lights when I noticed an envelope near the base of the door, as if someone had slipped it underneath. A flicker of curiosity raced through me. Normally, deliveries came through the back or were left in my mailbox.

I knelt to pick it up. It was a plain, pink envelope with no return address, my name scrawled across it in an elegant, swirling script:Tessa.

My pulse quickened. This didn’t look like typical junk mail, and nobody else was in the bookstore yet to claim it. I tore the envelope open carefully, revealing a small Valentine’s card decorated with a single, glossy heart on the front. Inside, the text was handwritten:

Tessa,

You have no idea how you captivate me. Your shy smiles, your quiet strength… It makes me want to know every hidden piece of you.

—Your Secret Admirer

My cheeks warmed, and my heart fluttered. For a moment, I toyed with the idea that Ryder had left it—maybe he was stepping up the relationship in a romantic flourish. But then I remembered how direct he’d been about everything so far. Would he be so secretive?

I scanned the note again, looking for any small clue: style of handwriting, a faint scent, a brand name on the card. Nothing. Just a simple pink background and words that felt surprisingly…bold. Slipping it back into the envelope, I tucked it under the register, deciding not to mention it to anyone just yet. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.

A couple of customers breezed in soon after, peppering me with small talk about the latest books they’d read. I rang up their purchases, trying to shake off the lingering sense of mystery from that unsigned note. Yet every time the bell over the door jingled, I half-expected Ryder to appear, or—worse—Angelique.

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