Page 14 of Her Mountain Man Recluse

RIDGE

The snow-capped mountainsloom high as I drive toward Cherry Hollow, Lila in the passenger seat beside me. We need more food and supplies to see us through until tomorrow, and it seemed like a good time for us to get out of the cabin. The atmosphere is thick with tension after what happened on the couch. I was so damn close to kissing that pretty mouth, but Lila pulled back. And even though I want her more than ever now, she probably made the right call. I’m too old for her, too grumpy, and tomorrow she’ll be leaving Cherry Mountain for good.

There’s something bitterly ironic about it. I’ve been avoiding people for years, and the one time I let someone in, it turns out to be the most perfect woman in the world. Now I’m falling for a twenty-two-year-old city girl who I’m never going to see again after tomorrow.

Fuck, what a mess.

My thoughts keep going around in circles, and by the time we reach Main Street, my damn head hurts from thinking so much.

“This place is so cute!” Lila says, looking around as we exit the truck. “I feel like I’m in a Hallmark movie.”

It’s easy to forget how pretty a place is when you live there, but Lila’s right about Cherry Hollow. The quaint streets andcolorful storefronts are even more picturesque in the snow, and our feet crunch against the sidewalk as we walk toward the grocery store.

“Have you always lived around here?” Lila asks, her neck craning in every direction, trying to take it all in.

“Grew up here.” My eye is instantly drawn to the opposite side of the street, and I point toward the familiar building. “See the pizzeria? That used to be my dad’s restaurant. We lived in the apartment above it.”

Lila’s eyes go wide as she follows my gaze. “Really? I wasn’t expecting that.”

“What were you expecting?”

She hums thoughtfully. “I’m not sure. I guess I just can’t imagine you living in a town.”

“You thought I was raised by wolves in the mountains?”

“Something like that.” She grins at me, and my heart leaps into my throat.

“Fair enough.”

We reach the grocery store, walking side by side through the chilled aisles. Lila stays close to me, and even though we’re just shopping, there’s something intimate about it. It’s almost like we’re a couple—making dinner plans, talking about what we need to buy. I fill our cart with treats, and when we reach the cashier, Lila reaches into her purse.

“Put that away,” I tell her pointedly, getting my wallet out.

“At least let me go halves?—”

“Not a chance, Lila.”

Before she can protest, I pay with my card and carry the bags of groceries outside while she follows behind, thanking me in her sweet little voice.

Fuck, I could listen to her speak all day.

We stop at Buttercup Bakery to grab a freshly baked cherry pie before heading back to my truck, walking so close togetherthat Lila’s curves brush against me softly. She looks so damn sexy in her jeans and sweater, and I barely take my eyes off her until we’re back on the road, driving up Cherry Mountain.

“Well, I can see why you wanted to stay close to this place,” Lila says. “Not just the town, but the mountains too—it’s like something out of a fairytale.”

I grunt in agreement. “What about Denver? You like it there?”

“Sure. It’s a good place to live. Expensive though.” She shrugs. “The best thing about it is that Audrey lives there. I’ll miss her like crazy when I’m back at my parents’ house.” Her voice catches.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “That’s rough. You two sound really close.”

“We are.” She smiles wistfully out the window. “She’s been my best friend since kindergarten. A boy was trying to snatch my picture book and Audrey whacked him with her lunchbox. The rest is history.” Her eyes shine at the memory. “She’s been the one constant in my life. No matter what else is going on, Audrey is always there.”

It’s a relief to know that Lila has somebody she can count on, but I still hate the thought of her being stuck with her asshole parents in Colorado Springs. Knowing that she’s leaving this place to go live with them gnaws at me, and I’m still turning it over in my mind once we’re back at the cabin. Middy is curled up by the fire where we left her, barely rousing as we walk through the door, and I leave Lila to fuss over her while I cook lunch in the tiny closet-sized kitchen. But my brain is a million miles away as I shred the cheese and cook the macaroni.

Fuck, if only I could freeze time. Tomorrow is coming around so damn fast.

I wish she could stay. Hell, I’d give anything for even one more day with Lila. When she first knocked on the door in themiddle of the storm, I wanted her gone. Now I don’t know how to go back to life without her. It’s crazy for a grown-ass man like me to fall so fast—forty-five years old and I’m acting like a teenager. All I know is I want Lila more than anything, and my stomach is twisting tighter with every passing second, dreading tomorrow.

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