Page 11 of Grumpy Mountain Man

The look on his face told me I’d misjudged his offer. Did he want the same thing I did? If so, I’d say yes to his offer. A thousand times, yes.

“I don’t want to just have a one-night stand with you,” I said. “I want more.”

“You’ve got it,” he said. “Anything. In fact, if you said you just wanted me for a one-night stand, I’d say no to that, as painful as it would be. I want more. With you.”

He added those last two words, as if to make it clear that he was feeling the same thing I was. I summoned my courage and asked the only question on my mind.

“Did you say you lived near here?”

And that was how I found myself in his pickup, being driven to his house, which was only a few miles from the restaurant.I’d never been this nervous in my life. Not at this morning’s competition, not even the time I lost the finals of the fifth-grade spelling bee in front of my entire family and half of Adairsville.

But as Chaz took a right into a driveway, I was momentarily distracted from my fear and excitement. “Oh my gosh,” I blurted. “This is my dream house.”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Did he actually live here? I looked over at him, my mouth hanging open.

“This?” he asked.

He sounded genuinely surprised. I got it. It was a small brick house. Probably nothing special in his eyes.

“I had this built myself,” he said. “I might move my mom in here when I take off for the mountains. It’s perfect for a single person. I’ll need something big enough for a family.”

He glanced over at me then, and my heart did a little jump. He was talking about family again, and of course he wasn’t necessarily referring to me, but all I could think was that a cozy place up in the mountains with him sounded like heaven. It wouldn’t just be my dream house. It would be my dream life.

“Ready?” he asked, reaching for his door.

He’d shut off the engine while I was lost in thought, and now I was just sitting here like a lump on a log.

“Ready.” I smiled and reached for my door, hopping out.

I settled my purse strap on my shoulder as I walked. My legs felt wobbly, and I was having a hard time catching my breath. It wasn’t the exertion that was doing it. It was knowing what was about to happen.

Was I really going to do this? I was going to lose my virginity tonight. I never would have imagined when this day started that this was how it would end.

Chaz put his hand in the small of my back as we stepped onto the sidewalk and made our way to the front porch. When he dropped his hand so I could climb those steps, my body missedthe warmth of his touch. Even through the down jacket and thick sweater I wore, I’d felt it. It might have been my imagination, but my entire body warmed, just knowing his hand was on me.

“Wow,” I said as I looked around.

It wasn’t a compliment. It wasn’t really an insult either. What could I say about my surroundings? Outside was a charming cottage, but inside looked nothing at all what I’d expect. This place was a true bachelor pad.

The kitchen was toward the back, but all that stood between the door and the bar with stools pushed up to it was a large pool table on one side and a big-screen TV with a couch and two recliners.

“I guess you can tell a man lives here,” he said.

I turned to look at him and was surprised at how close he was behind me. He was still standing in the entrance, having shut the front door behind him. He was looking around as though seeing his own place for the first time.

“Are you kidding?” I asked. “You’re living the dream. Do you know how many married men would love to have a house like this? If only to escape every now and then.”

Chaz shook his head. “I guess the grass is always greener, but I’d take that life over this one any day.”

There was sadness in his voice—just a hint of it. The average person wouldn’t have noticed it, but I’d spent enough time around him today that I could see past the determined set of his features.

His gaze landed on me again and he gave a half smile. “I’m sure there are plenty of moms who want to escape too. You think I could rent it out once I move to the mountains?”

I turned and took another look around the house. There were two doors to the left—one was open, one was closed. I assumed those were bedrooms. He could remove the pool table and therewould be plenty of room for a dining table and an extended living room area.

I didn’t say any of that, though. I wasn’t sure why I was imagining his house as a home for someone who wasn’t a thirty-something bachelor.

“I guess if you want at least two kids, you’ll need more bedrooms than this,” I said, turning back to face him.

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