Page 8 of Grumpy Mountain Man

“Kids,” I said. “Two, three, eight, ten…?”

I held my breath, hoping he didn’t say eight or ten. I wanted kids, but I was thinking more along the lines of two or three.

What was I doing? We’d just met, and I was already pinning my hopes on his plans for the future. I was definitely getting way ahead of myself. It was the very reason I’d never had a real relationship. Just crushes and a few dates that never led anywhere.

“Two,” he said. “I was an only child, and it sucked not having siblings.”

Now, he really had my interest. “Did you grow up in this area?”

“Nope. My mom relocated here when I was fourteen. She married a guy…” He shook his head. “Well, let’s just say it didn’t work out. When I got out of the military, I moved back here to keep an eye on her. She’s independent, don’t get me wrong, but she tends to get involved with the wrong type of guys. I need to be around to kick some ass if I have to.”

I smiled. I loved the idea of this guy taking care of his mom and kicking the ass of some jerk who tried to treat her poorly. It said a lot about his character.

“What about you?” he asked.

“I was an only child too, but my mom and dad have been married for twenty-five years. That’s the kind of marriage I want.”

I bit my tongue as soon as the words were out. I’d done it again—using the “m” word on a first date. Even though he’d brought up the topic of having a family, I didn’t trust it. I’d been out with a guy once who flipped out when I continued a conversation about the future—a conversation he’d started. I didn’t even like the guy all that much, but he’d painted me as some sort of nutty marriage hunter, trying to trap him into a commitment, just for talking about how many kids I wanted too soon after meeting. I still wasn’t sure what had happened there, but I didn’t want to make that mistake again.

“I guess I went in the other direction,” he said. “Seeing my mom jump from bad relationship to bad relationship has me determined to make sure when I settle down with someone, it’s the right person.”

I was relieved he didn’t freak out over my use of the “m” word. But his words had me wondering something. “What type of woman do you think that would be? What are you looking for in a wife?”

He frowned, seeming to think that over. As a long silence stretched between us, I tried to occupy myself watching passing scenery, but I couldn’t stop wondering what he was thinking right now.

“A partner,” he said. “Someone who has my back and I’ll have hers. When one of us has a rough day at work, we know the other will be a sounding board at the end of the day. When the kids are going through a crisis, we work together as a team.”

“That’s exactly the kind of marriage my parents have,” I said. “It’s the only way I see my marriage going.”

We were in agreement about that and how many kids we wanted. Those were all pluses in my book.

But I once again found myself holding back from having too many thoughts about forever with this guy. We’d just met. Besides, right now, I should be thinking about my career, not a relationship.

“This is Adairsville,” he said, breaking into my thoughts.

We’d just passed the sign welcoming us to town. Most tourists would never cross the city line. They’d hop on the interstate on the ramp right before the city limits.

“This is where everybody comes to get alcohol,” I said, thinking out loud.

He laughed. “Yeah, the ski lodge is the only place to get liquor or beer in Seduction Summit. Hopefully, they’ll attract some more restaurants with all the development.”

I should tell him I lived here. Maybe we could compare notes on how close our homes were. Adairsville wasn’t that big a town, even though it did have plenty of restaurants and shops on the main strip. And there was an elementary, middle, and high school to serve all the locals.

But something stopped me from speaking up, and I couldn’t figure out what. Maybe part of me liked the idea of him thinking of me as a tourist—someone in town only temporarily. If he thought that, he wouldn’t freak out over our marriage discussion. We could get to know each other without all that hanging over us.

I didn’t straight-out lie, but I didn’t tell the truth either as he pulled into the parking lot for the popular steakhouse in town—the one where a guy had brought me on a date in high school. The one where my parents celebrated their anniversary every year.

Yeah, he’d think this was my first time here and it was something special. And it was. There was no point in ruining it by revealing I had a friend who worked here in high school, and we used to stop by to get appetizers and virgin frozen drinks so we could feel like grown-ups.

And that was why I kept my mouth shut as we walked into the restaurant and the hostess seated us. I’d tell Chaz I was a local soon enough. Right now, I was enjoying the fantasy.

6

CHAZ

I’d been on plenty of first dates in my time. Some had even led to second dates and third. But not a single one had me sitting across from a woman, thinking I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing this.

Not until now. Not until Dakota.

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