Page 6 of My Mail Order Valentine

There's a suitcase in front of me, and hanging onto my mailbox is the most gorgeous woman I've ever met. I see one of the pickups belonging to the fire department drive away, and I realize someone from work must have dropped this beauty off at my doorstep.

Chapter 3

Elena

Agiant of a man opens the cabin door, and I grip the mailbox tighter to avoid slipping and falling on my ass. For what feels like an eternity, we both just stare at each other from a distance. Neither of us moves, and I hope this is just a bizarre dream I'm experiencing. Too bad I can't let go of the mailbox to pinch myself. I need to wake up ASAP.

I push myself away from the mailbox and try to stand up straight. This is it. I'm going to meet the man I'm going to marry. He's so tall. Do I like big men? He's so handsome. Will I have to fight for his attention from other women? Will he mind that I'm a virgin?

All these thoughts rush through my head when suddenly I see movement around his knees. Two little hands grab hold of my giant and hug him tight. This seems to bring him out of his stupor, and he immediately reaches for the toddler and pulls the little girl into his arms.

He stares at me, I stare at him, we're playing a silent game of chicken. I take a deep breath and brace myself. Letting go of the mailbox is my first step. I do a quick check. No more dizziness, check. Steady on my feet, check. Nausea? Maybe. Oh crap.

Tossing my mental checklist aside, I take a step forward, then another, until I'm looking up at him, the man I'm going to marry. I plaster a huge smile on my face, even though I'm shaking, and do that fake it-till-you-make-it thing people advise you to do.

"Hi, I'm your bride. Elena Peters."

"The hell you are!"

His bark is so loud that I take a small step back until I realize what I'm doing and step forward again. I won’t let him scare me that easily. I traveled all the way from the city to this small town to meet this brute. How dare he treat me like this?

"Let's start again. You're Hunter Granger, right?"

"I am, but this is a mistake."

"We were matched by the agency, Hunter. I'm here so that we can get to know one another."

He frowns. "You need to come back where you came from, missy."

He turns around and starts to head back into his house. He tries to shut the door in my face, but I put my suitcase between the door and the frame. Looking angry, he starts a tug-of-war for the suitcase. “Good luck, Bucko. I'm not letting you push me away.”

I'm tiny next to him, but I lean all my weight against the door and push as hard as I can. Then the toddler starts crying, and his attitude shifts. He releases the door so quickly that I nearly fallface-first onto the floor, but his focus is entirely on the blue-eyed toddler in his arms.

I notice that Hunter’s eyes are green, not blue. Funny the things we notice in trying times. He starts rocking the toddler as if it's a tiny baby and mumbles soft words to—him? Her? It looks like a little girl. I pull my suitcase inside the cabin and close the door behind me. Hunter is definitely a gentle giant and a good, caring father.

I'm standing in the living room, so I sit down in one of the armchairs. Hunter begins singing softly to his daughter and lowers himself into a beautifully carved wooden rocking chair. After about five minutes, the baby is completely asleep in her father's arms.

Hunter looks at me, and my whole body responds with heat. My blood begins to boil, and my heart feels like it’s beating up in my throat. I feel trapped, but in a good way. He gives his daughter a kiss and gets up with her, disappearing into one of the rooms in the back.

When he returns, he seems more composed and less angry.

"What's your name again?"

"Elena Peters."

"Elena, I didn't sign up with that agency. Someone did it for me, thinking they were doing me a favor."

His voice is low enough for me to hear him yet not wake his daughter in the other room. He's very serious right now, and a slight fear starts inside me that he's going to turn me away.

"I guess you're definitely not glad to see me, then." I blurt out.

"I told them to cancel things, but obviously, you were on your way here by the time they told me about you this morning."

"I left everything to come here, Hunter."

"I'm sorry, but no one asked you to do that. Especially not me."

"Give me a minute."

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