Page 16 of Marrying the Mountain Man

Oh, God. My breath caught. I pictured him—completely naked—reaching out to me, tangling me in an embrace on the bed. The vividness made my stomach twist with startled arousal. I swallowed hard, fingertips brushing over my own tank top as if I could quell the sudden ache.

I’d never quite experienced such a stark, physical longing, especially not after a few short days of real acquaintance.Too soon, the cautious part of my brain warned.You can’t trust him fully yet. Remember how easily people vanish, how quickly illusions crumble.

But another part, the one that yearned for real companionship, for a partner who actually cared, whispered:Give it a chance.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, heart pounding. It was safer to keep my guard up—always had been. But everythingabout Levi, from his gentle teasing to the way he’d welcomed my kids, felt dangerously… right.

A shaky sigh escaped me. Not tonight, I told myself. You’re not ready for that leap. Still, my body hummed with the thought of his warmth, his solidity.

Eventually, I turned off the lamp and slipped under the sheets. Lying there in the dark, I tried to slow my racing mind. My life had changed so fast—maybe that was what scared me most. Yet as I listened to the distant muffled noises of the house, I couldn’t shake the spark of hope that perhaps everything was finally falling into place.

Chapter Six

LEVI

I’d just finished stocking a new shipment of craft beers at Skyline when my phone buzzed—an incoming text from Tessa:Hey, big brother. I’m back in town. At the Velvet Book if you wanna talk.

My heart thumped. Tessa was back. It had been nearly a week since I’d discovered her impersonation scheme with Mindy, and while part of me wanted to shake some sense into her, another part recognized she’d done it with good intentions—or so I kept telling myself.

I fired off a quick reply:On my way.

Rachel caught my eye from behind the bar, raising an inquisitive brow. “You good?”

“I think so,” I muttered. “Gotta take off for an hour. Kids are at school, Mindy’s prepping her employment contract with the Visitors Bureau. Text me if you need anything.”

She waved me away, telling me Skyline wouldn’t fall apart. Meanwhile, I tried to steady the anger with my sister that had been simmering for the past week and was now threatening to boil over.

The Velvet Book was a cozy little shop near the town’s lone bakery. Plush armchairs sat by the windows, and local artisans’ crafts dotted the shelves alongside novels. Tessa stood near a display of antique maps, wearing a stylish sweater, dark jeans, and an air of guilt.

When she spotted me, her face broke into a tentative smile. “Levi.”

I inclined my head, swallowing my frustration. “Tessa.”

She shifted, hugging her elbows. “You want to talk here or find a nook?”

“Let’s find somewhere with some privacy.”

We picked a quiet corner lined with old paperbacks. An overstuffed love seat beckoned, and Tessa perched on one cushion while I leaned on the armrest, arms crossed.

“So,” I began, fighting to keep my voice calm, “you decided to skip town right after sending me into chaos for a week. Nice.”

Tessa sighed. “I’m sorry about that. But I knew that someday you’d thank me.”

My annoyance flared. “We’re not at thank you territory yet. You impersonated me on a dating app and tricked Mindy into coming to Hope Peak with her sons.”

Tessa brushed her dark hair from her face, mouth curving in a half-smile that verged on smug. “And look at you. You’repractically glowing. Don’t pretend you don’t love having them around.”

My chest tightened. I wanted to stay mad, but I couldn’t deny the truth: since Mindy and the twins arrived, my house no longer felt hollow. The ache of loneliness I’d barely acknowledged was easing, replaced by the warmth of a makeshift family. Still, Tessa had no right to force that on me.

“You went too far,” I said, voice low. “This wasn’t some minor matchmaking stunt. Mindy uprooted her entire life, believing she was talking to me. You lied to both of us.”

Tessa swallowed, regret flickering in her eyes. “I know, Levi. But after Mom and Dad died, you basically devoted yourself to raising me. You took on all that responsibility alone. Once I got older, I realized you never had space to live your own life. So I thought: ‘If I find him someone else to fuss over, maybe he can finally open his heart again.’”

My anger faltered. It was true I’d been overprotective of her, having only recently come to the realization that my little sister had grown into an adult woman capable of making her own decisions. “That’s not an excuse to catfish a single mom,” I muttered.

She spread her hands. “I get that now. Trust me, I do. But once I started posing as you online, I discovered Mindy’s a genuinely sweet person who’s had her own heartbreaks. She raised those kids basically alone, you know. The more we chatted, the more I thought this might be a perfect match. Both you and Mindy could use some unconditional support.”

I exhaled. “You realize how insane that is? You pretended to be me.”

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