Page 5 of Marrying the Mountain Man

I nodded, enjoying the simple act of cooking alongside someone else. For years, my routine in the morning had been coffee and a piece of toast—when I even bothered. It felt oddly comforting to share a pan of pancakes with a mother and her two kids, albeit a mother I barely knew.

“Levi, do you own that Skyline place all by yourself?” Connor piped up suddenly.

“Sure do,” I replied, flipping a pancake. “Took a while to get it running, but it’s all mine.”

Cody’s eyebrows rose. “You must be rich.”

I coughed a laugh. “Not exactly. More like extremely busy.”

Mindy glanced over her shoulder. “Being the person in charge of anything takes time and dedication. I’m sure it must be a lot of work.”

I shrugged. “It can be. But it’s good honest work.”

Her expression shifted, something like admiration flickering in her eyes. Then the timer on the sausage beeped, and she turned to grab them from the skillet. “Breakfast is ready, guys. Clear the table if you can tear yourselves away from the Pop-Tarts.”

The twins grumbled theatrically but complied. Soon, the four of us sat around my small table—pancakes, sausage, fresh fruit, and coffee for Mindy and me. The boys, predictably, poured half a bottle of syrup on their plates, but Mindy didn’t seem too concerned.

“This is way better than Pop-Tarts,” Cody admitted.

“So your mom’s a fancy ad exec who can also cook like a gourmet chef? That’s not fair,” I joked lightly. “About the best I can do is heat a frozen pizza in the oven. I may run a bar and grill, but let’s just say there’s a reason I hire my cooks and keep out of the kitchen.”

Mindy cracked a grin. “Aw, you’re sweet. I’m glad you like the flapjacks. And I’m not that fancy; I just hustle because I’ve had to.”

She said it with enough casualness that I picked up on subtext: she probably had a lot more to her background than shewanted to share in front of the kids. Part of me burned to ask more—but maybe not over breakfast with the boys listening.

“So, you do marketing from home?” I asked, pivoting to a safer question.

“Yes, sometimes from home. I used to work in a corporate office, but once the kids started school, remote gigs became appealing. Less commute.” She paused. “I’m hoping to land something local, but until then, I can consult or freelance. I don’t want to mooch off you.”

I waved that off. “You’re not mooching. Tessa…” My jaw tightened at the mention of my sister. “Well, you got stuck in this situation same as I did. Of course this is the week Tessa’s out of town. She and her boyfriend, Ryder, who also happens to be my best friend, are off sunbathing in the Florida Keys. But when she gets back, she’s going to have some explaining to do.”

Mindy sighed. “I still can’t believe she used your profile on that app. She was so convincing.”

“I know,” I muttered, frustration coiling in my chest. “She’s determined I need a family. Guess she decided to skip a few steps and pick one out for me.”

Connor and Cody snickered in amusement.

“That’s kind of messed up,” Connor said, mouth full.

“Super messed up,” Cody echoed.

Mindy shot them a look. “Chew first. Manners.”

Then she turned to me. “I’m sorry. I know you’re angry with her.”

I huffed. “Furious, actually. But Tessa’s got a weird knack for seeing things others don’t. She’s always been a good judge of character, so…” My gaze flicked to Mindy, and I cleared my throat. “Anyway, let’s just say she crossed a line, but I can’t denyyou and the boys seem like…” I stopped, unsure how to phrase it. “Seem like decent folks.”

Mindy’s lips curved in a small smile. “We appreciate that, Levi. We’ll try not to trash your house in the meantime.”

Cody and Connor looked across the table at each other and grinned, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

After the meal, the boys helped gather plates—well, Mindy insisted, and they carried them to the sink in half-hearted protest. I noticed how comfortable they already seemed here, bickering about who got to wash or dry. A pang of something unfamiliar tugged in my chest. Was it possible I liked having them around?

When the dishes were done, Mindy hopped onto a stool. “So, game plan for the day? The kids start school tomorrow, but we’re free today if there’s something you’d like us to do to help around the house.”

Connor groaned. “We didn’t come here to do chores.”

Cody rolled his eyes. “Maybe Levi wants to build a snow fort. Did you see all that snow outside?”

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