Page 26 of Forever with the Mountain Man

“How can I forget?” she says, her eyes welling. “I don’t deserve you, though…” Her gaze flickers to the ground.

“And I don’t deserve you,” I reply, snagging her chin with my finger and returning her gaze to me. “Ask around town, and they’ll tell you I’m a disagreeable bully. I’ve even been in fistfights with the current sheriff.”

Her big, blue doe eyes stare unblinkingly at me. “Really? The sheriff of Gold County?”

I nod.

“Do you have a criminal record you haven’t told me about?”

“Thankfully, no. But I am a rough man who settles most things in life with my fists and earns my wages off the muscle ofmy back and my legs. You are refined and educated, a big-city girl who writes and impresses the hell out of me. I don’t even know why you’re sitting on my lap. But I have enough brains not to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

She smiles, her straight, pearly teeth shining.

“I want to read some of your articles, by the way,” I say, feeling my heart race. “Is working for a newspaper your ultimate goal? Or is there something else?”

The corners of her mouth turn down. “Nobody ever asks me that.”

“Well, I want to know everything about you.”

Her eyes cloud with tears.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, swallowing hard.

“Nothing.” She shakes her head. “Going back to your last question, I would love to be a full-time travel writer specializing in cultural anthropology books with lots of gorgeous pictures. You know, about places like Mason Valley, Nevada, and people like the Numu of Pyramid Lake or even the Basque in Elko, Nevada.”

“Then, joining my family will be perfect. Killing two birds with one stone. Perhaps you’ll fit in better with my family than I will with yours. We haven’t even crossed that bridge yet.”

“My family will love you,” she says quietly. Her eyes dart from mine, and her face grows conflicted.

My throat tightens. Maybe I’m reading in her expression a reflection of what I feel inside: guilt. I’ve kept a secret from her this whole time. One I don’t know if I can find the words to reveal, but I have to now before things progress any further.

Clearing my throat, I look down at my big, rough hand gripping her thigh, adding quietly, “I would love to read your books someday, too. You’ll have to help me, though. While I did graduate high school…” I take a deep breath to fortify myself.“I’m not a very strong reader. I hope you can overlook that despite being a writer. See, I told you I’m not a very smart man.”

Felicity takes my cheeks in her hands, her eyes brimming with tears. “That would never change how I feel about you, Fierce. Besides, you speak three languages fluently and in fast succession every day. There’s no doubt in my mind how smart you are.”

I frown. “The doctors say I have dyslexia. All I know is letters aren’t where other people see them. It makes everything confusing. But if you agree to be my brains, I’ll be your brawn. Just please promise not to tell others about this.”

“Of course not,” she says, biting her bottom lip hard. “You’ve been so honest and forthright with me, Fierce.” She shakes her head, looking away.

“What’s wrong?”

Fanning her face with her hand, Felicity excuses, “I think the wine is getting to me. I feel hot.”

“In that case,” I say, patting her thigh to let her know it’s time to get up, “Let’s move on to the next part of our evening.”

Chapter Nine

FIERCE

We grab blankets and dress in layers, heading outside where I build a fire in the pit, drawing two large Adirondacks close enough to the flames to catch the warmth. I sit down, and Felicity takes a long, somber look at the other Adirondack before climbing into my lap with her blanket and asking me breathlessly, “Is this okay?”

“Are you kidding? This is where you belong.” I draw her tightly against me beneath the stars as we marvel at the pristine clarity of the night sky and the stellar show scattered across the black void like a million glittering diamonds.

“I could get used to this,” she sighs, marveling at the heavens. “You can’t see any of this in San Francisco.”

I kiss her forehead. “So, this place is growing on you?”

Felicity pauses for a long moment. “Yes, it is, Fierce. It may be the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.”

---