Page 6 of Chosen for the Mountain Man

Ciara hesitates, then shrugs. “No clue. They’re having a hard time accepting that I’m an adult.” She quickly adds. “And have been for a long time.”

She sits on the blanket next to me. “Oh wait!” Then she rolls to the side to pull her phone from her back pocket. “I promised Hallie a selfie of us, so she knows you didn’t kill me.”

“Oh my god,” I groan. But I scoot closer to her. She smells like flowers and dewdrops, and I barely resist tasting the soft skin under her ear.

“Ready?” she asks, holding the phone out and smiling.

“Yup,” I answer, and she presses the button on the side.

We take a few, making silly faces for some of them.

She laughs as she looks them over, and my phone pings. “Sent them to you.”

“Perfect,” I reply, grabbing a couple plates for us.

She surveys the food—a variety of sandwiches, veggies, fruit, cheese, and cookies. “You made all this?”

I smile. “I wasn’t sure what you liked. I think it’s the one topic we haven’t broached in our conversations yet.”

“This is wonderful. Quite the selection. I didn’t expect a mountain man to have…hummus.”

I chuckle. “Got hooked on the stuff when I was stationed overseas.”

She nods, taking a carrot stick and dipping it in the hummus. “Definitely a good choice. You said you wanted to impress me. Well, mission accomplished.”

My chest puffs out a bit. “Glad you approve.”

She grins, filling her plate and I do the same.

“You know, I would think your parents would be more concerned with Hallie. I mean, she married a rock star!”

“I know, right?” Ciara says, spreading some brie on a cracker.

“But Lennox Steele, wow. He’s a total legend. I’m a big fan.”

“He’s a great guy. My favorite singer, actually. I was over the moon when Hallie told me they were in love.” She sighs. “Still, he’s another one that’s decided to be overprotective of me.”

Something about that makes me a little jealous. “As we’ve established, you seem perfectly capable of taking care of yourself.”

“Thankyou,” she says, shaking her head. “Maybe they’ll all listen to you.”

“Say the word, and I’ll go to bat for you,” I say, with a wink. “Even with rock stars.”

Iwant to be the one Ciara relies on. To take care of her…when she wants me to, of course.

She gives me a soft smile in return, one that makes my insides flutter. “Thank you.” Then she gestures toward the food. “And for this.”

“It's my pleasure,” I say, tossing a couple of grapes in my mouth. I lean back onto my elbow, resisting the urge to move closer to her. But damn, it's hard.Reallyhard. “You've got me eager to learn more about you.”

She laughs, then takes a slice of apple. “What would you like to know?”

“All your secrets, all your dreams.” My voice drops to a low murmur. “And I promise, nothing will scare me away.”

Her cheeks flush. “I’m sure we’ll get there soon,” she says, as she looks toward the stream. “That’s the clearest water I’ve ever seen.”

“How about a dip? I know how much you love swimming. The water shouldn't be too cold this time of year.”

“We don’t have swimsuits,” she says mid-bite, looking much too innocent.

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