Page 16 of Wild Mountain Ma n

I laughed, a little embarrassed that I’d opened up to him about that. “No, but thank you. I just remember why I didn’t really enjoy high school.”

“That makes two of us,” he said. “Nobody likes that first day of school feeling when you aren’t sure you’ll have someone to sit with at lunch.”

“That’s exactly this feeling,” I said. “But I’m going to show them.”

“How’s that?” he asked.

“Whether I win this competition or not, I’ll find a way to open a candy shop here in Seduction Summit. This town needs what I have to offer, even if I make it in my own kitchen for a while until I get enough money to buy a storefront.”

“I like that.”

He was smiling now, his eyes having lit up. I hadn’t seen this side of him yet, and I’d seen a lot of his expressions in the short time I’d known him.

He was happy. Truly happy. Pretty much beaming with happiness. And I wasn’t sure if it was because we had a date tonight or I’d decided to move to this town. Maybe a little of both.

What I did know was, looking at him now, I had not a doubt in my mind that I was making the right decision. This man was exactly what I needed. He was my future. And I couldn’t wait to get started on the rest of my life.

10

KREBS

Iwas about as nervous as Teagan was as the bakers stood at their stations, hands behind their backs, staring straight ahead. It looked like something out of one of those baking shows I always skipped past when I was looking for something to watch.

I didn’t take my eyes off Teagan as, one by one, the three finalists were announced. Everyone clapped and smiled while each of them moved to the front of the room, shrieking and jumping up and down with excitement. But in the end, Teagan was left standing there with the rest of the non-finalists, smiles plastered on their faces, trying to pretend their dreams hadn’t just been dashed.

My girl’s dreams hadn’t been dashed, though. She would have a candy store in this town, andshe’dmake sure it happened. Of course, I’d be willing to do anything I could to help, but I already knew her well. She’d want to be the one to get the loan and work out all the initial stuff that went with setting up a candy shop.

I, meanwhile, would turn my full attention to making sure our home was ready for us to raise a family. One or two kids. Ifshe wanted more, we’d upsize to a bigger home by then. I didn’t care. As long as I was building my family with Teagan, I’d be the happiest man on Earth.

“Okay, everyone,” the woman hosting this shindig said. “Dinner is in an hour in the restaurant.”

I stood as the women walked out and noticed I got more than a couple of appreciative looks from the contestants. But I saw what Teagan meant. None of them stopped to talk to her. They just walked out in their little clumps, not even speaking to each other. The mood had definitely gone from tense to bleak all in the space of a couple of minutes.

Teagan trailed behind, even waiting for the judges and the woman who had done all the speaking to exit before she started in my direction. Her eyes were on me.

“Oh well,” she said. “That’s what I get for entering a baking competition.”

“The next one you enter will be a candy-making competition,” I said. “Is there such a thing?”

“Probably.” She shrugged, and in her expression, I saw something. She wasn’t nearly as upset as the others who’d filed out. “But you know what? I don’t need to win a competition. I know I have what it takes to kick some ass. From now on, I’m making candy to make money off of it, not to impress a bunch of people I’ve never met. Does that sound too sour grapes?”

She made a face with that last question. But she was getting closer to me, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to put my arms around her.

“You know what?” I shook my head. “No. You sound like a woman who just discovered what she needed to do and is ready to get to work.”

“You’re right.” She smiled. “Coming here was the best thing I’ve ever done, both for my business and my life.”

I liked the way she said that. My life now felt complete. The second she said she’d decided to move to Seduction Summit, I knew everything was going to be better than I’d ever dreamed.

“You know,” I took a step closer to her. “We could go to that dinner together, walk in hand-in-hand, make them all jealous that you came up here and bagged a lumberjack.”

“Lumberjack.” She smiled. “Is that what you are?”

She took a step closer to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me toward her. I put my arms around her without even stopping to think about it. It was automatic.

“I don’t care what those women think,” she said. “Besides, I’d rather have you all to myself for tonight.”

“And for the rest of your life?”

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