Page 15 of The Minx and the Mountain Man

Annie nods. “Mmhmm. Go on.”

I toy with a crumb on the plate. “And then… he brushed my hair back. And he just looked at me, Annie, like he was memorizing every freckle on my face. Like he wanted me.” My voice dips lower, my pulse kicking up at the memory. “And then he kissed me. And God, it was…” I let out a dreamy sigh before shaking myself. “But then, the second it was over, he shut down. Completely. Said it was a mistake. And now he won’t even look at me.”

Annie lets out a dramatic tsk, shaking her head. “Men.”

“Right?” I throw my hands up. “I mean, I get that this whole mail-order bride thing wasn’t supposed to be about romance, but you’d think he’d at least be able to talk to me after something like that.”

She smirks. “And does it bother you because he’s being a coward or because you want the romance?”

I freeze, my fingers tightening around the plate. “What?”

“You heard me.” She leans in. “If Reid suddenly pulled his head out of his ass and decided to act like a real husband—would you want that?”

I open my mouth. Close it. My heart hammers against my ribs. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that.”

“But it is starting to feel like it could be, huh?”

I swallow, my throat dry. I don’t want to say it out loud. Because once I do, once I admit that I could see myself falling for Reid Calloway, it becomes real. It becomes dangerous.

I look away, voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah. It is.”

Annie nods like she already knew. “And does he know that?”

I let out a dry laugh. “Reid barely knows how to have a conversation about the weather. You think he’s ready for feelings?”

She grins. “Oh, sweetheart. That man is already drowning in feelings. He just hasn’t figured out what to do with them yet. I could see it the day we met you.”

I shake my head, shoving the rest of the cookie into my mouth. “Well, I’m not about to sit around waiting for him to figure it out. I came here for a fresh start. To find a place where I belong. Not to spend my days pining after a mountain man who doesn’t want me.”

Annie smiles like she knows something I don’t. “We’ll see about that.”

Chapter Ten

Reid

The wind howls against the cabin walls, a furious, relentless thing, rattling the windows like an animal clawing to get inside. I barely notice. My focus is locked on Sadie.

She stands by the door, still wrapped up in that coat, scarf loose around her neck, chest rising and falling as she glances back at me. Firelight flickers over her face, catching in the golden strands of her hair, turning them to molten light. She’s all soft curves and stubborn fire, her hands clenched into small fists at her sides, her eyes burning with frustration.

Outside, the storm is settling in fast, thick snow already covering the ground. She’s not going anywhere tonight.

She crosses her arms, lifting her chin. “Are we gonna talk about it, or are you just gonna keep pretending I don’t exist?”

I keep my face blank, ignoring the way my pulse kicks up at the challenge in her voice. “Talk about what?”

Her nostrils flare, her frustration climbing. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that you kissed me and then spent the last few days acting like it didn’t happen?”

I turn away, focusing on stoking the fire even though it doesn’t need it. Anything to keep my hands busy, anything to keep from looking at her. “It was a mistake.”

Sadie scoffs, the sound sharp. “You sure as hell didn’t kiss me like it was a mistake.”

My shoulders go tight.

She steps closer, her voice quieter now but no less intense. “And you keep looking at me like you want to do it again.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting for control. “Sadie—”

“No.” She cuts me off, moving to stand right in front of me, forcing me to look at her. “I get it, okay? You like things simple. No complications, no feelings. But news flash, Reid—you married me. You don’t get to just ignore me when it’s inconvenient.”

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