Page 25 of Knotting With A Stranger

She’s more perceptive than I gave her credit for.

“That obvious?”

“You got this little crease between your eyes. Like you bit into something that should’ve been sweet but wasn’t.”

Her description is so accurate, it makes me laugh despite the old ache. “Yeah, well. Some lessons you have to learn the hard way.”

“Let me guess…” She hesitates, then gives me a tentative smile. “The job? Rescue work isn’t exactly nine-to-five. Or maybe you spend too much time in the remote cabin with your buddies? Oh! Or it could be the classic ‘my mother thinks you should have a more prestigious career situation?”

I can’t help but huff out a laugh at how far off she is. “None of the above, actually.”

“Damn.” She wrinkles her nose. “And here I thought I was channeling my inner detective. Those are usually the top three complaints I hear.”

“From experience?”

“My cousin dated a forest ranger once. Her mother nearly had an aneurysm.” She pauses, then adds more quietly, “But I’m sensing I’m way off base here.”

I stare out at the storm for a moment. “She wanted the lifestyle until she realized it wasn’t just a romantic fantasy. Thought she could... upgrade me, I guess. Turn the cabin into some kind of luxury retreat and kick my grandfather out.”

“Ah. What a bitch!” The sympathy in her words isn’t the condescending kind I’m used to. “Her loss, if you ask me.” She shakes her head.

My chest unclenches. Unlike Vanessa, who looked at my cabin and saw a renovation project, this woman seems to understand the mountains aren’t something to be conquered or changed. Well, at first impressions, at least.

“Hunter,” I say suddenly, wanting her to know my name. Wanting to hear her say it.

“Hmm?”

“My name. It’s Hunter.”

She smiles, and damn if it doesn’t light up the whole cab. “Fitting. Though I hope you’re better at hunting than you are at weather forecasts.”

“Says the woman who drove into a blizzard for flour.”

“Specialty flour,” she corrects primly, making me grin. “Very different from regular flour. Life and death stuff.”

“Clearly.” The truck slides slightly, and she tenses, but I correct before she panics.

“I’m Lily.”

I grin, rolling her name over my mind. “Nice.”

Thor huffs, rearranging himself so his head rests more firmly against her. I’ve never seen him take to anyone like this. Even with Vanessa, he maintained a polite distance. But with this woman...

“What got you into the bakery business?” I ask, wanting to keep her talking. Wanting to know more.

“It’s a family business I run with my sister.” Pride colors her response. “The bakery was in the family and we still use our mom’s recipes.”

“That’s rare these days.”

“Yeah, well, some things are worth preserving.” She scratches Thor’s ears thoughtfully. “Even if certain relatives think we should’ve sold it to the first Alpha with deep pockets who came along.”

The bitterness in her tone surprises me. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”

“More like a novel. Or a Greek tragedy.” She sighs. “Let’s just say some people think Omegas need Alphas to be successful. That we’re somehow incomplete without one.”

“And you don’t agree?”

“I think...” She chooses her words carefully. “I think finding your mate should be about connection, not convenience. About wanting someone, not needing them.”

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