Page 62 of Orphan Girl's Mountain Men

"That I'm attracted to her?"

"No, no," he waves it off. "I already knew that. I… well, I thought she was into Dean. Isn't she? I mean, the guy's beenmooning over her for weeks. All that brooding. The way his eyes follow her across the room. The dramatic sighs. He's got it bad, man."

"What?!" I stare at him, stunned. "I thought she was into you!"

Reed blinks. "Hailey and Dean? Really?"

Then he pauses. His eyes go wide—and suddenly, he's smiling. A big, slow, dawning grin.

Not forced. Not sarcastic. A huge, giddy grin spreads across his face. Not what I was expecting.

"Oh boy," he says, eyes lighting up. "You know what this means?"

I squint at him. "What?"

"She's into all three of us—totally confused—and convinced she can't have us all…" He pauses, savoring the moment, then looks me dead in the eye and grins."But she can."

I frown at the mischievous gleam in his eye. Something is definitely brewing.

"Uh oh," I say. "What are you thinking?"

He grins wider. "I'm thinking… I have an idea."

CHAPTER 23

Hailey

Ihead to Cedar Falls with Dean for the second time, this time to pick up groceries and look for a new feed supplier. It's been a couple of days since I burned my hand—the pain's gone now, but I'm still off manual labor. In the meantime, Dean and I have been handling logistics, cleaning up the mess left behind by his last accountant. Their usual feed store recently hiked their prices, so today's mission is to shop around.

As we walk through town, I can feel eyes on me. Cedar Falls is small—around a thousand people, if that—with a single main street of about a dozen retail stores, a café, a couple of bars. Behind this, cul-de-sacs curve into neighborhoods, and ranch-style homes sprawl out along the edge. It's got a frontier charm, but not like the mountain. The mountain feels wild and open. This place feels tight-knit and closed in—orderly, but not exactly welcoming to strangers.

We visit a few feed stores and collect quotes. Then we stop at the medium-sized grocery store in the center of town for supplies.

As I push the cart down the long aisles, I feel the stares getting sharper. They're not just curious anymore—they're cold.A couple of women openly sneer at me. One huffs and turns away when I meet her gaze.

Well. This is new. It wasn't like this the last time I came here. Sure, people stared then—but it was more curiosity than anything else. This time, it feels actively hostile. Cold. Judging.

Maybe word's gotten out about the sheriff showing up to arrest Reed—and me stepping in. Small towns love their gossip, and I doubt many people like seeing an outsider interfere in what they probably see as local justice.

I don't say anything, trying not to get self-conscious as we finish our shopping and load up the cart. But the tension in the air is thick, and I definitely feel it.

Once we're out in the parking lot, I finally ask, "Is it me, or do people not like you in this town?"

Dean smirks as he walks around to open the door for me. He's got about eight grocery bags in one hand, and even though I offered to help, he refused. Still has a hand free to open the door for me. Gentleman through and through.

"You noticed that, huh?" he says as I slide into the truck.

"I mean, it was kind of hard to miss. Some of those people looked like they wanted to murder me where I stood. Quietly. Politely. Small-town style."

Dean looks amused as he opens the back door and starts loading the groceries. "Let's say… we're not exactly beloved around here."

"Why not?" I ask. "You guys clearly do a lot for the town. I've seen the books—you supply tons of produce and livestock, and at prices you could easily hike if you wanted. You're not greedy. That should count for something. And you shop at the local stores — food from the supermarket, animal feed from the farmer’s merchants, fencing and timber and stuff from the hardware store…"

Dean shrugs, sliding into the driver's seat and buckling in like it's just another day.

"Bunch of reasons," he says, starting the engine. "First off, the guy I bought the ranch from was a known piece of work. Scammed a few people. They thought he'd go to jail, but when I bought the place, he used the money to hire a slick lawyer and settled out of court. Suddenly I'm the bad guy because he walked free."

He pulls out of the parking lot, glancing at me as he turns onto the road. "Then there's the elected head of the town council—around here folks call him 'the Mayor,' although in fact he's just the council chair. But being wealthy, he’s popular. Weal. Made some big donations over the years—single-handedly kept the school open for a while before the state chipped in. They practically worship him. We didn't exactly kiss his ass when we moved in—and Reed definitely didn't help matters by sleeping with his daughter. And, allegedly, his wife… though personally I think that's probably bullshit, having seen her. If you believe the gossip, Reed's been with half the female population of this town. Then Lennon’s wife—who was the only one of us theydidseem to get on with and have any time for—goes and dies of cancer?—"

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