Page 8 of Being with the Mountain Man

Chevelle: Yeah, yeah. Well, one of us needs some fun so the other can vicariously live through them.

Leighton: I’ll call you later. Xoxo

Chevelle: You better!

Ten minutes later, when I walked up the steps to Cash’s cabin, nerves from out of nowhere hit me sideways. I shook out my hands once more before knocking.

Cash opened the door a moment later, his sexy, broad frame filling the doorway. “Hey, you. You look amazing.”

I blushed and waved him off with my hand. “This old thing?” I asked while looking down at my favorite flowery sundress. The sweetheart neckline showed off my cleavage, but still left a lot to the imagination. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He wiped his hands on the towel thrown over his shoulder. “Come in. Sammy keeps asking when five o’clock is.” Cash grinned.

Gone was the grumpy man I first met. Which I was sure had plenty to do with the fact that he needed to be a positive role model for his son. But I wondered if he was a grump when Sammy wasn’t around. It didn’t matter. He could be as grumpy as he wanted with how damn sexy he was.

“Wow, this place is nice,” I said as I stepped inside and took in the wood craftsmanship of the cabin. Intricate woodwork andhigh beamed ceilings gave the place a rustic feel, and the warm, cozy vibes relaxed my shoulders.

“Thanks. A few local guys built it from the ground up. As soon as my apple trees took off, I invested in this place, and it was the best damn thing I did for myself,” Cash said proudly as he showed me around.

We found Sammy playing in his room, whirling a Tonka truck around. “L!” Sammy said as soon as he spotted us. He ran over to me and wrapped his little arms around my legs.

“Hi, Sammy!” I ruffled his hair, a new favorite habit of mine.

“Hungry?” Sammy asked, and he took off out the door, both of us dutifully following him.

“Yes, and I think you are too!” I chuckled as I watched his chubby legs run.

Cash led me to the kitchen where Sammy climbed onto a seat at the table. It was already set with a green salad in the middle, garlic bread and butter, and glasses of water.

“L! Eat!” Sammy said and pointed at the chair next to him.

Cash chuckled. “I think he wants you next to him. I’ll grab the spaghetti, and we can dig in.”

I sat next to Sammy and served us some salad and bread, along with adding some to Cash’s plate.

The food turned out amazing, and I begged Cash for his meatball recipe.

Sammy insisted I stay for his bedtime routine, and while I let Cash handle bathtime, I cleaned up the kitchen. When both came back downstairs a half hour later, Sammy in pj’s and his freshly washed hair combed to the side, Cash’s face lit up at the clean kitchen. “You cleaned up? You didn’t have to!”

“I know I didn’t. I wanted to.” I held out my arms for Sammy to jump into, which he did immediately. I smiled at the warmth that filled my heart. A kid’s love was unlike anything else. Sounconditional and pure. “I brought a surprise for you. Want to see it?”

Sammy’s little face lit up with so much happiness that my heart couldn’t take it. Tears sprang to my eyes. “Suhprise? For Sammy?”

“Yep! Just for you!” I walked into the living room where I had left my bag earlier, with Cash right behind us.

Inside my bag were two of my books I brought to read to Sammy. I brought all my published books with me on this trip in hopes of inspiring me or even simply reminding me what I’ve been through and accomplished.

As I pulled them out, Sammy reached out his hands. “Me see! Me see!”

I chuckled as I handed him the brightly colored books. “Want me to read to you?”

“Yes! Da Da, too?”

“Of course.” I grinned at Cash. He looked at me in a way I hadn’t seen before, and a shiver ran down my spine.

We sat on the couch with Sammy between us, holding the books. “These are books I wrote,” I explained to them. “I loved reading and making up stories as a little girl, and the love for stories never left me. Especially fun stories for children to enjoy. So, with a big push from my best friend and both my parents, I started this princess series. The series is based on a little girl who dreams she’s a fairy princess whose only mission in life is to sprinkle kindness everywhere like confetti. Until one day, her special wand is stolen. How will the fairy princess sprinkle her confetti now?”

Sammy’s hands flew to his face, and I giggled at his cute reaction. He listened to the story. How adorable. I smiled at Cash, who I expected to be gazing lovingly at his son, except he wasn’t.

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