Page 9 of Take Me, Tex

Called the parts guy this morning. Still on for Monday. You're mine 'til then. --T

I should laugh. Roll my eyes. Say something sarcastic about his presumption.

Instead, I press the note to my chest like an idiot, feeling something warm and bright unfurl in my ribcage.

Whiskey trots over with a tail wag that nearly knocks over a chair, and I crouch down to scratch behind her ears. Her fur is soft and warm, and she leans into my touch with a contented sigh.

"I think your dad's a little intense," I whisper, but there's no complaint in my voice.

She licks my hand with her rough pink tongue and flops onto her back for belly rubs, completely shameless in her demand for attention.

I make coffee in his simple coffee maker, then take it out to the porch and settle into the swing. The chains creak softly as I curl up with my legs tucked under me, just watching the mist burn off the treetops like the mountain is slowly waking up.

The view is breathtaking—rolling hills covered in every shade of green imaginable, with morning light filtering through the trees and turning everything golden.

And I realize I don't want to go back.

Not just because of what happened between us last night, though my body still hums with the memory of his hands on my skin. Not just because of the mountain air or the dog who's already stolen my heart with her gentle eyes and boundless affection.

Because of Tex.

I think I've been alone for so long I forgot what it feels like to bewanted. Not for my efficiency, not for my credentials, not for the way I can make a library run like clockwork.

Just... me.

Messy hair and morning breath and all the complicated, imperfect pieces that make up who I am.

When he comes out a little later, hair damp from the shower and wearing a T-shirt that hugs his chest in a way that should be illegal, he pauses in the doorway. The morning light catches in his dark hair, and his eyes are the color of storm clouds, soft and intense all at once.

"You okay?"

I nod, meaning it more than I've meant anything in a long time. "More than okay."

He crosses the porch in those long, easy strides, hooks a thumb under my chin, and tilts my face up to his. His skin is warm and slightly rough, and I can see the concern in his eyes, the careful way he's watching my expression.

"Nora…” His voice is thick with emotion, and he clears his throat. “I don’t want this to end on Monday.”

I shake my head slowly, holding his gaze. "I don’t want this to ever end.”

He leans in, brushing his lips over mine in a kiss that tastes like promise and possibility, then pulls back just enough to whisper:

"You stay alone... until the mountain sends you a woman."

I look at him, confused. “What?”

“It’s just something people around here say. They call it ‘The Mountain Code.’ I never believed in it… but now I do. The mountain sent you to me.”

My face stretches into a wide smile. "Well," I murmur, tugging him down for another kiss, "I hope it told you I'm staying."

Epilogue

Nora

Onemonthlater

I never thought I'd fall in love on the side of a mountain.

But now? I can't imagine my life anywhere else.

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