Page 11 of Stuck with my Mountain Daddies

But I never stuck around longer than I had to. Except this morning.

This morning, I stood in the hallway outside Room 212 at the Medford Inn for a solid thirty seconds, staring at the door like a dumbass, wondering what the hell was wrong with me.

I could still taste her.

Not just her skin, or her mouth, buther. The parts of her she didn’t mean to give away. The parts of her that seeped out in the quiet moments between moans and messy kisses.

Riley had this edge to her—all sharp tongue and tight control. But her eyes?

Her eyes told a whole different story.

She’d looked at me like she didn’t know how to stop burning.

And damn if I didn’t want to be the one who could cool her down… or maybe just burn right alongside her.

I scrubbed a hand over my jaw, muttered, “Get your shit together,” and headed out into the cold.

I made my way into town, ducking into The Brewed Bean Café for a much-needed jolt of caffeine. The bells above the door jingled, and Samantha Barnes greeted me with her usual bubbly grin.

“Morning, Wolfe. The usual?”

“Unless you’ve got something spiked,” I said with a wink.

She laughed. “Not unless you want a visit from Chief Davis.”

“Not my type,” I replied, grabbing the to-go cup she handed me. “But thanks for looking out.”

As I stepped out onto Maple Avenue, the town was already alive. A mom pushing a stroller passed by—Lila Harper, with baby Jace bundled in soft gray knits, cheeks pink from the chill.

“Morning, Asher,” she called, adjusting Jace’s hat.

“Hey, Lila. That little guy breaking hearts yet?”

She smirked. “Only yours if you’re not careful.”

Behind her, Ryan, Colt, and Jaxon emerged from the firehouse, clearly just finishing a shift. Nate Harper, dead serious as always, trailed a few feet behind.

“Wolfe,” Jaxon said, tipping his chin.

“Fellas,” I replied. “What’s the fire gossip this morning?”

“None of your business,” Nate muttered.

Colt grinned. “Which means it’s definitely worth hearing.”

“Ask Samantha,” Ryan said dryly. “She’ll have a recap ready by noon.”

“Already working on it,” I called back, watching Nate shake his head with thinly veiled irritation.

Hell, I loved riling him up.

Up at the Wolfe Logging Company office, I kicked snow off my boots and stepped inside, the heater humming softly. My laptop waited on the desk, the scent of pine and old paper greeting me like it always did.

I should’ve gotten to work… emails, payroll, checking in on the delivery trucks headed upstate. Instead, I leaned back in mychair, coffee forgotten, and stared out the window toward the mountains.

She was still there. In my head.

That little smirk. The way her laugh cracked open like she hadn’t used it in a while. The shift in her voice when she got quiet, as if silence was something she didn’t trust.

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