Page 18 of The Mountain Man's Mail Order Muse
I hesitate.
There’s a sour taste that creeps up the back of my throat just thinking about it. About him. His voice in my ear like a blade, the way he could make me feel so small with just a look. How love turned into something twisted.
But Hudson deserves more than my ghosts tonight. He deserves more than someone else’s name echoing through the room like they could possibly ever matter to me as much as he does.
So I just smile—tight, but real—and say, “He was crazy. Not the good kind. I don’t want to ruin the moment by thinking about him.”
His brows knit together slightly. He doesn’t push, but his eyes linger on mine for a beat longer. Maybe he understands more than he lets on.
“Fair enough,” he finally says, giving my hand the gentlest squeeze. “I don’t want to ruin the moment either.”
And just like that, it feels like the past is kept at bay. Like whatever haunts us—his pain, my fear—it’s outside this room. Outside this moment.
He leans back and his arm drapes lazily around my shoulders, my head nestled against his chest. It feels safe here. Like maybe all the chaos of the past week is finally beginning to settle into something soft and real.
Then the door creaks open.
My body stiffens instinctively, and Hudson shifts next to me. We both look up at the same time.
A man steps inside like he owns the place.
He’s wearing a smug kind of grin, like showing up unannounced is perfectly normal. His eyes flick between me and Hudson, and something in his expression sharpens—curious, maybe even knowing. My stomach flips.
“Luke?” Hudson seems surprised to see him.
“Didn’t think I’d find you two all cozy,” he says casually, shutting the door behind him.
Hudson moves fast, untangling from me and standing up. “Luke,” he says, trying to keep his voice even. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Without waiting for an answer, he guides Luke to the far corner of the cabin, out of earshot—but not out of view. I sit there frozen, the warmth from the fire forgotten, my heart thudding dully in my chest.
They start whispering. Fast and low.
Hudson’s jaw tightens. Luke’s hands move when he talks—sharp gestures like he’s trying to make a point. Hudson runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. Then he glances at me over his shoulder.
That glance makes the bottom fall out of my stomach.
Because something’s not right.
I don’t know what Luke is doing here or what he’s saying—but Hudson looks like he’s hiding something. And maybe he doesn’t mean to. Maybe he’s just trying to protect me. But secrets? Lies? I’ve had enough of those to last a lifetime.
I straighten up, clutching the edge of the couch cushion with both hands, every nerve in my body suddenly alert.
“…you’re really gonna let her stay?” Luke says with a note of surprise, maybe even disbelief.
There’s a pause. An awful, thick silence that feels like it catches in my throat.
I wait for Hudson to say something—anything. To say,yeah, I put out the ad,orshe’s not what I expected, but I like her.
But then the friend laughs, a short, dry huff. “Wait… so you actually are thinking about going through with this. That’s surprising considering our conversation the phone!”
Another beat. Hudson says “Bro, you owe me an apology! You know I would never have ordered someone off the internet.”
My stomach drops. Like a stone thrown in a lake—it sinks fast, cold and heavy. Something splinters inside me.
Everything stops.
I take a step back, heel catching on a root. The air feels too sharp. My hands curl into fists before I even realize it. I feel like an idiot. A complete idiot.
