Page 2 of Mountain Man's Mail Order Temptress
“I’m kidding,” I said quickly, stepping forward and reaching for her suitcase like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I’m Blade.”
The name slid off my tongue before I could stop it. Not my name—not technically. But the name of the guy she’d been writing to. The one she’d fallen for.
And the moment she heard it, her whole face lit up. That smile. It gutted me. Straight through the ribs.
She let out a breath like she’d been holding it since she stepped off the bus. “Oh, thank God. I thought for a second I was about to meet some kind of murder-y caveman.
I chuckled, though it came out a little rough. “That’s plan B.”
She laughed again, and this time, it hit deep. Low in my gut, twisting with guilt and something warm I didn’t want to name yet.
I led her suitcase toward the front steps, glancing sideways to sneak a better look at her. She was even prettier up close—light freckles on her nose, a single curl slipping from her bun, lips that looked like they were made for smiling or—God help me—kissing.
“You look different from your pictures,” she said.
I stiffened slightly but forced a grin. “Better or worse?”
Her mouth quirked. “Different.”
“I’ll take that as a win.”
“You should. You’re…more relaxed-looking. I pictured someone broodier.”
I gave her a sideways glance. “You wanted broody?”
“No,” she said. “I just thought that’s what I was getting. Your messages were…intense.”
That stung. Not because it was wrong, but because those messages were me. The real me. The parts I didn’t show when I was bantering or bullshitting. When I talked to her—ortypedto her, to be more exact—I dropped the act. I hadn’t realized until just now how much of myself I’d actually given away.
I paused halfway up the steps, facing her. “Do I seem less intense now?”
She studied me, then shook her head. “No. Just different in person, but in a good way.”
I swallowed hard and turned toward the door. I didn’t trust myself to respond.
“Blade,” she said behind me, her voice quieter now. “You okay?”
I turned back, managing a lopsided smile. “Yeah. Just—” I scratched the back of my neck. “Been a long morning. You kind of caught me off guard, showing up early. I thought I had a little more time to clean up.”
Her gaze dropped to my chest. I realized belatedly that I was still in my cutoff work shirt, streaked with sawdust and sweat, and I probably looked like I’d wrestled a pine tree. “Well, if it helps, you’re not what I expected, but I’m not disappointed.”
God. She had no idea what that did to me.
I almost told her the truth right then. I opened my mouth, heart racing, guilt punching me straight in the gut. But then she smiled again, and I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t. Not yet.
I wanted another minute. Just one more minute of her looking at me like I was the guy she’d fallen for. The guy who made her laugh. The one she trusted. The guy who hadn’t lied.
So I kept walking, carrying her suitcase toward the inn like I had every right in the world. And I let her follow me.
2
LAURYN
This had to be a dream. It was all just too perfect. From my favorite box of chocolates and wine in my room when I checked in to the text that came through over an hour before Blade picked me up for our date.
Can’t wait to see you.
So simple, yet, somehow, it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. But I hadn’t seen anything yet.
