Page 4 of The Mountain Man's Mysterious Bride
“Good. Follow me.”
Axel showedme around his cabin before we settled in the kitchen. He poured me a glass of wine before opening a can of beer for himself. “I can make us some sandwiches?”
“Sure, I’d love one. I love to cook. I love to see the pleasure on people’s faces as they devour my food. But put me in a restaurant and I’d choke. It’s more of a hobby than anything else.”
“You’ll have to show me some tricks. I’m tiring of canned and frozen food.”
I chuckled. “I bet. A good way to get better is to experiment. You’ll learn along the way and see how flavor profiles work together and what you like best.”
“Flavor profiles? Now you’re talking a foreign language.”
“Like when you’re telling someone who doesn’t know cars how to replace transmission fluid?”
“Yeah, like that.”
“Flavor profiles are flavors blended together to give a unique taste you like. Once you figure out some, you can easily come back to them.”
“Got it. I like simple, nothing too complicated like some of those cooking shows.” Axel said as he pulled out the ingredients for bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches.
“I love watching the competition ones. You can definitely learn from them.”
“Makes sense. I’ll check some out.”
“So, what do you do for work? Did you have a job lined up here in Appleridge?”
“I grew up a few towns over from here and I do freelance writing which gives me a lot of freedom as far as scheduling and location. As long as I meet my deadlines and have wi-fi connected to my laptop, I’m good to go.”
Axel placed a plate in front of me with a large sandwich on it surrounded by chips. “Thank you.” I smiled and he shot me a wink that sent my heart into overdrive.
“I moved here when I was five, my sister only two. It was a small cabin by the lake, a perfect size for our family. To this day, my mom likes to ask me when I’m getting married. She’s a bitmuch at times but all she wants is to see her kids have kids and start a family.” He sat across from me with his sandwich.
Our conversation continued as we ate and discovered more about each other.
His loud, chaotic job left him tired most nights, seeking the peaceful quiet of his own. I could easily tone myself down, as I got carried away a lot, but I could be respectful of his needs.
Would he be respectful of mine?
After we finished eating and cleaning up, we went for a long walk, the cool breeze gentle and calming against my skin.
“So, you wouldn’t mind helping me out with this date situation I’m in?”
I laughed. “No, I wouldn’t mind, but you need to promise me something.”
Axel eyed me suspiciously. “Go on.”
“You fill me in on all the family gossip at your cousin’s wedding.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “That’s easy. I thought you were going to say something a lot more challenging.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, maybe don’t fall in love with me or something.”
“And that’s a lot more challenging because?”
Axel looked away and when he turned back towards me, his eyes burned with a raging fire of want and need. “I think the answer is obvious, Emersyn.”
He stepped forward and placed his hands on my hips. My body jolted in reaction to his touch.
