Page 1 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men
Chapter one
CHAPTER 1: Lena
This is it. This is the beginning of the rest of our lives.
I feel the weight of the steering wheel beneath my hands, the car’s engine humming quietly as I drive through the winding, snow-dusted roads of Whitefish, Montana. My fingers are gripping tighter than necessary, but I can’t bring myself to loosen my hold. We’re on the last stretch of the journey, heading toward the place where I hope to start fresh, to leave everything behind.
Sophie, bundled up beside me in the passenger seat, hums softly to herself, oblivious to the tension tightening in my chest. I want to be calm for her, but it's hard to ignore the gnawing sense of fear, reminding me of why we’re here in the first place.
I glance out the window. The mountains rise ahead of us, massive and silent, the kind of landscape that feels untouchable.For a moment, it seems like a dream, or a fantasy.Is this really happening? Am I really doing this?
We reach the edge of a small, isolated town after driving for hours. I don’t even have to check the map anymore. I know that I’ve arrived. The cabin I rented is just up ahead, and it looks just like the picture in the listing. The one I’ve never seen in person, the one that was supposed to be a safe haven.Oursafe haven. Or so I hope.
The driveway to the cabin is long and unkempt, the snow having piled up along the edges. I drive slowly while Sophie taps her fingers against the window, watching the passing trees with wide eyes.
When we pull up, an older man is waiting for us, his face creased with lines from years spent in the harsh mountain air. He looks at me, his gaze lingering just a little too long before he nods toward the cabin.
“I’m Jack. This is a good place to enjoy peace and quiet,” he says, his voice gruff, like the words have been said a hundred times before. “Just so you’re aware there are three men in the woods. Mountain men. They keep to themselves, mostly. They won’t bother you.”
I blink at him, unsure if I heard him correctly. “Mountain men?”
His lips twitch in what might be a smirk, or a warning. I can’t tell which. “You’ll see.”
Feeling a knot tighten in my stomach, I nod because I’m not sure what else to say.Three strange men, with no other neighbors around?I force a smile, trying to shake off the unease I feel at the thought. He turns and walks away before I can ask more questions, leaving me standing on the porch. The air is cold against my skin.
I look over at Sophie, who’s all ready to explore our new home, and I’m envious of the way she seems to bounce back so quickly. She has no idea how much I’m trying to hold it all together. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get inside.”
The cabin is small but charming, and for a moment, I let myself relax. Sophie runs ahead to claim the first room she finds, throwing herself on the bed with a giggle. I start to unpack, but the back of my mind keeps returning to the landlord’s warning.What kind of mountain men are we talking about here? The shoot-first-ask-questions-later kind, or do they just prefer being left alone? And why are they the only other ones to live here?
I tell myself that it’s nothing—just paranoia on my end. For a while, I’m able to push my doubts away, but when I take Sophie for a walk later, I notice something that sends a chill down my spine.
There’s only one other cabin close by, tucked back against the trees. A man is standing just outside the front door. He’s tall and broad-shouldered, and he’s looking right at me. His eyes are sharp, cold, and for a second, I freeze. It’s like he’s been waiting for me. Watching our cabin until I walked out.
My stomach flips, and I instinctively pull Sophie closer, taking a sharp step backward. But the man doesn’t move. He just stands there, staring.
I don’t know what to do.
Should I wave? Should I ignore him?
The silence between us feels thick, almost suffocating. His gaze is intense, like he’s trying to figure me out. And I, in turn, am doing the same to him.
As hard as I try to ignore it, the creeping tendrils of fear make themselves known at the base of my throat. No matter how hard I try to outrun my past, the stain it’s left behind is not one that can be so easily washed away.
Sophie, unaware of the apprehension morphing into trepidation within me, hums as she tries to tug away from me.
“What’s the matter, Mom?”
The stranger’s eyes stare at me unwaveringly. He has wide shoulders, which are made even more massive by the thick coat wrapped around them.
The alarm bells in my mind grow louder and louder the longer our gazes collide.
This is a mistake, Lena, you know better.
Preservation wins over the need to intimidate him into backing down, and I whip around with my hand on my daughter’s shoulder as I scurry toward the cabin.
Back to safety.
Once I’m back inside, I try to wipe my mind clean of any thoughts about strange men with glittering eyes.God knows that I have had to deal with enough strange men in my life.
