Page 6 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men
I eye her with disbelief, then turn to the man standing before me with his arms crossed as he leans against the doorframe.
“She hates being outdoors! And she hates the cold, too! How the hell…”
Tanner grins at my confusion, tilting his head. “Well, you’d better get dressed, too, Lena.”
“We aren’t going to actually climb a mountain, are we? I’m too old for that, Tanner,” I whine, and I’m a little horrified to realize how much I sound like a pouting Sophie.
“Chop, chop, Momma Sanders. We aren’t going to scale a mountain, no, but I will build you up to that, rest assured. We’re going on a tour. Bundle up in your warmest clothes, and keep a few snacks on you. I got the rest covered.”
“This is not what I meant when I told Aiden I didn’t know anything about mountain life,” I say—more like moan—before dragging my feet to my room. As reluctant as I may be acting, there is a slight rush of exhilaration coursing through my body. Days have been long and uneventful in the cabin, and to have something to do, no matter how physically taxing, sounds enjoyable.
Tanner gets us loaded into his jeep once we’re all ready to go, and we ride to the part of the mountains where the air is colder and the road is rougher than anything I have ever driven on.
“When does it get fun?” Sophie demands from the back seat when the jeep starts rocking severely.
“You wanna walk instead, Sophie?” he asks her, turning his head to look at her.
“This is the most fun I have had in, like, ever,” she says seriously, and Tanner and I burst out laughing.
“No, but wearegoing to walk. There is something I want to show you both that is exclusive to Whitefish only.”
“Noooo! I don’t wanna walk,” Sophie whines.
“I second that,” I add from the passenger seat.
“You guys are killjoys.”
Tanner gets us out of his jeep, and we trudge through the thin trail ahead of us, the incline already tiring me out by just looking at it. The rocks crunch under our feet, and Sophie is wobbling after just a few steps.
I hold her hand as we walk while Tanner marches ahead of us and points out every peculiar tree or branch growing this far into the forest.
“That leaf looks like a pizza!” Sophie points to one leaf at the top of a tall tree.
“Pizza?” Tanner asks incredulously. “Because it’s a triangle?”
“I’m hungry, and I want pizza,” she retorts, and I laugh, nearly tripping over a large rock in the process. Tanner’s arm comes around my waist before I even know what’s happening, holding me upright.
“Be careful,” he murmurs, his tight and hard body pressed against mine. This close, I can smell the mahogany scent emanating from him. Gooseflesh rises under my shirt where his arm is locked around my waist.
Flushing, I nod to show that I heard him as I scoot away.
After a few more steps, we end up on the edge of a cliff.
The lush valley of tall trees stretches out below us. Condensation covering their peaks greets us as we look down past the cliff. There are a few birds fluttering in groups here and there, weaving in and out of the trees. The greenery, coupled with the blue sky and the chill of the air, makes it the most beautiful scenery I have ever laid my eyes on.
“Woah,” I breathe, almost stepping forward with the intention to sit by the ledge before I remember that Sophie will want to copy me. “This is…”
“This is the best thing I’ve ever seen!” Sophie exclaims. “Why can’t we have a cabin here?”
“You would walk all that way, back and forth, again and again, Sophie?” Tanner teases her, a soft smile on his face.
“Hm,” she hums, looking thoughtful, “I’ll take a day to think about it and tell you.”
Tanner guffaws. “Right, of course. Take all the time you need.”
He goes to stand by the edge, way ahead of me, and I see his shoulders rise as he takes a deep breath. “This is the best view Whitefish has to offer you at this elevation. The higher up you go, the more breathtaking it gets.”
“How far up have you been?” I ask him, holding Sophie’s hand to stop her when she tries to sneak past me and stand beside Tanner.
