Page 15 of Broken on the Mountain
"Why? Because you might actually relax?"
I nod, because… he's right.
Every corner looks like it was designed by someone who understands that reading isn't just a hobby… it's a full-body experience. Overstuffed armchairs. Velvet cushions. A window seat that's begging me to abandon all my big-city responsibilities and live here forever.
I'm already mentally redecorating my life around this place.
I trail my fingers along endless books, marveling at the hand-lettered shelf signs.Swoon-Worthy Reads.Enemies-to-Lovers (with Spice).Grumpy Mountain Men (Fiction... or Not?).
In Chicago, I grab bestsellers from the hospital displays between shifts.
Here, I find myself drawn to a section labeledLocal Wildflowers and Trail Guides.What the hell? It's like I'm planning to become a nature photographer now instead of flying back to my sterile life in forty-eight hours.
A chalkboard by the register reads:Wine Tasting Tonight 5–7—Local Vintners + Romance Rec Pairings.
Chase moves in behind me, pulling out a thick guide with stunning photographs on the cover.
"This one's good," he says, flipping through pages of purple and gold flowers. "Shows you all the best spots locally."
The bookshop clerk—a woman with silver-streaked hair and glasses—appears beside us with a warm smile.
“You two here for the tasting? That kicks off at five. Coffee loft’s open till then.” She glances at the book in Chase's hands."If you like the meadows, this wildflower guide is the one. Local author, stunning pictures. I think you'll love it."
"We were just heading to Wildflower Meadow for lunch," Chase says, moving closer behind me.
"We were?"
He nods and winks. "Of course."
Something in his voice makes it sound like a regular thing we do instead of a first-time adventure.Maybe I would like that.
The clerk smiles. "Perfect timing, Chase. Everything's in bloom right now."
From behind the cookbook section, a ruggedly handsome man appears. He has a scruffy jaw, fitted flannel, and a smile bigger than his face.
"Well, well, well… Chase taking a date to the meadow?" The man grins even wider. "Didn't see that coming."
"Morning, Charlie. He runs the tavern," Chase explains to me.
I blink at Charlie's warm, amused, and genuinely pleased expression.
Does anyone in this town know how to scowl? Frown? Look even mildly inconvenienced?
In Chicago, strangers perfect their resting bitch face by age twelve.
"You two better bring those smiles to Timber tonight. Burgers are looking good."
Chase slides closer to me, his hand settling on the small of my back as he leans down to whisper, "That's the mountain folk translation for finding a way to put bacon on bacon."
Charlie holds up a recipe book with a picture of a burger the size of a small planet. "And I'm not apologizing. I'll save you a booth."
"Sold," I say without thinking. Apparently I'm the kind of person who commits to bacon-on-bacon situations now.
As well as steamy one-night stands. Go me!
"There's a reading loft upstairs," the clerk mentions, gesturing toward a narrow spiral staircase tucked in the back corner. "Perfect for…browsing?"
"Perfect. We'll take two cups of coffee, thanks," Chase requests kindly, curling his arm around me and leading me towards the staircase.
