Page 74 of Broken on the Mountain
Her cheeks flush pink, and she takes a sip of cocoa to hide it. The whipped cream leaves a mustache on her upper lip, and I swipe it away with my thumb, licking it clean.
"Chase Morrison." She swats my chest, but she's smiling.
I pull the hoodie I found her at the station this week from my bag. It's navy blue withStone River Mountain Rescueembroidered across the chest and a tiny pine tree logo on the sleeve. Underneath, written in smaller script that I got custom printed just for her isRescue Sweetheart.
"Arms up, baby. Let's try this on for size."
"What is this?" Piper asks, turning to see me holding out the new hoodie.
I tug it over her head, letting my hands linger at her waist as I smooth the fabric down. My fingers brush the bare skin just above her jeans, and she shivers.
"Found it yesterday during inventory check," I tell her, tugging the hem straight. "Saw it sitting there with the rest of the team gear, and all I could think was… Damn, my girl would look good wearing Mountain Rescue gear."
The way she looks at me when I call hermy girlis like watching the sun break through storm clouds, transforming her entire face into something that makes my chest feel too tight and too full all at once.
"You were thinking about me? While counting ropes and band-aids?"
"I think about you all the time." I don't even hesitate. "Knox caught me staring at a box of emergency blankets for five minutes because they're the same color as your eyes."
She scoffs and blushes hard. "That's cheesy and pathetic."
"Don't care." I pull her closer by the hoodie strings, knowing she's only joking as I peck the tip of her nose with my lips. "Travis bet Jamie ten bucks I'd have your name tattooed on my ass by Christmas."
She laughs but shakes her head. "Don't you dare. Your ass is perfect the way it is."
"It is tempting." I press a kiss to her forehead. "But I'd rather just keep you here wearing my gear instead. So everyone knows you're mine."
This time, her smile falters slightly. Something else entirely flickers across her face, too quick to catch whatever feels…offabout her today.
"What?"
"Nothing." She rises on her toes and kisses me. "Come on, Mountain Hero. Show me how to make chili before Betty disqualifies us for standing around looking smitten."
Across the lot, Beau slides an identical hoodie over Molly's head at their tent. He's slower about it, more deliberate, his big hands careful as he adjusts the hood around her blonde braid. Molly looks up at him with those wide green eyes, and even from here I can see the way Beau still softens around his girl.
Good for him. Of all the people here in Stone River,thatman deserves some sunshine.
Betty swoops in with aprons next, tying mine behind my back before fussing over Piper's.
"There." Betty pats Piper's shoulder. "Now you look official."
Etta and Mabel arrive in matching sashes that readOFFICIAL TASTE TESTERS, clipboards in hand and expressions far too serious for people about to eat chili that may or may not taste like my old boots.
"We'll be watching," Etta warns, peering over her cat-eye glasses.
Mabel nods solemnly. "Very closely."
Knox shouts from the tent beside ours, "Morrison! Hope you're ready to lose!"
Travis holds up a bottle of hot sauce the size of a wine bottle. "Boo-yah!We're bringing theheatthis year!"
"You're bringing heartburn, old man!" I yell back.
At the tent across from us, Jamie ties Brooke's apron with the kind of focus usually reserved for tactical ops mountain-side. She's laughing at him, her auburn hair catching the late afternoon sun.
"Ready to get destroyed, Morrison?" Jamie calls, catching me staring at how happy they are.
"By you? Never."
