Page 12 of The Mountain Man's Christmas Bride
It’sreal.
I don’t know if I should be terrified or mad.
Terrified over how real this feels. The kiss didn’t feel fake. It’d been like a dream come true—though, doing it in front of strangers instead of my loved ones kind of sucked. But nothing about it felt like playing pretend. Like the fake relationship we’re saying we have.
And then there’s the anger in me, flickering like an old flame that needs to go out, but won’t.
It’d been so simple. So quick and easy.
Why had Scott been so lazy about it when we could have done that? We could have gone to the courthouse and had it over within an hour. That would have been enough for me. I would have been more than happy with something easy like that because I’d wanted to be his wife.
My hand clenches, frustrated tears burning my eyes as I sit back. And somehow, Rhett notices. Because he’s attentive. And although this is fake, he still actually cares about me.
What takes me by surprise though, is him taking my hand from my lap and pulling it into his own. “You want to talk about it?” he asks, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.
Snow drifts lazily, piling on either side of the winding mountain road. The thought of being trapped in his cabin should have made me scared, but instead I like the idea of getting to hide away from everything for a few days while we wait for the snow to settle—or in my case, the dust.
Because once Scott learns we’re married for real, I don’t know what he’ll do.
I shrug, sliding down in my seat. “Not really,” I reply, releasing a heavy breath. I can’t help but glance down at the certificate again. The reality of it hasn’t really sunk in.
Rhett clears his throat. “But you’re thinking about…him.”
I look at him, eyes widening. “How did you—” I sit up as he cuts me off.
“You get this look on your face,” he says, glancing at me. His features are hard, not revealing anything. But his eyes…
There’s a look in them I can’t read.
“What look?” I ask, part curious—part stubborn. He doesn’t know me well enough to know I get alookwhen I think about Scott.
Rhett lets go of my hand briefly to pull into his long driveway, then takes my fingers again before I can pull away. “You get this noticeable line between your eyebrows. And you look mad, sad, and irritated all at the same time. You sometimes chew your lips when you’re thinking—and a lot of your thoughts seem to centre around him. Even though he doesn’t deserve it.”
Snorting, I sit back, though my heart races. “You couldn’t have really noticed that.” He is right, though. Right that so manyof my thoughts revolve around Scott. Right that I do make a face, because Delilah has pointed it out to me before.
“I did,” he says, looking at me again, this time softly. “I notice a lot of things.”
My belly clenches, a warmth filling me. The sincerity of his words rushes through me full force. I don’t get the impression he’s lying, but I should know better than to let my guard down.
Even around this protective mountain man.
By the timewe reach the cabin, the roof is covered in a light dusting of snow, the ground soft when I step out of the truck. The trees glint in the afternoon sunlight peeking through the clouds. Up here on the mountain, it’s a winter wonderland. I hate to admit how perfect it is up here, because I can only imagine what my home currently looks like.
“I’ll get the fire started,” Rhett says as he heaves a couple of grocery bags from the back. I round the truck to give him a hand, but he just shakes his head. “I’ve got it, princess. Keys are in my pocket. Can you get the door?”
Something about him calling me princess has my belly fluttering for an entirely different reason. And that warmth I’ve been shoving down reignites in my chest, flickering incessantly.
Bad, bad, bad, I think, knowing damn well this won’t end well.
In a few months, we’ll get a divorce, and it’ll all be over. By then, Scott will have hopefully moved on, and I’ll be free to live my quiet little life again—no men included.
Ducking my head, I go to his pocket and dig out his keys, all the while trying to ignore how good he smells. Once they’re inhand, I rush ahead, climbing the steps and making it to the door before I can look like an idiot for sniffing him.
On the other side of the door, Shadow whines, pawing lightly at the wood. “Don’t worry, girl. We’re coming,” I murmur, shoving it open with a sigh.
The black lab dances back and comes to me easily, nosing my hand while I hold the door open for Rhett. I give her a gentle pat, noticing the way her back legs move together like she’s hopping rather than walking.
Rhett’s smile is soft when he sees Shadow, and there’s something about that has me…
