Page 5 of A Baby for the Mountain Man

Even though I desperately wanted him to look my way. To see me the way I’ve always seen him.

I chew on the inside of my cheek and look at the sliding doors as a steady stream of people flows out. I search the crowd for him, and it isn’t long until he appears.

Though his face is now covered with a thick beard, there’s no mistaking Cliff. He’s nearly a head taller than almost everyone else.

Even from this distance, I can sense his dark, brooding gaze searching the line of cars. That’s when it occurs to me. He probably has no idea what my car looks like—or that I might be the one here to pick him up.

I open the door and start to step out. The seat belt tightens, pulling me back against the seat.

My cheeks flush red, and I take a quick breath to collect myself. I unclasp the buckle and try again. I step out of the car and wave in Cliff’s direction.

The second his stare lands on me, the heat of it immediately settles in my belly.

Well, shoot. So much for him no longer having any effect on me.

He raises a hand in response and moves through the crowd in my direction. More to keep myself busy than anything else, I open the trunk of my car.

“Hey.” I cringe inwardly. That word came out way too breathy. “Welcome back to Seattle.”

“Thanks.” He’s now standing a foot away from me. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck prickle, and I can’t help but notice his musky scent. “I didn’t know you were on chauffeur duty.”

“Yeah, well.” In very real danger of doing something stupid like throwing my arms around him or dissolving into giggles, I motion for him to put his suitcase in the trunk. “Your sister had a few last-minute things come up.”

He gives a grunt in response.

“She did!” I start rambling off the list, for some reason feeling the need to defend my friend and prove that he’s a very welcome guest for the wedding.

He doesn’t reply to anything I say, but steps closer to put his small suitcase and a garment bag in the trunk. I’m so distracted by my long list, I don’t move out of his way soon enough.

My arm brushes up against his, sending a delicious ripple of desire through me. Pulling back, as if I’ve been burned, I turn to make my apologies.

The words disappear from my lips as I turn to find his dark steady gaze focused on me. I could be imagining things, but I swear there’s a little twinkle in his eyes.

A ping of pleasure bursts in the pit of my belly.

I swear, I think I just became pregnant.

THREE

CLIFF

It isn’t until I’m sitting in the passenger seat of Sophie’s car that I realize I’m a little light-headed.

I could blame it on the flight. But the flight from Fairbanks to Seattle isn’t even four hours. I also can’t blame it on the change in timezones. I only lost an hour.

No, as much as it pains me to admit it—and it’s a pain squarely between my legs—the reason my head is spinning is currently navigating the traffic out of SeaTac. Little Sophie Hart. All grown up.

And she looks… fucking incredible. Her long brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail on top of her head. It’s practically begging to be released, so the thick long locks can tumble over her shoulders.

Her eyes are still the most amazing shade of blue. Like the dark water along the Alaskan coast. How did I never notice they were that blue before?

As for the rest of her…

She may be sitting now, but I had a good look at her figure earlier when she met me at the airport. And she looks good. Really good.

I don’t remember her looking this good the last time I saw her. Oh, she was plenty cute. But she wasn’t breathtakingly stunning. If she was, I was too blind or dumb to take note.

Or, maybe she was too much my little sister’s best friend for me to give her the proper consideration.

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