Page 8 of A Baby for the Mountain Man

“I suppose that’s the benefit of being a recluse.”

“It’s not the only one,” I grumble.

Laughing, she gives my arm a squeeze and straightens. “Yes, well I know it was a lot to ask you to leave your little piece of heaven in Alaska to slum it with the rest of us here for a week. But I appreciate it all the same.”

I cast her a sidelong glance. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. You know that.”

The bright smile she flashes makes me feel even more like an ogre than I usually do. The only thing Winter has asked of me in this whole thing was to come to her wedding and walk her down the aisle. Like I said, I wouldn’t have missed doing either one.

Yet, here I am. Acting as if she’s asked me to lead a conga line around the lodge or give her a kidney. Though, now that I think of it, I’d give her one of my kidneys without batting an eye.

I suppose showing up to her wedding festivities without pouting isn’t that much of an ask.

I should quit being such a curmudgeon.

Sighing, I slide an arm around my sister’s shoulders. “Sorry. I’ll try harder to have a good time.”

“You make it sound like a lot of work when you say it like that.”

I spare her a pointed look instead of verbally agreeing with her. That only makes her chuckle again.

“Poor thing. Don’t worry. I won’t make you dance or give a speech or anything.”

“I’m sensing a but.”

“But…” She laughs even harder as I sigh. “I was thinking you maybe wouldn’t mind giving a few pointers to some of my guests. You know, in the interest of safety and anything.”

“What makes you think I know anything about ax throwing?”

“Considering the fact that you actually know how to use one—even for chopping wood—already has you miles ahead of just about everyone else here.”

She’s not wrong there. “I suppose I am the person least likely to lose an arm doing all of this.”

“See, there you are again with that nice, cheerful attitude that I’ve missed so much.” She cranes her neck and sighs. “If you actually had a cheery attitude, I’d ask you to go use it on Sophie. Poor thing.”

My spine immediately straightens. “Why? What’s wrong with Sophie?”

“I don’t know that there is anything wrong, per say. But something is up with her.”

Frowning, I follow the line of her stare to the woman in question. Like me, she’s hanging back from the rest of the crowd, who are all but elbowing each other for the chance to try their hand out hitting the target.

Only, unlike me, she’s watching with a light smile playing on her impossibly full lips. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about those lips of hers more than a few times while I tossed and turned in my bed last night.

“She looks good to me.”

Winter’s eyebrows lift up until they disappear under her bangs. “And just how good do you think she looks.”

“Don’t be like that.” I scowl, even though that’s exactly where my mind had been headed. “I just meant that she looks happy enough.”

“I never said she wasn’t happy.”

No, I guess she didn’t. “But you said something was up with her.”

“I did. As in it seems like she’s keeping a secret.”

“Well, if she’s keeping a secret, it isn’t any of our business.”

Winter rolls her eyes and shakes her head at me. “You’re completely hopeless.”

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