Page 8 of Kidnapped By the Mountain Man

This is for Mom. This is for Mom. This is for Mom. I repeat the words over and over until I’m breathing right again.

“Hey, Rick,” I say, turning back toward him.

His gaze is now on his phone. “Yeah.”

“What’s in this for you? Why couldn’t you marry some pretty girl from the city. I mean… you don’t love me.”

He stands from the table and tucks his phone into his pocket, his eyes on me as though I’m suddenly the most important person in the world. “Who says I don’t love you?”

My brows crinkle. “Well, we never said it and you—”

“Don’t be crazy, Cora. Of course I love you.” He turns back to the table, picking up the glass of lemonade. “You’ll love me too, in time.” He takes a sip of the cool liquid then his tongue beats against the roof of his mouth as his lips pucker. “More sugar next time, babe. This is… yeah… more sugar.”

My stomach turns, and my entire body aches with the need to escape. I grab the keys off the counter and pull my purse from the back of the door. “I told Kate I’d meet her at the bridal shop for lunch. I’ll catch you later.”

“You knew I’d be here, and you told Kate you would meet her at the bridal shop?”

“Sorry. It’s the only time she could meet me, and the wedding is in two days, so…”

He puckers his lips for a kiss and my chest tightens. I know he doesn’t love me. We haven’t spent enough time together for that. This is a business transaction and until Austin pointed it out, I hadn’t noticed how unbalanced it was. He’s up to something, and I’m guessing it’s not me he’s worried about helping.

Chapter Four

Austin

Working hard is all I know. I spend days at my own ranch, working on the sheep and then head down to Waylon’s to help with drives as needed. Outside of that, I don’t have much of a life. It’s the way my father was, and it’s the way I am. We were born to work hard and then work even harder. Play was something that folks who have no work ethic do.

Until recently, it never bothered me much. I liked the solitude of my quiet spot on the mountain and there was no one I really gave two fucks about seeing.

Then, I met Cora.

We only spent the afternoon together, but I can’t stop thinking about how terribly wrong that asshole Rick is for her, and for anyone really.

I’d hoped for her sake that the man had a single redeemable quality, but it seems that’s not the case. If my momma was still around, she’d have said,‘that boy’s too big for his britches.’It roughly translates to‘fuck that piece of shit.’

You can tell he’s a guy who’s never done any real work but likes to talk like he has. The kind of guy who’d mistake a Phillips-head for a flat-head, then tell you some fuckery to rationalize why he gave it to you so he didn’t look stupid.

I hate those guys.

I stare as I sit on the opposite side of the street, sipping on a hot coffee, my hat low as I watch Cora through the window of the bridal store. I could lie and say I hadn’t meant to be here, but I followed her from her house, so… that would be a lie. She stands up on a circular stage and stares into the mirror, wearing a white gown that sits off her shoulders and drapes to the ground.

She’s gorgeous, but I’m guessing the asshole she’s marrying will find fault in everything she does for the rest of her life. Then again, he probably picked the dress himself. I wouldn’t put it past him.

“Austin?” Waylon pulls a chair out at my table, his face wrinkled up with confusion. “You’re in town? What the hell are you doing here? This is like seeing a big foot at a Starbucks.”

“Yeah.” I scrub my hand down over my beard, trying to think of a reason I’d be plunked down at the coffee shop on a Monday afternoon. “Needed a little break, I guess. What about you? Shouldn’t you be at the ranch?”

“Axel broke on one of the tractors, so I needed a pin. I suppose I could’ve sent one of the guys, but I guess I sensed that the world stop spinning when you sat your lazy ass in that chair.” He laughs and sets his Stetson on the table next to us, raking his hand through his dark beard.

I only grace him with a slight chuckle. “You’re a real bastard, cousin.”

I glance toward the shop window again. Cora has her head buried against Kate’s shoulder. At this point, I’m within every law of nature to go hold her, right?

“Hey… are you okay?” Waylon draws my sight line. “That’s Cora, isn’t it?” He squints. “Did you hear about her wedding to that rich guy from the Springs?”

It’s funny to me when Waylon says ‘rich guy’because he’s got the kind of money most people can only dream about.

I nod, keeping my mouth sewn shut ensuring I don’t say anything stupid.

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