Page 3 of Big, Bad, Mountain Man

“Oh.” She pauses as though she hadn’t thought out the reasons. “Well. I guess because you’re getting a package deal. It’s not just me. I come with two little carbon copies, and they’re not house broken yet. Truthfully, most days I can be a little feral myself.”

I grin. “Sounds like a fun afternoon. What are their names?”

“Alyssa and Bryn. They’re three and four. Do you have any children?”

I round to the driver’s side of the truck and hop in, flashing on the headlights as I start up the engine. “Always wanted ‘em, but it was never the right time. Now, I’m too old. I settled on a couple a coon hounds named Jake and Duke. They’re just a couple of farm dogs that like riding on the tractor and causing trouble.”

“I like dogs, but my ex never cared for animals in the house. He liked things neat. Turns out, kids put a damper on the dream of a prim and proper house.” She buries her face in her hands. “And there I go, making the second mistake of a first date by talking about an ex.” She glances up toward me. “I promise I’m not usually this crazy sounding, but I’ve been going through a lot with the divorce, the girls, the move, and the business. Oh, and my mom has this wedding coming up and I’m one hundred percent sure she’s going to be a complete terror about the divorce and how kids shouldn’t be raised without a father.” She twists toward me. “You know… because she stayed with my dad long after she wanted too for my sister and I… which is complete shit because she spent most of that time crying and sad. She’d have been better off just leaving the man.” She draws in a deep breath. “Wow! Considering I’ve completely lost my mind, maybe you should just drop me off at home. Apparently, I’m more of a mess than I thought.”

I can’t stop smiling. “No way. This is the best date I’ve ever had. Keep going. I like it.”

“Why on Earth would you like a woman who’s spouting off about every problem she has in the first ten minutes? This isn’t sexy. It’s indicative of a mental health crisis.”

I laugh. “I beg to differ. It’s genuine, like we’ve known each other for years already. I like that. You’re cutting through all the bullshit.”

Her eyes dart toward me, then out the window again. “What’s your family drama?”

I draw in a ragged breath, the soft smell of perfume in the air. That’s a new one. Usually the truck smells like motor oil and pine. “Shit. I’m not sure I’ve got anything as interesting as you. I’ve got a brother, Kane. He’s the head of this motorcycle club in town and a co-owner of the hardware store. His biggest drama is that he’s in love with some woman he can’t have. My parents are both long gone. So, it’s me, the animals, and a whole lot of nothing. I do some logging up on the hill near Balsam Creek. They’re clearing out some land for a lodge their building later this year. Kane and I are helping out here and there where we can.”

“It sounds like you and your brother are close.”

“We have dinner probably three or four times a week. He’s been using my barn to fix up an old Harley he’s working on.”

“Do you ride?”

“I’ve got a bike, but I’m not part of the club. That’s his thing.”

“Ugh, my ex was always talking about joining a motorcycle club, but he doesn’t have the vibe. He’s got more of a computer analyst aesthetic, you know? Glasses, khakis, dress shirts.” She shakes her head. “Sorry. I’m doing it again.”

“What happened between you guys?”

She huffs. “Oh, God. What didn’t happen? We were only together five years, but he managed to destroy my faith in men.” She shakes her head. “That’s probably not something I should say either.”

“What did he do?”

“I’m sure you don’t want to know. It’s in the past, anyway.”

“I want to know everything about you.”

Our gaze sticks on one another for a long second before she finally comes back to life. I should be watching the road, but I’ve slowed to a crawl, and I can’t take my eyes off her.

“I guess I thought a marriage would be different. Two people making love work, ya know? He put generic, low-level effort into everything. We didn’t want the same things, and when we tried to talk about anything serious, it always ended in an argument. Then, sex started waning to once a week, then once every two weeks. And when we did‘do it,’it was robotic and unemotional. I had to come up with all these scenarios in my head to get off.” She pauses as though she’s said too much. “Anyway, we had the girls, and I thought things would get better, but it only made a bad situation worse. Eventually, he told me he was done. I agreed.”

“I’ll never understand why people get married to be complacent. You’d think if you were spending your life with someone, you’d want to go above and beyond for them. Do you share custody of the girls?”

“No.” She leans her head back against the seat, wiping successive tears away. Maybe I should’ve steered clear of this conversation. “He told me a few months back that he doesn’t want anything to do with us. He wants a clean break, but he still sends money here and there. I guess I’m supposed to be thankful for that.” She shrugs. “I’m not. I don’t know how to explain to the girls why their dad isn’t coming around anymore. It’s so much stress.” Her voice pops with anxiety, and an urge to fix everything about her pain overtakes me, though I can’t figure out why. I barely know the woman.

“So that’s it? You have two kids, and the responsibility is all yours?”

She nods and wipes away another slew of tears. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying. I wasn’t ready for this, obviously. Please take me home. I can’t do this to you.”

I pull the truck to the side of the road and reach toward her. “You’re stressed. Can I hold you for a minute?”

She stares at me for a long moment as though she’s thinking over the repercussions of us touching.

“It doesn’t have to mean anything. You’re upset, and I’m here with two arms. That’s all. Maybe a hug will help.”

Her eyes flicker in the dim light of the star filled sky before she slides in closer and leans against my chest with audible release. A sigh. A breath of relief. Tears soak my shirt, and my hand rubs her arm gently as she cries.

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