Page 6 of Mail Order Bride for the Scrooge

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a festive mood,” I grunt.

She nods, but I can see the wheels in her head turning and I know I’m in trouble. She answered the ad about me to get a fresh start and have an adventure. I can’t shake the feeling I’m the one about to embark on one as well.

CHAPTER 3

LAKE

Laying in Gannon’s guest room, I don’t know whether I’ll be able to sleep tonight or not. I’m warm, cozy, and my belly is full of the most delicious stew I’ve ever eaten. But I’m unsettled. Probably because I’m not sure what to do with myself now.

I came to Jasper Ridge to marry a stranger only to find out he had no idea I was coming. Someone put the ad up on his behalf to find him a wife. I don’t think I’ve ever been more mortified in my life than when I realized he really didn’t know what the hell I was talking about as far as being his bride.

If a hole could have opened up right then and there, I would have been happy. I would have also taken an avalanche, but Storm would never deserve that kind of ending. Gannon’s pup is the most adorable and fluffy thing I’ve ever seen. I would marry the gruff man in the room next door to mine just so I don’t have to leave his dog.

Poor thing wanted to come in here and sleep with me, but Gannon put his foot down. I almost pouted because I was looking forward to curling up with Storm and getting a little comfort from him. Maybe he’ll find a way to sneak in later. One can only hope.

Storm isn’t the only one I hope sneaks in later, but for completely different reasons. There’s something about Gannon I can’t ignore. I’ve been trying to disregard the pull I feel toward him since the moment I figured out he wasn’t eager about finding a mail order bride—one he didn’t order—on his doorstep.

The man could have kicked me out and sent me right back down the mountain, but he didn’t. I swear I saw heat in his eyes a few times as well.

While we were eating the stew that he’d been cooking all day, his eyes were practically glued to my mouth. He took in every bite while his face was a mask of satisfaction and hunger. I’m not sure what to make of the whole thing.

I’m attracted to him, but there are also shadows in his eyes. I’ve seen them in the eyes of some of Nico’s club brothers; the ones who served. I don’t need to know the details to know he carries mental scars from his time in the military. I haven’t seen enough of the man to know if he also carries physical scars.

I scrub my hands down my face and try to rid myself of the mental image of Gannon shirtless. Oh, fuck, then there’s Gannon naked.

Everything about the man is thick. It would be a shame to find out he’s not packing some heat behind the fly of his jeans. Considering the bulge that he was sporting all day around me, I’m sure he has nothing to be ashamed of in that department.

Nope.

Can’t go there. It would be wrong to make myself come in the house of the man I came all this way to marry. The same man who had no fucking idea I existed.

He is a good man though and after only meeting him hours ago, I would marry him. I’m not sure what it says about me, but I can’t deny it feels right being around him.

I don’t even mind that he’s a little gruff and grumpy. Then there’s the way he reacted to me asking about holiday decorations. He looked like I had just kicked Storm and threatened to shoot him or something. By the way, just to be clear, I would never do either of those things. At worst, that fluffy pile of dog is at risk of me cuddling him to death, but that’s about it.

Gannon gave me Scrooge vibes when he told me it’s been a long time since he’s been in a festive mood. It made me want to get in my car, drive back down the mountain, and buy all the decorations I could find. I could easily make it look like the holidays exploded all over Gannon’s gorgeous cabin.

I’m not sure the man in question would be happy with me if I were to do it, but I want to. Desperately.

There’s something magical about Christmas and the holiday season. It’s a time for hope, family, and love. I didn’t have a lot of those things while growing up, but Nico always tried to make the holidays special for me, even if it was something small like a mini candy cane.

When you don’t have a lot and when you don’t have many people in your corner, you appreciate the little things. My instincts are screaming at me that Gannon hasn’t had a lot of people to help him find the holiday spirit. It wouldn’t surprise me to know he won’t let them try and he shuts down anyone who does.

I tried asking him about his family today over dinner, but he was very tight lipped about the whole thing. He grunted, “I don’t have any family. Not really.”

I arched an eyebrow, recognizing something shifty in his answer. I pushed him just a little, “No one?”

He shrugged one muscular shoulder and shoved another spoonful of stew into his mouth. When I kept staring at him, I swear the man rolled his eyes at me. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from smiling at him. It was kind of adorable in a giant teddy bear sort of way. I don’t think he would have appreciated me saying that out loud though.

“I have a brother,” he told me reluctantly. “He’s in college.”

“He’s in college,” I repeated, hoping he would give me a little more.

He didn’t.

“There aren’t any people in town you’re close to?” I felt I needed to try harder. Not only to learn about the man I had already married in my mind, even if he didn’t want me, but to also try and figure out who would have put up the ad.

Whoever did clearly cares about the man. Why else would they want him to have companionship in his self-imposed isolation?

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